╔══════════════════════════════╗
║ SYSTEM NOTICE: FAVOR PLUMMETED ║
║ MC's blatant disobedience has enraged multiple key families. ║
║ Consequence: Villainess advantage increased. Future interactions may become more hostile. ║
╚══════════════════════════════╝
All of them looked furious, the anger already erupting through the room.
"INSOLENT!" roared the head of the Solenhart Clan, veins bulging.
"How dare she reject our lineage's claim?!" bellowed another, banging a fist on the table.
The Khalia representative's face went red. "Who even raised this girl?!"
Even the city outside seemed to vibrate in sympathetic outrage.
Marie pinched the bridge of her nose.
'Yeah, yeah, I get it. You're mad. I'm the villain now. Happy?'
The cacophony followed her down the hall. Clashing arguments, echoing footsteps, and the occasional sharp snap of a snapped cane or overturned chair created the perfect chaotic soundtrack to her escape.
The hall fell silent behind her.
A presence lingered; sharp, deliberate. It was utterly cold as well.
"Trying to pull a prank?"
Marie froze. Or rather, Elise.
A figure stepped from the shadows, black hair cascading in waves, posture flawless, eyes the color of deep amethyst.
Every inch screamed authority, elegance, and danger.
"Selene," Elise's voice was small, caught somewhere between awe and panic.
"Don't play dumb," Selene purred, tilting her head. "You know exactly what you did back there. What prank are you trying to pull?"
The villainess had that look, the one that said she could erase you from existence with a glance, yet somehow, it was intoxicating.
"I…uh…" Elise stammered. "I'm not... pranking, exactly. I just… don't really follow your game?"
Selene's lips curved into a faint, dangerous smile. "Don't follow it?" she echoed. "So you deliberately disrupt it… for fun?"
"Look, I didn't sign up for anyone's drama. I just—"
"—You just stole the spotlight from every family in the room," Selene finished, voice soft but deadly. "Clever. Bold. Infuriating."
"I'm… sorry?"
Selene's violet eyes narrowed. "Careful. You think this is amusing. But in this world, every action has consequences. And you, Elise… are treading dangerously close to mine."
Elise's heart thumped so hard she could hear it in her ears. "Mine?"
"Yes," Selene said, stepping closer, the faint scent of something floral and sharp drifting from her. "Yours to observe… to challenge… perhaps even to ruin."
Oh, great. First day, already making mortal enemies with a goddess-level villainess. Perfect.
Selene arched an eyebrow, her expression flicking between irritation and curiosity. "Funny. Most are terrified to even breathe in my vicinity. You… laugh."
"It just came out naturally."
"Be careful, Elise. I do have a long memory… and a very short temper."
Elise's cheeks heated, not from fear, but from something entirely more confusing.
Why is her heart beating from this? Is she a masochist?
***
Elise flopped onto the rickety couch of her new apartment immediately once she was led by the system.
She pressed her forehead against the threadbare cushion and muttered, "As Machiavelli once said, 'The ends justify the means.' Except, apparently, my 'means' are getting me murdered by six rich families."
Political science, her chosen course back in the real world, suddenly seemed terrifyingly relevant.
Power dynamics, alliances, and game theory weren't just theories in textbooks anymore; they were literal life-and-death simulations.
But right now, all her gaze could focus on was her apartment.
It was… catastrophic.
Imagine a mouse being deposited inside a trash can.
Now imagine that trash can was clean.
That was her new home.
The walls were streaked with faded paint, the ceiling sagged like it had given up on life, and every few minutes, tiny droplets rained down onto the floor.
"Wow, I really nailed the dream life of the most generic heroine ever. Poor, desperate for attention from impossibly gorgeous men, and apparently a scholar in a school full of rich, elite prodigies. Truly, peak originality."
What made her stomach twist wasn't the cliché, though, it was the fact that she'd only ever played halfway through the game so she wouldn't know much until the part where she had stopped.
╔══════════════════════════════╗
║ SYSTEM NOTICE: CHARACTER STATUS ║
╠══════════════════════════════╣
║ Name: Elise Veymore ║
║ Favor Points: 0/10 ║
║ Level: One ║
║ Affinity: Natural ║
║ Stats Available for Upgrade: ║
║ • Charisma: 0/100 ║
║ • Wit: 0/100 ║
║ • Strategy: 0/100 ║
║ • Endurance: 0/100 ║
╚══════════════════════════════╝
"Not a single point all day."
Technically, it was her own fault. All she had to do was play nice, flash a charming smile, and make a good impression, but noooo....
She was just a poor, ordinary girl tossed into a room of elite political dynasties, she had no chance against them!
"This game… it's basically a festival of backstabbing women and shiny men with zero personality," she muttered, poking at a rat that had wandered across her notebook. "And somehow, they want me to act grateful while it all happens?"
She cupped her chin, staring at the ceiling as if it might offer a solution. "Then… what do I do to actually win?"
Her eyes narrowed. The answer had been glaringly obvious the whole time.
It wasn't the clans. It wasn't the male leads.
It was her.
The Villainess.