[Seraphina's Pov]
When I came to, my body still felt like it had been slow-roasted over a campfire. My throat was dry, my muscles screamed, and my skin prickled with phantom burns.
For a moment, I honestly wondered if I was dead. Again.
But no—the blindingly expensive canopy above me confirmed the unfortunate truth. I was still in the Valemont estate. Still Seraphina. Still screwed.
"Milady! You're awake!"
A girl's voice cut through my haze. I blinked and saw a trembling maid hovering nearby—probably younger than me, maybe sixteen at most, her face pale as milk.
"Y-You fainted after the Count left, Milady! I—I was so worried!"
I stared at her for a long moment, her voice barely registering. The words fainted and worried sounded so foreign.
Because all I could think was—that pain was real.
The phantom fire still licked at my skin, crawling under my ribs like a memory that refused to fade. I sat up slowly, my fingers clutching the blanket as if it were the only real thing left in this twisted reality.
The maid—Luna, I remembered hazily—helped steady me, but her hands trembled more than mine. She looked at me like I was something fragile. Or cursed.
And maybe… she wasn't wrong.
That night, when Luna finally left and silence filled the room, I folded my knees to my chest and stared at the faint shimmer in the air where the system screen had once appeared.
It wasn't there now, but I could feel it watching. Waiting.
"I don't want to play," I whispered. My voice cracked halfway through. "I didn't sign up for this. I'm not Seraphina. I'm Rika Tanaka. I just… I just want to go home."
No response.
I waited. Minutes passed. Hours, maybe. Nothing but the distant ticking of the clock and the cold whisper of wind against the window.
So I tried again, softer this time. "System… I quit. Please. Just… let me out."
Still nothing.
I laughed—a hollow, broken sound that echoed off the fancy wallpaper. "Figures. Even the murder system has better things to do than listen to me."
From that day on, I prayed. Every morning when I woke up. Every night before I forced myself to sleep.
Please, let me wake up in my apartment again. Please, let this be a dream. Please, I don't want to die again.
But no one answered.
Luna came and went like a shadow—bringing food, fresh clothes, and the occasional pitiful glance. She never stayed long. And I wasn't allowed to leave my room. Not for meals, not for walks, not even to breathe fresh air.
Just me, the walls, and the silence.
I was a puppet—dangling from invisible strings, waiting for the glowing boxes of doom to tell me what I could say, what I could do, and who I could be.
And when those choices didn't appear… I was nothing. Just a breathing error in someone else's script.
CREAK.
"My Lady… the dinner is ready."
The door opened softly, and Luna walked in, pushing a small cart. Her steps were hesitant, her head bowed low. She placed the tray on the table, her voice barely above a whisper. "Please eat while it's still warm."
Warm? That was generous.
I stared at the plate—one stale piece of bread, a small bowl of soup so thin it was practically colored water, and a single slice of cheese that looked older than my reincarnation.
If there was one thing I'd learned about Seraphina Valemont, it was this—she may have been born noble, but she was treated worse than a servant.
Bread and water. Every meal. Every day. Even prisoners got more dignity.
I took a deep breath and asked, "Did the chef forget to prepare food for me again, Luna?"
Luna froze, her hands tightening around her apron. "I… I'm sorry, My Lady. I brought what I was told to."
Her voice shook, and I saw the guilt in her eyes. And that's when I remembered something—something from the game's background dialogue.
This meal wasn't from the kitchen. Luna had bought it herself. From her own wages. Because no one else in this household cared if Seraphina starved.
A cold, heavy ache settled in my chest.
Before I could say anything, the air shimmered—blue light flickering to life before my eyes.
[CHOOSE AN OPTION:]
1. Are you upset? Call the chef and flip the table.
2. Call the butler and demand an explanation.
3. Slap Luna and take your anger out on her.
I froze.
My hands trembled slightly as I read the words.
No…No, not her.
Luna stood by the table, still, silent, waiting—unaware that her fate was hanging on a glowing screen only I could see.
But then again, If I flipped the table or called the chef, I'd cause a scene. The Count's confinement would double.
And...If I called the butler...that meant facing the eldest son of the Valemont family—Lucien Valemont. And if I remembered correctly, in the original story, Lucien hated Seraphina with every cell in his body.
Which left me with…
My throat went dry.
[Please select an option within 10 seconds.]
[10… 9… 8…]
I clenched my fists. "You've got to be kidding me."
[6… 5…]
There had to be another way. Anything. A loophole.
[3… 2…]
I looked at Luna—her trembling shoulders, her downcast eyes.
"I'm so sorry," I whispered.
[1… Selection Auto-Confirmed: Option 3.]
And...
SLAP!
The sound cracked through the air.
Luna's head snapped to the side, her cheek blooming red. Her eyes widened in shock—not from the pain, but from disbelief.
"...M-My Lady?" she stammered, tears welling.
I couldn't breathe. My palm stung, but not as much as the pit in my stomach. The system blinked once more.
[Choice Completed.]
[Character Alignment: Maintained.]
[Affection of Luna: -10.]
I wanted to scream. I wanted to tear that damn glowing box apart with my bare hands. But before I could even open my mouth— My body moved on its own. My lips curled, my tongue shaping words that weren't mine.
"Oh, stop crying, you useless girl," I heard myself say.
What—?
Luna froze mid-step, her eyes wide and glistening with tears. "M-My Lady, I—"
"Do you think tears will make you less pathetic?" The words poured out of my mouth like venom, sharp and poisonous, but they weren't mine. "You can't even do your job right. How dare you serve me scraps like this? Are you a maid or a stray rat pretending to be one?"
Stop. Stop. STOP!
Inside, I was screaming, thrashing against whatever unseen force was puppeteering me. My throat burned as I tried to swallow the words, to bite my tongue, but my body didn't listen.
"Pathetic," I spat, the final word cracking through the air like a whip.
Luna flinched, clutching the tray tightly as tears streamed down her cheeks. "I—I'm sorry, My Lady. I'll do better. Please forgive me."
And then—finally—control returned.
The moment it did, I stumbled backward, one hand clutching my throat, the other covering my mouth as if I could somehow shove the words back inside.
The system's screen pulsed once more.
[Scene Completed.]
[Character Behavior: Consistent.]
[Affection Update: Luna (-20).]
And the silence that followed was worse than any punishment.
My fingers dug into the sheets. I felt dirty. Tainted. Like I'd just killed something small and precious inside me.
"Get out," I said.
She bowed and left with a pain I gave to her. The faint glow of the system lingered in the air, humming softly—as if pleased.
[Next scene unlocking soon.]
My stomach twisted. I realized then—this wasn't just a game. This was a cage made of choices I never wanted to make.
And the only way out… was to play the monster they wanted me to be.