“Christian, Mr. Evans said this morning that Rhea and
had
OF
a
my memory.”
face girl’s
appeared in my mind.
problems. Is that true?”
Christian was my childhood friend, so of course, he knew Rhea. Derek would do anything I said, so if I asked him, he’d just tell me what I wanted to hear. Compared to Derek, Christian seemed like he would be more objective.
He frowned slightly. “Did you remember something?”
I shook my head. “No. I just have a bad feeling about
We walked out to the second–floor terrace before he finally spoke. He recounted my history with Rhea from a detached, third–person
Childhood playmates who, upon meeting again in high school, became rivals. I couldn’t stand my parents always praising Rhea, and I was jealous of the complime- nts she received for her beauty. I often used her status as the housekeeper’s daughter to mock and bully her in front of others. But Rhea couldn’t be bothered to ue with me, treating me like an immature child, which only infuriated me more.
Listening to his straightforward account, I was so embarrassed I wanted the ground to swallow me whole
“So, what kind of person is Rhea?”
Christian thought for a moment, his eyes on the book in his hands. “I don’t know her very well. When we were kids, she only ever played with
“After she grew up and went to school back in her hometown, I didn’t see her again.”
“I remember you mentioning her a few times. You said you were curious about her.”
“You looked so happy when you said it. I never understood why you started targeting her later.”
you.”
arg-
Christian didn’t like to gossip, so I didn’t press him.
He sat with me in the library. In the quiet atmosphere, the lush green plants outside the window were like
I watched Christian’s focused expression as he read and couldn’t help but ask in a small voice, “When I was
a
thick, vibrant mist,
full
of
the
courage
of
new life.
so horrible before, did
you
ever hate
me?”
From our brief interactions these past few days, I had a feeling that Christian wasn’t as cold as he appeared on the surface.
The hand turning the page paused.
He was silent for a moment.
“I wouldn’t say hate. More like… I was very surprised.”
I felt a little embarrassed. “I probably bullied you a lot back then too.”
Christian chuckled, his tone light.
A
HE
If running my errands, getting my food, saving my seats, and copying my homework, only to be ‘bullied‘ by you into accepting gifts that you knew were my favorite
1
THE
Chapter 2
nummy my ch
things… then yes,
1117
that
I lowered my head and mumbled,
a
sunny
Just as I finished speaking, a hand gently
n
Christian’s palm was warm.
“It doesn’t really matter.”
my
“Maybe when you look back on this later, you’ll realize that they
back?”
you right now is fre
09:17 0
wunnth
པད དཔས་་་པ སP་་སུ སུ་ཕས་ས་ དཔས ་་་ ་་་༦
TUTUTILG
Christian walked me to the entrance of my dorm.
By now, my phone was flooded with messages from Derek.
[Flora, why are you suddenly saying things like that? Big bro is so touched I’m about
[By the way, you have to stay away from Christian! You never liked him before, don’t let
cry.]
him trick you!]
[One time you were drunk and talking nonsense, you said you would never like him again, that he wou
(Let’s not hang out with him, okay? Big bro is going on a business trip to France
Let’s
tomorrow,
what
kind
Heroine…
of
The moment I saw that word, a wave of dizziness washed over me. The back of
And then, a mechanical voice echoed in my mind.
fall
for
the
someday.]
Gift
do
you
want?]
my head went numb, and my heart began
and like:
a drum.
Cold, piercing, and familiar.
[Host, it has been a while.]
- 7.
Memories flooded my brain like a tidal wave.
15
The ‘villainess‘ identity I was forced into, the fights with Rhea I was forced to stage, the times my body moved against my will to torment Christian
One by one, the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place in my mind.
The day I met Rhea again in high school, a voice had appeared in my head. A System.
It said this was a novel.
Rhea was the heroine.
Christian was the hero.
And I was the selfish, willful villainess.
Rhea was destined to transform from the housekeeper’s daughter into a dazzling swan. She would steal the praise of my parents, the affection
her, and finally, my childhood fiancé.
The seeds of jealousy were planted in my heart. As the daughter of the Sterling family, I was destined to fight her to the bitter end.
At first, I tried to resist. I demanded to know why the System had made me this person.
The System’s voice was cold.
[Host, this is your role as a character in the novel.]
[There can only be one heroine. If you do not fight, you will always be at her mercy}
[I imagine that once the heroine awakens to her identity, she will also use every means to suppress you.]
[After all, you are not the heroine, yet you enjoy the heroine’s treatment. She will not tolerate that.]
Of
my adopted brot-
Controlled by the System, I began my life as a villainess. The System gave me missions to make things difficult for Rhea. I had to mock her for her cheap clothes in
front of everyone. After completing the mission, my conscience would ache, and I’d secretly give my new clothes to Mrs. Wallace, vaguely saying I didn’t like them anymore and asking her to dispose of them.
A week later, the dress would appear on Rhea.
I would watch from the shadows, seeing her shine like a princess in the sunlight. Rhea looks so much better in white dresses, I would think with pride, as silent tears streamed down my face.
The System said that in the future, Rhea would steal my fiancé. I had to get engaged to Christian before that happened. So, like a puppet, I forced my parents to arrange an engagement party. The System deliberately chose the day Christian’s grandfather was critically ill, saying it was the only way to test Christian’s feelings for me.
Christian, of course, did not attend the engagement party.
And I didn’t dare to show up either, afraid to see the disappointment and disgust in his eyes.
I tried to find ways to make it up to him, but compared to what I had done, my efforts seemed pathetic.
I couldn’t live like that anymore. I didn’t want to become the person they all hated.
I tried to
You a
erminate the mission, but all I got was the System’s cold refusal.
dre a.
supporting ter
. You cannot termin
the
Sion.]
I in constant fear, until one day,
As my body hit th
e ground, I had only on
A sense of relief. I could finally rest.
Ia step on the library stairs.
H
[Mission cannot be terminated. Host, your progre
[Please restart.]
[Please restart.]
[The deadline is..J
The System’s voice droned on in my head.
2
already
delayed due to
fell to my knees, screaming, “I don’t want to do any more missions!”
Suddenly, I was pulled into a warm embrace.
The sweet scent of citrus filled my nose.
The world went quiet.
The System’s voice in my head abruptly cut off, as if someone had pulled the plug.
Rhea was holding me, patting my back over and over, her voice a low, soothing murmur.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. We’re done with the missions.”
Her jaw was tight, her voice strained.
“I didn’t know… I’m sorry… It’s all my fault…”
As Rhea held me, her sleeve became damp with my tears.
T
“Rhea?” I froze, then frantically pushed her away. The System had warned me that if it caught me acting out of character, I would
“It’s okay-” she grabbed my wrist, refusing to let go.
She comforted me awkwardly.
“The game is over,” she said, her voice low and steady.
be
punished
I sat in Rhea’s dorm roorn. It was just the two of us.
She poured me a glass of water.
“So you were bound to a mission too? You knew you were the heroine of this book?” I asked, frowning as I held the glass.
Rhea looked down, her voice soft. “But I didn’t know that the price of being the heroine was forcing you to be the villainess.”
“The System only told me that I was bound to the heroine’s identity, that I could climb my way up from the bottom.”
“I lied to me, told me that everyone around me was treacherous, that the only person I could trust was myself.”
“The only person I could rely on was myself.”
A dead silence fell over the room.
“So when you targeted me, when you made things difficult for me, I could tolerate it.”
“I thought, you’ve been pampered your whole life. It’s normal for you to get angry or jealous when you hear some unpleasant rumors
“Even when you became more aggressive, in my eyes, you were just a little girl afraid of losing her parents‘ love.”
“But I never imagined you were being forced.”
headded “I have no feelings for Christian
09:11
Chapter 2
“But I never imagined you were being forced.”
“Oh,
don’t
I looked down,
worry,”
using the
added. “I have no feelings for Christian.”
pretense of drinking water to hide
my reddened eyes.
“I wasn’t jealous…”
“You were always better than me,” I said
fly.”
“Mrs. Wallace raised you well. I was happy
“We were childhood friends. Even though we
en r
my
Rhea didn’t speak. But her lowered eyelasadn’t s
Suddenly, I remembered something. “Wait, what
et and smart, well–read and sincere.”
did.
‘You
mean
the
“Exactly what it sounds like,” Rhea said casually. “I terminated
for
I know
- ou. I wouldn’t misjudge you.”
e game was over?”
“The villainess can’t terminate the mission. But I can.”
I was stunned. “But if you do that, everything you’ve worked
for…”
“Society is always trying to pit women against each other.”
doesn’t matter,” Rhea laughed. “Is my life over just because I’m not bound
to
this System?”
“But I’m just not playing along.”
09:11
After that day, Rhea’s luck seemed to take a turn for the worse. She always just missed out on winning competitions, and she almost didn’t get paid for her part–time job. In the end, Derek had to step in and beat the boss into a pulp.
On the day Rhea finished her internship, I was at home cooking; waiting for them to come back for dinner.
I was busy in the kitchen with Mrs. Wallace. When Derek and the others tried to help, I shooed them out, leaving only Christian to assist me.
“Dinner will be ready soon. Don’t come in here and make a mess.”
Rhea and Derek sat on the sofa, watching the busy figures in the kitchen.
Derek cleaned his ear nonchalantly. “I don’t know why she’s like this now, but it’s nice.”
The innocent, kind Flora from their childhood–they could never believe she would actually turn bad. The only explanation was that she’d been possessed by somet- hing evil.
Rhea raised an eyebrow. “If you like her, why don’t you confess?”
Derek was stumped. “…If I like money, why don’t I rob a bank? Is it because I don’t want to?”
Rhea just scoffed.
Derek: “I always thought you were strange too. Why do you like hanging around my house so much?”
Rhea sipped her water. “It’s not because of you.”
Derek yawned. “…I’m self–aware enough to know that.”
He sighed again. “But if you don’t date, don’t your parents pressure you?”
Rhea rose slowly. “Not every relationship in this world has to end in romance. You should know that better than anyone.”
“Besides, you’re not dating either, are you?”
This time, it was Derek’s turn to laugh.
“Of course not.”
“After all, we have a bond that’s lasted more than a decade. That’s not something a stranger can just come in and replace in a few months or years.”
Their eyes met, filled with a shared understanding, the camaraderie of two people in the same boat.
“Dinner’s ready-”
Flora emerged from the kitchen, a cheerful smile on her face, carrying a tray of food.
“Rhea, Christian, big bro, and Mrs. Wallace and Mr. Evans–I made everyone’s favorite dishes!”
Rhea and Derek exchanged a glance and smiled helplessly.
Oh well.
Flora
emerged from the kitchen, a cheerful smile on her face, carrying a
La tray
of food.
everyone’s favorite dishes!”
“Rhea, Christian, ,big bro, and Mrs. Wallace and Mr. Evans–Im made
Rhea
and Derek exchanged a glance and smiled helplessly.
Oh well.
What could they
do?
All they
could do was pray that Christian had a long life ahead of him,
so the
opportunity wouldn’t t fall into their hands.
And
this kind of relationship… wasn’t that its own kind of happy, complete reunion?
