The cold was the first thing Liliana noticed.

It seeped through the thin fabric of her white dress, creeping into her bones from the damp stone beneath her knees. The autumn sky above the royal plaza was a cruel, indifferent blue.

How fitting, she thought, her gaze distant. A beautiful day to die.

Before her, a sea of faces stared back. Nobles she had dined with, servants she had tipped, commoners she had never noticed. They were all here for the spectacle. The execution of the Grand Duchess Liliana Von Eisengard, the greatest villainess the kingdom had ever known.

The charges were read: high treason, attempted murder of the crown prince's betrothed, consorting with dark forces.

All of it was a lie.

She lifted her head, her raven hair falling away from her face to reveal a sharp, beautiful jawline and eyes the color of amethysts. They weren't filled with tears, but with a quiet, burning fire. Her gaze searched the crowd until it found him.

Prince Cedric.

He stood on a raised dais, dressed in white and gold, his arm protectively wrapped around the shoulders of a weeping girl with honey-blonde hair and wide, innocent eyes. Seraphina. The "heroine." The woman who had orchestrated every piece of this deadly game.

Cedric's gaze met Liliana's. For a moment, just a flicker of something crossed his handsome face. Discomfort? Regret? Then it was gone, replaced by a cold mask of royal duty.

Liliana's heart, already a frozen lump in her chest, didn't even ache anymore. She had loved him once. She had given him everything. And he had handed her a death sentence based on a whisper from a girl he'd known for three months.

A system-generated hologram would have been useful right now. She would have loved to see the number next to his name. Probably something like -200.

Her gaze shifted. Standing behind the prince, a figure cloaked in grey and black melded with the shadows of the dais. She couldn't see his face, but she knew he was there. Ren. The royal assassin. The man who would be her executioner.

In another life, she might have tried to befriend him. Now, she just felt a dull sense of irony. The only man who would touch her today would be the one sent to end her.

The head priest finished his long-winded prayer. The crowd's murmur grew into an excited hush. This was the moment they'd been waiting for.

The executioner stepped forward. He was a massive, broad-shouldered man, his face hidden behind a featureless black hood. He didn't carry an axe. For someone of her station, a swift blade was considered a mercy. He held a long, slender sword that glinted in the sunlight.

"The prisoner will now receive the final rites," a herald announced.

Liliana almost laughed. The only rite she wanted was the truth. But she held her tongue. Pride was all she had left.

The hooded man approached. He moved with an eerie, silent grace, not like a bulky executioner at all. He knelt before her, a strange act of respect before a killing.

"The kingdom thanks you for your sacrifice," a voice whispered, so low only she could hear. It wasn't the rough voice of a brute. It was smooth, quiet, and familiar.

Her eyes widened slightly. Ren.

He was the executioner.

Of course, he was. The royal assassin, forced to do the prince's dirty work in public. Their eyes met through the slits of his hood. His were a dark, fathomless grey. She saw no hatred in them, no pleasure. Only a profound, echoing emptiness.

"Any last words?" the herald prompted loudly.

Liliana tore her gaze from Ren and looked back at Cedric. She poured every ounce of her shattered soul into her voice, making sure it carried across the silent plaza.

"I am innocent," she said, her voice clear as a bell. "And one day, you will all know the truth."

A ripple of nervous laughter went through the crowd. The words of a doomed woman. Seraphina buried her face deeper into Cedric's chest, hiding a smile.

Cedric simply nodded at the hooded man.

"Now," the prince commanded.

Ren moved. It was faster than thought. He leaned in, his body blocking the sun. For a split second, Liliana thought he was going to whisper something else. But he was just getting into position.

"This is for your sins," he breathed, the ritualistic words of the executioner.

Liliana closed her eyes. She didn't want the last thing she saw to be the back of a hood, or her faithless prince.

She felt the cold kiss of steel against the back of her neck. It was surprisingly gentle, a lover's touch compared to the biting wind.

Then, a flash of searing pain.

Then, nothing.

---

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Her heart was beating.

Impossible.

Liliana's eyes flew open. She was staring at a familiar canopy. A silk canopy in shades of deep purple and silver. Her canopy. In her bedchambers.

Sunlight, warm and golden, streamed in from the window, not the cold, harsh light of the plaza. She could feel the softness of her mattress beneath her, the weight of her duvet.

She shot upright, her hands flying to her neck. It was smooth. Unblemished. No blood. No wound.

"What...?" she breathed, her voice hoarse.

And then, right in front of her face, a translucent blue screen flickered into existence, hovering in the air like a ghost.

[WELCOME, PLAYER LILIANA.]

She stared, her mind blank with shock.

[THE SECOND INNING HAS BEGUN.]

The screen dissolved, and a new number appeared, etched permanently into the corner of her vision, glowing a soft, terrifying red.

[EXECUTION IN: 1095 DAYS.]

Liliana stared at the red numbers glowing in the corner of her vision.

1095 days.

Three years.

She blinked rapidly, shaking her head. The numbers stayed put, crisp and clear against the familiar sight of her bedchamber. She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms. Still there.

"A dream," she whispered to herself, her voice trembling. "Just a vivid, horrible dream."

She threw her legs over the side of the bed, her bare feet touching the cold marble floor. The sensation was real. The faint ache in her muscles from yesterday's horse ride was real. She was alive.

But the moment she stood, the blue screen from before flickered back into existence, hovering obnoxiously close to her face.

[GOOD MORNING, PLAYER.]

[TUTORIAL MODULE ACTIVATING...]

"No," Liliana said flatly, waving her hand through the screen. Her fingers passed through it like it was made of light. "No, no, no. I don't have time for hallucinations. I have a breakfast meeting with the Finance Minister about the orphanage budget—"

[SCANNING HOST MEMORY...]

[SCAN COMPLETE.]

[PAST LIFE: EXECUTED FOR TREASON. CAUSE OF DEATH: DECAPITATION. EXECUTIONER: REN. ORDER GIVEN BY: PRINCE CEDRIC. MASTERMIND: SERAPHINA.]

Lilian's blood ran cold.

The screen displayed her death in cold, clinical text. The image flashed in her mind again—the cold steel, the crowd, Seraphina's hidden smile.

"It was real," she breathed, sinking back onto the edge of her bed. Her hand drifted to her neck once more. Still smooth. Still whole.

[AFFIRMATIVE. HOST HAS BEEN GRANTED A SECOND CHANCE.]

[SYSTEM PURPOSE: SURVIVE. OBJECTIVE: AVOID EXECUTION. METHOD: COMPLETE QUESTS, RAISE AFFECTION, UNCOVER TRUTH.]

Liliana's eyes narrowed. "Raise affection? Affection with whom?"

The screen flickered, and suddenly five silhouettes appeared on it. She recognized them instantly. Her heart clenched.

Cedric. The prince who condemned her.

Klaus. The Cold Duke who ignored her pleas for help.

Ren. The assassin who took her head.

Elio. The archmage who stayed silent when he could have spoken.

And a fifth silhouette she didn't recognize—a dark figure with wild hair and what looked like horns.

[CAPTURE TARGETS: 5. CURRENT AFFECTION LEVELS AVAILABLE FOR DISPLAY.]

[DISPLAY NOW?]

Liliana's hand trembled. Curiosity warred with dread. She reached out and touched the YES option on the screen.

New windows exploded into view, each showing a man's face with a number beneath it.

Cedric: -85

Klaus: -50

Ren: -100

Elio: -30

Unknown: ???

She stared at Ren's number. -100. The lowest possible. Of course. She was the woman he had killed. Why would he feel anything but cold nothingness toward her?

And Cedric. -85. The man she had loved since childhood. The man she had saved from assassination twice. The man she had written poetry about in her secret diary. He despised her that much.

A knock at her door made her jump.

"Lady Liliana?" a soft voice called. "You're late for breakfast. The Prince's party has already arrived."

The Prince's party.

Seraphina would be there. Smiling. Innocent. Poisonous.

Liliana looked at the timer again. 1095 days. She looked at the affection meters. All in the negatives. She looked at her reflection in the vanity mirror across the room—pale, shocked, but alive.

Something hardened in her chest.

She wasn't the naive girl who had died on that scaffold anymore. She was a woman who had seen the ending. And she refused to let it happen again.

"Tell them I'll be down shortly," she called to the servant, her voice steadier now.

She turned back to the screen.

[TUTORIAL COMPLETE.]

[DAILY QUEST AVAILABLE.]

[QUEST: ATTEND THE ROYAL BREAKFAST. REWARD: +10 DAYS TO TIMER, BASIC INFORMATION ON SERAPHINA.]

[ACCEPT?] [YES] [NO]

Liliana almost laughed. There was no choice, was there? The system knew it. She knew it.

She pressed YES.

The screen dissolved, leaving only the red timer in the corner of her vision. She walked to her wardrobe, running her fingers over the beautiful dresses inside. In her past life, she had worn soft colors—pinks, lavenders, whites. Colors that Seraphina now wore. Colors of innocence.

Not today.

She pulled out a deep burgundy gown with black embroidery. The dress of a woman who had died and come back. The dress of a woman who would not be a victim again.

As the servant helped her dress, Liliana practiced her smile in the mirror. It needed to be perfect. Warm enough to avoid suspicion. Sharp enough to remind herself of the truth.

By the time she descended the grand staircase toward the breakfast hall, the red timer pulsed gently in the corner of her eye.

1094 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes.

The countdown had begun.

And at the bottom of the stairs, waiting with the others, stood Prince Cedric. He glanced up at her approach, his handsome face carrying that same cold expression she had seen on the scaffold.

Beside him, Seraphina clutched his arm and smiled her sweet, innocent smile.

Liliana returned it with one of her own.

Hello, traitors, she thought. Let's play.

The breakfast hall was bathed in golden morning light that streamed through towering windows. Long tables draped in white linen groaned under the weight of silver platters filled with fruits, pastries, and roasted meats. Nobles chatted in clusters, their laughter light

Liliana entered like a storm cloud in burgundy silk.

Heads turned. Whispers rippled through the room. She caught fragments—"bold color," "unusual choice," "does she think she's mourning something?"

She ignored them all. Her eyes were locked on the head table where Cedric sat, Seraphina nestled beside him like a kitten claiming the warmest spot. Klaus stood nearby, nursing a cup of black coffee, his silver hair and colder eyes surveying the room with detached boredom.

As Liliana approached, the blue system screen flickered to life unbidden.

[MULTIPLE TARGETS DETECTED.]

[DISPLAYING AFFECTION METERS...]

Suddenly, floating numbers appeared above each man's head, visible only to her.

Above Cedric: -85. The number glowed an angry red.

Above Klaus: -50. A sullen orange.

She scanned the room, looking for the others. Elio the Archmage wasn't present—he rarely attended social functions. Ren was nowhere to be seen, likely lurking in some shadow. The mysterious fifth target with the horns remained a question mark.

And then she saw her.

Seraphina.

The system did something strange when Liliana's gaze fell on the honey-blonde girl. The screen flickered, static crawling across its surface like interference.

[WARNING. TARGET: SERAPHINA DETECTED.]

[DATA CORRUPTED. AFFECTION METER UNAVAILABLE.]

[CLASSIFICATION: ???]

Liliana's step faltered. What does that mean?

"Lady Liliana!"

Seraphina's voice cut through her thoughts like a sweet, poisoned honey. The girl rose from her seat, beaming, and hurried toward Liliana with open arms. Behind her, Cedric watched with that same cold expression, but Liliana noticed something—a flicker of curiosity? Concern?

She didn't have time to analyze. Seraphina was already there, grabbing her hands, squeezing tight.

"I was so worried when you were late!" Seraphina exclaimed, her blue eyes wide with innocence. "I thought perhaps you were unwell. You look... pale. Is everything alright?"

The touch burned.

In her mind, Liliana saw Seraphina smiling against Cedric's chest as the blade fell. She saw her weeping false tears at the "tragedy of the traitor's death." She saw her stepping into Liliana's shoes, wearing her colors, taking her life.

Every instinct screamed to pull away. To slap her again, like the system had suggested yesterday.

But Liliana was not the same woman.

She smiled. A perfect, practiced smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"How kind of you to worry, Seraphina," she said smoothly, gently extracting her hands. "I'm perfectly well. Just a restless night."

"Dreams?" Seraphina tilted her head, something sharp flickering behind her innocent facade. "I do hope they weren't unpleasant. I've heard restless sleep can be a sign of a guilty conscience."

The room quieted slightly. Nobles nearby pretended not to listen, but their ears strained.

Liliana's smile didn't waver. "Then I suppose you must sleep like the dead, Seraphina. After all, you have nothing to feel guilty about. Do you?"

The question hung in the air.

Seraphina's eye twitched. Just slightly. Almost imperceptibly. But Liliana saw it.

Got you.

"Shall we sit?" Liliana continued, gesturing toward the table. "I'm starving. And I'd hate to keep the Prince waiting."

She swept past Seraphina toward the head table, making sure to take a seat directly across from Cedric. The proximity made her skin crawl, but she needed to see him. Needed to understand.

Cedric's gaze met hers.

[AFFECTION METER UPDATE: CEDRIC]

[CURRENT: -80]

[+5 INCREASE DETECTED]

Liliana blinked. What?

She replayed the last minute. The confrontation with Seraphina. The subtle verbal sparring. Cedric had seen it. And something in his cold heart had shifted, just slightly.

He still despised her. But he was watching. Noticing.

Interesting.

"My lady," Cedric said, his voice formal and distant. "You seem different today."

"Different how, Your Highness?"

He studied her for a long moment, his dark eyes searching her face. In her past life, she would have melted under that gaze. Would have blushed and stammered. Would have read affection into simple observation.

Now she saw it for what it was: suspicion. Curiosity. The detached interest of a man studying a puzzle.

"Louder," he said finally. "You seem... louder. In the silence."

It didn't make sense. But somehow, Liliana understood. The old her had been quiet. Compliant. Eager to please. The new her sat straighter. Met eyes directly. Didn't flinch.

"You mistake confidence for volume, Your Highness," she replied, reaching for a pastry. "Perhaps I simply have more to say today."

Seraphina returned, sliding into the seat beside Cedric and latching onto his arm. "Cedric, darling, you promised to show me the royal gardens after breakfast. Remember?"

Cedric's expression softened slightly as he looked at her. "Of course."

Liliana watched the affection meter above his head. When he looked at Seraphina, it didn't change. Still -80 for Liliana. But there was no meter for Seraphina. Nothing. Blank.

The system couldn't read her.

What kind of person was invisible to a magical interface?

Breakfast continued. Liliana ate mechanically, observing everything. Klaus watched her from across the room, his silver eyes thoughtful. [Klaus: -48] —another tiny increase. Seraphina chattered endlessly about flowers and dresses and wedding plans. Cedric listened, nodded, offered empty affirmations.

And in the corner of Liliana's vision, the timer ticked down.

1094 days, 22 hours, 14 minutes.

At one point, a servant refilled her glass. As he leaned close, a small slip of paper slid onto her lap beneath the table.

She waited until no one was watching, then unfolded it.

The shadows remember. Meet me at midnight. —R

Ren.

Her heart hammered. The assassin who killed her wanted a meeting. Why? To finish the job early? To warn her? To explain?

She folded the note and tucked it into her sleeve, her face betraying nothing.

The breakfast ended. Seraphina dragged Cedric away toward the gardens. Klaus departed with a final, lingering glance at Liliana. The hall emptied.

And Liliana sat alone, the note burning against her skin, the system hovering silently in the corner of her vision.

[NEW QUEST AVAILABLE.]

[QUEST: MIDNIGHT RENDEZVOUS. MEET THE ASSASSIN.]

[REWARD: +50 DAYS TO TIMER. UNLOCK REN'S AFFECTION METER.]

[RISK: POTENTIAL HOSTILE ENCOUNTER.]

[ACCEPT?] [YES] [NO]

Liliana stared at the options.

Ren had killed her once. His affection meter was -100. The lowest possible. Meeting him alone at midnight was objectively insane.

But the system was offering fifty extra days of life. And information.

She thought of the scaffold. The cold steel. Seraphina's hidden smile.

Then she pressed YES.