Chapter 1: If I Were the Villainess...

The night sky above Thimphu glittered with countless stars, their silver light spilling over the quiet valley like a soft veil. A cool breeze drifted through the slightly opened window, carrying the refreshing scent of pine forests after an evening drizzle. In the distance, rows of prayer flags fluttered gently under the moonlight, whispering silent blessings into the night.

Most of the city had already fallen asleep.

Only a handful of apartment windows still glowed with warm light.

One of them belonged to Wangmo.

"...Finally."

She stretched her sore shoulders and let out a long sigh before dropping onto her soft bed. The mattress bounced slightly under her weight as she reached for the phone lying on her bedside table.

The room reflected its owner perfectly.

A bookshelf filled with fantasy novels stood against one wall.

A small potted cactus rested beside neatly stacked notebooks. A half-finished cup of milk tea sat on the study desk.

On the wardrobe hung a traditional Bhutanese Kira she had carefully prepared for the weekend. Everything was tidy...

Except for the mountain of snacks scattered across her bed.

Potato chips.

Chocolate bars.

Spicy crackers.

Roasted peanuts.

Two empty instant noodle cups.

"... Balanced diet," Wangmo muttered with a completely straight face. She grabbed another packet of chips.

Crunch.

Crunch.

The sound echoed through the quiet room.

Her phone vibrated.

Mom ❤️, "Don't stay up too late reading novels again. Remember to eat breakfast tomorrow."

A smile naturally curved across Wangmo's lips. She quickly typed back.

"I will."

Then she quietly added to herself,

"...Probably."

Another message arrived immediately.

"I'm serious."

Wangmo laughed.

"How does Ama always know?"

She placed the phone aside before opening the novel she had been reading for the past three days.

Its title was displayed proudly across the screen.

《The Heavenly Phoenix of the Apocalypse》

One of the highest-rated apocalypse novels online. Thousands of glowing reviews praised it as a masterpiece. Wangmo had believed every single one of them. Until tonight.

"...Masterpiece?"

She snorted.

"We'll see."

She resumed reading.

The story had reached its climax. The noble heroine stood elegantly beside the First Prince, while countless zombies surrounded the ruined imperial capital. The entire kingdom had become a sea of blood.

Corpses littered the streets. Smoke billowed into the crimson sky. The heroine looked heartbreakingly beautiful as she sacrificed everything to protect the people.

At least... That was how the author described her.

Meanwhile... The villainess was once again making terrible decisions.

Wangmo covered her face with one hand.

"Oh, come on..."

"No."

"No."

"No!"

"Don't run after him!"

She pointed dramatically at the phone screen.

"Your family's richer than half the kingdom!"

"You own grain stores!"

"You have silver!"

"You have servants!"

"And you're wasting your time confessing your love?"

She almost wanted to crawl into the novel and drag the villainess away by the ear.

"If I knew a zombie apocalypse was coming in one month, I'd empty every grain warehouse before anyone else even realized something was wrong."

Her imagination immediately ran wild.

"Rice..."

"Salt..."

"Cooking oil..."

"Medicine..."

"Seeds..."

"Candles..."

"Horses..."

"Blankets..."

She paused. "...Tea."

"I refuse to live in any world without tea."

Satisfied, she nodded firmly.

"And chili."

"Definitely chili."

The serious expression on her face made it look as though she were discussing national security instead of apocalypse preparations.

She continued reading.

The villainess ignored every warning. Ignored every chance to escape.

Ignored the strange illness spreading among villages.

Ignored suspicious disappearances.

All because...

She wanted the First Prince to look at her.

Wangmo slapped her forehead.

"I can't believe this."

"The apocalypse is literally knocking on your door, and you're worried about romance?"

She buried her face into her pillow before letting out a dramatic groan.

"If I were you..."

"I'd forget the prince."

"I'd rather marry a warehouse full of rice."

Silence filled the room.

Then...

She burst into laughter at her own joke.

Several minutes later...

She reached the final chapter.

The villainess lay on the ground, dressed in crimson robes stained with blood.

The First Prince held his sword without a trace of hesitation. Beside him, the heroine watched calmly, her expression filled with what the author called 'boundless compassion.'

The prince's voice echoed across the battlefield.

"Your greed has brought countless deaths."

The villainess smiled bitterly. She never defended herself. The sword fell.

Everything ended.

A single line appeared on the screen.

"Justice had finally triumphed."

The words remained motionless.

Wangmo stared at them for a long time.

"...Justice?"

She locked her phone and tossed it onto the bed.

"I don't buy it."

She folded her arms.

"The villainess deserved punishment for what she did..."

"...but not like this."

Her gaze drifted toward the moon outside her window.

"What if she had simply stopped chasing the male lead?"

"What if she spent that month preparing instead?"

"What if..."

"...someone gave her another chance?"

The room became strangely quiet. Even the wind outside seemed to stop. A faint white light flickered beyond the window.

Wangmo frowned.

"Hm?"

She rubbed her eyes.

The light vanished.

"...Guess I'm hallucinating."

Yawning, she switched off the bedside lamp. Darkness embraced the room. Only the moonlight painted pale silver patterns across the floor.

Within minutes, Wangmo had fallen asleep, hugging her pillow. The silence lasted only a heartbeat.

Then.....

A tiny white orb appeared above her bed.

It pulsed gently, like a beating heart.

A childish voice echoed inside the room.

"Searching for a designated soul..."

Another voice interrupted immediately.

"Target acquired."

A brief pause followed.

Then....

"Warning."

"Soul identification mismatch."

The glowing orb froze.

"Attempting correction..."

A few seconds later, the calm mechanical voice unexpectedly sounded flustered.

"...Correction failed."

"...Wrong soul selected."

Silence.

Then came a tiny, guilty cough.

"...Oops."

Golden light suddenly blossomed throughout the room, wrapping Wangmo's sleeping figure in countless shimmering threads.

The mysterious voice hurriedly exclaimed, "Emergency compensation protocol activated."

"Binding successful."

"Dimensional transfer commencing."

The light grew brighter...

Brighter...

Until it swallowed the entire room.

Far away...

In another world where towering palace walls kissed the clouds and spring blossoms painted the gardens in shades of pink and white...

A luxurious chamber lay silent.

Delicate silk curtains swayed gently with the morning breeze. The fragrance of sandalwood lingered in the air.

A beautiful young woman dressed in crimson robes sat motionless beside an open window, a half-finished embroidery resting on her lap.

Without warning....

Her body trembled.

The embroidery slipped from her fingers and fell softly onto the polished wooden floor.

Her eyes slowly closed.

At the same instant...

The golden light surrounding Wangmo rushed across countless worlds and disappeared into the young woman's body.

Silence returned.

Several heartbeats later...

The young woman's eyelashes quivered. Her fingers twitched ever so slightly.

Slowly...

Very slowly...

She opened her eyes.

Confusion filled those once proud phoenix like eyes.

"...Where..."

Her voice was barely a whisper.

"...am I?"

Outside the window, birds sang cheerfully as servants moved about the bustling Wang Manor, completely unaware that fate had quietly changed.

No one knew...

That the soul inside Lady Wangmo was no longer the original owner.

And no one knew...

That in exactly thirty days, the peaceful kingdom would descend into a nightmare where the dead would walk among the living.

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