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The Villain's Ending is Only Death - Chapter 1
Prologue.
Everything was perfect.
Even the semi-basement studio, which was as small as the bathroom of my previous home.
It was all good, even though I had to start a part-time job next week to cover my living expenses.
I had finally escaped that hellish home and gained freedom. That alone was enough for me to be happy.
However...
“Didn’t I tell you to live like you’re dead, without making a single sound?”
The man spoke.
His hateful gaze, directed at me, was like looking at a hideous insect.
“Did you go wild like a mad dog at the Prince’s return banquet?”
The sinister, murderous intent in his eyes was familiar.
It was the kind I always experienced in that house.
But familiarity didn’t make it any better.
“What were you thinking?”
The icy glare made it hard to breathe. My lips began to tremble involuntarily.
At that moment,
A white rectangular window appeared before my eyes, with lines of text inside.
1. How should I know?
2. I wasn’t thinking anything.
3. (In a submissive voice) Well... that is...
‘What is this? What is this all about?’
I opened my mouth to ask what this was, but no sound came out, as if my voice was blocked.
Seeing that I couldn’t speak, the man with blue eyes pressured me with a terrifying voice.
“Opening your mouth would be wise.”
I could feel the murderous intent, as if my skin was burning. If I didn’t answer quickly, I would die.
Almost instinctively, I pressed option 3.
“Well... that is...”
The same words that appeared in the rectangular window came out of my mouth.
‘What? What is this? ’
Even after speaking, it felt like a lie, and I opened my mouth wide in a daze.
I couldn’t grasp what was happening at all.
When I opened my eyes, I was lying in an unfamiliar place, and I had to deal with strangers who suddenly appeared with a menacing aura.
My mind was still hazy, as if I had just woken up from a deep sleep.
“After that, what happened next?”
The man, dissatisfied with my vague answer, urged me to continue with a terrifying expression.
Then, different lines of text appeared in the floating rectangular window.
1. I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful.
2. The stupid maid made a mistake first.
3. The commoners ignored me. Me, the only princess of Ecart!
I had no time to think about what was happening.
I hastily chose an option, glancing at the man’s expression.
No matter what, I had to say something. It was a lesson I had learned deeply over time.
“I’m sorry...”
“If a mere apology could resolve this, I wouldn’t be facing you now.”
However, the tail end of my words was cut off, despite quickly choosing option 1.
My heart sank at his cutting tone.
Without realizing it, I shrank back, and the man spoke coldly.
“Penelope Ecart.”
‘Penelope Ecart?’
“For the time being, I will take away the Ecart name from you.”
The name and the lines were so familiar.
I lifted my head sharply.
Then, I saw the man more clearly, whom I hadn’t noticed in my daze.
The man, standing a little away from the bed, was not one of ‘those people’ from the house, but a complete stranger.
He had eyes as blue as the sea and hair as black as obsidian.
Above his head, a long bar similar to a phone battery indicator and white text were flashing.
‘Ho... affection...?’
If my eyes weren’t deceiving me, the flashing text above the man’s head was his affection level.
“Not only are you forbidden from attending the banquet, but you are also forbidden from leaving your room. During your confinement, reflect on what you did wrong and how you should behave in the future...”
“...”
“Where are you looking?”
The man’s expression, which had been blank, crumpled in displeasure at my wandering gaze.
However, I couldn’t react and kept checking the text above his head.
[Affection Level 0%]
‘This can’t be...’
I shook my head involuntarily.
It was really unbelievable.
Really.
“You were telling the truth when you said you were crazy.”
The man, irritated by my strange behavior, glared at me with contempt for a moment before turning and heading towards the door, as if he couldn’t stand to be in the same room with me. [Affection Level 0%] was moving away.
‘What did I do wrong?’
As I stared at his disappearing back, I was still dazed, trying to figure out what was happening.
Then, a sound of someone snickering came from one side.
I turned my head sharply to see a man with pink hair standing in the shadows by the door, his arms crossed.
He had the same piercing blue eyes as the man who had left. They were filled with open mockery.
[Affection Level -10%]
White text flashed above his head.
Negative.
“Freak. You got what you deserved.”
Despite his pretty appearance, he spat out a harsh curse and turned to follow the man who had left.
Bang! The door slammed shut.
Alone in the silent room, I sat there for a long time, dazed.
My mind couldn’t process what was happening.
After much thought, I realized that the space I was in and the men who had been here were strangely familiar, despite being strangers.
“This can’t be...”
Alone, the voice that had been choked off finally burst out.
But I didn’t have time to realize that.
It was simply unbelievable. It was absurd, even to me.
“There’s no way.”
The scene from the game I had been playing just before falling asleep couldn’t be playing out in front of me as reality.
Especially not with me as one of the characters.
“I must be dreaming.”
That was the only answer.
But no matter how much I pulled at my hair or pinched my face, I couldn’t wake up from the dream.
“No, no... no, no! No! No, it’s not true—!”
Penelope Ecart.
The villain in the most popular female-oriented strategy game recently, and the protagonist of the hard mode.