Pain.
Blinding, searing pain.
Li Na jolted awake to the sharp sting of cold iron against her wrists and the weight of dread crushing her chest. Gone were the warm lights of her Tokyo apartment and the low hum of her gaming laptop. In their place: damp stone walls, the stench of blood, and the sound of chains dragging across a dungeon floor.
She blinked in confusion. "What the hell—?"
> [System Activated]
Welcome, Host.
You have entered the world of 'Love & Empire'.
Role: Villainess – Seraphina Darkmoor.
Fate: Public Execution in 7 Days.
Main Mission: Marry Duke Kaelrith Voss, the Final Boss.
Li Na froze. Her heart thundered. Love & Empire?
No. No, no, no.
She knew that name too well—it was her game. The one she'd spent three years coding, designing, and perfecting. A fantasy romance filled with dramatic betrayals, cursed bloodlines, and a villainess doomed to die.
And now she was that villainess.
"Get her up," barked a voice from outside her cell.
The heavy cell door creaked open. Two guards stomped in, their armor clanking as they grabbed her by the arms. She struggled, but their grip was firm. As they dragged her out, she caught a glimpse of herself in a shattered wall mirror: long silver hair, glowing crimson eyes, bloodstained dress torn at the seams.
She looked exactly like Seraphina Darkmoor—the woman every player loved to hate.
"This has to be a dream," she muttered, stumbling up the stone stairs.
> [System Notice]
Sub-Mission: Survive the public trial.
Reward: +10 System Credits, Temporary Favorability Boost.
"Wonderful," she whispered sarcastically.
Moments later, she was shoved into a grand courtroom lit by flickering chandeliers. Rows of nobles whispered behind jewel-encrusted fans. She scanned the room until her eyes landed on the man seated beside the judge's dais—his royal blue robes and golden insignia impossible to miss.
Crown Prince Elric. Her former fiancé. The same man who betrayed Seraphina in the game's canon route.
He rose, eyes cold. "Seraphina Darkmoor. You are charged with attempted murder, treason, and use of forbidden magic. How do you plead?"
Gasps echoed through the courtroom.
Li Na opened her mouth to argue—but then she saw him.
In the far corner of the hall, cloaked in black and surrounded by silence, sat Duke Kaelrith Voss. Tall, imposing, with jet-black hair and silver-trimmed armor that shimmered in the candlelight. His obsidian eyes were fixed on her, unreadable and sharp.
Her breath caught. The Final Boss. The man destined to destroy the empire in the game's last arc.
But he was also her only shot at survival.
She took a deep breath.
"I plead not guilty," she said, lifting her chin. "And I invoke royal law to request a political marriage."
A stunned silence.
"To Duke Kaelrith Voss."
The courtroom erupted in chaos. Nobles gasped, whispered, pointed. The Crown Prince's expression twisted in disbelief.
"You what?" he snarled.
> [System Alert]
Bravery +50
Favorability with Duke Kaelrith: -2 → 5
Mission Progress: 2%
All eyes turned to Kaelrith. The man stood slowly, his gaze never wavering from hers. The room quieted like a dying storm, all breath held.
"Very well," he said, voice deep, calm, and icy. "I accept."
Another explosion of shock.
Li Na didn't move. She couldn't. Her heart was thundering in her chest.
> [System Update]
New Status: Fiancée of the Final Boss.
Time until Execution: Paused.
And then
the System added one final message:
> Warning: Falling in love will break the mission.