The ghostly [Engagement Integrity: 65% - STATUS: Strained] icon had vanished as quickly as it appeared, but the afterimage burned in my retinas. My mind, already reeling from the whole "dude-in-a-villainess-body" crisis, was now trying to process magical UI pop-ups. Was this a feature of being reincarnated into a game world? Did I have admin privileges now? And if so, where was the damn cheat code menu?
Aria was saying something to Lucian about a charity bazaar she was helping organize. Her voice was earnest, her smile radiant. She was the picture of benevolent heroism. Lucian, damn his icy composure, actually seemed to be listening, a minute thawing visible around his eyes. It was like watching a glacier consider the possibility of spring.
"...and Lady Veronica, perhaps you'd lend your renowned taste to the selection of silks for the main canopy?" Aria turned to me, her expression hopeful.
My renowned taste? Lady, right now my renowned taste involves lukewarm coffee and the cheapest brand of chips. The original Veronica probably used silk to strangle puppies.
Panic. Quick, say something noble!
"Ah, silks! Yes, the… uh… silky nature of silks is… paramount for… canopy integrity," I managed, feeling my cheeks heat up again. I sounded like an idiot. A very flustered, very verbose idiot.
Aria's smile didn't falter, but a tiny crease appeared between her perfectly sculpted eyebrows. "Indeed, My Lady."
Lucian, however, was not so charitable. His cool gaze sharpened. "You seem unusually preoccupied this morning, Veronica. More so than your usual… flights of fancy."
Flights of fancy? Is that what he called her usual bitchy tirades? Polite, I guess.
"Just… contemplating the profound existential nature of… canopies," I mumbled, wishing the plush carpet would swallow me whole.
Suddenly, another flicker. This time, above Aria's head:
[Heroine Power: CHARM Aura Level 2 - passively increasing affinity with surrounding males (excluding actively hostile targets)]
And next to Lucian:
[Prince Lucian: Affection towards Aria +0.5%. Affection towards Veronica: -1% (Suspicion Rising)]
Holy. Shit.
It was real. This "FlagVision," as I was now mentally dubbing it, was giving me live updates on the game's mechanics playing out in front of me. This was… huge. Terrifyingly huge. It was like having a strategy guide embedded in my brain, but the game was my actual, potentially short-lived, life.
The 65% engagement integrity with Lucian suddenly felt a lot more precarious. If my fumbling was actively decreasing his affection…
"Perhaps some fresh air would do you good, Lady Veronica?" Aria suggested, her voice laced with gentle concern. "The gardens are lovely this time of year."
Lucian nodded, a curt, almost imperceptible movement. "A walk might clear your head. Or perhaps a ride? You always professed a fondness for the bay stallion, I recall."
My stomach dropped. A horse? A stallion? I'd ridden a mechanical bull once at a college party. It had not ended well. The original Veronica was probably an accomplished equestrian, gracefully galloping side-saddle while plotting someone's downfall. Me? I'd be lucky not to get bucked into the next county.
"A ride!" I chirped, with fake enthusiasm that probably sounded manic. "Splendid idea, Your Highness! Nothing like… straddling a large, unpredictable beast to… clear the cobwebs!"
Beatrice, who had been standing silently near the door, made a small choking sound.
Lucian's eyebrow did that judgmental arch thing again. Aria just looked… perplexed.
Abort mission! Bad phrasing, Kaito! So, so bad!
Before I could dig myself any deeper, Lucian was already striding towards the door. "Very well. The stables, then." He clearly wanted to see this train wreck unfold. Aria, bless her innocent heart, probably thought this was a wonderful bonding opportunity.
The walk to the stables was a fresh exercise in humiliation. My borrowed body, while graceful in repose, was not cooperating with my male brain's instructions for walking in heels on cobblestones. I stumbled twice, nearly face-planting into a rosebush that looked suspiciously thorny. Beatrice offered a supporting arm, her expression a masterclass in polite neutrality, though I swore I saw a flicker of pity in her eyes.
The stables were grander than my entire previous apartment building. The air smelled of clean hay, leather, and expensive horse. Several grooms bowed as we entered. Lucian pointed towards a magnificent creature in a large stall – a sleek, powerful bay horse with intelligent eyes and a distinct air of "don't mess with me."
"Midnight Fury," Lucian announced, a hint of something almost like pride in his voice. "He has been restless. I trust you can still handle him, Veronica?"
This was a test. A clear, unadulterated test. He probably expected me to either decline (cowardice!) or make a fool of myself (confirming his suspicions that I was Not Okay).
Okay, Kaito. You've played games with worse odds. Just… get on the horse. How hard can it be? People do it all the time.
Famous last words.
A groom brought Midnight Fury out, expertly tacking him up with a side-saddle that looked like an instrument of medieval torture. A side-saddle. How was I supposed to balance on that thing? It defied physics!
"My Lady?" the groom prompted, holding the reins.
I took a deep breath. "Right. Here we go."
I approached the horse. It snorted, eyeing me with what I could only interpret as equine skepticism. Smart horse.
Lifting the voluminous skirt of my dress, I tried to remember how ladies mounted in all those historical dramas. Foot in the stirrup… swing up… gracefully.
My foot missed the stirrup on the first try.
On the second try, I got my foot in, but as I tried to "swing up," my center of gravity betrayed me. The unfamiliar weight distribution of Veronica's body, combined with the restrictive corset and the sheer awkwardness of the side-saddle, sent me tumbling.
Not gracefully.
At all.
Time seemed to slow. I saw the horrified expression on Aria's face, the flicker of… something unreadable in Lucian's eyes (smugness? Disappointment?), and the ground rushing up to meet me.
This is it. Death by horse-related embarrassment. Not even a cool death flag, just pathetic.
Then, strong arms.
Suddenly, I wasn't falling. I was caught, held securely against a firm, unyielding chest that definitely didn't belong to Prince Ice Cube.
I blinked, finding myself staring up into a pair of serious, grey eyes under a furrowed brow. The man holding me was tall, built like he could wrestle a bear and win, and wore the uniform of the Royal Guard – specifically, the gleaming silver insignia of the Knight Commander.
His dark hair was cropped short, practical, and a small, faded scar ran diagonally across his left cheekbone, giving his otherwise stern face a rugged edge.
Knight Commander Riven Thorne.
Another major capture target. Originally the heroine's most devoted protector. The loyal knight. The one who, in the game, would die for Aria without a second thought.
And he had just caught me, mid-fall, like a sack of very expensive, very frilly potatoes.
"My Lady!" Riven's voice was a low baritone, rougher than Lucian's smooth tones, and laced with surprise and concern. "Are you alright?"
He gently set me back on my feet, though his hands lingered on my arms for a moment, steadying me.
My brain, still processing the near-fall and the unexpected rescue, could only manage a weak, "Uh… just testing gravity. It still works."
Riven's brow furrowed deeper, but then, a tiny, almost imperceptible softening around his mouth. Was that… amusement?
Above his head, a new FlagVision icon bloomed, bright and vibrant:
[Knight Commander Riven: First Impression - Intrigue +10. Protective Instincts Activated +5. STATUS: Curious Spark Ignited.]
Oh, you have got to be kidding me.
I just wanted to avoid my own death. Now I was accidentally collecting romance flags like they were rare Pokémon cards. And not even with the intended target! The game clearly had its own ideas about how this was supposed to go.
Lucian stepped forward, his expression unreadable but definitely cooler than the ambient temperature. "Commander Thorne. A timely intervention." There was an edge to his voice.
Aria rushed to my side. "Oh, Lady Veronica, are you hurt? That was quite a tumble!"
"I'm fine, Aria, really," I said, trying to smooth down my dignity along with my dress. "Just… not my day for equestrian excellence, apparently."
Riven was still looking at me, his grey eyes searching. "Perhaps it would be wise to forego riding today, My Lady. You seem… unsteady."
"Unsteady is my new middle name," I muttered, then winced internally. Stop talking, Kaito!
He didn't comment, just gave a curt nod.
The bay stallion, Midnight Fury, let out a soft whicker, as if thoroughly unimpressed by the entire drama. I couldn't blame him.
I was mortified. I was confused. And I was acutely aware of the three pairs of very different eyes fixed on me. Lucian's, cold and suspicious. Aria's, sweet and concerned. And Riven's, surprisingly intense and… interested?
This wasn't just avoiding death flags anymore. This was navigating a minefield of unexpected romantic entanglements while trying to pretend I knew how to curtsy.
I glanced back at Lucian. His [Engagement Integrity] probably just took another nosedive.
My life was officially a chaotic, gender-bent, reverse-harem comedy of errors.
And I was only on day one.