Iris opened her eyes.
She already knew this was not the real world.
The moment she stepped forward, the ground felt different—too smooth, too perfect. She stood inside a grand room with marble floors, tall windows, and golden curtains moving gently with the air. A sword rested near the wall. Bookshelves filled with thick volumes surrounded the room.
"This is… the game world," Iris murmured.
She looked around carefully, calm but alert.
"So this is where I've been sent."
A soft voice came from beside her.
"Correct. Welcome. Please don't scream."
Iris turned her head and looked at Eena, who was sitting comfortably on a table, swinging her tail.
"So, you're here,"
Eena smiled. "Good. Ten points for mental stability."
Iris sighed. "Don't start teasing."
"I already started," Eena replied innocently. "I just haven't finished."
Iris shook her head but smiled slightly. "So… where exactly are we?"
Eena jumped down and walked around the room like a guide.
"This is your room," she said. "In this game, you are Duke William Ashcroft's daughter."
Iris stiffened. "Ashcroft?"
Eena nodded."Your father is Duke William Ashcroft. Your mother is Lily Ashcroft."
Iris's eyes widened.
Eena continued calmly,"Your father loves your mother so much that he gave you a name related to a flower—just like her."
Iris's breath caught.
"…These are my real parents' names," she said slowly."Only the surname is changed. And this is also the reason my name is Iris in the real world."
She looked around the room again, uneasy.
"Why is this so similar to my real life?"
Eena paused.
Then she said honestly,"I don't know. Only my master can answer that."
"When will I meet him?" Iris asked.
"After you win the game," Eena replied.
"And if I lose?"
Eena looked at her quietly."Then you never get that answer."
Iris lowered her eyes for a moment.
Then she straightened. "Tell me my role."
Eena nodded. "Alright. Facts only."
"In this world, you are extremely talented. You are good with the sword, highly educated, and deeply knowledgeable about politics."
"That sounds fine," Iris said.
"But," Eena added, "your personality is terrible and you're the villainess here."
Iris groaned. "Of course it is."
"You are arrogant. Cruel. Bully," Eena continued. "You love only your parents and the Crown Prince."
Iris's expression changed. "The Crown Prince?"
"Yes," Eena said. "Crown Prince Ashley Grantham."
She added clearly,"He does not love you."
Iris clenched her fingers but stayed silent.
"For marriage," Eena continued, "you create many schemes. You even murder the Crown Prince's mother because she wants her niece—Princess Verona Holbrook, a neighboring country's princess—to become her daughter-in-law."
"The heroine," Iris said quietly.
"Yes," Eena replied. "The heroine of this game."
Iris swallowed.
"After many schemes, you succeed," Eena said. "You marry the Crown Prince."
"And then?" Iris asked.
"Then your personality destroys everything," Eena said simply.
Iris closed her eyes. "I already hate these circumstances."
Eena continued, "You become extremely jealous of Princess Verona. You try to kill her by poisoning her drink."
Iris's heart tightened.
"But the drink is taken by the Crown Prince."
"…He dies," Iris whispered.
"Yes," Eena said.
"In your madness, you attempt to kill Princess Verona again. During that attempt, you confess all your crimes."
Iris's hands trembled.
"And then," Eena said, "you learn the truth."
Iris looked at her. "What truth?"
"The Crown Prince never drank the poison," Eena replied."It was a trap."
Iris froze.
"You are arrested. Publicly executed," Eena said. "No one saves you."
Silence filled the room.
"After your death," Eena continued, "natural disasters and alien attacks happen. The heroine saves everyone with the Crown Prince."
Iris opened her eyes.
"So I die as a villain," she said.
"Yes," Eena answered.
She stepped closer and looked straight at Iris.
"That is why your first task is simple."
Iris met her gaze.
"Save yourself from this misery and change your fate."