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Chapter 1
“Archel! Today, you have to win the young lady’s favor properly.”
“Yes, Mom.”
I was born inside an otome game.
It didn’t take long for me to realize this after living as Archel Nodovan for seven years.
The moment I understood was when my mother noticed that the young lady hadn’t said a single word to me the entire time we were together.
Her sharp hand smacked the back of my head hard, and at that instant, memories of my past life came flooding back.
‘To think I ended up inside a game with this insane difficulty…’
After barely recovering from the shock, I headed to the duke’s mansion again today.
“We’re here. This time, you mustn’t make a single mistake. Got it?”
“Yes, Mom.”
“From now on, call me Baroness Nodovan. If you address me casually outside, how low-class would that look?”
“Yes, Baroness Nodovan.”
I answered obediently and got out of the carriage.
The Archel Nodovan I had reincarnated into was the second daughter of the Nodovan family, living a life worse than that of a commoner.
Archel Nodovan.
In Heart-Pounding Magical Academy—shortened to HPMA—she was the protagonist’s supportive friend and the very culprit who led me to a bad ending, even after I had poured money into the game!
Archel played an essential role in progressing HPMA, but…
‘I never cherished Archel.’
When I played as the heroine, Lena, I treated Archel strictly as an NPC and hurt her repeatedly.
Only after receiving the massive slap of a bad ending did I finally realize her worth.
How foolish I had been.
Archel:
“Lena, you’re my precious friend. You think so too, right?”
▷ Of course. You’re my most precious friend. (Costs 50 diamonds)
▷ That’s your misunderstanding. I’ve never thought of you as a friend.
(Change the subject.) [Selected]
Archel:
“Lena! The weather is so nice today. Want to go for a walk with me?”
▷ Sure. Something fun might happen if I go with you. (Costs 100 diamonds)
▷ (With a cold expression) Why should I go with you? (Ignore her and walk past.) [Selected]
Archel:
“Ta-da! I made a cake for you, Lena. Want to try it?”
▷ I’m so touched! You’re the best, Archel! (Take a bite) (Costs 150 diamonds) Sorry, but I suddenly developed a whipped cream allergy today. [Selected]
▷ (With a contemptuous look) You expect me to eat this?
On the surface, HPMA was an extremely easy game.
So easy that you didn’t even need to think about the characters’ personalities or predict the right answers.
All you had to do was pick the shiny paid options, and your affection level would skyrocket.
Money solved everything.
Since I focused all my spending on romance routes, I boldly ignored Archel’s paid choices.
‘Who knew that would be the key to the bad ending?’
I only learned that choosing Archel’s paid options increased Lena’s Charm stat after the world had already been destroyed.
I never imagined that the Charm stat, shoved at the bottom of the screen like it didn’t matter, was so important.
As a result, Lena’s Charm sank to rock bottom, and I didn’t even get a normal ending—just a bad one!
That’s why now, having been reborn as the real Archel, I had to make Lena into a charming, perfect heroine.
The world’s destruction was absolutely unacceptable.
“Excuse us, Duchess.”
“You must have had a long journey.”
The duchess, with hazelnut-colored hair draped elegantly over her shoulders, welcomed us in the reception room.
“Lena is waiting for you in her room.”
“Hurry along. You’ve been there once before, so you can go alone today, right? You’re smart, Archel.”
The baroness urged me on with her eyes.
“Of course! Don’t worry.”
I lifted the hem of my dress with my right hand, bowed to the duchess, and left the room.
But unlike my confident reply, the corridor filled with artworks made my palms sweat.
Afraid they’d get damp, I wiped them on my skirt. The familiar feel of cheap fabric greeted me.
‘This is only the second decent dress I’ve ever had.’
The baroness had hurriedly bought me proper clothes only after I was chosen as the young lady’s playmate.
Before that, she gave me clothes that were obviously picked up somewhere—things that made me look like a servant or a commoner.
And it wasn’t just clothes.
At home, I did the same work as the servants: tending fires, cooking, washing dishes, laundry, cleaning the mansion.
With this small body, I was learning firsthand that you could adapt to anything.
“Whew…”
After moving my short legs as fast as I could, I finally reached a massive door.
I looked up at the gem-studded door and let out a short sigh.
Lena was the heroine I had once played, but all I really knew about her were basic details.
‘If there’s anything special, it’s that sometimes she gets those personality-breaking dialogue options.’
At our first meeting, before my memories returned, Lena had simply felt intimidating.
But now, I had to act differently.
‘I need to get close enough to guide her toward the right choices.’
There was still plenty of time before academy enrollment.
I knocked on the door, tilting my head slightly.
Suddenly, I became curious.
What kind of person was the real Lena?
“……”
“……”
Silence filled the room.
From the canopy over the bed to the sofa beneath us, everything was drenched in pink.
Only the space between us felt dark and gloomy.
Unlike before, when I only stared at the floor, I carefully studied Lena’s face.
Even though we were the same age, she had an indescribable beauty.
Amid all the pink, only Lena—with her ebony-black hair—seemed to belong to another world.
“Your Grace, the juice is really delicious.”
I desperately forced out a topic, pointing at the orange liquid in my small glass.
I hoped some interest would appear in her red eyes beneath those long lashes.
But who was Lena, really?
At our first meeting, she had only nodded once in response to introductions.
Of course she wouldn’t react to meaningless chatter.
As expected, the conversation didn’t start.
It was obvious she planned to let time pass and send me away.
But unlike my ignorant past self, I knew better now.
‘We’re going to become friends!’
Filled with hope, I smiled as brightly as I could.
Goodbye, shy old me.
Topics poured out of my mouth nonstop.
“Do you like pink, Lena?”
“The sky is so blue today. I love spring—what about you?”
“They say the Caskana Zoo has rare animals. Have you ever been there?”
After I’d been chattering alone for a while, her red gaze shifted from the window to me.
My face heated up under her deep, indifferent eyes.
After all…
‘She’s really pretty…’
Without realizing it, I stared blankly at her moving red lips.
White teeth peeked out, and her childlike voice flowed smoothly.
“I don’t need a playmate.”
‘As expected.’
Her perfect pronunciation almost made me nod.
‘But that won’t do.’
I quickly came to my senses and rejected her rejection with a bright smile.
“No, Lena. We can become each other’s one and only friends. We’re bound by fate!”
Kids love words like magic and destiny, don’t they?
Believing that even cold-faced Lena had at least a drop of childish innocence, I threw out some fancy words.
It probably looked like I was tricking an innocent child.
But there wasn’t a single lie in what I said.
Why?
‘Because I need to be here for your Charm to rise, and your Charm needs to rise for you to catch a male lead and get at least a normal ending! That’s how we stop the world from ending—and how I survive too!’
So we really were bound by fate.
When I smiled contentedly, Lena raised a neat eyebrow.
“Bound by fate?”
“Yes! Our destinies are tied together. Isn’t that romantic? Let’s go on walks and picnics together. And then we’ll attend Judea Academy and study side by side!”
I waved my arms excitedly like a joyful child.
But contrary to my expectations, her expression quickly turned indifferent.
“How are you going to get into Judea Academy?”
She tilted her head, black hair falling across her pale cheek.
“Huh?”
Not understanding her meaning, I asked back.
Her cold voice pierced my ears.
“Your family’s poor.”
“……”
My eyes trembled as I stopped following the contrast of her white skin and black hair.
I stared straight into her calm red eyes.
…What’s wrong with your personality?
