"I need you, Yuna. I'll go crazy if you're not by my side."
To my right, Kaelan Veyrent, the king known for being a tyrant and willing to do anything to get what he wants, kissed the back of my hand with a hopeful look in his eyes, like a gentleman.
"Don't be with him, Yuna. You'll die if you keep choosing to be with him."
Lilia Sanctis, the female lead who was supposed to be Kaelan's destined partner, instead pulled me into her embrace.
Her sorrowful gaze held so much sadness that I couldn't comprehend.
"This time, I'll make you stay with me forever, Yuna Rochefort," Lilia shifted her gaze to Kaelan, filled with murderous intent. "If you keep getting distracted by this insect, what if I kill it? Then your eyes will only be on me."
"That should have been my line, you bastard," Kaelan was equally consumed by anger, offended by Lilia's words. "Yuna will choose me. I'll make sure of it."
So how did I end up in this difficult situation?
I, Yuna Evelyn, a 29-year-old office worker, suddenly found myself inside the novel I was reading while on my way home from work.
The only reason I wanted to read this novel was because of the similarity between my name and the name of the villain in the novel, Yuna Rochefort.
The novel tells the story of Lilia, an 18-year-old girl who recently discovered she is the daughter of a renowned noble family who was kidnapped when she was 8 years old.
Thanks to her father's relentless efforts, she finally returned home a month before her 18th birthday.
In short, at her first banquet as a noblewoman, she meets Kaelan, a lonely tyrannical king.
Their closeness makes Yuna Rochefort, Kaelan's fiancée who loves him, jealous.
Driven by her jealousy, Yuna uses various methods to keep Lilia away from Kaelan.
Finally, Yuna resorts to her last option: poisoning Lilia's drink.
Kaelan discovers her scheme and immediately executes Yuna after Lilia recovers from the poison.
In the end, Lilia and Kaelan marry and live happily ever after.
Yes, the plot is roughly like that, typical of most web novels.
I've read the entire story, and as far as I know, Yuna will die in Chapter 10.
"Miss, it's time to get ready. You must attend the tea party with His Majesty today."
The last time I remember, I was waiting for the train to arrive while reading the ending of this novel.
My job in the copywriting department of an advertising company requires me to work overtime almost every day.
My eye bags are getting thicker day by day, in sync with the piling work.
There's no time for nutritious meals, no time for myself.
In short, I'm a corporate slave surviving for the sake of stability.
As I stepped onto the train, a blinding flash of light overwhelmed my vision, forcing me to close my eyes.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a completely unfamiliar room.
The interior was so luxurious, vastly different from the studio apartment where I lived.
A softer bed, a larger room…
It didn't take long for me to realize I was no longer in my real world when I turned and looked at my reflection in the mirror near the bed.
Blonde, wavy hair that felt so soft to the touch, blue irises, and pale skin…
Panic overwhelmed me as I realized I had entered the web novel 'Conquering the Heart of the Cold Tyrant King' as Yuna Rochefort, the villain who would die in the first 10 chapters after attempting to poison Lilia!
Oh no, oh no, oh no!
Why, out of all the characters, did I have to end up as the villain who dies!?
"Miss?"
I snapped out of my reverie, looking at Yuna's personal maid, Marina.
In the novel I read, Marina was loyal to Yuna and always supported all the evil things Yuna did.
She bullied Lillia and was executed alongside Yuna when their crimes were exposed.
Just thinking about the plot makes me feel sorry for Marina.
She is evil, but she did it solely out of loyalty to Yuna.
"Miss, did you just have a bad dream? Why are you crying?" Marina's question startled me.
I looked at my reflection in the mirror, realizing that I was crying.
"I don't know, maybe?" I answered casually, wiping my tears with the back of my hand. "Marina?"
"Yes, Miss?"
"Please help me get ready."
Marina paused for a moment, apparently surprised by my simple request.
In my heart, I cursed my own stupidity, forgetting that Yuna wasn't the kind of woman who always used words like "please" and "thank you" with the people around her.
"Leave it to me! I will make you the most beautiful woman in this country, so that all the noblewomen out there will envy your beauty!"
Marina's enthusiasm was burning brightly, and she immediately called the two other servants standing not far from her to help.
I chuckled, enjoying Marina's reaction.
***
A few moments later, I was already at the tea party.
It seemed like I was already in Chapter 3, as Lillia and Kaelan had begun to get to know each other.
After the dance party that marked Lillia's debut, Kaelan became interested in Lillia and kept inviting her to the palace.
However, the atmosphere around them was so different.
Lillia should have been sitting next to Kaelan, and they should have been talking affectionately.
Everyone would be surprised because they never expected Lillia could make the tyrannical king, who had never been seen smiling, become so open and warm.
But in front of me, I saw the two of them exchanging sharp, piercing glances, so intense that I was sure their gaze could kill anyone daring to stand in their way.
What was happening?
"Lady Yuna, have you arrived?"
Lillia's demeanor softened as she shifted her gaze toward me.
I bowed to Kaelan before sitting down at my seat. "Greetings, Lady Lillia. Am I late?"
"No, no need to worry about such formalities," Lillia waved her hand in front of her face with a casual laugh. "No need to be shy."
I furrowed my brow, raising one eyebrow in confusion.
In the original plot, Lillia shouldn't be that close to Yuna.
Lillia was still unaccustomed to her new life and was always bullied by Yuna.
What should I say?
"Here's your favorite rose tea, Lady Yuna. And almond cookies, as usual."
My eyes widened in shock, staring at Lillia who was smiling gently at me.
Yuna never liked this food.
In the original story, Yuna liked chamomile tea and cake.
But what Lillia had just offered me… was my favorite food and drink!
How could a character in a novel know my favorite food in such detail?
My stomach suddenly felt pain, twisting with fear mixed with anxiety.
"That's not what she likes, but she likes chamomile tea and cake."
My fear hadn't subsided when I noticed Kaelan getting up from his seat and approaching mine, then serving me cake and chamomile tea with a warm smile.
"Isn't that right, Lady Yuna? He doesn't understand you, but I know everything about you."
I swallowed hard.
This was clearly a difficult situation.
Both of them were waiting for my answer.
If I chose my favorite food, it meant I was choosing Lillia.
But if I chose Yuna's favorite food as in the original story, it meant I would be choosing to be with Kaelan.
What kind of situation is this? Why am I being faced with a choice on my first day in the story?!
"Lady Yuna, please choose which one you like," Lillia approached me with such a tempting manner, making me swallow hard.
My heart raced as Lillia's beautiful face was so close that the distance between us was only a few millimeters.
"No, you have to choose me!"
Kaelan forced me to look away from Lillia, meeting his violet eyes. There was a strong desire to dominate me surrounding him.
His handsome face also left me confused.
I've always been weak around beautiful people.
I mean, who isn't tempted by beautiful people?
Whether they're women or men, I don't care.
But that doesn't mean I'm the popular type.
My seriousness in everything I do makes me terrible at social relationships.
I was too obsessed with studying when I was in school, and I poured all my attention into my work.
So all this time, it's only been in my fantasies, being fought over by beautiful people.
Who would've thought that day would come now?!
Oh no, oh no…
My current situation did not allow me to choose which side I had to choose.
The plot was already so messed up because instead of Lillia and Kaelan being affectionate with each other, they were actually asking me to choose between them.
A transparent screen suddenly appeared before me.
Neither Lillia, Kaelan, nor anyone else there could see it.
[Welcome! You have entered the world of the novel 'Conquering the Heart of the Cold Tyrant King'.
This is your first mission:
Slap Lillia in front of everyone!
Mission points: +10
Failure to complete this mission will result in punishment.]
Huh?
What kind of mission is this!?
I swallowed hard, glancing at Lillia, who was arguing with Kaelan again.
What should I do? Why did this random system appear, telling me to slap Lillia in front of everyone?!
What if I refuse?
On a whim, I pressed the button.
What if I refuse?
Out of curiosity, again I pressed the information button and read the "punishment" section.
[Failure in this mission: Your social skills will decrease by -15]
I laughed bitterly to myself after reading it.
System, you're joking, right, telling me to slap Lillia!?
The plot is already a mess, why are you telling me to follow the original storyline!?
This is crazy, this is definitely crazy!
Take me back to my world! I want to go home!
***