I lowered my gaze toward the mirror and nearly dropped it when I saw my reflection. I had expected to see the usual me plain and forgettable. Instead, a face stared back that seemed almost unreal in its beauty.
My hair, once a tangled mess, was now smooth and glossy, cascading down my shoulders like a dark river. My skin, which had always been prone to blemishes, was now flawless, almost glowing, with a soft blush on my cheeks that made me look like some ethereal princess.
My eyes, once an ordinary brown, were now a deep, mesmerizing violet. Who the hell had violet eyes? I didn't look like myself at all; I looked like… someone out of a fantasy.
I gasped and let go of the mirror in shock, and it disappeared the moment it slipped from my fingers, vanishing like it had never existed. My heart raced. This couldn't be happening.
No one just wakes up with a completely different appearance overnight. I felt panic welling up in my chest, and that was when the system's voice came back, loud and clear in my head.
["Now that you've finally accepted the truth, I can tell you what you're going to do,"] it said, sounding almost pleased. ["Your mission is to help the heroine of this world."]
"Help the heroine?" I scoffed, crossing my arms defiantly. "You must be joking. I can't even protect myself, let alone some random heroine. Besides, isn't she supposed to be the heroine? Whatever she does, she'll come out on top, right?"
["Normally, yes,"] the system replied, sounding a little annoyed. ["But in this world, the so-called hero is nothing more than a pathetic flirt who hits on anything that moves. He plans to create a harem, and eventually, he will discard the heroine. Your mission is to prevent the heroine from falling in love with this so-called hero and protect her from both internal and external dangers. After that, you can do whatever you want."]
"Wow," I muttered, shaking my head. "What a jerk. But that doesn't mean I'm agreeing to help." I wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of getting involved in some complicated romance plot.
"Besides," I continued with a grin, "it seems like I'm living in a rich family now, so I can already do whatever I want."
As if to confirm my words, there was a knock at the door. The same maid from earlier entered, carrying a breakfast tray that looked like it belonged in a royal palace. There were delicate pastries, fresh fruits that looked like they had been picked just that morning, a pot of steaming tea, and a small bowl of something that smelled deliciously savory.
The maid approached the bed, set the tray down carefully, and wished me a good meal and a restful morning, adding that I should call her when I was finished. She gave a polite smile and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
I smiled, picking up a piece of pastry. "See, System? As I said, I've got nothing to worry about." I took a bite, savoring the buttery, flaky goodness.
["Don't tempt me, Amara,"] the system's voice was sharp this time. ["What I have given, I can just as easily take away."]
Before I could even respond, the breakfast tray disappeared right before my eyes. My mouth fell open in shock.
["See, just like that tray, I can make you disappear too,"] the system added in a menacing tone.
A cold shiver ran down my spine. I hadn't taken the system seriously before, but now… now I was genuinely scared. The thought of disappearing, of not existing, terrified me. Seeing my distress, the system's voice softened, just a bit.
["Now that it seems you understand, I will give you the plot."]
I didn't even have a chance to brace myself before my head was flooded with images and information. It felt like my brain was being overloaded, like someone was trying to cram a thousand books into my mind all at once.
The pain was unbearable, worse than when the ice cream truck had hit me. I tried to scream, but no sound came out of my mouth; it was as if I had been muted.
Time lost all meaning. The agony seemed to last forever, but eventually, it stopped. My body slumped forward, and I gasped for air, my head throbbing. And then, suddenly, I knew.
I knew everything.
This was a world much like the one I had known before modern, bustling, full of dreams and heartbreaks. But there were distinct differences, and now those differences flooded my mind in an overwhelming torrent of information.
The heroine of this world was named Elara Whitfield. She was a young woman with an unshakeable dream of becoming a famous actress. From a small town, she was determined to make her mark in the entertainment industry, and that's how she would come to meet the so-called "hero," Eirik Langford, a rising star and owner of one of the biggest entertainment companies in the city.
Eirik, the supposed hero, was not at all like the noble protagonists I was used to reading about. He was a charismatic playboy who thrived on attention and saw women as trophies to be collected.
He was dangerously charming, and his good looks and wealth made it easy for him to manipulate those around him. His grand plan was to form a harem of sorts, stringing along as many women as he could while maintaining his public image.
Elara, bright-eyed and full of hope, would enter Eirik's company, thinking it was her big break. She would quickly catch his eye not for her talent, but for her beauty and naïveté.
Eirik would start to pursue her, showering her with attention, gifts, and opportunities that seemed too good to be true. But as Elara fell deeper into his world, she would start to lose herself, slowly realizing that Eirik's affection was nothing but a game to him.
Her career, which she dreamed would take her to stardom, would soon turn into a nightmare. She would find herself isolated, manipulated, and trapped in a cycle of deceit and heartbreak. The other women around her, each desperate for Eirik's favor, would turn against her. And eventually, Eirik would lose interest in her entirely, casting her aside when she no longer amused him.
I was meant to be one of those women a rival, a mere obstacle in Elara's story. My role was to live for Eirik's attention, to become jealous and hateful, to cause petty drama, and ultimately to be humiliated when Elara became his "chosen" one.
But thanks to the System, that wouldn't happen. I would never be caught in Eirik's web. My mission was to protect Elara from him, to keep her from falling in love with him and guide her away from the path of ruin that the original story had laid out for her