After Eun-Ji arrived at her room, maid Merly gently walked her over to the plush couch and hovered nearby, with a look of concern. "I'll be right back with some treats, my lady," Meryl softly said and scurried out the door.
No sooner did the door shut than Eun-Ji sprang forward to sit up straight.
I need a plan.
She scrambled up from the couch, searching the room for something to write on. Her eyes landed on a small, adorable pink diary sitting on the nightstand beside the bed. After a moment's hesitation, she snatched it up along with a quill pen. "Sorry, Selene," she muttered, flipping through the diary's pages until she found a blank one. "But your life is on the line here-well, technically, my life now."
She sat back down on the couch with the quill poised, ready to jot down ideas. She sat there for a while, tapping the end of the quill against her chin, trying to think up a plan that was full-proof. But no grand scheme came to mind. The blank page stared back at her like it was mocking her.
Frustrated, she groaned. Come on, Eun-Ji, you've seen enough isekai and otome games! There has to be something useful in there!
All the anime, manga, light novels, and games she had seen over the years fluttered through her mind. There had to be something useful from those that could help her! She was an otaku, after all-this was supposed to be her moment to shine! But as she went through every story, every plot, nothing seemed to fit her situation. Indeed, none of the other villainess stories she knew had this particular mix of action, romance, and inevitable doom.
"No overpowered cheat skills, no helpful system interface, no kind grandpa sage to guide me. I have nothing!" she groaned, clutching her head in frustration. "How am I supposed to survive this?!"
She threw her pen down and buried her face in her hands. "I'm so screwed."
After a few deep breaths, she sat back up and forced herself to calm down. Okay, let's be rational here. What got Selene killed in the game? she thought. Think about her mistakes…
Ideas finally started to solidify in her head. She furiously wrote in the diary as she remembered how Selene had collapsed in each of the routes. The way to survive this world wasn't by following the storyline of the game, but rather the exact opposite.
Taking the quill in her hand, she began to write down the basic principles of her survival strategy:
Step One: Don't cling to Crown Prince Aldric.
Obsess with him, she had always fought for his attention, even when he started to fall for Saintess Eri. That only made things worse for her in the end. Eun-ji wrote in bold letters: IGNORE ALDRIC. If she could keep her distance and retain dignity, she might avoid the humiliation that came with their eventual breakup. And if he attempted to, tried to break the engagement, as, no doubt, he would?
She'd graciously do the same and move on with her life.
Well, I don't like the dude anyway.
Step Two: Avoid all leading men.
They were all bad news. Cedric, Lucien, Leo, Damian, and Aldric-each of them had their own baggage, and being in a relationship with any of them would only make the situation messier. Selene had tried to drive wedges between them and Eri, but that had backfired; she brought about her own misfortune. Eun-Ji wrote, KEEP AWAY FROM THEM AT ALL COSTS. They might have been eye candy, but they are dangerous in more ways than one.
Step Three: Earn money.
One of the worst endings Selene faced was being kicked out of the Ravencroft estate after Aldric broke off their engagement. She'd been left homeless and penniless. Eun-Ji scribbled furiously, START A BUSINESS OR INVEST IN SOMETHING. She needed to make sure that if she ever got disowned, she wouldn't be in the streets with absolutely nothing to her name.
Step Four: Do not acquaint herself with any of the villains and greedy people.
In the game, Selene had made terrible alliances with some of the game's antagonists-villains who only dragged her further into ruin. And then there were her so-called friends, who had stuck around only because of her family's status. The moment she lost her standing, they had turned their backs on her. Eun-Ji underlined this one several times: AVOID THEM. NO SHADY DEALS OR FAKE FRIEND.
Step Five: Make good friends.
Selene had been alone when she was accused of bullying Eri. No one had come to her defense because she hadn't built any real relationships. Eun-Ji knew this was vital. She needed trustworthy allies—people who could vouch for her if things ever went south. MAKE REAL FRIENDS, she wrote. She'd find people who wouldn't abandon her the moment things got tough.
If I find some interesting friends, maybe it will help me bear with having to go back to school.
Step Six: Train her Dark Priestess class.
She had never accepted her class, and out of shame, she refused to train it-she had instead worked her swordsmanship and magic, which weren't even her strong suits. Because of this, she was far behind everyone else. Eun-Ji wrote determinedly, MASTER THE DARK PRIESTESS CLASS. She had no idea what to do yet, but she was going to find out and make it her weapon. If anyone looked down on me and my class, then I will teach them a lesson and show them just how powerful I am.
Step Seven: Steer clear of Saintess Eri altogether.
This was the most important rule of all. Quite literally, every route ended in Selene's death because she had angered Eri somehow. Whether she bullied her, insulted her, or just flat-out tried to kill her, it always ended in Selene's execution. Eun-Ji wrote furiously, STAY AWAY FROM ERI. She wouldn't give the saintess any reason to hate her. As a matter of fact, she would try her best to steer clear of her altogether.
Eun-Ji sat back, staring at the list of rules that would hopefully save her life. She had written it all down. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start.
She got up from the sofa, her right hand on her chest, and took a deep breath. "I, Kim Eun-Ji. no, I, Selene Ravencroft, swear that as long as I'm still breathing, I will do everything in my power to avoid all death flags in this game and live a long, prosperous life." She declared to the empty room.
Unbeknownst to her, Maid Meryl had noiselessly come back and stood at the doorway, looking at the scene of the young lady seemingly lost in her world with an amused smile. She chuckled, satisfied that the young lady's mood indeed had much improved. The Eun-Ji from earlier in the day was pale, confused, and distraught-but now… now there was fire in her eyes.
"Ah, youth," Meryl thought as she entered the room and carefully closed the door behind her
Meanwhile, Eun-Ji never knew that she had an audience, still clenching her hand around the diary.