The night was wrapped in silence, interrupted only by the soft sound of the wind whispering through the trees. Jiyeon, known in her previous life as Jihyo, was in the darkness, stalking her target. It was just another mission, but this time it felt different.
With the precision of a predator, she slipped through the shadows, her body trained and agile. The house she was in was an old hideout of a notorious mobster who had been wreaking havoc in the city. She knew she couldn't let him escape. It was a matter of survival.
As she approached, she could hear the laughter and murmurs of the party taking place inside. With a fluid motion, she unsheathed her knife, the blade glinting under the dim light. With each step she took, her heart raced, not just from the thrill of the moment, but from the satisfaction of knowing she was about to fulfill her mission.
Finally, she reached the room where the mobster was, surrounded by his men. Without a second thought, Jiyeon burst into the room, her presence as imposing as her determination.
— It's time for you to pay for your crimes! —she shouted, launching herself at her target with a fury only an experienced assassin could possess.
The fight was quick but intense. With agile and precise movements, she eliminated the bodyguards one by one, leaving no trace. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, and a smile formed on her face as she approached her final target.
At last, she confronted the mobster. Their eyes met for a moment; he smiled, confident, as if he knew he was going to win. But Jiyeon was not a woman to be intimidated. With a swift motion, she lunged at him, and in an instant, her mission was complete. The target fell to the ground, lifeless, his head hitting the floor as she stood over him, covered in blood.
A triumphant laugh escaped her lips. She had accomplished the impossible, and the satisfaction of having completed the mission filled her being. She was an assassin, but that was her job, and she had done it well.
However, at that moment of victory, everything turned dark. The lights that had surrounded her faded as if someone had closed the curtain. Silence enveloped her, and a sense of disorientation began to take hold.
— What's happening? —she asked quietly, feeling her body start to fade away. The happiness she had felt turned into confusion, and before she could process what was happening, the darkness swallowed her completely.
Jiyeon woke with a start. The air around her was thick, and the murmurs of voices echoed in her ears like a distant symphony. She didn't recognize the place. The walls, the faces, not even her own body felt the same. She fought to keep from panicking as her gaze wandered across the room.
— Rosaline, are you alright? —a soft feminine voice called from her side.
Jiyeon frowned, *Rosaline?* That wasn't her. Turning her head, she found herself face to face with a young woman who looked anxious, her eyes filled with concern.
— Where… the hell am I? —Jiyeon muttered, her voice slightly shaky.
— Oh dear! It's normal to be nervous on your wedding day —the woman laughed, as if her words were a joke. —Soon, you'll be Mrs. Blackwell.
*Wedding? What the hell is happening?* Jiyeon thought, trying to steady her breathing. She looked down and saw she was wearing a stunning wedding dress. The shimmering white fabric brushed against her skin like pure silk, and jewels adorned her neck and wrists. This wasn't her body. This wasn't her world.
Ding.
A sharp sound echoed in her head, and suddenly, a translucent text panel appeared before her eyes.
**System Activated**
[Welcome, Rosaline Hawthorne. In this world, you must take on the role of the villainess and follow the script. The goal: survive your tragic ending and play your part flawlessly.]
Jiyeon blinked repeatedly, not understanding what she was seeing. *What kind of sick joke is this?* she thought, as the panel floated in front of her. A chill ran down her spine. Was this a dream? A nightmare?
But before she could fully process what was happening, the sound of drums and trumpets announced the arrival of the groom. The door opened, and a tall man with jet-black hair and a cold expression walked toward her. His eyes were dark, like the night, and each step he took seemed to echo on the marble floor.
— Zayne Blackwell, your future husband —said the voice of the system in her head.
Jiyeon —or rather, Rosaline— swallowed hard as she watched him approach. He seemed completely indifferent to everything around him, including her. When he stopped in front of Jiyeon, he barely looked her in the eye.
— Rosaline, —Zayne said, his voice as cold as his expression—. I hope you're ready to fulfill your part of the deal.
She watched him in silence, not knowing how to respond to that. *Deal? What is this guy talking about?* she thought.
— Sure… I'm ready —Jiyeon finally replied, deciding to play along until she could figure out what was going on.
The ceremony continued as Jiyeon tried to keep calm. Her mind was racing. She was a trained assassin, used to high-risk situations, but this was different. She was in a body that wasn't hers, in a place she didn't recognize, surrounded by people acting as if everything was completely normal.
As they exchanged vows, the voice of the system kept echoing in her head.
**Script activated: Rosaline must behave like the cold and manipulative villainess she is. Your husband, Zayne Blackwell, is known for his distant nature. He has no interest in you, but the marriage is part of a political agreement.**
*Interesting,* Jiyeon thought as the priest spoke. *So I'm the villainess in this world… sounds familiar.*
When the priest finally said the words, "You may now kiss," Jiyeon froze. What was she supposed to do? Zayne looked at her with the same indifference he had shown since he arrived. There was something about him that felt unsettling, yet intriguing. Seeing that Zayne made no move, Jiyeon decided to take control. After all, if she was going to play the role of a villainess, she might as well do it right.
— Don't worry, dear —she said with a sly smile—. I'll make it easy for you.
Without waiting for his response, she leaned in and planted a quick kiss on his lips. Zayne showed no visible reaction, but she could feel the stiffness in his body, as if the contact had caught him off guard.
*This guy's colder than a corpse,* Jiyeon thought as the kiss ended.
The applause of the guests echoed in the air, but Jiyeon had only one thing on her mind: survival. If she was really trapped in a novel as the system claimed, she had to find a way to play her part well enough to avoid her "tragic ending."
After the ceremony, Zayne led her to the waiting carriage. Jiyeon took the opportunity to observe him more closely. His face was an impenetrable mask, but there was something about him that seemed familiar. As they settled into the carriage, she tried to strike up a conversation.
— So… —she started, choosing her words carefully—. This marriage… it seems neither of us wanted it, right?
Zayne turned his gaze to the window.
— It's a political agreement —he responded coldly—. There's nothing more to say.
*Wow, he's even drier than I thought,* Jiyeon mused.
— And how do you feel about it? —she asked, trying to get some sort of reaction.
Zayne glanced at her sideways, his expression as indifferent as ever.
— My feelings don't matter in this —he replied.
Jiyeon let out a sigh. "It's going to be a long journey if I can't get this guy to say more than two words in a row," she thought.
The carriage moved through the fields as the silence between them became more and more palpable. Jiyeon knew that sooner or later, she would have to face the reality of her new situation. The system hadn't given her many answers, but at least she knew her husband was someone cold and calculating. She would have to use all her wit if she wanted to survive.
Finally, she decided to try something.
— Zayne —she said softly, looking into his eyes—. You don't have to be so distant with me. This marriage may not have been our choice, but that doesn't mean we have to hate each other.
Zayne stared at her for a few seconds before responding.
— I don't hate you, Rosaline. I just have no interest in you.
Jiyeon felt a small pang in her chest, but she didn't let it affect her. She knew she had to maintain her role as the villainess, cold and calculating, but she also had to be careful. She couldn't show weakness, not now.
— Well, that makes things easier, I suppose —she replied with a forced smile—. I'm not interested in you either. So, we're on the same page.
The carriage continued its journey toward what seemed to be an imposing mansion on the horizon. Jiyeon looked out the window, wondering what would come next. She knew she had to follow the script, but she also knew she would find a way to take control of her destiny, as she always had.
The carriage slowly moved along the dirt road, surrounded by trees and wildflowers. Jiyeon —now Rosaline— remained deep in thought as she gazed out the window. The ring on her finger shimmered faintly in the sunlight, and the system kept reminding her of what she had to do: follow the script.
"Follow the script?" she thought. "That doesn't sound too hard, but what if I refuse?" The idea of living by someone else's rules didn't sit well with her. Throughout her life, she had been the one to control her own destiny, even if it meant killing without mercy. But here, in this strange world, everything seemed out of her control. She had to adapt.
— How far is this mansion? —Jiyeon asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had dominated the carriage.
Zayne, who seemed completely uninterested in the conversation, shifted his gaze from the landscape and looked at her sideways.
— We'll arrive soon —he responded in his usual monotone—. It's been the Blackwell family's home for generations. You must be used to it.
Jiyeon narrowed her eyes. No, she wasn't used to it, because she wasn't Rosaline Hawthorne, but he didn't need to know that.
— Of course, I'm... used to it —she said, forcing a smile as she played with the ring on her hand. The system didn't seem to be offering more information for the moment, leaving her in the dark.
Determined to get something more out of Zayne, she adjusted herself in her seat and looked at him directly.
— Zayne, I don't know what you think of all this, but this marriage feels more like a contract than anything else. You don't want me here, I didn't ask for this, so... what do you suggest we do?
Zayne raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by her frankness. For a moment, his dark eyes met Jiyeon's. There was something in his gaze, a shadow hiding behind that cold man's facade.
— I don't care what you do —he finally said, his voice low but firm—. My duty is to fulfill my part of the deal. Beyond that, you're free to do whatever you want.
"Wow," Jiyeon thought, "this is going to be harder than I expected."
They arrived at the Blackwell mansion just before sunset. It was an imposing structure, made of dark stone, with towers reaching up toward the sky as if trying to touch the clouds. The mansion was surrounded by meticulously kept gardens, and several statues of mythical figures adorned the entrance.
Jiyeon gracefully stepped out of the carriage, though her mind was still trying to process everything that was happening. If she was going to survive in this world, she would have to learn to play the game, and quickly. She couldn't trust anyone, especially not Zayne.
Zayne walked ahead of her toward the mansion's entrance, not even bothering to wait for her. "What a gentleman," she thought sarcastically. But she didn't need him. Jiyeon was used to taking care of herself, and if Zayne wanted to play the role of the distant husband, she would play the role of the manipulative wife.
When they entered the mansion's grand hall, they were greeted by a line of servants bowing respectfully.
— Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Blackwell —said the head butler, bowing deeply.
Jiyeon looked around, taking note of every detail. The place was luxurious, with antique furniture and rugs that seemed to cost more than she had ever earned in her entire life as an assassin. But beyond the opulence, there was a coldness that permeated the atmosphere. This place was like Zayne: cold and empty.
Zayne wasted no time giving orders to the servants.
— Take Mrs. Blackwell to her quarters —he said without any emotion, as if Jiyeon was just another one of his possessions.
Jiyeon, used to receiving orders but not obeying them, stood still for a moment before following the maids who were guiding her. Rosaline Hawthorne had been a manipulative and cruel woman, according to what she had read in the system. Jiyeon, on the other hand, was a calculating assassin, and if she wanted to survive, she would have to use the skills she had acquired in her previous life.
When she arrived at her room, she closed the door behind her and collapsed onto the enormous bed. Her thoughts were in chaos, but she knew she had to stay calm. She couldn't let fear take over. She took a deep breath and looked at the ring on her hand. The system.
— What exactly do you want from me? —she asked out loud, though she didn't expect an answer.
To her surprise, the panel appeared again before her eyes, with a new message.
Main Objective: Survive Rosaline Hawthorne's tragic end.
Instructions: Play your role as the villainess. Manipulate, deceive, and destroy your enemies. Only then can you alter the course of events.
Jiyeon let out a low chuckle. "Manipulate and destroy? That's what I do best." The system was asking her to be something she already was in her previous life: a villainess. Only this time, she would have to do it under this world's rules.
— Very well, if they want me to be the villainess, then I'll be the best villainess they've ever seen —she murmured to herself, with a malicious smile.
A soft knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.
— Mrs. Blackwell, dinner is ready —said one of the maids from the other side of the door.
Jiyeon stood up gracefully and looked at herself in the mirror. The face staring back at her was that of a beautiful woman, with dark hair and sharp eyes. "Rosaline Hawthorne," she thought. She would have to get used to that name.
As she descended the stairs toward the dining room, she found Zayne again, already seated at the table, with a serious and distant expression. Jiyeon took a seat across from him, determined to learn more about him and her new life.
— So... —she began, pouring herself some wine—. Are you going to tell me what your plan is? Because clearly, you're not just a normal man.
Zayne looked up, surprised by her comment.
— What do you mean? —he asked, with a slight hint of suspicion in his voice.
Jiyeon shrugged, taking a sip from her glass.
— I'm just saying that neither of us seems particularly excited about this marriage. So, what do you really expect from me?
Zayne watched her in silence for a few seconds before replying.
— I expect you to fulfill your role, Rosaline. Nothing more.
Jiyeon let out a small laugh.
— And if I don't? What will happen then?
Zayne didn't respond immediately. His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched her cautiously.
— I suggest you don't test my patience —he finally said, in a tone that made it clear he wasn't someone to play games with.
Jiyeon smiled, satisfied with his answer. This was going to be interesting.