I heard a sharp, unsettling sound, like something shattering.
The image I had been looking at was cut off, and in an instant, everything turned black—like someone had yanked the TV's plug out without warning.
What was I doing?
Was I sleeping? I thought as I tried to pry my eyelids open.
Before I fell asleep, I was sure I had been outside with my boyfriend, talking to him about something... and then I went home, where my fiancé insulted me, saying I had slashed someone's face. I stood up holding something, and then... my neck... my neck was... severed... strangled... my neck?
Something's wrong.
I snapped my eyes wide open and sat up abruptly.
Was I dreaming, or was I still lost in a dream? The bed of my familiar room and my small, unfamiliar hands came into view.
Then I saw a pale, familiar-looking maid's face.
—She looked like that maid who betrayed me.
—She looks just like a character from the otome game I used to play.
As the maid repeatedly asked how I was feeling, I began to think about the similarities and differences.
—She seems older than that maid. Maybe she's her mother?
—Oh, wait! She's probably Kate's mom, the helpful character who tells you the affection level in "The Kingdom of Hope and Healing Light: The Saint Learned True Love."
"What's your name?"
"Uh, I-I am Kyla," the maid stammered.
"Kyla... I see. Oh, you have a daughter, right?"
The maid, now more frightened, answered in the affirmative as I casually asked about her daughter. When asked her name, she trembled even more.
"My daughter is Kate, the same age as you, young lady..."
Oh, wow—she's definitely Kate's mom from *The Kingdom of Hope and Healing Light*!
Wait... Does that mean I've somehow reincarnated into a popular otome game?!
And... Gloria? The villainess? Oh no, that means I'll be executed at the end!
I reincarnated, only to die again?!
"Young lady...?"
"Ah, sorry... um, could you leave me alone for a moment?"
"You're apologizing...! I-I apologize for my insolence my lady!"
Kyla spoke in a shocked voice, clearly flustered by her mistake as a maid in a duke's household.
Gloria realized that something inside her body had mentioned the "otome game reincarnation" trope. She had come back to life, and it seemed like she'd been significantly younger than before.
But before she could do anything about this meddlesome entity inside her body, she had to reclaim control from it and punish the rude maid.
Kyla nervously left the room, after Gloria dismissed her with a carefree wave, Gloria returned her attention to her body.
—
Standing in front of the mirror in a nightgown, Gloria looked at herself with certainty.
Blonde hair, violet eyes. Her body was smaller, lacking the curves it had before her death, but it was undeniably her familiar appearance.
However, in her mind, one side recognized it as her childhood form, while the other saw it as the childlike version of the character from the game.
Despite both versions of Gloria being in her head, she felt an unsettling sensation, like putting on shoes that were mismatched.
With that thought in mind, Gloria tried to assess the situation by questioning the reflection in the mirror.
(Who the hell are you?)