"Congratulations, Host! You have entered the world of The Almighty Prince of Arderla!"
The voice chirp again."Your mission? Survive, thrive, and maybe… make your cold, brooding husband fall in love with you!"
Ivy Everhart couldn't believe the words coming from the floating chibi-like bird in front of her.
Just a moment ago, as far as she could recall, raiders had attacked her bookstore and shot her.
Very unfortunate for an orphan like her. She sighed, focusing on the chibi bird.
"Hey, what are you, and what are you talking about? Who is your host?"
Ivy asked with a slight frown, processing everything that was happening to her.
The only clear information she could understand from the floating, fat bird was that she was in the book The Almighty Prince of Arderla, which she was familiar with.
The new magical system fantasy romance book had just arrived on her shelf. She had picked it up and decided to read it. When she reached the last chapter out of 2,000, some robbers raided her bookstore.
"So, are you what they call the system?" Ivy thought for a second and asked the bird. She was familiar with different genres of books, and the "system" theme had popped into her head.
The chibi bird nodded excitedly as Ivy asked. Its chubby body bounced like a ball.
"Yes, Host! I'm your companion in this world, your guide, or anything you want to call me!"
The system's response confirmed Ivy's suspicion. Everything was fine. It was okay since she had nothing to fight for in her real world.
What was there for an orphan to fight for?
Maybe transmigrating into this new world was her destiny.
Being shot and killed by the robbers was the best thing that could have ever happened to her.
Everything seemed perfect—until she realized which character she had become.
Viewing herself for more confirmation, Ivy found herself in a beautiful Victorian dress and saw long, red locks streaming from her shoulders.
Her eyes widened.
The red hair—only one person had it in the entire kingdom of Arderla. She focused on this detail, but first, she didn't want to rush to conclusions. The floating bird should be the one to give her the real info.
Ivy bit her lip, her furious heartbeat refusing to stop. She asked the chibi bird, "Birdy, please tell me what character I've become."
The chibi bird jumped with happiness at her request.
"Congratulations, Ivy Everhart! You are now Ivy Everhart, the cannon fodder wife of the villain in the book!"
"Someone please kill me," Ivy wailed, holding her long locks dramatically.
Why was she wailing? Because she had become that stupid character in the book.
Ivy Everhart—the daughter of a count infatuated with the crown prince. The entire kingdom knew of her dark history of chasing the prince and wanting to be the crown princess.
Because of this, they announced that the king's nephew, Crown Duke Lucien Arshburn of the Fire Territory—the villain of the story—would marry Ivy Everhart, daughter of the count.
"Host, calm down. It's not as bad as you think," the chibi bird said, bouncing its body in an attempt to soothe her. Ivy's appearance right now scared it; she looked like she had lost her mind.
"What do you mean, huh? Calm down? I should calm down? Birdy, you don't understand!" Ivy exclaimed, holding the bird's chubby body and shaking it vigorously.
She wasn't panicked about transmigration. Her current identity filled her with panic.
In the book, Ivy Everhart did many stupid things.
She stood as an obstacle in the romance between the hero and heroine.
Worse still, she didn't even maintain good terms with the villain—her husband!
Ivy Everhart was so foolish that she publicly confessed her love for another man—the crown prince—even though she was married to the Duke, the big villain!
The bird awkwardly floated forward and said, "Host, it's not that serious."
Ivy didn't calm down, but wailed further.
"Shut up, Birdy! All my life, I've worked hard to survive. It was lonely and sad, but I kind of liked it. Then I got killed. But becoming the cannon fodder, only to get killed by the villain, is worse than death! So, Birdy, just kill me a second time!"
Psychological tears filled her eyes.
The fate of cannon fodder was never good, especially not for Ivy Everhart, the most foolish character in the novel.
In the end, after the villain threw her out of the house for public disgrace, everything seemed fine—until Ivy betrayed the Duke after he forgave her for the crown prince.
She even attempted to poison him.
The bird flapped its wings, approaching Ivy, looking at her dreadful appearance—ragged hair and teary face. Trying to cheer her up, it said excitedly, "Host, you don't need to panic about that. That's why you have me! Your nobility module and matchmaker system."
Ivy looked up at the system with a confused expression.
"You said what, huh?"
The bird nodded excitedly, ignoring Ivy's confusion.
"Yes, Host. With my help, you can win the villain's heart and change your future as cannon fodder!"
Ivy smiled secretly in her heart. This seemed to be her cheat. Still, she considered it.
"Bird, that's a lot of talking, but—" Her smile widened.
"There might still be some hope! System, what part of the plot am I currently on?"
There was no giving up. This was her destiny.With the system as her helper—her cheat—she could survive this fantasy world.
The system, happy to see Ivy determined, bounced happily and shared more information.
"Host, congratulations! The plot has already progressed far. You are now at the part where the cannon fodder—er, you—confessed your feelings to the crown prince in front of all the nobles, disgracing the villain, your husband. He got pissed, and now you're thrown out of the house."
The situation ruined the moment.
As expected, Ivy immediately roared, "You stupid bird! Is that good news? I'm totally done for!"
She finally looked at her surroundings. She was sitting outside a castle with her luggage scattered on the dusty marble ground. Her eye twitched with signs of misfortune.
The system had flown higher, staying out of Ivy's reach. It was self-conscious.
Why wouldn't it be? Ivy looked like she was going to squeeze the fat out of it.
Still, despite the system's panic, it didn't stop performing its duties.
"There's still hope, Host! The villain—your husband—has arrived. Mission time! Mission: Go beg the villain with a kiss on his cheek, saying, Honey, I'm sorry. I was wrong!"
The announcement hit Ivy like a
hammer.
The sound of a fire carriage approached. Her heart raced as it drew closer.
The villain was finally here.