TVLM 01

Chapter 1 …

“Again?”

Angelica stared blankly at the mirror.

In it stood a small, thin little girl.

Dry, light brown hair. Clear sky-blue eyes. A frail, bony frame.

At best, the child looked about seven years old.

“Haa…”

Angelica let out a deep sigh that didn’t suit a child’s face at all.

The girl in the mirror sighed as well.

“So I’ve gone back to this point again.”

Seven years old—the starting point of the game.

It was already her third time beginning here.

The very first time she realized she had entered the world of a raising simulator game, she’d been nothing but excited.

Sure, she was stuck in the body of a seven-year-old girl, but she could meet and romance all the characters she’d loved so much.

But when she succeeded in winning over the male leads, when the original game’s story was supposed to end—

Everything changed.

The life she thought would be happily-ever-after instantly turned into tragedy.

And every tragedy ended the same way.

Pitch-black despair—and death.

Then, after dying, she would open her eyes again… only to find herself once more at that all-too-familiar starting point.

“Two dead endings in a row? If it’s going to be like this, you could’ve just reincarnated me somewhere else!”

Rage and despair flickered in Angelica’s blue eyes.

But soon, she shook her head, forcing herself to focus.

“Since it’s come to this, this time I’ll survive. No matter what—it’ll be a long, long life.”

She clenched her small fists tightly.

There was only one lesson her past lives had taught her:

Never trust the male leads.

The ones who’d driven her to death—twice—had been none other than them.

There was still one she hadn’t met yet, but her faith in “male leads” had long since hit rock bottom.

So Angelica had made up her mind—she would never get involved with them again.

“To hell with the male leads.”

I’ll just farm and live quietly.

Angelica clenched her tiny fists tighter, reaffirming her vow.

But a few days later—

“Why… am I standing here?”

Angelica’s eyes went wide at the unbelievable sight before her.

A mansion so grand it could be mistaken for a royal palace. Lush greenery surrounding it.

And cold, unfriendly gazes fixed upon her.

She turned to look at the elderly woman holding her hand tightly.

The woman smiled warmly down at her.

“What’s wrong, dear?”

At that soft, affectionate voice, Angelica couldn’t bring herself to speak.

“Why on earth is Grandma’s house the villain’s mansion from the original story?!”

Her head spun.

And yet she couldn’t let go of the woman’s hand—because the warmth radiating from it was so comforting.

And also—

“…I’m hungry.”

Her stomach growled pitifully.

Inside a luxurious parlor, Angelica sat stiffly on a sofa.

Her legs didn’t reach the floor, so she just stared blankly at the plush carpet beneath her feet.

How did things end up like this?

I came to the villain’s house of all places…

Something had definitely gone wrong.

No—maybe it had gone wrong from the very start.

Angelica thought back to that distant time.

In her previous life, Angelica had been an ordinary college freshman in her country—Jung Yuri.

But Yuri preferred gaming at home to studying.

And everything began with the last game she’d played.

A world-famous simulation game—“Princess MaXker.”

Following its success came a similar raising game: “Please Take Care of the Princess!”

Players mocked it as a cheap imitation, but Yuri had liked it anyway.

The story was like any other raising simulator.

You played as the unseen guardian of a seven-year-old orphan girl named Angelica, raising her until she turned seventeen.

You could study, work part-time jobs, go out, and join special events to increase her stats and reach various endings.

The endings ranged from marriage with one of the male leads, to becoming the queen of the back alleys, to staying single, or reconciling with her father.

There wasn’t anything particularly unique about it—except for one thing Yuri loved.

The graphics and illustrations.

The depiction of a vast empire was breathtakingly beautiful, and so were the characters.

The cute child heroine growing into a lovely young woman, the charming male leads, even the villains—all of them were a feast for the eyes.

That was reason enough for Yuri to play obsessively.

Since she already knew most of the storylines, she skipped through scenes quickly and focused on capturing the male leads’ hearts.

She completed ten of the game’s multiple endings—a remarkable feat.

Then, when she began her eleventh run—

The moment she saw the title screen sparkling with “Please Take Care of the Princess!”—

Yuri fainted.

When she opened her eyes again, a strange ceiling greeted her.

Upon realizing what had happened, Yuri—or rather, Angelica—thought it was thrilling.

But that excitement faded quickly.

Soon, she just wanted to go home.

Because a game was a game—and reality was reality.

She tried everything she could to return: chanting spells in front of a mirror, sleeping again, anything she could think of.

But instead of going back, she only got a good night’s sleep.

Eventually, Angelica had to accept the truth.

That she had become the heroine of “Please Take Care of the Princess!”

Still, she decided to stay positive.

“Even if I’m only seven, I can meet all the characters I loved!”

From then on, she used all her knowledge of the game to survive.

She worked, studied, joined events, and met the male leads—capturing their hearts one by one.

Even without the “parents” (the player), she managed fine.

“It’s okay,” she’d thought, “I know all the endings already.”

Her first target: Kenneth Vertas, the Duke of the Northern Empire.

A golden-haired, blue-eyed prince-like man with a powerful physique—her absolute favorite.

“Will you marry me?”

When he proposed on her seventeenth birthday, how could she possibly refuse?

“Yes!”

Beaming, she accepted.

The empire was in an uproar: A duke marrying a commoner?!

But the two didn’t care.

They loved each other deeply, cherishing every moment.

Even after moving to the north, Kenneth’s affection never waned.

Angelica followed him wholeheartedly—until three months later.

That’s when she realized something was terribly wrong.

Kenneth loved her. He loved her too much.

So much that it became obsession—jealousy bordering on madness.

“Rika, why did you look at that man? I’m better looking than him.”

At first, she laughed it off.

“If you keep looking at other men, I’ll have to lock you up.”

But his words became more terrifying with each passing day.

Even exchanging greetings with another man made his eyes turn crazed.

And one day, he did lock her up.

“I’m off to a party, my beloved wife. Wait for me, won’t you?”

She screamed, trying to break her shackles, but failed.

That was the beginning of her nightmare.

By day, Kenneth was the perfect gentleman. By night, he was a monster consumed by madness.

When his family’s fortunes began to crumble, he turned to drink—and all his violence fell upon Angelica.

The verbal abuse, the confinement, the beatings… she endured and endured, but her limits came soon enough.

In the end, she died in a carriage accident while traveling to the capital with her husband.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw that same familiar ceiling.

The seven-year-old starting point.

Overjoyed, she thanked the heavens.

“Thank you, God.”

Determined to live a new life, she vowed never to meet Kenneth Vertas again.

Instead, she targeted the second male lead: Vera Campeon, the sultan of a desert kingdom.

With his tanned skin and shining silver hair, Vera was charming and free-spirited—a man who felt like sunlight and sand combined.

Armed with her knowledge from before, Angelica easily captured his heart.

On her seventeenth birthday, he proposed.

“Please don’t ever try to control me, okay, Vera?”

“Of course, my wife.”

Trusting him completely, she followed him to the desert kingdom of Campeon.

In the original story, Vera had no harem.

So she believed him. But after the story “ended,” Vera changed.

He became indulgent—drinking, flirting with both men and women.

Within just three months of marriage, his harem numbered over ten.

Angelica tried to endure it, thinking at least he wasn’t possessive like Kenneth.

But soon, she was stabbed to death by a jealous male concubine.

And when she opened her eyes again—

That same ceiling.

That same seven-year-old starting point.

Staring into the mirror, Angelica’s heart sank.

The game—no, her life—was supposed to have a happy ending.

But every ending was just another death.

Even if it was inside a game, death was always painful and dark.

It felt like sinking into a deep abyss.

And there wasn’t even a game message like [Character has died.]

It felt real. Too real.

“I don’t want to die like that ever again.”

Angelica clenched her tiny fists in front of the mirror.

“Since it’s come to this, this time I’ll survive. I’ll live long.”

The seven-year-old girl in the reflection bit her lip, eyes burning with determination.

“I won’t ever be swayed by male leads again.”

Her past two lives had revolved entirely around chasing them.

There was still one male lead left, but she didn’t even want to think about him.

“This time, I’ll live only for myself.”

To hell with the male leads.

I’ll just farm and live quietly.

Angelica clenched her fists tighter, sealing her vow.