TCBUP 01

1. To Die or Go Crazy

“How could you do this to me?!”

Despite her lovely pastel-pink hair and cute, delicate face, she screamed with an expression full of venom.

The neatly dressed blond man standing in front of her let out a small sigh.

He clearly looked sick and tired of this—this wasn’t the first time.

“I told you, it’s not like that, Sienna.”

“Lies! I saw you with my own eyes—Damian, you took that woman’s side!”

The woman standing in the direction Sienna pointed, a beautiful blonde, flinched in embarrassment.

“Sienna, I only intervened because you were about to hit Miss Lily.”

Damian tried to explain calmly.

He had come here because he had a scheduled meeting with Sienna, but happened to run into Lily on the street.

They weren’t strangers, so he had simply exchanged greetings, but then Sienna came running.

Before he could explain, she swung at Lily’s cheek without hesitation, and he instinctively pulled Lily away.

That was it.

“And Sienna, lower your voice.”

This was a busy shopping and dining district where nobles frequently gathered.

As expected, noble onlookers were already beginning to gather in small groups, watching as if this were some spectacle.

But his fiancée didn’t seem to care about the stares.

“Why are you worried about that? If you hadn’t flirted with her in the first place, I wouldn’t have done it!”

But Sienna clearly wasn’t listening to a word Damian said.

Instead, she shouted even louder, as if she wanted everyone around to hear.

And using such undignified language, no less.

Could this woman really fulfill her role as the lady of House Ortiz?

He had given up expecting anything long ago, but every time he faced this version of Sienna, disappointment still washed over him.

“You.”

Sienna glared fiercely at Lily.

“I told you not to go near Damian again, didn’t I?”

“Lady Sienna, this is a misunderstanding. We just ran into each other and exchanged greetings.”

“Don’t lie. You think I don’t know you approached him on purpose? Seducing a man with a fiancée like a shameless tramp?”

“Sienna Hargreaves.”

Damian called her name in a low warning tone, pressing a hand to his pounding temple.

He could now hear the whispers of the surrounding crowd.

This absurd love triangle scandal would be the talk of the social circles for some time.

It wasn’t the first time, and yet he was finding it harder and harder to endure.

“What now?!”

Sienna turned to him in a huff—then froze.

She was suddenly struck with fear at the cold expression on his face.

Sienna burst into tears.

It was the only thing she could think to do in this situation because Damian always stopped scolding her when she cried.

But Damian had long since learned her tricks.

He didn’t stop because her tears moved him—he stopped because he found her attempts at manipulation absurd.

When would she realize that?

Ignoring Sienna, Damian turned to Lily.

“My apologies, Miss Lily.”

Just then, a transparent selection window that only Lily could see appeared before her eyes.

After a brief moment of thought, Lily made her choice.

<SYSTEM> SELECT

A. “You don’t need to apologize, Your Grace. Lady Sienna was the one at fault.”

B. “Please say something to Lady Sienna directly. This keeps happening.”

C. “I’m fine. But are you okay? I feel bad for causing a misunderstanding.”

D. ……

“I’m fine. But are you okay? I feel bad for causing a misunderstanding.”

When Lily spoke with concern, Damian gave a faint smile.

[Damian Ortiz’s affection +5% → 32%]

He was already exhausted by his fiancée’s childish behavior, so Lily’s mature and kind concern was deeply appreciated.

“Don’t worry. This is an issue between Sienna and me. Weren’t you on your way somewhere?”

“Oh, yes. I was, but…”

“Allow me. As an apology, I’ll escort you.”

“Oh, but Lady Sienna…”

“It’s fine. She could use some time alone to reflect on her actions.”

Without so much as a glance back, Damian walked off with Lily.

Sienna stared blankly after them, stunned by the unexpected turn of events.

Lily looked back at her awkwardly.

Their eyes met, and rage surged within Sienna. She collapsed to the ground, sobbing loudly.

“Waaah!”

She cried even louder, hoping Damian would hear her—but he didn’t turn back or stop.

As Damian and Lily disappeared from view, Sienna suddenly stopped crying and covered her face.

Then, she sprang to her feet and bolted in the opposite direction.

After running aimlessly, she leaned against a crumbling stone wall in a deserted square, gasping for breath.

From her lips came a steady stream of murmurs.

“So embarrassing. Shameful. Cringe.”

And similar words, one after another.

Tonight, she would probably kick her blanket off in shame at least a dozen times.

No matter how many times this happened, she never got used to the humiliation.

If she could, she’d dig a hole, bury a coffin inside, climb in, and nail it shut herself.

“I really want to die.”

She slammed her fist against the stone wall in frustration—only to be wracked with pain.

Her face turned bright red as she flailed silently in agony.

“Haha…”

They say people laugh when pushed to their limits.

Cradling her throbbing hand, Sienna collapsed to the ground and let out a bitter chuckle.

Sienna Hargreaves—daughter of Count Rosewood, fiancée of Duke Damian Ortiz.

A minor villain in an otome game, barely a side character, whose only role was to drive the male lead toward the heroine, Lily.

And right now, someone else was inside her.

* * *

I became Sienna two months ago.

It all started when my friend, a game developer, asked me to beta test an otome game.

“I’m swamped right now. I don’t have time for games.”

“Please, just once. We’re like family! Can’t you do me this one favor?”

“I don’t even like games. Why are you asking me?”

“Because if even you get hooked, it means the game is a guaranteed hit.”

When I didn’t answer, she begged harder.

She looked exhausted from nonstop overtime—no lie there, judging from her dark circles.

“I’ll pay you a little.”

“In cash?”

“How about in-game currency?”

“You want to die? I said I’m not playing.”

“You never know. You might end up liking it.”

“…Buy me food.”

It was the price of having a troublesome but beloved friend.

She’d always been there for me, both emotionally and financially. I couldn’t say no.

Work was easing up that week anyway, so I figured I could give it a shot over the weekend.

My friend was genuinely grateful—she didn’t cry, but it was the most apologetic I’d ever seen her—as she installed the game on my phone and gave a quick rundown.

“An otome game, huh. What a fantasy.”

“Exactly. It’s something that’d never happen to you. So live it out in a game instead.”

“You think that’ll satisfy me? That’s why you can’t get a boyfriend.”

“Shut up. Like you’re any better.”

Despite asking a favor, she still hit where it hurt.

“Just give me an honest, thoughtful review, okay?”

“…You’re buying drinks too.”

“Deal, deal. When this thing blows up and I get my bonus, I’ll treat you big time. Just be honest.”

So, I started the game, ready to be brutally honest in my review.

But at some point, I woke up in the body of this girl—Sienna Hargreaves.

I don’t know how it happened.

I just opened my eyes, and I was inside the game.

“Ugh. Of all people, why Sienna Hargreaves? If I had to be stuck here, couldn’t I at least be the heroine?”

Maybe fulfill a few impossible fantasies while I’m at it.

But I guess I wasn’t destined to be a protagonist, here or anywhere.

What made it worse, though, was something else entirely.

As an NPC, Sienna only spoke preset lines and followed scripted actions.

Whenever a “Sienna-Damian-Lily” event triggered, I had to act out embarrassing lines and throw tantrums.

No matter my will. Resistance was pointless.

“How many events are left?”

I knew Sienna’s end came when Damian publicly broke off the engagement.

But I couldn’t remember how many events came before that.

If only I’d played the game properly… Not that I could’ve predicted getting sucked into it.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, I folded my arms and tried to recall the upcoming events.

“Ugh, I can’t remember… huh?”

That’s when I noticed something—a shadow on the ground that wasn’t mine.

I jerked my head up.

A tall, unfamiliar man stood above me, with messy black hair and dressed all in black.

A wall shadow obscured most of him, but his piercing blue eyes stood out vividly.

“What are you staring at?”

“You.”

“Why?”

“You’re interesting. I’ve never seen a crazy woman before.”