Chapter 3
. Surviving as a Terminal Villainess
“Master, that was magnificent! You were amazing as always!”
“How vicious of them, spreading foul energy on purpose. And they did so knowing full well that you were waiting, Master!”
“Even with all that pressure, our Master wasn’t affected in the slightest. Haha, those beasts trying to suppress a mage—laughable!”
What the hell are they talking about? I almost fainted from fear.
My fatigue hit hard, but my body still wasn’t moving the way I wanted it to.
As I started walking somewhere, a group of sycophants followed me like goldfish poop, tossing out lines of flattery.
Their incessant chatter felt strangely energetic.
From what I could gather, they were mages, and it seemed the relationship between them and the man from earlier was abysmal.
A cold chill ran down my spine.
This… this feels an awful lot like Tyrant’s Heart.
That story also had mages and espers locked in the worst kind of rivalry.
If that man from earlier was the male lead and Emperor of Tyrant’s Heart, then the antagonist, the villainess Duke Hilaria…
That would be me.
No. No way.
I died in a monster outbreak—then woke up inside a novel?
Ha. How is that even possible?
Even as I walked somewhere under a barrage of inexplicable praise, I eventually stopped in front of a grand, ornate door.
“The rest well, Master!”
“I’ll visit again this afternoon!”
Clack.
As the door closed behind me, I stepped into a large, but terribly dry and empty room.
It looked like someone’s office.
And finally—
“Phew!”
Control of my body returned to me.
I immediately collapsed to the floor.
“Is this really… inside a novel? Did I really die?”
Just recalling that moment made my teeth clatter and my shoulders tremble.
That pain had been real. I had died a horrible death.
But…
A surreal memory surfaced.
Those keywords I saw before I opened my eyes here.
Didn’t it feel like a game?
Ah, right—there was that thing. The status window.
I needed to check.
I had to confirm whether what I saw earlier was real.
“…Status window.”
God, this is so embarrassing.
I screamed internally.
It sounded cool when protagonists did it in stories, but saying it out loud myself felt awful.
How was I supposed to say this every day?
Fortunately, I hadn’t imagined it.
The same window I saw before reappeared in front of my eyes, this time with black text:
[Welcome to the world of I Imprinted the Tyrant Emperor’s Heart, as chosen by the user.]
Holy crap. I wasn’t hallucinating.
“I really died and woke up inside a novel.”
Loving a novel is one thing—falling into it is another.
There’s nothing funny about it. Only despair.
Beneath that line was a tab labeled [Character]. Everything else was still locked, marked with question marks.
When I tapped on [Character], the text changed:
[Hilaria Daen la Ariel, Duke (21)]
My character profile.
God. I clutched my head in horror.
Fine. I can accept being reincarnated into a novel.
But why reincarnate me into the villainess who dies halfway through the story?
I want to live. I begged to live—and this is what I got?
Should I just ditch the plot and run away?
As if mocking me, the status window changed again.
[Achievement unlocked!
You have accessed the status window.
Reward granted.
Reward: Main storyline entry initiated. You may no longer leave the story’s domain.]
Basically, I can’t escape now.
[Sudden Quest Triggered!
You are Duke Ariel, the esteemed leader of the mages and one of the central figures in this world.
Until you earn the qualification of “????”, you must not let anyone realize you are not the real Duke Ariel.
Success: Stable happiness
Failure: Soul death]
My face contorted.
What the hell? This is insane!
BOOM!
“Class 2 monster, Your Majesty! Advancing from the front. We’ll incinerate the rear monsters!”
As the knight shouted, the Emperor slowly drew on his power—and an all-too-familiar wave of pain pulsed through his skull.
Tch.
Emperor Kaishis drove an ice spear into the monster’s body, expression calm despite the searing agony.
“Kyeeeek!”
Green blood splattered.
“Waaaaah!”
“Aim for the legs!”
With a scream, the mantis-like monster collapsed as awakened knights attacked its limbs.
A burst of abilities flared in dazzling colors.
Unbalanced, the creature toppled to the right.
BOOM. A cloud of dirty dust filled the cave.
Kaishis created an ice shield to block the dust and watched his muddy, smiling knights approach.
His knights—his swords. Each of them ready to die should his monstrous powers spiral out of control.
“Your Majesty, all monsters have been eliminated. Shall we begin the retreat?”
The Emperor nodded slowly.
They had no idea.
How exhaling felt like his lungs being shredded by ice.
How the power in his blood carved through his heart and flesh with every beat.
It was because Kaishis was an extraordinarily powerful awakened—and he had no proper Guide.
Awakened ones who destroyed monsters with supernatural powers, and the Guides who stabilized them.
There were many Guides, but none had ever granted Kaishis true rest or peace.
Their powers always fell short. No one could quench the fire or numb the ice that tortured him.
He scoffed.
Was he this ill-tempered just from enduring such pain every time he breathed?
And soon, the limit would come.
“Your Majesty, an A-rank Guide is waiting. One of the three who stabilized you last time. Shall I summon them?”
The knight commander asked nervously.
Kaishis frowned at the thought of those Guides who had passed out last time.
Other Awakened smiled like children in cradles as they took their Guide’s hand.
His Guides screamed and fainted.
That’s why the Guides who approached him always looked terrified.
As if he were a monster himself. Disgusting.
Still—
That woman.
Only one person came to mind.
Hilaria Daen la Ariel.
His rival and political enemy.
The young master of the Mage Tower, long in opposition to the royal family.
A thoroughly unpleasant woman—but the only one who did not fear him.
Today, however, she had been different.
The memory caught in his throat.
She dared grab my collar.
So unlike her.
He hated to admit it, but he had been surprised.
And those red eyes that had looked even more startled than him—so unfamiliar.
Ridiculous. Why am I thinking about that woman?
Annoyance surged within him.
“Your Majesty! Bring the Guide in! Hurry! Please, sit—shall I get you some water?”
“Sh—shut up.”
His ears rang. He covered them irritably, grimacing. The knights looked panicked.
“S-sorry!”
A pulse of cold radiated from his heart, freezing his blood.
His powers, tied to his emotions, came with sharper pain when disturbed.
His head felt like it was splitting open.
“Ghh.”
“Your Majesty, please stay conscious! Where is that Guide!?”
The atmosphere tensed as his agony twisted his face.
And through the crowd, a trembling Guide approached.
“Y-your Majesty… I’ll stabilize you…”
She reached out timidly, her hand fluttering like a leaf.
She was terrified. Uncomfortable. Wanting to flee.
His lips curled bitterly.
The power seeping in only made the thirst worse.
The cold burrowing into his heart didn’t ease.
“Ugh, hnnng, I—I’m sorry, Your Majesty. Just a bit more… Hnnng!”
Kaishis was writhing in agony from the weak connection, while the Guide strained, veins popping.
As if choking down poison.
A terrible match.
He laughed hollowly.
What else could he do?
Such was Kaishis’s fate.
Like a starving beast, he longed for the peace that never came.
A salvation that must exist somewhere—
But never came near.
One week later.
I had somehow managed to keep control of my body.
I’d even gotten used to acting like an insufferable duke.
After breaking down during that meeting with the Emperor, I stood in front of the mirror and steeled myself.
“What kind of noble meeting happens every three days? Seriously.”
During this past week, I’d organized my thoughts.
And the truth was clear.
…I really wanted to live.
