Episode 1: Prologue
Chirp chirp.
It was a morning filled with the sound of birds.
When I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
A wooden ceiling. Cold stone walls.
I was busy trying to figure out what was going on.
‘What is this?’
But even after several minutes, I still didn’t understand what had happened.
I became confused.
People always said I was strangely calm since I was young.
But this place… really threw me off.
Murmur, murmur…
“Silence in the courtroom.”
In front of me was a large platform. Three people sat on top of the steps.
To the sides, there were rows of people sitting like an audience.
It looked just like a courtroom… Wait, a trial?
At that moment—
“I will now give the verdict.”
My head felt dizzy.
The old man with white hair spoke, but I couldn’t hear everything clearly. I only caught bits and pieces.
“…So although the death penalty is deserved, the defendant is clearly a minor…”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three loud strikes of the judge’s gavel.
“You are sentenced to life in prison.”
…Huh?
That’s when I realized.
My body was tied up tightly.
And the clothes I was wearing looked like… a prisoner’s uniform.
What is going on?
One day, I woke up and found out I was a prisoner.
But what crime did I commit?!
Clatter, clatter.
“She’s insane. Totally insane.”
“Or maybe possessed by a demon.”
The carriage I was riding in was made from special stone.
The windows were made of solid iron.
They said it was built so that even the most dangerous criminals couldn’t escape while being transported.
“How else could a kid kill dozens of people?”
I couldn’t see because my eyes were covered.
They said it was so I wouldn’t see the way.
But the guards who were transporting me were really chatty.
Thanks to them, I learned quite a lot.
“She’s probably possessed by a demon.”
Right now, who am I?
To be more accurate, whose body did I get possessed into?
The empire’s youngest serial killer.
A horrible criminal… and just a 12-year-old girl.
So far, it doesn’t sound too bad.
Because I’m not actually the killer.
In the story, the girl was framed for the murders that shocked the empire.
Because of that, I figured out I had been transported into the world of a novel.
‘Is it a crime to love novels too much?’
A friend of mine once said that meeting your favorite character in real life is the ultimate fangirl dream.
But for someone like me, a fan of web novels, that only happens through reincarnation into the story.
Of course, most people wouldn’t choose that.
‘And of all stories, I ended up in a dark, R-rated, tragic one…’
Apparently, liking twisted stories was a sin.
‘When I go back, I’m deleting that app. I swear.’
But in this situation, that promise was useless.
I had just been sentenced, and now I was being sent to prison.
The name of the prison?
Niflheim.
In this world’s language, it means Frozen Hell.
Probably taken from Norse mythology.
Just like its name, it was located at the edge of the world.
It existed on the continent, but people called it “the land of the forgotten.”
It was basically like a hidden island—
A place that could only be reached by one path.
“She’s young… just looks weak and skinny. One push and she’d break.”
“Better be careful.”
After a long journey, we finally reached the prison.
Even with my eyes covered, I could feel the cold air of the prison cells.
…I’ve always been a good person. Why was I punished like this?
“She may look small, but she killed 32 people.”
“…Tsk.”
Someone clicked their tongue. I didn’t have to see to know who it was.
A creepy, sly voice, calm and confident.
Probably one of the higher-ups in the prison.
And he wasn’t surprised.
“Good. Our cell’s already full of crazy people. One more won’t change anything. Haha!”
I was dragged roughly, then thrown into a room.
They finally took off my blindfold.
As expected, it was a dark cell.
“Hey, your first day is in solitary. Sit here and reflect on your crimes.”
I heard him laugh.
“Not that it will help you.”
“…”
“Because starting tomorrow, it will be hell.”
Hearing that, I quietly nodded to myself.
‘I needed time anyway. This is perfect.’
This was a prison so infamous that—
People entered, but no one had escaped in hundreds of years.
But one day, the main male character would appear here.
Once he arrived, escaping this place would be easy.
Because I already knew the entire story!
Then, calmly and seriously, I thought of a big problem.
‘There’s something wrong!’
A huge problem.
The youngest killer. A brutal murderer.
This character was important in the story.
So I knew exactly when she was sent to prison.
And the worst part?
The male lead won’t arrive for another 10 years.
“Oh no…”
That’s right.
I had been possessed 10 years before the original story began!
Which means I have to survive in this prison for ten whole years.
‘Is liking weird stories really such a big crime…?’
I looked up at the only small window with a faint light.
I could see the shadow of a guard.
I heard mocking and laughter.
People were even betting on whether I’d survive or not.
‘Now that I think about it, I’m mad. Don’t they know minors aren’t supposed to get life sentences?!’
My anger, which had been hiding, suddenly exploded.
“AAARRGH!”
Seriously?! Why did I get thrown into the story ten years too early?!
“Look, she’s freaking out.”
“Let her. People say she’s a crazy kid anyway. I’ve seen a lot of monsters, but never one this horrible.”
“She’s not gonna last long.”
I screamed in anger for two whole hours, then finally calmed down.
But what choice did I have?
The only way I could survive was to endure.
The person—or rather, the powerful family that framed this girl—
Was far too strong to fight right now.
I had to survive.
Yes. Just focus on staying alive!
And ten years later—
I proudly became the boss of the prison.
