At first, all she remembered was a crushing pain. Then, flashing lights. Then, her bones crushing against the cold, hard road. Then… was it the heavy scent of fresh blood? 

 

Her eyelids weighed upon her weary soul. She slowly opened them. 

She was in an unfamiliar room… in a crib? Her hands… They were tiny and rosy… 

Turning around, looking for a mirror, she stumbled on her own feet. She peered up, and the chandelier above her reflected herself. Shining, enchanting light blonde hair, and amethyst eyes with smooth, peachy skin… She looked about six years old. But why did this feel so familiar? 

“My lady,” A woman in a sort of housekeeper uniform entered the charming room, and smiled. “Are you feeling better?”

 

“What… happened?” she asked, confused, “Where am I?”

 

“You… do not remember?" the maid continued, "You fell sick after the Duke of House Vicus left for business yesterday…” 

 

House Vicus… that sounded oddly familiar too. 

Once upon a time, there was a very clichéd, famous novel she wrote, called Emerald, set in a classic ‘Lords and Ladies’ genre…

 

It was a sunny day, when the adored Duchess of House Vicus passed, while giving birth to a beautiful child. 

The Duke of House Vicus adopted another lovely girl, five years after his wife had passed. He also loved the second child like his own, but he rarely had time to spend, as he had mountains of work to finish all the time. 

The second child was two years younger than the first, and both looked very pretty, but the maids had a prejudice against the adopted child. Her name was Annabella. She was lovely, and sweet, and there was no reason for the maids to hate her. 

However, they preferred her sister, Lillian, much, much over her.

 

The book was her second official novel, but even though she was inexperienced when she wrote it, it still became a big hit within three days of publishing.

It was an otome-style novel.

But, had she now become Lillian? Her own character, in her own novel!

‘How peculiar,’ she thought, worried. Her thoughts were stopped midway by the giggling of the maid.

 

“My lady, were you, perchance, daydreaming?” the young maid looked at her properly, “Do you remember now?” 

 

“I… I believe so.” she would have to use her knowledge of the story to her advantage. She wouldn’t let herself suffer, not like Lillian in the story.

 

Lillian grew up to be a snobbish lady, and Annabella became a kind maiden.

In the end of Emerald, Lillian dies after consuming a magical artifact, in search of everlasting beauty, while Annabella becomes almost a goddess-like figure, with the beauty and power Lillian died for. Magic in this world is much like a rose: beautiful, at the front, but if you take advantage of it, it will prick you with the poisoned, black thorns below, at the most unexpected times.

She had to survive in her own world, the world that she, herself, created.

 

The only unsettling thing was about how easy it was for her to accept that she had died and become Lillian.

***

 

After adapting to the new environment, a very important day had come. The event where Annabella first makes her appearance had finally begun! 

“A… Are you my big sister?”, an adorable, short girl that looked at least two years younger than her – four, looked at her curiously. 

 

“How dare you speak to me in that manner? How dare you address me without my title!”: at least, that was what the bratty, villainous Lillian from the novel would have said.

 

Anabella had the same sparkling blonde hair as her, but green, emerald eyes. Actually, Lillian was simply a useful mirror of Annabella that showed how spoiled she could have become, not the main villain.

 

"You must be Annabella," she hesitated, "I'm Lillian."

 

"Can Annabella call you Lilly?" 

 

She gasped. She had made Annabella speak in the third person for a cute effect, but she did not know it would be this effective!

 

"Yes," she replied.

 

"Then… Can you call Annabella… Anny?" 

 

"Sure, Anny!" she replied. She was about to explode from the sheer cuteness Annabella exuded. 

***

 

The days flew by like birds in the morning. 

 

The grass grew long; the flowers bloomed and wilted; the bees and butterflies both came and perished. The author, whom we shall now address as Lillian, had become very, very, perhaps a little too fond of her sweet Annabella. 

 

Lillian had grown, as three peaceful years had passed, and she now had her own bed, in her own room.

The weather was just right. She had run off to the courtyard when the day was still waking. Annabella was asleep. 

She had begun to think. 

There would be a great threat to their safety soon. Lady Penelope, of House Plectra, a year older than herself. The true villainess. Somehow, a surge of guilt and a pang of sharp pain was aroused in her. Perhaps it was because she was the one that had molded, shaped, this person, and because she knew that Penelope would suffer, profoundly, in more ways that you could imagine, in the end. And now she knew that she was real, living and breathing. Yes, she was evil, very much so, but she did not become that way because of nothing.

 

Her first appearance would be at Lillian’s seventh birthday tea party, two weeks from now. Blue hair like the sky and dazzling amber eyes, she was a beauty to behold, her figure reflecting that of the esteemed dragoness who had helped found the empire thousands of years ago. 

 

But as she grew older, she would develop an increasingly toxic personality – out of envy, and her tongue would gradually become more and more poisonous, like that of a venomous snake.

 

When they grew up, she would give a poisoned golden apple to Annabella in an attempt to murder her, which Lillian ate instead, as golden apples were regarded as the path to eternal beauty. And even if it seems that now I am contradicting my words, that it was not the will of the magic itself that had caused Lillian’s fate, that it truly was poison, however, it still was the will and the way of the magic, because it works in the most mysterious and mischievous ways, tricking people – who were already evil – into more evil and greed, so that their deeds might come to light, and punish others of the same kind, thus leading to a downward spiral and their demise. 

It was almost perfectly balanced, if one evil was rid, there would be another, if one hero was slain, another would appear. 

 

Because that was the way Lillian had crafted this world.

And as her mind drifted, she remembered, Lord Ambre, also of House Plectra, one of the four male leads, would attend the tea party. And Prince Stell of House Gladius, the first male lead! And all the other important characters would be introduced there too! 

Everything came down to herself.

Of course, she wouldn’t follow the role of Lillian in the novel. But how would things turn out?