The moon is high up, gracing the humans with its comforting light. However, it wasn’t so comforting to Mizette Karpathia. She’s hunched over, she’s on the ground sobbing uncontrollably in an empty and dark drawing room at the palace. 

It’s suffocating, she felt that her heart had been clogged in the worst way possible, it’s being squeezed so tightly. It’s on the verge of bursting into crimson red and splattering all over her insides. She wouldn’t be surprised if she started to throw up.

The moment she looked into the reflection of the vase in the corner was the trigger. A flash of disgusting and blood-soaked illustrations in the head made her collapse. All images had shared one thing, or rather, one person in common. It was her, Mizette Karpathia.

One image where she had her neck chopped off, another where she was chained to the wall with cuts all over her bare body, another where she was sold off to vile monsters, and then one gruesome and foul image came one after another. She’s seen them so, so, so many times, but not once, has she reacted as intensely as now.

It’s different now, because she’s Mizette Karpathia. She can feel the shivers down her spine, she could feel the burn and itchiness of her body at the thought of the mutilations she has seen it gone through.

She wrapped her arms around her shaking body, breathing erratically as saliva ran down her mouth to her chin and then to her neck. 

It’s absolutely sickening, so sickening and abominable. 

“What happened to you, Mizette?”

That voice. 

Oh, that voice that sounded so concerned and euphonic. It’s a voice that belongs to a royal, a voice that belongs to no one else but Prince Edward Lovell de Adonia, the crown prince of the Adonian Empire. 

Mizette couldn’t move, she was paralyzed with just a simple question. She’s heard that voice being sweet, she’s heard it enraged and vicious…she’s heard sweet nothings lull off that voice’s tongue. Sweet nothings that harbor possession and obsession. 

He’s one of the monsters.

She hears him ask again, but she couldn’t quite make out what he said specifically. Her ears are trying to drown out that voice…A part of her now wishes she had played 【~Virulent Love~】with the voices off. 

The prince sounded genuinely worried, but if she had been clueless, she wouldn’t know that it’s laced with faked concern. He’s good with his mouth, he’s the charming prince with a flowery tongue after all. 

She feels gloved hands on top of her shoulders and she flinches. 

It’s the same hands that violated Alicia and took her freedom, and the same hands that peeled off Mizette’s skin. It started from the back of her hands all the way to her shoulders. Her arms are burning again, no, her soul feels like it’s burned. 

“Are you alright? Why are you crying?”

Why are you here? She wanted to ask. The prince never showed any attention to Mizette unless there was an audience.

And she was right. There is an audience…It was Mizette’s group of lackeys. They must’ve been looking for her, and they too, now bear concerned expressions. 

Suddenly, she feels the prince’s fingers under her chin, gently guiding her to look at him straight in the eyes. She sees blood in them, lifeless and dull, but burning in red. 

She pulls away, shaking her head as dragged her bottom against the rug. She needs to get away as fast as she can, her instincts screaming at her to do so. It had also been reflex, seeing as the person in front of her is none other than the first capture target, her very own fiance.

A part of her regrets it now after seeing the surprised expression on the prince’s face. 

She needs to calm herself…She reminds herself to be calm, that’s how she won in the first place as Alicia Venivallia. Showing them vulnerability and fear makes them stronger, these sadistic bastards fed from those very emotions. 

“I’m alright.” Mizette swallows hard. She glances at her dress, noticing the patch of red around her waist. “This dress is very precious to me, your highness. I’m saddened that it had been drenched in wine…”

“...” 

The former Mizette would most likely relish at the attention, that gaze boring into her whilst being ignorant of the fact that Edward absolutely abhorred her. However, instead of shaking in excitement, she’s shaking from something completely different.

Stop shaking. Stop Shaking. Stop shaking. Stop Shaking. Stop shaking. Stop Shaking. Stop shaking. Stop Shaking. Stop shaking. Stop Shaking—

He smiles.

Edward smiles so sweetly at her. There he is, the crazed man that Mizette is used to seeing. 

“Do not concern yourself with such a silly matter.” He says he offers his hand for Mizette to take. “Though the dress is soiled, it is not the end, but an opportunity for another beautiful form to take shape. I will purchase a new dress for you.”

She wished her heart could soar like Mizette’s would, but no matter how many sweet words come out of this prince’s mouth, she will always see him as the murderer he is. The man was anything but straight to the point. He had a way of using flowery and excessive words that acted like a sweet poison to one’s ears.

Smile, you have to smile.

Mizette forces the corners of her lips upwards, reaching out to tightly grasp the prince’s gloved hand. 

“Thank you so much, your highness. That means so much to me!”

Mizette feels the prince’s thumb squeeze the back of her hand. Her heart beats painfully against her chest as she struggles to maintain her expression. 

“I apologize for my behavior earlier, it was not very proper of me.”

Edward shakes his head, “You were simply distressed, Mizette. You have been troubled lately, so it is not a big deal.”

And by “troubled” he probably meant two things. It’s either that Mizette was troubled by some social affairs of hers or…the heroine. That is, if this world had already reached that point in the story where the heroine appeared.

The prince guides Mizette out of the dark drawing room and into the brighter hallway. She hears Mizette’s lackeys fuss over her, and her tense shoulders relaxed slightly when Edward finally let go of her hand. 

Now under the bright ceiling lamps, she could finally get a better look at Edward. It felt strange to see two-dimensional characters take on a three-dimensional shape. It was like meeting a cosplayer of Edward, she just wished that he was an actual cosplayer instead of the real deal. 

Blonde hair, all curly and parted in the middle. A smooth face and sharp nose, thin lips that present a polite smile, crimson eyes scrutinizing her entirety, most likely plotting her death. If not, then a way to get away from her.

Mizette will offer him exactly that.

“Your highness must be busy, I will not trouble you any further. I apologize once more, but I will take my leave earlier than expected.” Mizette bows, lifting her dress lightly. 

Edward’s eyes curve up and his body shifts slightly. “Alright then, I will order the servants to call for your carriage.”

And Mizette felt half of the world lifted from her shoulders. She couldn’t hold herself back from letting out a sigh of relief when Edward disappeared from her sight. It felt relieving to hear his heavy footsteps on the marble floor gradually vanish. 

“Lady Mizette, are you alright?” If she recalled correctly, one of the concerned lackey’s names is Sienna Foster. This should be her. Auburn-hair tied into a clean bun, bright blue eyes with a dress that matched that color.

“That commoner!” Another lackey, Dorothie Bourne, harshly calls. 

“She spilled wine all over your dress!”

“She must be punished!” 

“...C-Commoner?” Mizette rests her hand on her aching head. 

Her lackeys looked at her with gaping mouths, then Dorothie speaks,

“That girl from the countryside, she spilled wine on your dress purposefully.” She explains with a displeased face, “Do not worry, Lady Mizette. Sienna and I will personally deal with her tomorrow!”

“No!” 

Dorothie and Sienna flinch at Mizette’s sudden outburst. Their lady breathed heavily and they swore they could see her eyes bulging out. Mizette cleared her throat and a familiar smile appeared on her face.

“I will deal with her personally.”

Sienna clasped her hands together, “Our Lady is straightforward indeed! When trouble comes your way, you are able to manage it yourself!”

“Not many younger nobles are able to do such feats nowadays.” Dorothie agreed.

Whatever they were thinking about how Mizette is going to deal with the commoner, they were completely wrong. There will be no biting, no barking and no blood. There will only be an apology, a necessary apology that may give her a fighting chance. 

Mizette continues to smile, hoping it didn’t falter. “Yes, as the future mother of this empire, one must be able to face challenges head on.”

Fuck being the empress.

It’s a goddamn death warrant.

Now that she has a clearer head, she’s able to focus and think more carefully as she makes her way out the palace with her group. 

The girl from the countryside, the one that spilled wine all over her dress couldn’t be anyone else but the heroine. The reason being is that this was one of the game’s events. 

Mizette Karpathia framed Alicia Venivallia.

The Soiled Dress Event. 

Which means that it’s been exactly one week since the heroine arrived, and enough time for the first capture target to be enamored by her. 

Prince Edward Lovell de Adonia fell in love with an unattainable beauty, a saintess blessed by the Goddess herself. His obsession for power and material things runs deeper than the trenches, and meeting the heroine for the first time fueled that desire. 

Possessive Bastard. Mizette thinks disdainfully, Absolutely insane and demented. 

Due to the fact that Edward paid more attention to the commoner, it was natural for Mizette Karpathia, his betrothed, to grow jealous and hostile towards an unknown woman. So Mizette did everything in her power to humiliate the heroine, to show that she was nothing compared to Lady Mizette Karpathia, daughter of the famed Duke Karpathia.

The Soiled Dress Event is the third vile deed.

After seeing Edward give Alicia a bouquet of roses, Mizette is anything but calm. She intentionally bumped into Alicia when she was getting herself a drink, which caused Alicia to drop the glass and the wine splashed all over her dress. 

She cried out, framing Alicia.

Three vile deeds had already been committed. Prince Edward being a witness to all three as Mizette hoped that it would change Edward’s view on the commoner. 

It didn't change shit. Mizette just continued to shower gasoline everywhere, soaking her soul and Edward’s with grimy fuel that would burst into different colored flames eventually. How does one clean up the gasoline? She’s made a deep lake at this point.

“My Lady, your carriage has been prepared.” A deep man’s voice announced as she finally reached the outside of the palace. 

A black carriage with golden trims stood dormant down the stairs of the palace, large horses puffing out air and a silent coachman dressed in all black, face hidden by his hat and the shadows.

Mizette inhales sharply at the man by the carriage door. He’s as tall as Edward, messy hair that resembles the color of light ash and golden eyes that remind of her a predator. The only thing missing is the glowing eyes, then she would truly believe that this man is a literal beast taking the form of a human.

Lawrence Autarius, the fourth capture target, as well as Mizette Karpathia’s personal bodyguard and son of the Vice Captain of the Adonian Knights. 

Hatred, being outcasted, dependence in the most toxic way possible. That is Lawrence Autarius.

Mizette hated all these capture targets equally, but knowing that she’ll be seeing more of Lawrence than any other capture target made her head boil. To deal with a condescending and cynical bastard everyday is the last thing she wants.

“Thank you.” Mizette simply says as she makes her way to the carriage. Her friends stood by the palace doors, bowing at her as she entered the carriage.

She ignores the way Lawrence smiles at her, the way Lawrence watched her until she stepped into the carriage. She could wear as many layers of clothes as she wanted, but it would never be able to protect her from the way his eyes penetrated through her, like multiple needles sinking into her body.

“My pleasure.” She hears him say.

She didn’t want to think about him right now. She opts to focus on figuring out a way to apologize to Alicia Venivallia and make amends, then find a way to get out of this hellhole. 

To someone who has never played 【~Virulent Love~】or has not even heard of the game, Mizette wouldn’t blame those who thought of her as a paranoid person or one who overthinks. The simple gestures and looks from the capture targets are enough to drown anyone who knew of their capabilities.

And that is shown now.

Lawrence closed the carriage door once Mizette sat herself. He continued to smile at Mizette. She could feel that smile, that targeted look. She hears the reins, the hoofs against the concrete and finally, finally they begin to leave the palace.

Mizette turns her head slightly, looking back through the glass window to realize that Lawrence is still watching her. One of the servants arrives with a horse, leading it for Lawrence to take.

“...” Mizette gulps and turns away. 

She tries to relax in her seat, but is unable to. There’s something wrong, her stomach is twisting in an unexplainable way. She tries to ignore it, distracting herself by thinking of a plan. It goes on and on until she finally reaches the Karpathia house.

The carriage stops and she wants to get out, go inside her room and lock herself away.

She reaches for the carriage’s handle, but freezes when the moon’s light shone upon her through the glass. Truly, it’s a comforting light, no, more of a blessing or lucky light. 

Stems brimming with sharp thorns were coiled all over the handle.

They were a centimeter away from her fingers and palms. 

It was so close.

She was close to squeezing that handle out of desperation to escape. 

If it weren’t for her quick reflexes, then…That desperation would’ve led to a bloody hand, sharing the same color as the rose at the end of the coil.

She recognizes that rose, how could she not?

Edward’s bouquet of roses.

Memories suddenly flash inside her head.

=================

【Mizette Karpathia makes her way towards you, a deep scowl on her face.】

【She’s in front of you now, arms crossed as her glare made you tremble.】

【She raises her bandaged right hand and points at you.】

【Mizette Karpathia: “How dare you soil my dress last night! I even got injured!”】

=================

Mizette always wondered why she had a bandaged hand in the first place. It wasn’t like Alicia spilled boiling hot tea on her hand, but a glass of wine with perfect temperature. 

She didn’t think much of it at first, assuming that Mizette faked the injury to frame Alicia the next day after the banquet. However, pieces of the story began to fit the jigsaw puzzle. 

Mizette is shaking again, pulling away her hand as she backs herself to the other side of the carriage. Her shaky eyes stuck on the thorns that sent her a message.

They’re already after her.

And they will do anything to keep Alicia Venivallia safe and sound.

That includes getting rid of anything that lays a finger on Alicia, or even just thinking of laying a finger on Alicia.

This is just the beginning of the horror game. 

Mizette wasn’t one to believe in the divine, but at that moment, she could only pray. Pray that the world has set itself into 【EASY MODE】. 

And…pray that is all just some cruel dream.

===

Chapter End...To be continued...