IHDOE Ch 1

[Duke] "Useless child. If you can't behave quietly, at least refrain from causing trouble everywhere."

Satina blinked blankly.

What is this? What is going on right now? I definitely died in an accident, so why am I kneeling in front of this man?

[Duke] "I heard you caused a scene and slapped the woman standing beside the Crown Prince. Do you have any idea how embarrassed I was when I heard that during the meeting?"

Contempt filled his eyes as he glared at Satina.

Like an uncompleted computer loading screen, Satina blankly processed the scene before her. Even so, her mouth blurted out words of its own accord.

[Satina] "But Father, His Highness is my fiancé. Visiting my fiancé is not such a massive crime……"

Ah, right. I remember now.

The man before her was her father, Duke Bersabet.

[Duke] "I don't want to hear it!"

He slammed his hand violently against the desk.

Deep-seated fear made Satina flinch.

[Duke] "Do you think I summoned you to listen to such garbage? His Highness explicitly told you not to visit, yet you ignored him and went to the Imperial Palace anyway? Have you completely lost your mind!"

[Satina] "Father. But……"

[Duke] "Don't forget the sole reason you remain attached to our house. If you lose His Highness' favor, you are finished."

[Satina] "……"

[Duke] "You must show His Highness that you regret your actions. Confine yourself to your room for the time being."

He gestured, and a maid attempted to drag Satina outside.

She braced her legs and stood her ground. She spoke in a faint whisper.

[Satina] "But Father, today is my birthday. I am not saying I was right, but…… couldn't you let it go just for today?"

The Duke snapped sharply.

[Duke] "So what?"

[Satina] "……"

[Duke] "Does a birthday or anything like that matter to you? Enough. I have no reason to listen to you any longer. Drag her out."

Dragged away by the maid, Satina arrived at a room far too small and shabby for a noble lady. A translucent window appeared before her eyes.

[Liv] "Loading complete. Starting the handsome young men dating simulation game 'Saint Maker'."

Only then did everything return to Satina—who she was, and where she was.

It was her twenty-third birthday.

---

The mirror reflected a beauty with thick, waist-length golden hair and sparkling jewel-like pink eyes. Her gorgeous and proud appearance was striking enough that no one could forget her after a single glance.

Satina blankly muttered her own name.

[Satina] "……Satina Bersabet."

And another name she had forgotten.

[Satina] "Yoo Suha."

Why did I forget until now?

I was Yoo Suha, a college student in Korea. After dying in an accident, I reincarnated as Satina, the villainess of a dating sim game.

I had forgotten my past life completely, but today's scolding from my father brought everything rushing back.

A throb of pain struck her head, likely from the sudden memories of her past life.

[Satina] "I lived twenty-three years as Satina with no memory of Korea……. Why did it suddenly return now?"

Yet the memories of Korea remained far too vivid to ignore.

I don't know why they surfaced right now, though.

She recalled her last memories of Korea.

Saint Maker was a game recommended online that Yoo Suha had played. The game began with a countryside heroine discovering her potential as a saintess candidate and traveling to the capital.

Over six months, the heroine solved various problems, built 'Fame,' raised 'Affection,' and pursued romances with handsome male leads.

The game's quality was high, and the bright, innocent heroine was cute and lovely. Deep immersion made it hard to put down once started.

Curiously, throughout the gameplay, Yoo Suha's eyes kept drifting to the villainess Satina rather than the heroine.

Perhaps I felt a sense of kinship because her situation resembled mine.

Satina's mother was a widow. On her tenth birthday, her mother remarried Duke Bersabet. He already had two children, making Satina—another man's daughter—nothing more than an eyesore.

Satina nearly suffered abandonment by her mother, but when she manifested holy power and became a saintess candidate, everything shifted.

Captivated by young Satina's dazzling talent, Duke Bersabet resolved to turn her into a saintess and welcomed her into House Bersabet.

However, after entering the ducal house, Satina could no longer use holy power. Her childhood talent had been her entire reserve.

I thought she was a saintess candidate, but she was a dud. A useless child.

Naturally, the Duke's interest cooled.

Satina had to prove her worth through other means instead of divine power. Through desperate effort, she secured a betrothal to the Crown Prince, yet he harbored no feelings for her. Instead, he treated her like a bothersome fly clinging to him.

Satina refused to accept her reality. Envy toward the brilliantly talented heroine eventually drove her to become a villainess who harmed the heroine.

Well, that's how it goes.

Struggling while refusing to acknowledge one's limits and coveting what belongs to others was ugly.

That pathetic struggle somehow mirrored Yoo Suha's own life, drawing her attention. So after clearing all the heroine routes, she rubbed her sleepy eyes and played the moment Satina's route unlocked.

Though I turned it off immediately after seeing the first ending.

Saint Maker was exceptionally kind to the heroine.

Everyone the heroine randomly helped on the street turned out to be immensely capable, and any lottery she entered brought an absolute win. The description "beloved by God" suited her perfectly.

Thus, while playing as Satina, Yoo Suha wished for her to find happiness just like the heroine. Yet in the very first ending, Satina lost the Crown Prince to the heroine, and the family that despised her offered her up as a sacrifice—draining her holy power while keeping her from the sweet release of death.

The game even revealed that Satina's inability to use holy power stemmed from an incurable illness. Seeing that ending sparked sheer fury.

What is this? Satina is the protagonist! Why is she still losing to the heroine here?

Even in a fictional story, watching a cherished character meet such a fate left a bitter taste. That was likely why Yoo Suha turned off the game with no desire to play further.

Then came the car accident. Just when Yoo Suha thought her life was over, she reincarnated as Satina, the game's villainess.

For twenty-three years, she had lived without her past memories……

[Liv] "Welcome, Player, to Saint Maker."

The floating system window clearly displayed the title of the game Satina had played.

A mechanical voice sounded.

[Liv] "I am Liv, a state-of-the-art AI system here to assist your gameplay."

[Liv] "This game runs solely for the player."

[Liv] "I will do my best to ensure a smooth gaming experience from now on."

[Liv] "Please state your name so I may search for available scenarios."

[Satina] "Yoo Suha."

When she gave her Korean name, a loading screen appeared on the system window.

[Liv] "Name unavailable. Please state your name again."

[Satina] "Satina."

[Liv] "Scenario search complete."

[Liv] "A total of one hundred scenario endings are assigned to Player Satina."

[Liv] "Please set a target ending for system guidance."

[Satina] "A target ending……"

Recalling the game's horrific endings for Satina, only one thought filled her mind.

[Satina] "First of all, I want to live."

[Liv] "Searching for endings with the goal of 'Survival'."

[Liv] "A total of fifty-three endings have been identified."

[Liv] "Select your desired ending, and system guidance will begin toward that goal."

[Liv] "Please note that once a target is selected, it can't be modified until the cycle ends unless special circumstances arise."

[Satina] "Does the end of a cycle mean the end of this life? Then can I return to a saved point like in a game?"

Though unsure how reincarnation in this world happened, a save feature would bring relief.

[Liv] "Impossible."

Ah, so there are no second chances, regressions, or possessions.

That meant she had to choose carefully among the current options.

All of these sound vague, though.

She scanned the list of fifty-three endings, falling into deep thought.

Never-Ending Spring, A Love Song Just for You, I Am No Longer Afraid, and more.

Their titles gave no clue about their true contents. However, an ending written in red text caught her attention: 001. Unwanted Song.

[Satina] "Why is only this ending written in red?"

[Liv] "Because it is an ending the player has already completed."

[Satina] "If it's the ending I saw as Satina…… there's only one."

The ending where the heroine celebrated a happy wedding with the Crown Prince, while Satina suffered as a holy-power battery, begging for death.

It was an ending where she was technically 'alive.' Whether one could call that living remained doubtful. It seemed 'survival' literally meant keeping breath in her body and nothing more.

[Satina] "Wait. Then……"

Her face turned deathly pale.

[Satina] "You said fifty-three out of one hundred endings. Then…… do I definitely die in forty-seven of them?"

A chill ran down her spine.

[Satina] "And if I exclude the endings where living doesn't feel like living……"

She swallowed dryly.

[Satina] "I want to change the condition. An ending where I am alive and can lead a normal life."

[Liv] "The condition 'lead a normal life' is ambiguous."

[Satina] "An ending where I can roam outside freely, face no threats to my life, eat whatever I want, and live in peace."

[Liv] "Initiating search."

Tension mounted during the brief moments as the system window loaded.

[Liv] "Searching based on your specified conditions yields a total of one ending."

[Satina] "What? One? Exactly one out of a hundred? Is this insane?"

[Liv] "100. Normal Ending."

Looking at the single option glowing before her, Satina felt sheer disbelief.

Of all the characters to reincarnate as, why Satina?

But right now, no other option existed.

[Satina] "Fine. I'll take that ending."

[Liv] "Target ending selected."

[Liv] "From this moment on, the system promises to do its best to secure Player Satina's Normal Ending."

[Liv] "Please follow system instructions closely to ensure smooth completion."

[Liv] "Here are the required conditions for this ending."

Ding!

[Liv] "Normal Ending Condition: Escape to the free city-state of Planchel before the Summer Foundation Festival."

Escape to Planchel, the free city-state. Laundering my identity there will ensure I am completely free from the empire-centric game plot to start a fresh life.

[Liv] "Detailed conditions for the ending:

1. Break the betrothal with the Crown Prince.

2. Reach 50 Affection with at least three male lead targets.

5. Reach 100 Fame."

[Satina] "I understand the first condition, since fleeing to another nation while engaged to the Crown Prince is impossible. But why do I need Affection from the male leads?"

[Liv] "To prevent the player's death."

[Satina] "Ah."

It means that without at least that much goodwill, they could kill me at any moment.

[Satina] "What is my current Fame?"

[Liv] "-30."

[Satina] "Ah, negative Fame actually exists?"

The heroine started with 20 due to her popular favor. Despite being a duke's daughter, her reputation lagged far behind a lady fresh from the countryside.

[Liv] "Do you have any further questions regarding goal guidance?"

[Satina] "No, none."

[Liv] "Then let us begin the tutorial."

At that moment, as if time had paused, it suddenly resumed; someone knocked on the door.

Thump, thump, thump!

The rough pounding sounded as if a debt collector had come knocking.

While flustered Satina hesitated, the door burst open, and her personal maid, Marie, stepped inside. She took one look at Satina standing blankly in the room and demanded in a sharp voice:

[Marie] "You're awake. Why didn't you say anything?"

Ding!

An alert chime sounded as a system window popped up before Satina.

[Liv] "Quest: Punish the maid Marie for her crimes and expel her from the mansion by today. Reward: 5 Fame, 1 Secret Outing Pass, Unlock Affection Window. Failure: Death."

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