the worst villain and the best heroine

And there she was—my enemy, I suppose. Even though I didn’t hate her, I couldn’t just let her be like this.

“So then, Miss Alie, I haven’t properly introduced myself,” I said, trying to sound serious—maybe that would bore her enough to leave. “I am Sadine Schutter, as you surely already know. The eldest noble of the Frozen Territory.”

“Wow, I didn’t know you were that important. And you’re also really small,” she said. Her voice was incredibly sweet. She seemed incapable of doing anything bad.

“Yes, I am—and that’s exactly why I can’t talk to just anyone. So make it brief.” I hoped that would drive her away.

“Are you really that busy? Well, how would I know? I’ve only been a noble for eight months.”

Eight months? According to the game, she had already been a noble for a full year by the time the story started. That meant four more months until the game actually began.

Why had I relaxed? This…

“Hey, Sadine… are you okay? You froze up.”

“Yes, I’m fine. It was nothing—just my inner cold.” I forgot that when I think, time doesn’t stop.

“Then… could you teach me how to be a noble?”

“No, I won’t. You don’t have what it takes to be a noble. You’re missing…”

 Truthfully, I didn’t even know what it meant to be a noble, but I couldn’t say that. “…You’re missing selfishness.”

“Selfishness.”

“Exactly—selfishness.” Why was she still here? I’m not that good at improvising. “You see, selfishness is what separates peasants from nobles.”

“But why do those differences have to exist?”

And what was I supposed to say to that? I had no idea.

I sighed. I had to act like I was superior to her—maybe corrupt her or scare her off.

“You see, selfishness is what gives us a reason to rule. Do you have any of that? Do you have any reason to rule? Do you have any reason to climb to the top?”

“No…” I heard her voice crack.

“That’s what I thought.” I couldn’t help but smile. I had won.

“No… I can’t believe you have such a sad existence.”

Her expression looked at me with… pity?
What? She pitied me? Did she think she was superior? Why? I sighed. I needed to calm down before I kept talking.

“You’re an idiot who doesn’t understand anything. There’s no point talking to you.”

I turned around. I wanted to leave already. Talking to her was confusing me.

“Is that what you think? Or does hearing the truth hurt?”

“What are you saying?” Seriously, what was she saying? I couldn’t understand anything.

“You’re afraid of losing your status, afraid of not having a reason, and you think being selfish is the only way to keep going. But there are other reasons. Don’t let yourself be led toward evil.”

“But what even is evil?” I asked her sincerely. I just wanted to survive—was that evil? She would take Ehal as her partner, but he was already engaged. Was that good?

“It’s obvious,” Alie said, sounding very sure.

“No, the truth is the line is very blurry.”

“Of course not. You’re just making excuses to protect yourself.”

What was she saying? She sounded so certain—anyone would believe her. But she didn’t know what I’d been through.

 She didn’t know what I was doing. She didn’t know I was making everything up.

In other words, she actually believed it all. And here I was thinking I was bad at lying.

“If someone does something bad to protect something… what would that be?”  I asked the simple-yet-complicated question. Surely that would make her leave.

“That… is impossible. No evil can bring protection.”

My head hurt from talking to her. She seemed incredibly naive, and here I had been so worried.

“If you keep thinking like that… it will devour you. And I’ll be the first one to take advantage of it.”

“That’s a threat.”

“Uh…” Damn it, I said it out loud. I thought I had only thought it. “Consider it however you want.”

After that, I escaped. I couldn’t keep going with that conversation. I felt like a complete idiot.

I went back inside the castle. The party was still going on—it was almost midnight already.

Though at this point, it might not even feel like my party anymore.

I sat down, crossed my arms, and looked around at everyone. Four months until the game begins. I needed to focus if I didn’t want to lose this tiny bit of happiness I had managed to gain.

I was thinking about hiding behind a curtain to disappear again,
when a servant came running over.

“Miss Schutter, your father is looking for you. They’re about to do the midnight toast.”

The midnight toast. That meant the party was finally about to end.

“Tell him I’m coming.”

I stood up, brushed off my dress a little—even though it was already quite clean.
I walked toward the center of the hall, head held high and a brilliant smile on my face—though the smile was completely fake.

Everyone quieted down a bit as I passed. They stared at me—probably judging me too—but I didn’t care right then. I had far more important things to worry about.

My father was already on the small stage. I climbed up and stood beside him. He began to speak.

“Today is an important day for my family, and for our kingdom as well. I still remember the day Sadine was born—her blue eyes reflected everything like two shining crystals.”

My father’s voice was calm and kind, but I felt strange. I had taken over Sadine’s body—even if it wasn’t on purpose, I felt a pang of guilt.

He continued.

“From a young age… she was a bit troublesome. But she has grown so much, both in body and in mind. She will lead our territory to glory, and I am certain she will mark a before and after in our great history.”

Despite those beautiful words, I wasn’t really paying attention. My gaze drifted on its own toward Alie.

She was nearby too, listening to what my father was saying.

When he finished speaking, she clapped politely.

Our eyes met for a second.

I felt a shiver run through me—a huge wave of fear.

I took a deep breath. I had to focus. I couldn’t let myself get distracted right now.

When my father finished, he gave me a signal to step to the center of the stage.
I felt somewhat nervous. I didn’t really know what to do or say. The moment I stood there, everyone fell completely silent.

I had to say something. I took another breath and prepared to say whatever I hoped would keep me out of trouble.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I am Sadine Schutter—though obviously you already know that, so I’ll skip the formal introduction,” I said, wanting to finish quickly. “As my father said, I will mark a before and after in the history of our glorious kingdom. And I know I will do it, because I will fight every single day to make this kingdom a better place.”

I heard a few scattered claps. I wasn’t sure if they were for my speech or just out of politeness.

The applause slowly died down, and I felt every single pair of eyes still fixed on me.
I wanted to disappear. Why did I say that line about marking a before and after? I don’t even know how to survive, let alone change history.

I decided right then that I had to stop improvising and start preparing everything in advance—just in case.
My father gave me a proud pat on the shoulder, smiling.

“Well said, daughter.”

A couple of older nobles approached, wearing smiles that were probably fake, glasses in hand.

“Miss Schutter, what an inspiring speech. What concrete plans do you have to improve the kingdom?”

I froze for a second. Concrete plans…
Me? I didn’t even know how half the laws here worked.

Oh wait—yes I do. I spent all that time reading about this kingdom and its entire history.

Now that I think about it, I may not know much about the game anymore, but I know a lot about the actual reality of this world.

I took a deep breath and opened my mouth.

“Uh, well… first I would negotiate with the tribes. Even though they’re legally part of our kingdom, they aren’t really bound by anything. And the peasants are terrified because of the corruption. If it continues like this, we’ll all end up dead…”

I surprised myself with how smoothly it came out. In my previous life, I probably should have become a lawyer or a politician—maybe then I wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.

One of the two nobles raised an eyebrow.

“How interesting…”

As they walked away, I spotted Alie again in the distance. She was chatting with a group; everyone was laughing with her.

My stomach twisted. Why does she fit in so perfectly while I look like an impostor?
Well… I technically am one. This isn’t my body, after all. But still…

I tried to slip away toward the dessert table, but a girl about my age intercepted me.

“Sadine! It’s so nice to see you so determined! Will you come to my tea next week? It would be wonderful to have you there.”

An invitation like that—we don’t even know each other. Why was she being so friendly?

“I… I’ll check my schedule,” I said, because it was the most neutral thing I could think of.

“Yes, of course. You must be a very busy young lady.”

I smiled politely and walked away from her. I wasn’t a fan of being the center of attention.

I found a quiet corner near the dessert tables where fewer people were gathered.

I leaned against the wall, pretending to look at the sweets, and stayed like that for a few minutes, watching as no one approached me.

My heart was still pounding hard. Why is everyone so… friendly? Or fake. Or both.
In my previous life, no one ever invited me to anything. No one even came near me.

Here, it feels like everyone wants something from the “great noble Schutter.” And I don’t even know what I’m supposed to give them.

I suppose that’s how real nobility must have felt throughout history.

I looked around. The party was thinning out; some people were already leaving, saying their goodbyes. The music had become softer.

Past midnight. I had survived the speech, Alie, that weird invitation… Did that count as a victory?

I decided yes—I had won the first battle.
Then I saw her again. Alie, on the other side of the hall, dancing with a boy I didn’t recognize—he never appeared in the game.

She was laughing, spinning in her dress as if nothing weighed on her, while everything felt heavy to me.

Everyone watched her with that “how charming” expression.

No one questioned her. No one asked her for concrete plans or put her on the spot. Probably just because she was beautiful, or maybe because no one expected anything from her.

Me, on the other hand, I felt like an impostor in a borrowed body.
Four months.

In four months the game begins, and she’ll crush me without even trying. And what about me? Keep improvising until I’m publicly condemned?

I have to change. I have to get better.
My father passed nearby, chatting with someone important.

He saw me and raised his glass in a quick salute. I gave a stiff smile and nodded.
A servant approached with a tray.

“Something more for the young miss? A little sweetened wine?”

“No… thank you. I’m fine,” I said too quickly. He left without insisting.

The orchestra played one last slow piece. A few soft claps. People started looking for coats and carriages. Finally.

I decided I’d had enough. I walked toward the side exit, dodging smiles and greetings I barely returned. No one stopped me. No one followed.

When I reached the cool hallway, far from the lights and noise, I let out the breath I’d been holding for hours.

I survived this night. But how many more can I fake before everything collapses?
Tomorrow… tomorrow I think of a real plan. Or at least how to avoid Alie forever.

Because if I keep going like this, the bad end is going to arrive way sooner than the script says.

“You look worried,” Ahriel’s voice said.

 “Let me guess—you don’t like being the center of attention.”

“Do you read minds?” I asked, half joking.
“No need to. You’re a child; of course you think like one.”

“I already told you I’m not a child,” I whispered, quieter than usual.

“I know, I know,” Ahriel said, smiling. “Come on, we should go. The carriage is waiting.”

We left the hall together, weaving through the few people still chatting and drinking.

The air outside was fresh, and the carriage was already waiting at the entrance, horses standing still, coachman ready.

Ahriel climbed in first, settled into her seat, and extended her hand to help me up. I took it and sat across from her.

The coachman urged the horses forward, and the carriage began moving with a gentle rattle.

The silence lasted only a few seconds.

“You don’t have to stay so quiet,” Ahriel said, looking at me with that half-smile. “No one’s watching us in here.”

“I’m not stiff,” I replied, even though I was.  “I just… want to get home already.”She tilted her head.

“Did the party tire you out that much? Or is it something else?”

“Both,” I admitted softly. “All that noise, the stares… and on top of that, pretending everything’s fine.”

Ahriel let out a short sigh.

“You’re young for that kind of weight, Sadine. But it won’t last forever.” She paused. “Rest now. Tomorrow will be another day.”

I didn’t say anything else. I stared out the window at the dark streets passing by until the carriage finally stopped in front of the house.

There was another carriage already there; Ehal and my father stepped down from it. I hadn’t even noticed that this time Ehal hadn’t ridden with us.

Ahriel got out first and waited below.
This time I climbed down on my own, though she still offered her hand just in case.

We both went inside.

I headed up the stairs, feeling a little anxious. Time was running out, and I had to do something.

I spotted Ehal already climbing the stairs, probably to lock himself away and avoid spending time with his fiancée.

“Ehal, wait for me.”

I grabbed the back of his shirt to make him stop for a second.

“What’s wrong? You look worried. Did someone harass you at the party?”

I leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

“No, it’s not that. It’s just… it’s been a while since I practiced magic. Not at all. And I was wondering if we could go back to training tomorrow… with me.”

Ehal looked at me seriously for a moment.

“Come to think of it, we haven’t done it since Ahriel arrived.” He smiled and continued up the stairs.

“So… tomorrow you could help me? Just for a little while, in the back courtyard.”

He nodded without hesitation, wearing that calm smile.

“Of course, cousin. After breakfast. That way I can get away from Ahriel for a few minutes too."

“Thank you,” I said. “But you shouldn’t say that about your fiancée.”

“She’s just… really overwhelming.”

“Whatever. Good night, Ehal.”

“Yeah. Good night, Sadine.”

We went our separate ways. I entered my room and threw myself onto the bed.

“Alie… the heroine and my future killer…” I whispered. “I won’t let it happen like in the game.”