Oh! Hello there! My name is Evelyn Carter, and I'm currently in my run-down apartment today. While I sip on this coffee, let me introduce myself! I'm a book writer, you see. There's this book I've been working on recently in my free time—The Prince's Eternal Vow. It's a really good book, if I do say so myself. It's about the villainess in a fantasy world, and trust me, it's full of drama, romance, and a whole lot of trouble.
"Evelyn!!!"
I barely had time to flinch before I heard the familiar sound of my nearly broken-down door being rattled open. Ah, the debt collector again. What else is new? I sighed.
When would these people ever give me a break?
I opened the door, expecting the usual grumpy old man to start yelling about the overdue bills, but instead, he stabbed me with a kitchen knife. EHH?!
W-Wait, hold on… Am I… about to die?
No, no, no, no. I hated painful deaths. I've seen enough TV dramas to know that this was the moment when my life would be over. As the cold metal of the knife made contact, my thoughts immediately shifted.
"You suck, author!"
"Your book sucks!"
The barrage of hate filled my mind, a flood of comments and reviews. I get all the hate, but I really tried my best. I swear! My hands gripped the knife wound, trying to process everything, but…
Splat.
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Everything went black.
***
When I opened my eyes again, the first thing I noticed was the bed.
Woah... this bed is really nice. The sheets were smooth and soft, like something out of a fantasy novel. Definitely not the raggedy couch I'd been using to sleep in my old life.
[WAKE UP! Open your eyes!]
A voice echoed in my head, and I winced.
Huh? Why is the ceiling kind of different? It had that royal theme—like something straight out of a palace. And what was that voice?
[I'm here!! You have been reincarnated as Isolde Valtara!]
No… this is just way too unreal. I sat up, looking around the room. The air felt rich. The bed was gigantic, and everything had this extravagant, old-world charm. This didn't look like the hospital room I expected.
I went to the window, staring at my reflection in the glass. I touched my face gently. It wasn't me.
It was the villainess.
I caressed my face, admiring the perfect skin, the high cheekbones, and the sharp, elegant features. I looked good—but that wasn't the point.
Isolde Valtara. The name rang in my head. She's the villainess from The Prince's Eternal Vow. I'd written this book, remember? She was the character everyone loved to hate. And she had a really bad end.
Wait.
What do you mean reincarnated?
[You have been reincarnated as Isolde Valtara! Congratulations!]
I froze, my thoughts scattering. No, no, no. This can't be real. This isn't happening.
But when I took a deep breath and glanced around again, everything was real. This wasn't a dream. This was my new life.
I felt a chill run down my spine. The events of the novel started to flood back—Isolde's cruel fate. She was going to die at the hands of Crown Prince Lucian Eltharion.
I couldn't believe it. Lucian? Wasn't he the one who hated her—who was going to be the one to kill her? I shuddered.
[His name is Crown Prince Lucian Eltharion!]
Right. Lucian. The brooding prince who was supposed to be my downfall.
Wait. What do you mean "congratulations?"
I barely had time to process it before a new voice interrupted me.
[You must avoid dying at the hands of the Prince! First task: Steal the Prince's first kiss.]
I felt my entire body freeze, and then…
Blood came splurging out of my nose.
Wha—?
Kiss? I have to steal his kiss? I didn't even have time to process what was happening before my face turned red. How in the world do I steal a kiss from the guy who's supposed to kill me?
[Penalty for not completing the task: Death.]
My nose started bleeding even more. Oh no, no, no. I'm going to die again.
[Um, it doesn't work like that...]
I groaned. I was going to die—again. I was already a goner before I could even figure out what the heck was going on.