[Kill the Main Heroine. Rewards: ???]

  Excuse me? KILL the main heroine? Are you out of your mind, you useless talky thing? I haven't even finished processing my last traumatic kiss-and-run mission, and now you're throwing murder into the mix? What kind of dark fantasy plot is this?!

  Kill the heroine. Right. That's just fantastic. No big deal. Totally normal quest for someone who hasn't even squashed a bug in her past life!

  But wait… If the Princess is gone… wouldn't that mean the story won't progress? That the prince might—no! No, no, no! Stop it, brain! Bad thoughts. I am not a killer!

  Suddenly, a knock on the door.

  "Hi there, Isolde. Pardon my intrusion, but may we talk?"

  Her voice was sweet as honey, but I knew better. My instincts screamed danger, and that unnervingly bright smile wasn't helping. This was the main heroine herself—the perfect, charming, beloved princess. The yandere who hides a blade behind her kind fa?ade.

  Still, I nodded, forcing my legs not to shake. "Uh, sure. Come in?"

  The moment she stepped in, everything froze.

  "Take this, bitch!"

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  WHAT.

  Before I could even process her words, she unsheathed her sword and swung it straight at me! WHAA—?!

  My body reacted faster than my brain, unleashing a dark shockwave that sent her flying back across the room.

  I blinked at my trembling hands. "Did… did I do that?"

  Oh right. This must be one of the villainess powers! I'd totally forgotten about those. I designed Isolde to be ridiculously overpowered in the book—shadow manipulation, the ability to summon monsters, yada yada. All of it because villains need cool abilities to make the heroine look even cooler when she defeats them.

  But hey! Turns out being OP is super useful when people try to murder you.

  I raised my hand instinctively, and shadows began to ripple at my feet. The princess charged again, but I flicked my fingers, and a thick web of darkness surged toward her.

  "Wha—What is this?!" she screamed as the shadows enveloped her, dragging her downward.

  "Shadow realm," I muttered under my breath, my heart racing.

  The shadow realm—limitless, nightmarish, crawling with monsters that make grown men cry. It's basically hell, but cooler. If someone gets sent there… well, let's just say they don't come back for tea.

  Oops.

  The shadows swallowed her completely, leaving the room silent once more.

  "Uhh, sorry, Princess? Hehe, silly me!" I forced a laugh, staring at the spot where she had vanished.

  [You have killed the Main Heroine.]

  [Receiving reward...]

  Oh no. Oh no no no. This isn't happening.

  "Wait! I didn't mean to! It was self-defense! This is all your fault, useless talky!"

  [You are now the Main Heroine! Fantastic, right? From Villainess to Heroine!]

  "EHHHH?!" My scream could probably be heard across the entire castle.

  "Main heroine? I don't want to be the heroine! Do you know what happens to heroines? They go through hell! They face assassins, betrayals, wars—and the prince!"

  I froze, clutching my head.

  The prince.

  Lucian.

  I'm doomed.

  I'm so doomed. If the prince finds out I just shadow-realm'd his beloved fiancée, he'll kill me. Or worse, he'll marry me out of duty and make my life miserable!

  "Take it back! I don't want this reward! Turn me back into the villainess right now!"

  [No take-backs, darling. Enjoy your promotion! Hehe.]

  Oh, this is bad. This is really, really bad. I flopped onto my bed, pulling a pillow over my head.

  Being the villainess was one thing. At least I knew how that story ended. But now, as the heroine? This is uncharted territory.

  And uncharted territory in this world is a death sentence.