The Villianess from the Underworld

"...Ugh..." A sharp pain stabbed through my head. Darkness. Cold. Then light. My eyelids fluttered open. The first thing I noticed was the ceiling above me. White marble decorated with golden patterns. A crystal chandelier hung overhead, sparkling like a thousand stars. "W-Where am I...?" I sat up abruptly. The soft mattress beneath me sank under my weight. This wasn't my apartment. This wasn't the hospital. This wasn't anywhere I had ever seen before. My heartbeat quickened. Then I noticed my hands. Tiny. Small. Delicate. The hands of a child. "W-What?!" I scrambled out of bed and nearly tripped over my own feet. "No... no... no..." A large mirror stood in the corner of the room. I ran toward it. The moment my reflection came into view, my entire world froze. Silver hair. Ruby-red eyes. A beautiful little girl no older than seven years old. My lips trembled. "Who... is that?" The girl in the mirror copied my movements perfectly. It was me. Or rather... It was the body I now possessed. My mind spun. How could this be? I remembered everything. The hospital. The medicine. The game store. Mother. That terrifying smile. The cold blade. The unbearable pain. I slowly touched my neck. No wound. No blood. Nothing. "I died..." The realization sent chills down my spine. I died. Then why was I alive? Suddenly the doors opened. Several maids entered the room. Each one lowered her head respectfully. "Good morning, my lady." My lady? I blinked. "My lady, it is time to prepare for breakfast." The maids approached me. But I couldn't hear anything else. My mind had already connected the pieces. Silver hair. Red eyes. Noble mansion. "My lady..." A familiar title. One I had seen countless times before. My eyes widened. "No way..." The memories flooded into my head. A game. An otome game. The game I bought before I died. The game whose cover was still burned into my memory. "The Villainess From The Underworld." My face turned pale. "WAIT!" The maids jumped in surprise. I stared at my reflection again. Silver hair. Red eyes. Noble family. A cruel future. My heart nearly stopped. "Don't tell me..." My hands began shaking. "I've been reincarnated as..." The final boss. The villainess. The most hated character in the entire game. Karol Villshel Mendozaya. The girl who died in every single route. Whether she was executed. Poisoned. Banished. Or betrayed. Karol always met a horrible end. My knees nearly gave out. "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" The maids exchanged confused looks. Meanwhile, I wanted to cry. Out of all the characters in the game... Why did I become the one destined to die? And more importantly... Why did I feel as though someone was watching me from the darkness? As if my reincarnation wasn't an accident at all... The maids carefully dressed me in layers of luxurious clothing. Silk. Lace. Jewels. Everything felt foreign. In my previous life, I had never worn anything this expensive. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. Silver hair. Crimson eyes. A beautiful face that looked like it belonged to a princess. Yet all I could think about was another girl. A girl named Hana Hiroshi. Me. "...How did I end up here?" The maids continued their work while I sank into my memories. Perhaps before I figure out how to survive as Karol Villshel Mendozaya... I should remember who I used to be. --- My name was Hana Hiroshi. A seventeen-year-old high school student. I wasn't special. I didn't have amazing grades. I wasn't rich. I wasn't popular. But I had dreams. I dreamed of becoming a geologist one day. I loved studying ancient fossils, rocks, and the mysteries hidden beneath the earth. Whenever life became difficult, I would lose myself in books about prehistoric creatures and forgotten civilizations. Animals fascinated me too. Whether they were wolves, snakes, spiders, or sharks, I loved them all equally. Unfortunately... Reality wasn't nearly as kind as my dreams. My father worked overseas and rarely visited home. At first, people believed he was simply busy. Then the rumors began. "They say he ran away with his assistant." "He abandoned his family." "He doesn't care about them anymore." Every year his visits became fewer. Every year the rumors grew louder. Eventually... Even I stopped believing he would come back. As for my mother... Her condition was even worse. She suffered from a severe heart disease. Hospital visits became a normal part of our lives. Medicine bills piled up. And with no one else to rely on... I started working. One job. Then two. School during the day. Part-time work in the evening. Another shift at night. Every day felt like an endless cycle. But I didn't care. As long as Mother got better... I could endure anything. Or so I thought. --- "Hana." The doctor's voice broke through my memories. I remembered that day clearly. The smell of disinfectant. The white walls. The heavy silence. The doctor lowered his glasses. "Miss Hana... your mother's condition isn't improving." My heart sank. "There must be something else we can do." The doctor sighed. "We'll continue treatment, but I advise you to prepare yourself for any possibility." "No..." My voice shook. "No, please." Tears blurred my vision. I grabbed his hands desperately. "I'll get the medicine." "I'll work more hours." "I'll do anything." "So please..." "Please save my mother." The doctor looked away. And in that moment...I already knew the answer. --- After leaving the hospital, I purchased Mother's medicine. The small paper bag felt heavier than a mountain. I hadn't eaten all day. My legs ached. My body screamed for rest. Maybe...Just for today... I wanted a small distraction. Something to help me forget reality. That's why I entered a nearby game store. Rows upon rows of colorful game cases filled the shelves. For the first time that day... I smiled. But my happiness didn't last long. "My, that poor Hana." I froze. Two women stood nearby. "She's suffering because of her parents." "Such a sweet girl." "I wonder how those horrible people could have raised her." Every word stabbed my heart. They were pitying me. Again. I hated it. I hated those looks. Those whispers. Those sympathetic smiles. I didn't want anyone's pity. I just wanted a normal life. Lost in thought, I accidentally bumped into someone. "Oh!" I stepped back immediately. "I-I'm sorry!" The young woman smiled politely. "It's alright." Then she walked away. At the time... I never realized how strange that encounter would become. Suddenly one of the gossiping women turned in my direction. "Hana?" Panic surged through me. "Oh no..." If they recognized me, they would keep talking. They would pity me again. Without thinking, I grabbed the nearest game and hurried away. Only after reaching my apartment did I finally stop running. Panting heavily, I leaned against the door. "That was close..." Looking down at the game case in my hands, I finally read the title. The Villainess From The Underworld. A strange name. But somehow...It caught my attention. Little did I know that game would change my fate forever. And lead me straight to my death. The apartment was silent. Too silent. After years of living there, I had grown used to the emptiness. No father waiting at home. No family dinners. No laughter. Only the ticking of a clock and the occasional sound of my mother's coughing from her room. I locked the front door and dropped my bag onto the floor. Finally. Home. Looking at the game case in my hands, I tilted my head. "The Villainess From The Underworld..." The cover showed a beautiful silver-haired girl standing beneath a blood-red moon. Her crimson eyes stared directly at me. Almost as if she were alive. "Interesting." I kicked off my shoes and headed to my room. After grabbing some snacks and a drink, I inserted the game disc into my console. The screen lit up. A dramatic melody filled the room. The title appeared. THE VILLAINESS FROM THE UNDERWORLD "Let's see what all the fuss is about." Hours passed before I realized it. The game was surprisingly good. The heroine was kind. The male leads were handsome. The world-building was impressive. But the character who caught my attention wasn't the heroine. It was the villainess. Karol Villshel Mendozaya. The daughter of one of the most powerful noble families in the kingdom. Beautiful. Intelligent. Proud. Feared by everyone. Yet no matter which route I played... Karol always died. Execution. Poisoning. Assassination. Public humiliation. There wasn't a single happy ending for her. Even when she did nothing wrong. Even when she tried to help. Fate always crushed her. I sighed and leaned back against my bed. "That's unfair." The screen showed Karol standing alone in a grand ballroom while everyone around her celebrated. Nobody stood beside her. Nobody smiled at her. Nobody loved her. For some reason... I saw myself in her. A lonely girl desperately searching for a place where she belonged. "I wish I were her." The words escaped before I could stop them. At least Karol was beautiful. At least she had wealth. At least people noticed her. Unlike me. I laughed bitterly. "Maybe if I were Karol, I could find a better ending." Maybe then... I wouldn't have to work myself to exhaustion. Maybe then... Mother could be healthy. Maybe then... I could finally be happy. Suddenly— Knock. Knock. Knock. The sound startled me. "Huh?" I glanced toward the door. Mother? What was she doing awake? It was already late. Confused, I stood up and opened the door. The moment I did... My blood ran cold. Mother stood in the hallway. Her pale face was hidden beneath shadows. Her hair was messy. Her eyes looked strange. Almost empty. "Mom?" Something felt wrong. Very wrong. "Are you alright?" She slowly raised her head. Then she smiled. A smile I had never seen before. A smile that terrified me. "Hana." My heart tightened. "Y-Yes?" She took a step forward. "You know..." Her voice trembled. "...everything is your fault." I froze. "What?" Mother's expression twisted. "If you had never been born..." "You ruined everything." The world seemed to stop. No. No. This wasn't real. "Mom... what are you saying?" She laughed. A broken, hollow laugh. "Your father left because of you." "No..." "Our family was destroyed because of you." "No..." "You should have been the one who died." My legs gave out. I couldn't breathe. Every word felt like a knife piercing my heart. The woman I had sacrificed everything for... The woman I worked day and night to save... Was looking at me with hatred. Then I noticed something in her hand. A scalpel. My eyes widened. "Mom..." For a brief moment, I saw hesitation in her eyes. Then it vanished. Everything happened too fast. A flash of silver. A burning pain. Warm liquid running down my neck. I collapsed onto the floor. My hands instinctively reached for the wound. Blood. So much blood. "W-Why...?" Tears streamed down my face. Why? I worked so hard. I never complained. I gave everything I had. So why? Why was this happening? Mother stood silently above me. Her face unreadable. My vision blurred. Darkness slowly crept into the edges of my sight. I could hear my heartbeat fading. Thump. Thump. Thump. Slower. Slower. Slower. I didn't want to die. I wasn't ready. I still had dreams. I still wanted to become a geologist. I still wanted to travel. I still wanted to live. "Please..." My voice was barely a whisper. "Someone..." "Help me..." But nobody came. The last thing I saw before darkness consumed me completely... Was the game screen still glowing in my room. The image of Karol Villshel Mendozaya staring back at me. And then... Everything went black. To Be Continued...