I woke up to the sharp scent of rose perfume and the suffocating weight of curls pinned to my scalp.
Where was I?
Velvet curtains, a crystal chandelier, and a floor-length mirror reflecting a girl with cold eyes and dark hair.
Me.
Wait, isn't this… Elvira von Lathoria? The villainess who gets executed after bullying the heroine?
Before I could panic, something blinked in the corner of my vision.
[Skill Unlocked: "Stream Live" (Tap to Activate)]
Huh?
I hesitated, but curiosity won. I tapped it.
Suddenly, a translucent window appeared:
[ LIVE: 1 Viewer]
[User YandereDragonQueen donated 100 Mana: "OMG SHE'S SO PRETTY!"]
I blinked. Mana? Donations? I tried to move, and the window followed me like a holographic screen.
The door burst open. A maid with terrified eyes stammered, "M-Milady, it's time for your morning walk with Lady Serena…"
Lady Serena. The heroine. The one I'm supposed to bully today.
[User CatEarsSupreme donated 50 Mana: "Will she really bully the heroine? 😳"]
I stared at the chat window, then back at the maid.
"Tell Lady Serena I'll meet her in the garden," I said, smoothing my black dress.
The maid ran off, leaving me alone.
LIVE: 3 Viewers
[User HolyKnightFan: "She's going to bully her, isn't she?"]
[User DemonKingLovesDrama: "PAYBACK TIME!"]
[User YandereDragonQueen: "Please be nice to the heroine 🥺"]
I took a deep breath, adjusted my curls, and walked toward the garden.
If this was a game, I was supposed to trigger the bullying event here.
But as I stepped outside, the sunlight glinting off the fountain, another notification appeared:
[User YandereDragonQueen donated 200 Mana: "Be kind, Elvira!"]
My eyes widened as warmth filled my body. My mana bar, previously at zero, ticked upward.
So… I get mana when they donate?
Serena, the heroine, stood by the roses, clutching a book, her soft pink hair trembling as she looked up at me.
"Elvira…" she whispered.
I opened my mouth.
[User DemonKingLovesDrama: "SLAP HER! SLAP HER!"]
[User HolyKnightFan: "Don't do it, Elvira!"]
[User YandereDragonQueen: "You can change your fate, Elvira!"]
I sighed, ignoring the plot, ignoring the fate of this world.
"Hello, Serena," Isaid with a gentle smile. "Would you like to walk with me?"
Serena blinked, stunned.
The chat exploded.
[User YandereDragonQueen: "SHE DID IT! SHE DIDN'T BULLY HER!"]
[User HolyKnightFan: "IS THIS AN ALT ROUTE?"]
[User DemonKingLovesDrama: "Refunding my mana."]
[User CatEarsSupreme: "Best stream ever 😭"]
And as Serena timidly nodded and took my arm, another notification appeared:
[Quest Update: "Change Fate – 1/100"]
[Reward: 500 Mana, Stream Popularity +10]
Serena's small hand clutched my arm as we walked under the marble archway into the rose garden, the air thick with the scent of blossoms.
She kept glancing up at me, confusion in her soft pink eyes, as if waiting for me to snap and call her worthless or slap the book from her hands.
[User HolyKnightFan: "Look at her, she's so scared 😭"]
[User DemonKingLovesDrama: "This is boring. Bully her already!"]
[User YandereDragonQueen: "Ignore them, Elvira! Be kind 💖"]
I tried to ignore the chat window floating beside Serena's head, but it was hard when it kept updating with blinking mana donations every time I smiled or nodded politely.
"So… um, Elvira," Serena whispered, clutching her book tighter, "did you want to talk to me about something…?"
Right. In the original story, this was where I accused her of seducing the prince, called her a lowborn harlot, and tore her ribbon off, earning the prince's hatred and cementing my villainess route.
Instead, I cleared my throat.
"Is that a poetry book?" I asked.
Serena blinked, wide-eyed, then nodded quickly. "Y-yes… I like reading here."
[User CatEarsSupreme: "MC trying so hard not to mess up 🤣"]
[User YandereDragonQueen donated 300 Mana: "You're doing amazing, sweetie!"]
The warmth of the mana donations made my fingertips tingle.
"Read me a poem, then," I said, sitting gracefully on the marble bench.
She hesitated, flipping the book open, then began to read softly, her voice trembling at first, then growing steady as she saw I wasn't about to slap her into the fountain.
[User HolyKnightFan: "Her voice is so cute 🥺"]
[User DemonKingLovesDrama: "Boring boring boring… wait, it's kinda cute."]
As Serena read, a notification popped up:
[New Stream Milestone Reached: "First Peaceful Encounter with Heroine"]
[Reward: "Charm +1," Mana +200, Popularity +5]
The edges of my mouth curved up. Serena looked up, startled, then blushed as she finished the final lines of the poem.
"T-thank you for listening, Elvira," she said, lowering the book.
"Of course. I would like to hear more next time," I replied, standing and offering my hand to help her up.
[User YandereDragonQueen: "She's so soft💖"]
[User CatEarsSupreme: "I ship them."]
[User DemonKingLovesDrama: "Why is this actually wholesome…"]
Serena's eyes shimmered as she accepted my hand, and for a moment, the soft summer breeze made the roses sway around us like a blessing.
Another notification blinked:
[Quest Progress: "Change Fate – 2/100"]
[Reward: 500 Mana, Skill Unlock Eligible]
Skill unlock?
A small box appeared:
[Available Skill Unlock: "Beginner Dark Bolt" or "Charm Aura LV1." Choose one.]
I hesitated, then tapped "Charm Aura LV1."
A warm glow enveloped me, and I felt the tension in Serena's shoulders ease even further.
"Elvira," Serena whispered, "you're… different today."
"I've decided to change," I said honestly, earning another flood of mana donations that filled my bar to half.
As I walked Serena back to the main building, the viewers in the chat were going wild.
[User YandereDragonQueen: "Character development😌 "]
[User HolyKnightFan: "This is the best stream I've ever seen."]
[User DemonKingLovesDrama: "Fine, I'll stay for the next stream."]
And as the stream timer in the corner of my vision hit "00:59:59," a notification popped up:
[Stream Complete! First Stream Summary:
Viewers: 18 | Peak Donations: 2,350 Mana | Popularity +20 | New Followers: 7]
I exhaled, my lips twitching into a grin.
If the world wants to watch me live as a villainess, they better keep paying, because I had no intention of following the plot anymore.
Not when I could stream my survival—and maybe even thrive.