Blood tastes like metal.
That was my first thought as I lay on the cold marble floor with a knife stabbed to my bleeding chest.
Elias stands a few feet away, breathing hard, his hand slick with my blood. Beside him, Clara clings to his arm, her eyes wide and wet with fake tears. She's trembling, but not from guilt. Fear, maybe. Or excitement. I can't tell anymore.
My breath comes unevenly. My heartbeat feels faint, slipping further with every second. I know I'm dying. The strange part is, I don't feel much.
Elias stands a few feet away, his hand still trembling. There's blood on his sleeve—my blood—and beside him, Clara clings to his arm like a frightened child. Her tears look perfect, even now. I wonder if she practiced that expression in the mirror.
"Why?" I ask, but there's no weight in my voice. It's not really a question. I already know the answer.
I knew long before this night.
The stolen glances, the hushed whispers, the way Elias avoided my eyes when she entered the room—none of it was subtle. I saw it all. I just… didn't care enough to stop it. I was tired. Tired of pretending to be hurt, tired of pretending to care about love I no longer felt.
So I let them have each other.
If that made them happy, then so be it.
But I didn't expect them to go this far.
I cough weakly, and the sound echoes through the empty hall. "You didn't need to kill me," I murmur. "I would've stepped aside."
"It's not like you ever loved me." *cough cough*
Elias flinches, his face pale. Clara hides her face against his shoulder. Neither speaks. I think they're afraid I might curse them with my last breath. If only I cared enough to try.
It's strange — death, it's painful but not as much as I'd expected
I close my eyes and breathe out slowly, the marble floor is cold but feels good.
When I was younger, and too sick to go outside, I used to spend my days reading. Novels about villainesses—those bold, dangerous women who never cried for love or forgiveness. People feared them, hated them, but they lived freely. They owned their pain and turned it into something sharp, something beautiful.
I used to think they were tragic. Now, I think they were the only ones who were ever truly alive.
If I could start over, I wouldn't be kind. I wouldn't be soft. I'd live like them—untouchable, unafraid. Someone who never begs to be loved.
I want to be a villainess.
The pain fades slowly, replaced by a strange warmth. It's almost peaceful—until a voice cuts through the silence.
[Ding! System initializing...]
I open my eyes. The marble floor is gone. So are Elias and Clara. I'm floating in darkness—soft, endless, and warm, like the inside of a dream.
[Welcome, Host! Congratulations on dying!]
"...What?"
[Oh! Sorry, that came out wrong! Congratulations on successfully transitioning!]
[Your death has been confirmed: Cause—betrayal, blood loss, and very bad taste in men.]
I blink, or I think I do. My mind feels too light to tell.
"Am I hallucinating?" Cause it feels like I'm, I'm dead but hearing voices.
[Nope! You're officially between lives. And lucky you—you've been selected for the Villainess Rebirth System!]
"A... what?"
[A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Well, twice in your case. You wished to be reborn as a villainess, and guess what? Wish granted!]
I stare into the nothingness. If I still had a face, I'd probably be frowning.I stare into the nothingness. If I still had a face, I'd probably be frowning.
"So you're telling me I'm dead, but you're giving me a new life just because I made a dying wish?"
[Exactly! Isn't customer service amazing in the afterlife?]
I almost laugh. Almost. "You're a very strange hallucination."
[I get that a lot! Now, preparing your new vessel... scanning preferences... applying desired villainess traits...]
"What traits?"
[Power, beauty, charm, a resting face that terrifies men—oh, and a wardrobe to die for. Pun intended.]
Despite myself, I huff out a small, breathless laugh.
"Fine then," I say softly. "Let's see what kind of villain I can be."
Even though I don't believe a word I've just heard, I can't stop the excitement bubbling in me.
[That's the spirit! Rebirth commencing in 3... 2... 1...]