A few minutes later, Viviana unplugged her charger and finished the last bite of her cereal. She placed the bowl down beside her on the sofa and picked up her phone again.
"Do I really have to wait ten whole days to reset this mode?" she muttered, raising an eyebrow as she looked at the countdown. "Should I cheat it? I mean… I was so close. I only failed because I didn't hit 100% affection with all the male leads before the villainess's coming-of-age ceremony."
She sighed and exited the mode. "I could just go into my phone settings and change the date to ten days later."
Opening her settings app, she scrolled for a moment, then stopped.
"Eh, never mind. Maybe I'll try the impossible mode instead. The Very Hard Mode," she said with a smirk. "Didn't the news say this one got hacked?"
She opened the app again and glanced at the screen. "Elyza Archiz's POV, huh? First play is free. Reset costs a thousand bucks. Not that expensive for me." She shrugged.
Viviana caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, hair messy, eyes tired, dark circles obvious.
"Wow. I really must've lost it. Talking to myself like this." She laughed softly, then turned her eyes back to the phone, grinning. "Let's see just how hard you are. Money's not an issue, you know."
And with that, she tapped Very Hard Mode.
𖤓WELCOME TO VERY HARD MODE!𖤓
This mode will be played from ELYZA'S POINT OF VIEW.
That means you must live as Elyza.
WARNING:
Do not make the wrong choices.
Do not say anything that could compromise your mission.
One wrong move may lock you out of an affection route — or worse.
Tip:
Use a mobile phone or VR console to interact.
Unlike Very Easy Mode, Easy Mode and Normal Mode, you must type or speak your lines directly.
Your choices and actions now matter more than ever.
If you fail...
You must pay $1,000 to restart.
No checkpoints. No saves.
However, if you manage to clear Very Hard Mode,
you will win $10,000,000.
AFFECTION SCORE REQUIREMENT: 100%
FAILURE PENALTY: DEATH.
Good luck, Player.
Welcome to your worst nightmare.
[[LOADING...]]
𖤓[I got caught by Devin after almost killing and stabbing Aurelia myself.]
"Wow, first sentence in the game... this is legit. Let me check their affection scores first. It said the affection scores were hacked."
Viviana tapped the upper menu and opened the affection score tab.
𖤓Caelus Clivus: -82%
𖤓Devin Eldonne: -85%
𖤓Reuben Alden: -80%
𖤓Leonard Laurier: -81%
𖤓Jamin Whitlock: -87%
𖤓William Berlowe: -88%
𖤓Zeuz Venozoir: -86%
Viviana's jaw dropped when she saw all the male leads' affection scores. They were beyond impossible to recover.
"So this is what they meant... impossible. They already hate the villainess more than I thought. How... how?! Can I even raise these to 100% affection? So negative 100% means death, right? Which motherf***er hacked this mode?! I'll kill them myself."
𖤓[The entire guard of the Holy House of Agnesus gathered in one place and stepped forward to handcuff me.]
𖤓[Caelus Clivus: By the law of the Empire, Elyza Archiz, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of the Saintess.]
𖤓[Announced the Crown Prince of the Empire. But what can I say? Why did my men all follow a commoner from the streets? Why is she the Saintess? Why is she so fair?]
"So this is what Elyza was thinking in the novel... The novel never even mentioned this part." Viviana raised her eyebrows.
𖤓[Every single time, ever since that witch Aurelia came into our lives, my entire world fell apart. My plan to become the greatest woman on the continent failed because of her. Why did she steal my place? How dare she?
I was supposed to be the only one in the spotlight. I'm the most beautiful one here. Just look at her, she's pathetic. She doesn't belong in this world. I was supposed to be the debutante. Why is she the only one they adore? What about me? Why does no one like me? Why her?]
"She really is the villainess." Viviana shrugged as she continued the game.
𖤓(Please type your response!)𖤓
"Wait, should I say something when I'm already handcuffed? What should I say? They already hate me... Should I try something good?"
Viviana hesitated, then typed anyway:
𖤓[Response: I'm so sorry, Aurelia.]𖤓
"Lemme guess, that won't work." Viviana scoffed.
𖤓(Thank you for your response!)𖤓
𖤓[Elyza: I'm so sorry, Aurelia.]
𖤓[Everyone in the hall was stunned. Even my father's jaw dropped. The audience, the nobles, they were literally too stunned to speak.]
𖤓(Please type your response!)𖤓
"Wait... did that work? Let me check the affection score tab."
She checked.
Still the same.
"Well... maybe not. I'm literally about to be tortured and die at this rate. Reset again for a thousand dollars." She sighed and kept playing.
𖤓[Response: *Drop the knife and cry for forgiveness*]✵
𖤓(Thank you for your response!)𖤓
𖤓[I dropped the knife and cried for forgiveness. Everyone looked stunned, shocked by my behavior. But then William Berlowe, one of the knights, stepped forward. He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look up at him.]
𖤓[William: Do you really think you're worth forgiveness? After all you've done to the Saintess? You seduced the Emperor, ruined neighboring Empires, and now you tried to murder the holy Saintess?]
𖤓[He gripped me so tightly his nails dug into my skin. The pain was unbearable. Tears began to fall.]
"Wow, she really overdid it as the villainess." Viviana scoffed, enjoying the game despite the pain.
𖤓[Then came Zeuz Venozoir, the exiled Emperor of a fallen Empire. One of the rulers I once manipulated. He looked down at me with cold, merciless eyes and placed his hand on my throat. William stepped back, giving him room.]
𖤓[Zeuz: What about me, witch? You destroyed my Empire. My people, who did nothing to you, starved, suffered, died because of your schemes. You started a war for no reason, and now you try to kill the Saintess, the only hope we have left?]
Viviana burst into laughter. "Damn... I'm doomed. I shouldn't have said that."
𖤓[Then Caelus Clivys, the Crown Prince, approached. Zeuz finally let go of my neck, and I collapsed onto the floor, choking. I coughed uncontrollably. Caelus stepped on my shoulder and kicked me. The pain shot through me.]
"Wow, that's brutal." Viviana commented, eyes wide.
𖤓[Caelus: What did you say? You begged for our forgiveness, huh? Who's going to forgive you? No one. You seduced my father. Manipulated him. You shattered the peace, destroyed alliances, especially Zeuz's Empire. People died because of your lies. My parents, my mother and father, are divorced because of you. You drugged my father, got him drunk, and slept with him. He used to be a great Emperor, a great father and a great husband… but you turned him into a disgrace. You filthy b***]
𖤓[He kicked me again. And again.]
"Wow. I'm really doomed. I don't know what to type anymore."
She laughed helplessly.
𖤓[Then finally, Caelus stopped kicking me. My shoulder throbbed. My back screamed in pain. My entire body ached. That mother****er! He shoved a warrant in my face and smirked.]
𖤓[Caelus: Guards, take her to the dungeon. Make sure she suffers, until she truly earns her punishment.]
𖤓[The guards obeyed immediately. They dragged me away to a dungeon so foul, it reeked of decay. Rats scurried through the corners. Mold crept across the damp stone. Mushrooms grew in the cracks. Cockroaches scattered at every step. The air was thick with moisture, cobwebs hung like curtains, and the darkness swallowed everything. It was hell. Ten guards surrounded me like I was a monster.]
"Well, I am a criminal now... How am I supposed to win at this rate?" Viviana sighed and continued the game.
𖤓[Day and night, it was relentless.]
𖤓[By day, they fed me nothing but moldy bread and water filled with mosquito larvae.]
𖤓[At noon, I was dragged out and tortured publicly. The people jeered, humiliated me, threw rotten eggs and spoiled vegetables at my face, even their filthy socks.]
𖤓[At night, I was whipped until my back bled, spat on before I was thrown back into my cell.]
𖤓[This torment went on for twelve days. Until finally, the day of my execution.]
𖤓[The sky was cloudy. My body burned all over. Every movement hurt.]
𖤓[The people screamed insults, threw more rotten food, spat on me as I was dragged toward the execution stage.]
𖤓[I was forced to kneel on the cold wooden platform, hands tied behind me, mouth gagged, feet bound. I trembled.]
𖤓[The executioner stepped forward, it was William Berlowe. The grim reaper of the Empire. The best knight. The last face I would see.]
𖤓[He raised his sword. The crowd fell silent.]
𖤓[And then, he swung.]
𖤓[Everything went black.]
𖤓[[GAME OVER]]𖤓
𖤓(Would you like to reset the mode? That will cost $1,000.)𖤓
"That's it? Seriously? Brutal." Viviana sighed, staring at the screen.
"But... I expected this. No more hesitating."
Her eyes sharpened with determination.
"Let's try again."
Viviana pressed the [RESET] tab, watching her $1,000 disappear.
"Well, hope this would work," she muttered under her breath.
[[LOADING...]]
𖤓[I got caught by Devin after almost killing and stabbing Aurelia myself.]
"Oh, it's the same sentence again." Viviana blinked.
𖤓[The entire guard of the Holy House of Agnesus gathered in one place and stepped forward to handcuff me.]
𖤓[Caelus Clivus: By the law of the Empire, Elyza Archiz, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of the Saintess.]
𖤓[Announced the Crown Prince of the Empire. But what can I say? Why did my men all follow a commoner from the streets? Why is she the Saintess? Why is she so fair?]
𖤓[Every single time, ever since that witch Aurelia came into our lives, my entire world fell apart. My plan to become the greatest woman on the continent failed because of her. Why did she steal my place? How dare she?
I was supposed to be the only one in the spotlight. I'm the most beautiful one here. Just look at her, she's pathetic. She doesn't belong in this world. I was supposed to be the debutante. Why is she the only one they adore? What about me? Why does no one like me? Why her?]
"Oh, it's really the same thing again. Maybe I should skip it."
She tapped the [SKIP] button.
𖤓(Please type your response!)𖤓
"Here it comes!" Viviana grinned, fingers hovering over the keyboard.
"What should I say?"
𖤓[Response: I... I surrender. I don't want to fight anymore.]𖤓
She typed it slowly, hesitantly. Then pressed enter.
𖤓(Thank you for your response!)𖤓
𖤓[The hall grew quiet.]
𖤓[The guards halted. Even Caelus blinked in surprise.]
𖤓[Elyza: I... I surrender. I don't want to fight anymore.]
𖤓[My voice cracked as I said it, my hands trembling at my sides.]
𖤓[Aurelia stepped forward, the golden glow of divine light still lingering around her. Her expression, strangely, wasn't cruel. It was... sad.]
𖤓[Aurelia: ...Then why did you do it, Elyza? Why did you hate me so much?]
Viviana's eyes widened. "Wait, this is new. Is this... a branching path?!"
Her heart beat faster as she waited for the next prompt.
𖤓(Please type your response!)𖤓
Viviana typed excitedly with a huge smile on her face.
𖤓[Response: Do you want to know why, Aurelia? Because everyone loves you while I tried my best just to be loved, but you were loved so easily... just because you're the Saintess.]
"Will that work? Was I too dramatic? Ugh, I'm scared of the male leads now... Unlike the other modes, they were all lovey-dovey before." Viviana sighed as she pressed enter.
𖤓[Elyza: Do you want to know why, Aurelia? Because everyone loves you while I tried my best just to be loved, but you were loved so easily... just because you're the Saintess.]
𖤓[My voice trembled. I nearly cried. Aurelia looked at me with sad, broken eyes. Caelus flinched and lowered his guard. Even the guards handcuffing me stared in shock.]
𖤓(Please type your response!)𖤓
"Wait, I can reply again? That's new." Viviana smirked and continued typing:
𖤓[Response: Every time I walk past, the maids, the servants... they talk about you. You're the best. You're a hero. You're the savior.
But me? I got nothing.
So I took revenge... just to get attention, even if I knew it was wrong.
I was supposed to be the debutante, but only you were in the spotlight.
I'm sorry, Aurelia.]
"Haha... I think I overdid it. But hey, this is for the affection score. Gotta risk it for the drama." She laughed and hit enter.
𖤓(Thank you for your response!)𖤓
𖤓[Elyza: Every time I walk past, the maids, the servants... they talk about you. You're the best. You're a hero. You're the savior.
But me? I got nothing.
So I took revenge... just to get attention, even if I knew it was wrong.
I was supposed to be the debutante, but only you were in the spotlight.
I'm sorry, Aurelia.]
𖤓[My knees gave out. I cried, broken. I looked at Aurelia with tears in my eyes, desperate.
She pitied me. Slowly, she cupped my cheeks and wiped away my tears.]
𖤓[But then, Caelus stopped her.]
"Wait, Caelus?! Let me check the affection score!" Viviana quickly opened the affection tab.
𖤓[AFFECTION SCORE: UPDATED!]𖤓
Caelus Clivus: -82% → -80%
Devin Eldonne: -85% → -82%
Reuben Alden: -80% → -76%
Leonard Laurier: -81% → -78%
Jamin Whitlock: -87% → -84%
William Berlowe: -88% → -82%
Zeuz Venozoir: -86% → -84%
"Wait, seriously?! That actually worked? So lesson learned: be dramatic... but not too dramatic. Hah!" Viviana scoffed, shocked at the affection boost. She continued the game and returned to the farm.
𖤓[Caelus: Liar. After what you did to the peace treaty alliance of the whole continent? You destroyed it.
What else? Attempted murder? Everyone saw it, witch.
Especially toward her. The only Saintess in the entire continent...
No, in the world. A Saintess that only appears once every thousand years.]
𖤓[Caelus looked at me coldly. His eyes held no mercy.
He stared at me as if I were a monster.]
"Tsk. That brat. I was being overly dramatic, okay? At least try to understand!" Viviana rolled her eyes and kept playing.
𖤓(Please type your response!)𖤓
Viviana took a deep breath and exhaled into her hands. "Relax, Vivi. Getting mad at an AI otome character is like getting mad at a kid. At least a kid is real. Besides... this is for the affection score. I did not spend a whole grand just to die. Again." She sighed and cracked her knuckles.
"Let's be nice. Just... for now."
She began typing carefully.
𖤓[Response: Your Imperial Highness...]𖤓
"This is how I should address him, right? I mean, he's literally the Crown Prince of the Empire, and my character is just a duke's daughter…" she mumbled, then resumed typing.
𖤓[Response: Your Imperial Highness, I know you're mad at me because I attempted to hurt the one and only holy Saintess. That's why I am begging for your forgiveness.
We all have demons inside us, and I'm truly sorry for letting mine take over.
I was selfish.
I know I deserve punishment for what I did to your people... and to Zeuz's people.
That's why I am deeply sorry.]𖤓
"Whew. I think I overdid it again. Hope this works," she muttered, pressing enter.
𖤓(Thank you for your response!)𖤓
𖤓[Elyza: Your Imperial Highness, I know you're mad at me because I attempted to hurt the one and only holy Saintess. That's why I am begging for your forgiveness.
We all have demons inside us, and I'm truly sorry for letting mine take over.
I was selfish.
I know I deserve punishment for what I did to your people... and to Zeuz's people.
That's why I am deeply sorry.]
[Caelus's eyes softened. For a moment, he blinked, stunned.
Then, he shook his head and returned to his cold composure.]
𖤓[Caelus: But you do know, don't you?
It's the law of the Empire.
Whoever harms the Saintess will be thrown into the dungeon.
You attempted to murder her.]
Viviana clicked her tongue. "Tsk. You bastard. After all that emotional speech I just gave…" Her eye twitched in pure annoyance. "Ugh, let's check the affection scores before I throw my phone."
She tapped open the affection score tab and waited.
𖤓[AFFECTION SCORE: UPDATED!]𖤓
Caelus Clivus: -80% → -76%
Devin Eldonne: -82% → -80%
Reuben Alden: -76% → -73%
Leonard Laurier: -78% → -75%
Jamin Whitlock: -84% → -78%
William Berlowe: -82% → -79%
Zeuz Venozoir: -84% → -80%
"WHAT?!" Viviana jumped from her seat. "They all got affected?! Even Zeuz?! I just unlocked half the cast's forgiveness route!" She burst out laughing. "Note to self: dramatic + humble = affection points."
𖤓[Aurelia stepped in, clearly troubled by the fight between Caelus and me.]
"Oh, she did? Okay, whatever." Viviana shrugged, continuing the game with a deadpan expression.
𖤓[Aurelia: Caelus, please forgive her.
She was right, Caelus.
We all have demons inside us… and I believe she deserves forgiveness too.]
𖤓[Suddenly, Zeuz stormed in, interrupting the conversation. Fury burned in his eyes.]
𖤓[Zeuz: You don't understand, Aurelia.
This witch started wars just for attention?!
She wanted love, so she destroyed my entire empire, my people, my loved ones?!]
"Oh... shit. He's got a point, actually." Viviana grimaced, scratching her head. "But why did his affection score increase earlier then? Ugh, even if it went up, it's still in the negatives. It's not even halfway to zero."
She groaned, already irritated. "Whoever hacked this mode is seriously twisted. Negative scores in an otome game? Are we playing 'How to Be Hated 101'?"
She clicked her tongue in frustration.
𖤓[Caelus stepped forward again, his expression just as furious.]
𖤓[Caelus: Do you know what my family used to be like?
Lively. Happy.
Until she came along.
She destroyed my parents' marriage just for power, waged war for attention.
She seduced my father for influence.
Even if you forgive her, Aurelia... the people won't.]
𖤓[Zeuz: Mine too. She's the same witch who tried to seduce Caelus's father, just to seize control over the entire continent. She shattered peace for attention. You're too kind, Aurelia.]
"Yeah... she's definitely too nice to be forgiving a literal villainess," Viviana muttered under her breath. "Still... both of them kinda nailed it. My character did start a war. For love."
She sighed, sinking back into her seat, eyes glued to the screen. "Now what the hell am I supposed to do?"
𖤓[Aurelia: But—]
𖤓[Caelus hushed her.]
𖤓[Caelus: No buts, Aurelia. She deserves to be arrested. I already prepared a warrant for her, so she's going to the dungeon.]
𖤓[Aurelia looked at me with pitiful eyes. Then someone stepped forward and grabbed Aurelia's wrist. It was Reuben Alden, the fallen patriarch from one of the Empires I destroyed. I felt sick to my stomach, I was really going to the dungeon for sure.]
𖤓[Reuben: He's right, Aurelia. The Alden clan, my clan, that YOU destroyed, along with the Empire we lived in, is gone. I used to be the patriarch there. I inherited the clan after my grandfather and father passed, and since I was the only child, the title went to me. We knew we were born to die early, so they gave the patriarchal role to me... and you destroyed it.]
"Oh, so he's telling a sob story, eh?" Viviana shrugged.
𖤓[Reuben looked at me with hatred and desperation in his eyes. I knew it was my fault to begin with, but I didn't know I had caused this much damage. The guilt inside my heart burned.]
𖤓[Caelus: Then it's clear. Elyza Archiz will be under arrest and immediately sent to the dungeon. Guards, send her to the dungeon. Make sure to torture her until she deserves it.]
"Wait, what?! Give me something to respond! Hey! AI! Is this game over again? Damn it, my whole grand." She slammed her fist on the table.
𖤓[The guards obeyed immediately. They dragged me away to a dungeon so foul, it reeked of decay. Rats scurried through the corners. Mold crept across the damp stone. Mushrooms grew in the cracks. Cockroaches scattered at every step. The air was thick with moisture, cobwebs hung like curtains, and the darkness swallowed everything. It was hell. Ten guards surrounded me like I was a monster.]
"Nooo... it's the same thing again. Damn it!" Viviana looked utterly devastated.
𖤓[Day and night, it was relentless.]
𖤓[By day, they fed me nothing but moldy bread and water filled with mosquito larvae.]
𖤓[At noon, I was dragged out and tortured publicly. The people jeered, humiliated me, threw rotten eggs and spoiled vegetables at my face, even their filthy socks.]
𖤓[At night, I was whipped until my back bled, spat on, and thrown back into my cell.]
𖤓[This torment went on for twelve days. Until finally, the day of my execution.]
𖤓[The sky was cloudy. My body burned all over. Every movement hurt.]
𖤓[The people screamed insults, threw more rotten food, spat on me as I was dragged toward the execution stage.]
𖤓[I was forced to kneel on the cold wooden platform, hands tied behind me, mouth gagged, feet bound. I trembled.]
𖤓[The executioner stepped forward, it was William Berlowe. The grim reaper of the Empire. The best knight. The last face I would see.]
𖤓[He raised his sword. The crowd fell silent.]
𖤓[And then, he swung.]
𖤓[Everything went black.]
𖤓[[GAME OVER]]𖤓
𖤓(Would you like to reset the mode? That will cost $1,000.)𖤓
"Hell yeah, at least I did make an achievement on how to play that mode. This shit is getting started." She smirked as she pressed reset again.
Viviana played then reset it multiple times, again and again again. But what Viviana didn't know was that it was already late afternoon, almost evening. She had missed lunch, though she didn't realize she was starving. Elyza had just arrived home from school. But the moment she entered her own bedroom, she froze, startled at the sight in front of her.
Viviana sat hunched on the floor, still in the same position as when Elyza left that morning. Her appearance was nothing short of a mess: haggard, with dark circles under her eyes, layers of eyebags under her eyes, frizzy hair shooting out in all directions, and lips pale from what looked like days without proper food, drink, or rest.
"Grandaunt! You're still here in my bedroom?!" Elyza shouted, tossing her school bag onto the sofa. "Grandaunt, your health! I told you plenty of times to get some sleep. You're sixty, grandaunt!"
Viviana didn't even glance at her, despite all the noise. "Shut up, Elyza. I'm on a very hard mode, and I literally reset it a lot of times but I still can't reach 0% on their affection scores. Increasing their scores is harder than handling Carsten Electronics, Elyza." Her eyes were locked onto the screen of her phone with an intensity that made Elyza's chest tighten.
Elyza sighed, her eyebrows furrowed in growing concern. "But grandaunt, you haven't slept for two nights, and you're still acting like some stubborn teenager. Enough already. That's just a game!"
"But every reset costs a thousand bucks without saving, Elyza."
"You have a mountain of cash, more than just a few grands, grandaunt. Please, get some sleep. Or eat. Or drink. Or blink. Or breathe, at least!" Elyza exclaimed, stepping closer.
Then suddenly, Viviana dropped her phone.
Clack.
It hit the floor.
Elyza froze.
"Grandaunt…? What's wrong?"
Viviana's hands trembled as they clutched her chest. Her lips parted slightly, struggling to breathe. She let out a small gasp, barely audible.
Her whole body slumped forward.
"Grandaunt!" Elyza screamed, rushing toward her.
Viviana's head lolled to the side, her body collapsing into Elyza's arms. Her eyes were half-open but unfocused. Her face had gone completely pale.
Elyza's hands shook. "No, no, no. Not like this, Grandaunt!"
Viviana's body was cold. Limp. Her chest was still.
"Help! Somebody help! Call an ambulance!" Elyza shouted toward the hallway, her voice cracking with fear and desperation.
And just like that,
Viviana Carsten, the woman too stubborn to sleep, eat, or blink during her obsession with a brutal otome game, collapsed with a silent heart that had screamed too long in silence.
The screen of her phone still glowed kinda faintly, her unfinished save flickering in the background.
TO BE CONTINUED...