TIRS 01

CHAPTER 01.

 I Thought the Original Plot Had Been Twisted

“I’ve liked you for a long time.”

Hezen beamed as he held out a ring to me.

“I love you, Lulu. Will you spend the rest of your life with me?”

His honey-soaked, sweet voice made my heart stop.

“H-Hic!”

Startled by the hiccup that escaped me, I quickly covered my mouth with both hands.

Hezen’s eyes softened as he looked at me, as if he couldn’t help but adore me.

His expression was so sweet, it was as if he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“T-This can’t be real! H-How…!”

“You hate my proposal that much?”

Hezen asked with a voice full of feigned hurt, his eyes slanting downward dramatically.

Even that pitiful expression was so beautiful, it made my heart race wildly.

“N-No, that’s not it…!”

I shook my head rapidly, my face flushed.

‘As if I could hate it!’

Golden hair that looked like it had been spun from sunlight. Jewel-like green eyes that sparkled every time he blinked.

With a face unmatched throughout the empire, a kind and gentle personality, and the perfect setup of being the youngest Swordmaster in imperial history—

‘He really is the protagonist…’

This world I had possessed was from the classic fantasy novel Chronicles of the Hero of Light.

Shortened as Chronicles, it had once reignited a global craze for classic fantasy in the 21st century—an absolute masterpiece.

Hezen, the Hero of Light who would one day save the continent, was the main character of this story.

Noble or commoner, countless young women in the empire adored Hezen.

I was no exception.

But Hezen had a destined heroine—Maria, the Saint of Light. Beautiful and kind, she was the one meant for him.

And I… I was just an extra who never even got named in the original work.

So from the moment I saw him, I’d done everything I could not to fall for him.

But somewhere along the way, my efforts crumbled without me realizing it.

Every word, every gesture from him made my heart flutter anew.

I fell in love with him as if fate had already been decided.

But that didn’t mean I hoped my love would be returned.

Because I knew how this story ended.

So a confession from Hezen like this—was something I never saw coming.

‘But there’s no way Hezen would like me…’

This was a development completely different from the original story.

“If it’s not that you hate it…”

Swoosh—

He gently touched my cheek.

Thump, thump, thump, thump—

My heart pounded violently.

With a deep gaze, Hezen tilted his head slightly and asked:

“Will you accept my proposal, Lulu?”

Boom!

It felt like my chest might explode.

“Y-Yes!”

I nodded before I even realized it.

He pulled me into a hug.

“I love you, Lulu!”

Hezen whispered sweetly into my ear.

“I’ll make you happy for the rest of your life.”

It still didn’t feel real—like I was dreaming.

Was this the famous “twist-the-original” trope? A possessor’s privilege?

…At least, that’s what I thought at the time.

Believing that I had simply possessed a beloved novel’s world.

* * *

[SYSTEM] Favorability with has increased by +100! (Current: 999)
[SYSTEM] Favorability is already maxed out. Increase not applied.

‘Tch, that was too easy.’

Hezen scoffed inwardly at the system window floating in front of him.

In real life, he’d never even held hands with a girl, but in this world, it was ridiculously easy to raise favorability with women.

Unlike Ruivel, who believed she had possessed the world of the fantasy novel Chronicles, the truth was:

This world was a virtual reality game based on the novel—
Chronicles of the Hero of Light: The Four Heroes.

Players had to awaken their power, gather companions, and defeat the mad dragon threatening the empire.

The game structure was simple:

1. Choose one of the four heroes
2. Complete the tutorial quest: [Awakening]
3. Progress the scenario and recruit the other heroes
4. Defeat the mad dragon (final boss)

Player Hezen was currently in the tutorial quest: [Awakening].

[Awakening] was a game-original element not found in the novel. Once the player completed the awakening condition, the main story would begin.

And Hezen’s awakening condition was: [The death of a lover].

Princess Ruivel Azester, Third Princess of the Azester Empire
Favorability: 999

Hezen smirked as he glanced at the favorability bar above Ruivel’s head.

“Will you accept my proposal, Lulu?”

“Y-Yes!”

Ruivel blushed deeply as she responded.

[SYSTEM] has accepted your proposal!
[SYSTEM] You have successfully captured !
[SYSTEM] ‘s status upgraded from [Target] to [Lover]!
[SYSTEM] ‘s status now includes [Time Limit]!
[SYSTEM] Maintain lover status for 30 days, then awaken by her death!

Ruivel Azester was the sacrifice he had chosen for his awakening.

In other words, as long as Ruivel, his newly acquired lover, died peacefully in 30 days, he would complete the tutorial and awaken.

He chose Ruivel, an extra, precisely because she was the only daughter of the emperor who didn’t yet have a fiancé.

Hezen had everything—except for status.

By getting engaged to a member of the royal family, even a powerless princess, he could be granted a title.

So Hezen’s plan was to win Ruivel’s heart, gain a title, and then use her death to complete his awakening.

‘But she’s way too pretty to just kill off.’

Ruivel Azester was so beautiful, it was hard to believe she was just an extra.

He couldn’t understand why such an amazing character wasn’t widely known in forums or guides.

As Hezen licked his lips with satisfaction—

Ding!

[SYSTEM] A new target has appeared. View information?

The system alerted him to a new conquest candidate.

His eyes sparkled.

Truthfully, he had little interest in progressing the story or defeating the mad dragon.

In this high-freedom game, Hezen’s real goal was simple: Build a harem.

With the title he’d gain from Ruivel, he could strengthen that goal even further.

The engagement between Hezen and me progressed quickly.

I had worried that the original plot might somehow interfere and cancel it, but nothing went wrong.

News of our engagement spread swiftly.

“My, you’re so beautiful, Your Highness.”

“Your hair is like pure silk!”

The maids fussed over me as they styled my hair.

I glanced at my reflection.

A delicate, fairy-like woman with soft cherry blossom-pink hair and warm amber eyes sat in the mirror.

Her appearance was so surreal that at first, I thought I had possessed the heroine of some romantic fantasy.

But I soon realized I was just an extra in Chronicles—a novel I had loved in my past life.

Princess Ruivel Azester, Third Princess of the Azester Empire.

In the original, she was only briefly mentioned: “The third princess of Azester is said to be a rare beauty.” She didn’t even have a name.

Despite being the emperor’s daughter, she was excluded from succession, since her father’s identity was unclear.

She wasn’t close to her siblings either. Second Prince Orent, in particular, openly looked down on her.

A royal in name only—with no power, no affection from the emperor. But still…

‘This is actually great!’

It was a good possession.

‘A rich, idle life born with a diamond spoon!’

Wasn’t it common knowledge that the best kind of possession was into an extra?

And not just any extra—one born to the imperial family!

Excluded from succession meant I wouldn’t get tangled in court politics, and though powerless, I had wealth in abundance.

‘Plus, now I’m engaged to Hezen—the empire’s most handsome man!’

My heart thumped again at the thought of him.

My mother, the Empress, had even promised Hezen a noble title as an engagement gift.

Of course, it wasn’t because she cherished me—her useless daughter.

She had long admired Hezen’s talents and had praised him many times in public.

Now with our engagement, she was clearly planning to shower him with rewards.

‘Well, it benefits me too, so why not…’

“All done, Your Highness.”

Today was the tea party hosted by my older sister Elizabeth in the palace gardens.

“It’s spring, but still chilly. Wear this.”

My maid, Saira, gently wrapped a shawl around me.

“Thank you.”

Wearing the shawl, I stepped outside.

I chose to walk instead of taking a carriage.

Each step toward the garden felt light and airy.

Ever since the engagement, it felt like I was floating on clouds.

‘I wonder what Hezen’s doing?’

He was always busy, and even busier after our engagement. Still, I tried not to complain and understood the situation…

“Your Highness! Watch out!”

Thud!

Lost in thought about Hezen, I collided with someone and fell flat on my backside.

“Ow, ow…”

As I groaned softly, a tall shadow loomed over me.

The first thing I noticed was pristine white trousers and a flowing lavender cloak.

I slowly lifted my head.

Standing there was a man as pale as fresh-fallen snow.

I had never seen such silvery-white hair in the empire—paired with blood-red eyes like a drop of crimson on pure snow.

He seemed to be staring at the air above my head before slowly shifting his gaze down to me.

“…”

“…”

The moment our eyes met—cold as frost—I felt a chill run through my body.

With the Empress’s birthday approaching, envoys from across the continent were arriving, so seeing strangers in the palace wasn’t unusual. But still…

‘W-Who is he?’

His gaze, filled with clear annoyance and disinterest, startled me.

Even those who disliked Ruivel would usually soften up when faced with my sweet appearance.

But his eyes looked at me like I was… a microbe.

Something about that lifeless stare made me tense up. Without realizing it, I swallowed hard.

Gulp.

Was the sound too loud?

The man slightly furrowed his brow, then smirked—a crooked, mocking grin.

‘Gasp.’

This time, I almost stopped breathing for a different reason.

It was practically a sneer, but that cold face with its twisted smile… was incredibly handsome.

Even more so than the protagonist, Hezen!

The man brushed past me with disinterest.

“Your Highness! Are you alright?”

Saira’s worried voice came from behind.

I stared blankly at the man’s retreating back.

‘Who is he? Someone with more presence than Hezen… could he be a character from the original I don’t remember?’

Just as I was turning my gaze in awe, I noticed something on the ground.

“Huh…?”

A pendant necklace with a red jewel and fine craftsmanship.

He must have dropped it.

The man was already gone, so I picked it up, planning to return it when I saw him again.

“My goodness, to bump into a princess and not even apologize! How rude!”

Saira fussed as she helped me up.

“Hurry now, or we’ll be late. Let’s go, Your Highness.”

But just as I took her hand and stood—

‘Wait, what?’

A blue window sparkled above her head—something I hadn’t seen before.

Maid of the 3rd Princess’s Palace:
Favorability: 999

What… is that?