[Vol. 7] Chapter 163: The Villainous Imperial Princess’ Heroic Tale
Although there were minor discrepancies in the empire's name and some inconsequential details, the overall situation of this vast empire, its royal family, key ministers, certain crucial figures, and even the "Frederick Royal Academy" she was about to attend, all closely matched the plot of the game in her memory.
And Carinvega Frederick, though her name was slightly different from what she remembered, shared an almost identical background and identity with a character from the game.
That’s when it finally hit her.
She was a main character in the yuri game, [Starlight Concerto]!
The realization left Carinvega shocked, yet at the same time, it all made sense.
So this was the so-called "cheat ability" that the so-called god had given her. Not magic. Not combat skills.
But honestly? Who cared about personal strength?
This is a huge empire. With all the knowledge she had from the game and the right social connections, she didn’t need to be powerful to live a comfortable, luxurious life!
Because she had already seen the script!
…Alright, let’s clarify something. [Starlight Concerto] was a niche yuri romance game that focused on the sweet and sour school life of the female protagonist and several unique female love interests.
Yes, there were some male characters and even traditional romance options, but those were side stories and minor routes. So, naturally, the game had a limited audience and wasn’t exactly a big seller.
Now, Carinvega wasn’t the protagonist of [Starlight Concerto].
Instead, she played the role of a villainess noble girl, the type who could either become a romanceable love interest or turn into a full-fledged antagonist depending on how the story unfolded.
The first part of the game started when the protagonist, Rosie, entered the Imperial Royal Academy in the capital.
At that time, Carinvega, one of the target heroines, was also 12 years old and enrolled in the same year as Rosie.
In the game’s background story, it was mentioned that Carinvega had been traumatized by an assassination attempt and was sent to the academy for recovery in a peaceful environment.
With that in mind, it all added up, she had likely arrived just before the start of the game’s events.
And sure enough, shortly after her arrival in this world, the Emperor immediately launched an investigation upon learning that his youngest daughter had been attacked.
And just as Carinvega had expected, she was sent to the Imperial Royal Academy, completely controlled by the royal family, to recover and adapt to school life.
With that, Carinvega officially stepped into the main storyline of the game, following the script’s guidance as she began her years-long academy life.
However, it didn’t take long for her to notice something strange.
While most events inside and outside the academy did follow the game’s storyline, and the protagonist along with the other heroines appeared as expected, certain things kept changing in weird, unexpected ways.
She searched for a long time but couldn’t figure out why these changes were happening. It was as if the background of the game world itself had shifted slightly, setting off a chain reaction that altered certain events.
It felt like some unknown force outside the academy and beyond the game’s intended setting was interfering and indirectly affecting the story within the Imperial Royal Academy.
This frustrated Carinvega, but there was nothing she could do about it.
After all, in [Starlight Concerto], the game’s focus only expanded beyond the academy and the imperial capital in the third installment.
Until then, even basic knowledge, such as the world’s geography and the existence of other nations, was something she had to learn by reading books. There was no way for her to pinpoint the exact source of the problem, let alone fix it.
And so, she had no choice but to go with the flow.
Despite being an ordinary person at heart, Carinvega relied on her knowledge of the game’s script, a moderate amount of intelligence, and a bit of luck to navigate the main storyline.
Time after time, she managed to overcome the crises from the game, gradually building strong friendships with the other heroines, including the protagonist, Rosie.
As the years passed, she also started to adapt to her new identity.
But, something still felt off.
The game’s story was getting stranger and stranger in ways she couldn’t ignore.
The growing number of followers around her, the overwhelming fame that spread beyond just the academy, and most importantly, the increasingly affectionate attitudes of the female characters toward her, including the protagonist herself…
It was all way too different from the original plot.
None of this should have been possible in any of the game’s story routes.
And to top it all off, she had somehow earned the title [Empire’s Two-Colored Lotus], a name that didn’t exist anywhere in the original game’s script.
At one point, she seriously started to wonder. Had she accidentally triggered some kind of hidden route no one had ever discovered before?
It was obvious that this “game” didn’t have a save or load function. There was no way to redo past mistakes, whatever happened was permanent.
By the time Carinvega realized something was really off, it was already too late.
She had no choice but to keep playing along, maintaining her role as the intelligent and composed imperial princess, while bearing the reputation and recognition she had unintentionally built up over countless events.
And now…
The timeline had already reached the events of [Starlight Concerto IV], which was the last series released before her sudden death in her previous life.
From the moment she was transported into this world and stepped into the game’s main storyline, more than four years had passed.
Unfortunately, since this game was newly released, she never got the chance to finish it. She only had a vague idea of what was supposed to happen.
She knew that the main setting had shifted beyond the academy, expanding to the vast world outside the imperial capital, but she had no clue about the specific events that would unfold.
At least before, despite some deviations from the game’s script, most major events still followed a familiar path.
But now?
Now that the "cheat" given to her by the so-called god had completely expired, could she honestly say she wasn’t panicking?
Absolutely not.
Take this "World Academy Joint Exchange Conference" for example, she had never even heard of it before!
She was being thrown into an entirely unfamiliar event, completely clueless about what was going on.
And now, here she was, standing in Sainz City, surrounded by countless bizarre things beyond her understanding, forced to deliver a speech in front of powerful figures from the world’s greatest nations, all while keeping a perfectly composed expression.
This was way beyond her stress limit.
Sure, she had spent the last four years living as a princess, but the twenty-plus years of her previous life in another world hadn’t just vanished.
Deep down, she still saw herself as an ordinary person with no real power or influence. Just someone who had gotten lucky and ended up in the body of Carinvega Frederick.
And somehow, against all odds, she had made it this far.
Sigh…
Wasn’t there any way that god could give her a new cheat?
As she silently complained to herself, Princess Carinvega forced a polite smile, walking down the red carpet under the watchful eyes of thousands.
The pressure in this event was far greater than any imperial banquet she had attended in the capital.
Unlike in the academy, where teachers and students treated her with respect because of her title, the people here were true elites, exuding an overwhelming presence.
Their gazes weren’t just curious, many were evaluating her, some even hostile.
To someone who still saw herself as an ordinary person deep inside, it was nearly unbearable.
Thankfully, they showed some restraint. If someone had booed during her speech earlier…
Well, she probably would’ve started crying on the spot.