The morning sunlight streaming through the window spilled into the small bedroom of the Salyuess estate as pale golden light. On an old wooden bed, Mireille Salyuess opened her eyes. She gazed at the ceiling's cracks while taking a deep breath. It was just another morning——or so it should have been. But in that moment. Ahhhhhhhhhhh. Memories flooded in like a torrent. Images from her past life surged back. Sounds. Sensations. Everything at once. Days as an office worker. Meetings that dragged on forever. Cold coffee. All-nighters spent on documents. And then——that intersection. A truck running a red light. Impact. Pain. Darkness—— And then, somehow, this world. Mireille pushed herself upright. Her hands were trembling. Her breathing was ragged. A floating sensation, as if she'd lost her grip on reality. "Calm down. Remember." She murmured those words to herself as she made her way to the mirror. A small mirror leaned against the wall——the kind a fallen noble family would use, nothing particularly expensive. The face reflected there was certainly her own. Yet at the same time——it was undeniably different. As she stared longer, understanding dawned. Flax-colored long hair. Deep amber eyes. Pale skin. Refined features. Age——sixteen? No, Mireille Salyuess was sixteen. This body belonged to a sixteen-year-old noblewoman. "'The Holy Light Conqueror'......" That phrase had lingered at the edge of her consciousness. No——that 'knowledge.' She couldn't even remember how she knew it. But now she understood why it existed in her heart. It was a game she'd played in her past life. An otome game. A common fantasy romance game she'd replayed countless times on her smartphone. (Or so it should have been.) Mireille stared at her reflection in the mirror. She reached up and gently touched her cheek. There was warmth there. She was breathing. This was real. And——this was the worst possible reality. "Am I...the villainess in 'The Holy Light Conqueror'?" The noblewoman named Mireille Salyuess in the game. A nobleman's daughter. Betrothed to Crown Prince Leon. But as the story progressed, she became the 'villain' who obstructed the love of the protagonist——a commoner girl. In the end—— She was executed. Cold sweat trickled down her spine. Her heart pounded with a steady, violent rhythm. Thump, thump, thump——a heaviness as if it were trying to escape. "This isn't a dream." Mireille whispered. Her voice trembled. "Did I really...transmigrate?" She sat back on the bed and began organizing her memories from her past life. Her brain was in chaos, but the game's contents came flooding back with vivid clarity. The protagonist was a commoner girl who, for some reason, came to serve in the royal palace. There she met five princes and fell in love with one of them——that was the basic story. The eldest was First Prince Valter. The second was Second Prince Lion. The crown prince was Leon. And there were Fourth and Fifth Princes. Mireille Salyuess herself was the 'betrothed' standing in opposition to Crown Prince Leon. A nobleman's daughter, intelligent, beautiful. That's why female players recognized her as 'the villain to defeat.' Mireille's fate in the game was cruel. The current Queen Consort, Katarina, wife of King Edvald. A queen consort from the foreign Perveese Duchy. She had built her own faction at court and schemed to turn the crown prince's betrothed into one of her subordinates to secure diplomatic advantage. That scheme targeted Mireille. In the game, Mireille was imprisoned on false charges framed by the protagonist. Afterward, by Queen Katarina's decree, she was executed. That would happen in one year—— "Wait." Mireille stood up. She looked around the room. Old furniture. Peeling walls. Simple clothing. Yes——the Salyuess family had fallen. Fifteen years ago, Mireille's father had been arrested on suspicion of corruption. Though in this body's memories, it was a false charge. But the truth was covered up, and the Salyuess family had most of their lands confiscated. "What's the current situation......" Mireille took a deep breath. In her mind, she cross-referenced the game's contents with her present circumstances. The Firtina Kingdom. A kingdom governed by Holy Light. Only the royal family could use the blessing of Holy Light. There were three systems: healing, purification, and barriers. Only those with Holy Light aptitude were recognized as royalty and could become betrothal candidates. Nobility was divided into five ranks. Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Baron. The Salyuess family had once been an Earldom, but now their title was on the verge of being stripped. "There's no time left." Through the window, she could see the royal capital Fonteluche. A beautiful white-walled city built on seven hills. At its center stood Rêve Blanche Castle——the royal palace. Its white walls gleamed in the morning sun. Mireille gazed at that light. In the game, Mireille first set foot in the royal palace as a betrothal candidate to undergo Queen Katarina's assessment. It was then she met the protagonist. And from that meeting, the story began to move. "Three months from now." Mireille whispered. "My betrothal to the Crown Prince will be formally announced. That's when my destruction begins." In the game, that announcement provoked Queen Katarina. The queen had wanted her own faction's daughter to be the crown prince's betrothed. To secure diplomatic advantage. So Mireille became 'a being to be eliminated.' Framed with false charges, imprisoned, executed. That would happen in one year. "But——" Mireille stared at her clenched fist. On her wrist was a faint pattern. A strange mark like an old family crest. On her left wrist, it was always there. "I'm no longer the Mireille from within the game." She had memories from her past life. That memory was a weapon. She had the greatest advantage——knowing how the game's story would unfold. "Stay calm. Assess the situation." Mireille told herself. Fear was there. But there were things she needed to do first. First——detect the movements of Queen Katarina's faction, known as the "Jade Chamber." Second——carefully build her relationship with Crown Prince Leon. The relationships with the other princes, especially First Prince Valter and Second Prince Lion, couldn't be ignored either. Most importantly, she had to be careful about meeting the protagonist——the commoner girl. In the game, Mireille stood as an obstacle to her love, but if she could reverse that dynamic—— "There's a possibility." Mireille smiled at her reflection. That expression held not just fear, but strong determination. "I'm not just a villainess swept along by fate." She had seen the game's endings countless times. She knew exactly how the protagonist would 'defeat' the villain Mireille. Because of that—— "I can avoid it." A maid's voice echoed in the hallway. She was announcing that breakfast was ready. Mireille gave a brief reply. "Yes. I'll be down shortly." She took the white blouse and slacks placed beside the bed and changed. Delicate lace, simple yet dignified. For a sixteen-year-old noblewoman, this outfit was appropriate. When she opened the door, an elderly butler stood waiting. Gray hair, a face lined with deep wrinkles. A man who had served the Salyuess family for many years. "Good morning, Miss." The butler greeted her with his usual calm voice. "Good morning." Mireille replied. Her voice was composed. When she descended to the dining room, her father was reading the newspaper. The head of the Salyuess household. A face worn by hardship. Yet in his eyes burned an unextinguished pride. Mireille gazed at him. (In the original story, this man also——) In the game, Mireille's father appeared in an escape ending. Enraged by his daughter's imprisonment, he began his own investigation and tried to prove Queen Katarina's conspiracy. But in the game, there wasn't enough time, and that route wasn't considered a 'happy ending.' "Mireille?" Her father looked up. "Is something troubling you? You look pale." "No. It's just that, starting today——" Mireille sat down. On the table were simple bread, cheese, and a small amount of ham. The limited meals of a fallen family. "Starting today, what?" Her father asked. "Starting today, I will change." Mireille met her father's gaze directly. "Our current situation is dire. My first appearance at the royal palace is approaching. So——I need to act calmly and strategically." Her father frowned at those words. "Mireille, you're only sixteen. Don't push yourself too hard." "I have no intention of disappointing you, Father." Mireille said firmly. "There are things I can do to clear the Salyuess name. So——please believe in me." Her father stared at his daughter's words and eyes. He felt as though something had changed. "I understand. Mireille, I'm rooting for you." After breakfast, Mireille returned to her room. Beside the bed lay an old book with the family crest. A genealogy summarizing the Salyuess family history. It recorded their former glory. Two hundred years ago, since the kingdom's founding, the Salyuess family had functioned as the royal family's support. During eras when the royal family's Holy Light power waned, that house had been especially valued. "The Holy Light Decline Incident." Mireille murmured those words. A historical event presented as background in the game's story. About eighty years ago, during the reign of the eleventh king, the Holy Light's power had suddenly weakened, and the barrier protecting the royal capital had disappeared for three days. After that incident, disputes over bloodlines intensified among the nobility. A conservative noble alliance called the Old Doctrine faction began arguing that "the Holy Light bloodline must not be contaminated." And thirty years ago——when the current King Edvald took Katarina from the Perveese Duchy as his queen consort, that factional conflict surfaced. "I need to stay calm and organize the information carefully." Mireille opened the window. The morning light grew even stronger. Time was passing relentlessly. In the game, Mireille was first summoned to the royal palace for a 'assessment' by Queen Katarina. As a betrothal candidate for Crown Prince Leon, she would be judged on court etiquette and Holy Light aptitude. "How much time do I have left?" Mireille calculated in her mind. The current Mireille was sixteen. Crown Prince Leon was the same age. The betrothal announcement would be——three months away. At that point, the protagonist would come to serve in the royal palace. And Mireille's conflict with the protagonist would begin. "Three months." That was also—— "My grace period." Mireille clenched her fist. The pattern on her wrist seemed to glow faintly for a moment. "Meeting the princes at the royal palace. That moment will be the branching point for everything." In the game, Mireille's relationship with the princes was consistently one of 'conflict.' Competition among betrothal candidates. But reality might be different. Reality might be more complex, more profound. "That's exactly why——" Mireille smiled. "There's a possibility." By leveraging her advantage of knowing the game's progression, she could read Queen Katarina's conspiracy in advance, win the hearts of Crown Prince Leon and the other princes. She could transform the structure of conflict with the protagonist into one of cooperation. If she did that——there was no way she'd be imprisoned. "I will change this fate." Mireille made her resolve. In that moment, in the small Salyuess estate, a girl's life was beginning anew. Armed with memories from her past life——her greatest and most powerful weapon. Outside, the morning of the royal capital Fonteluche progressed, and in the distance, the white royal palace stood tall. Soon, Mireille would set foot within those walls. Toward the betrothal announcement three months away—— "Today, m