Chapter 1 Transmigrated as the Vicious Villainess
“Why tear apart the female lead and the second male lead? Because the Fabled Four killed Riley Donovan. The female lead would never be happy again. Is that what you wanted to see? You never truly loved the female lead in your own story.”
[Report successful. The author invites you into the game. Your role: Rowena Blair, the villainess in The Elite Academy’s Fabled Four Forces Their Love on Me.]
[Complete the Side Mission: Survive to unlock the main mission.]
“Huh? What’s all this talk about side missions and main missions?”
Everything around her plunged into darkness as soon as she finished asking.
Aether Blair thought she was dreaming. She rubbed her eyes, trying to wake herself up. But when she opened them again, she found herself in what looked like an abandoned factory.
Standing before her was a defiant yet beautiful young woman, though she didn’t look in good shape. Glancing down, Aether finally noticed the dagger in her own hand. Its blade buried deep in the young woman’s abdomen, blood gushing nonstop.
Horrified, Aether let go. The young woman collapsed to the ground, her face deathly pale. She looked pitiful, to say the least.
Aether panicked, her mind in a mess. She crouched in front of Gloria Anderson and stammered nervously, “I-I don’t even know why I stabbed you, b-but don’t be scared! I’ll call for an ambulance right now. Just h-hold on a little longer. Please don’t scare me like this.”
Aether rummaged through a designer bag on the table, searching for a phone. Once she found it, she turned to Gloria. “What’s your passcode?”
Before Gloria could answer, Aether glanced at the phone again, only to see that it had already unlocked automatically through facial recognition.
“Huh? That actually worked?” Aether thought to herself. Confused but with no time to question it, she hurriedly called for an ambulance.
But before she could make the call, a gunshot rang out with a bang, and a bullet struck her temple. She immediately lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.
Aether was dead.
[Killed by the male lead, Neil Hubbard. The survival mission failed. Time rewinds 30 minutes. Reloading save.]
When Aether opened her eyes again, she was back in the same place. The dagger was still in her hand, but this time, it hadn’t yet been plunged into Gloria’s abdomen.
She immediately threw the dagger aside and grabbed Gloria’s hand. “It’s too dangerous here. I’m getting you out of here.”
She tried to pull Gloria away, but the latter yanked her hand back. “Rowena, where are you taking me? Just what the heck are you trying to do this time?”
Aether froze on the spot, thinking she must have misheard. “W-What did you just call me?”
Gloria stared at her like she was a stranger and repeated, “Rowena.”
“But isn’t Rowena the villainess in that novel?” Aether was utterly dumbfounded. “You must have the wrong person. My name is Aether.”
Gloria frowned in confusion. “What are you trying to pull this time? You’re the one who abducted me and brought me here, yet you’re telling me that I’ve got the wrong person?”
“Abduct?”
Then it hit Aether. The mechanical voice’s words echoed in her mind. “Your role: Rowena Blair, the villainess in The Elite Academy’s Fabled Four Forces Their Love on Me.”
But before she could piece together everything that had just happened, an unfamiliar man’s voice suddenly rang out from not far away.
Wesley Grant had already raised his gun, aiming it directly at her. “Rowena Blair, how dare you kidnap Gloria and bring her here! Do you want a death wish or something?”
Aether turned to look at the newcomer.
A gunshot echoed, and the bullet struck her forehead. She collapsed once again, dead.
[Killed by the male lead, Wesley Grant. The survival mission failed. Time rewinds 30 minutes. Reloading save.]
Everything finally clicked into place the third time Aether opened her eyes.
The first two men who had killed her were members of the Fabled Four. She had transmigrated into the novel titled “The Elite Academy’s Fabled Four Forces Their Love on Me” as none other than the villainess, Rowena Blair. And the young woman she’d abducted was the female lead, Gloria Anderson.
Judging by the timeline, this was near the end of the story.
Before the finale, Rowena—driven by love turned to hate—had planned to kill Gloria. Her goal was to sever the Fabled Four’s obsession with Gloria with the hope of taking her place.
But her plan was ultimately exposed. Once the Fabled Four found her, they shot her on the spot until she was riddled with bullets. Then, they locked Gloria away and subjected her to their twisted affections. That was the novel’s ending.
The good news was that Rowena was the daughter of the wealthiest family in the country. The bad news was that the story was almost over. She was now a disgraced socialite with the Fabled Four’s hatred for her maxed out. In other words, she was doomed to die.
However, Aether didn’t have time to panic. She recalled the system’s notifications: “Complete the Side Mission: Survive to unlock the main mission.”
So first, she had to survive, then figure out how to talk to that mysterious voice.
She grabbed her bag and prepared to make a run for it. But just before leaving, she said to Gloria, “Gloria, don’t be afraid, and don’t wander off. The Fabled Four will definitely come to save you. I’m really sorry for abducting you, but it isn’t safe for me to be here anymore. So I’ll be taking my leave now.”
Gripping her bag, Aether thought only of escape. But the area outside the abandoned factory seemed to be completely surrounded by the Fabled Four. As she tried to escape, she ran straight into yet another member of the Fabled Four.
The third gunshot pierced her heart. As she collapsed, she faintly heard the man say, “I didn’t want to kill you, but you just had to lay a hand on my precious Gloria, didn’t you?”
Aether was dead for the third time.
[Killed by the male lead, Zachary Conner. The survival mission failed. Time rewinds 30 minutes. Reloading save.]
When Aether opened her eyes again, she was still in that same abandoned factory. She was on the verge of breaking down.
Running wasn’t an option, but neither was staying put. The moment the Fabled Four saw her, they’d kill her on sight. At this rate, whether she tried to escape or not, it was only a matter of time before they found her and finished her off.
Aether shifted her gaze to Gloria, who was sweating nervously.
Noticing this, Aether moved closer. “Don’t be scared. I won’t hurt you.”
Then, she untied Gloria. “There. You’re free. Go find them.”
Gloria immediately sprinted away.
Aether watched her leave, thinking that maybe once the Fabled Four found Gloria, they would forget about her.
But she was way too naive.
The Fabled Four had split up. Even if one of them found Gloria, the other three would keep searching. And if they saw Aether, they would shoot on sight.
Just like now.
Aether heard heavy footsteps approaching. They were the exact same footsteps she had heard right before being shot last time. They belonged to a man.
Terrified of dying, Aether grabbed her bag and leaped out the window. Then, she ran for her life.
But she didn’t get too far before ducking behind a tree. As she dug into her bag for her phone to call the police, she saw a pair of scissors inside.
An idea struck her instantly. If she changed her appearance, would the Fabled Four still recognize her? And if they didn’t, would they still want her dead?
A new identity meant survival. After all, calling the police was risky. The Fabled Four had enough power to have her killed in prison. She couldn’t afford to act so recklessly.
So she made up her mind to disguise herself as a man. She would hide her identity as the villainess and do whatever it took to stay alive!
