How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game Chapter 2: Meeting Her

How should I begin this story?

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The moment consciousness returned to me in this strange land, I felt as if my previous life had been permanently severed.

The transition was far from graceful; it was a violent descent into the abyss.

I woke up trapped beneath the dark, stagnant waters of a massive lake located near our family estate.

As I fought to reach the air, a crushing realization struck me: I was drowning, both physically and metaphorically.

Every effort to swim upward proved useless.

My limbs felt heavy and uncoordinated, devoid of the necessary strength to fight the current. It was a living nightmare, and I was unable to escape the suffocating grip of the depths.

The following day, the harsh truth of my new existence became clear. Panic-stricken voices swirled around me.

"Good heavens, he's regained consciousness!" someone shouted, their cry lost in a flurry of calls for a physician.

The surrounding chaos was a brutal reminder of how distant I was from the life I once knew.

In the middle of the turmoil, an old man stood by my bed, speaking a tongue I couldn't identify. Even without understanding the words, the palpable excitement in the room was obvious.

"Oho, that's my grandson for you! HAHAHA!"

The man was incredibly animated, his face beaming with pure delight.

Though his speech was foreign, I found myself perceiving his meaning on a instinctive level—a small mercy amidst my confusion.

I was only six years old at the time.

It took roughly four years for me to fully accept this new reality—this fresh start and total reset.

During that four-year span, I put in a genuine effort to connect with those around me, from my new parents to the comforting walls of our residence.

Then there was my new identity: Riley Hell. I felt a mix of hatred and acceptance for the name, a title that seemed to anchor me to this bizarre life.

But what other choice was there? One morning I simply existed as Riley, without any explanation.

I might as well make the best of it.

Possessing knowledge of the future that awaited this child—a path filled with agony and sorrow—I vowed to avoid that destiny at all costs.

'If I just fade into the background and live quietly, won't I be safe?'

Our home was a quaint county on the empire's periphery, humble despite its noble status.

Unlike the wealthy aristocrats near the capital who were draped in luxury, our region found peace in simplicity, sustained by fertile soil and modest farms. Though the population was small, the genuine warmth and constant smiles of the people made it feel like home.

In the original game's lore, this place was barely a footnote, a hidden sanctuary far from the main plot.

In this isolated paradise, dungeons and monsters were nothing more than myths, completely absent from our calm lives.

This peace was maintained by the formidable protection of Grand Duke Luther Heavens—a name that inspired both awe and terror.

However, it wasn't just his power that unsettled me; it was his family name that made my blood run cold.

"Heavens"... a name I couldn't help but fear, knowing exactly what it signified.

Deep in my memories, that name was tied to a terrifying figure: Liyana Heavens, the Duke's only daughter, the villainess, and the ultimate boss of this world.

She was destined to trigger the apocalypse, and by some cruel twist of fate, she was also meant to be my future lover—a lover who would ruthlessly end my life the moment she fell for the game's protagonist.

The thought of our linked fates made me sick, yet I tried to hide my dread behind a mask of apathy. I hoped there was some logical reason for our engagement that I simply hadn't grasped yet.

The game itself provided very little data regarding the relationship between Riley and Liyana.

To the few people who actually played the game, the reasons behind their betrothal remained a mystery with no background information provided.

Riley was nothing more than a disposable pawn—a minor character used only to demonstrate Liyana's terrifying power and yandere traits.

I could still vividly recall the death scenes my current self had suffered at the hands of that unstable woman in the game's CGs.

Now, I was the one inhabiting that disposable role, forced to face the grim reality of this new world.

That was why I did everything in my power to ensure I never met that cursed woman.

Since my family's status was so low, the chances of interacting with a Ducal house seemed virtually impossible, right?

For four years, until I turned ten, I worked hard to keep things status quo in our county.

My humble family was satisfied with our modest income and our simple dairy business.

Everything appeared to be going perfectly—I intended to stay within the safety of our borders, protected from the chaos of the outside world.

But looking back, I see how naive that plan was. Fate is a cruel designer, weaving threads that were far beyond my influence.

Global events happening outside our county were like whispers on the wind, out of my reach and beyond my control.

There were certain wheels in motion that I could never hope to stop, no matter how hard I tried.

Then came the day of reckoning: my tenth birthday. It was the day my carefully built illusions were shattered.

On that day, a girl of such radiant, ethereal beauty that she seemed divine appeared at my celebration.

"Riley, I'd like you to meet Liyana," the introduction sounded like a funeral bell in my ears.

That was our first encounter... and it remains my greatest regret to this day.

Haha... I still find it hard to believe.

I was so obsessed with the future that I failed to pay attention to the present or investigate the past.

How could I have known that the Duke and my father had been brothers-in-arms all along?

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Riley."

"Y-yeah..."

"Hohoho, you two make a fine pair. What do you think, Riley? Ready to show this young lady some affection?" My grandfather’s mocking tone set my teeth on edge, making the atmosphere even more suffocating.

Being teased about her was bad enough, but his words made my skin crawl with discomfort.

"Be quiet, old man!!!"

"HAHAHA!"

"Please forgive him, young lady. My grandfather simply enjoys pestering me," I said, offering a formal bow of apology.

Despite the sheer terror I felt toward her, I forced myself to maintain a polite facade.

After all, the girl standing there now was still technically innocent, wasn't she?

She gave a simple nod, her eyes never leaving mine as she observed me with intense focus.

"You aren't frightened of me?" she asked, tilting her head with a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Why would I be?" I answered, trying to hide my trembling with a layer of fake indifference.

In reality, I was paralyzed with fear for a thousand different reasons.

She let out a soft chuckle, a beautiful sound that made my spine shiver. In hindsight, that day was the spark that caused our paths to collide and entwine.

I don't remember much of what happened after that first meeting, but from then on, Liyana began visiting our county frequently—specifically to see me.

Initially, her visits seemed harmless—just two kids playing. But as time went on, the weight of the situation began to sink in. Her constant presence was a shadow hanging over me, a grim reminder of the fate we both shared.

With every passing day, the pressure of my circumstances grew, suffocating me with the knowledge of the future.

It was then that I truly grasped the hopelessness of my situation, and the realization hit me with full force—I was completely screwed.

Before I realized it, three years had vanished, and Liyana and I had become inseparable friends.

By being near her, I saw layers of her character that didn't exist in the game—a reality that went far beyond the pixels I remembered.

Spending time with her caused my heart to soften, even if just for a moment. The thought that I might be able to change her started to grow in my mind.

The real Liyana seemed so different from the game's version. I told myself there had to be a reason for such a radical personality shift. Despite being thirteen—with the nineteen years of knowledge from my past life—I clung to the foolish hope that I could rewrite her destiny.

It was a delusion born of hope, the hope that I could rescue her from the darkness that waited for her.

But then, on a bleak day covered in storm clouds and heavy rain, reality struck like a bolt of lightning.

In the middle of that downpour, I witnessed something that destroyed all my illusions—a sight that exposed the true nature of the girl I had started to care for.

I watched her consume one of my friends... who was just another innocent girl our age.

Hearing the rustle of the leaves beneath my feet, Liyana turned her head toward me.

"Oh, Riley, you've arrived... did you happen to see anything?"

Her voice cut through the silence, dragging me back to the horrific present.

"No....."

My reply was barely audible.

"Is that so? Then shall we go?"

"...Yeah."

The casual way she behaved made my stomach turn with revulsion... and from the look in her eyes, I knew she was perfectly aware that I had seen everything.