VIVIAN
The spirit stone is gone. Its essence left and turned to dust.
Vivian’s eyes widened.
"What the hell?"
Vivian closed her eyes to feel her consciousness.
The strange lotus was still floating in the darkness.
One of its petals had appeared.
A beautiful, translucent petal glowed with faint azure light.
Vivian stared at it in confusion.
"What the hell is this?"
She reached toward it.
The moment her finger touched the petal..
A wave of energy rushed through her consciousness.
Vivian immediately opened her eyes.
"What kind of strange power is this?"
She was getting frustrated.
Nobody had explained anything. There was no system.
No tutorial. No mysterious voice.
Not even a single instruction.
"Can someone please explain what’s happening to me?"
She angrily kicked the wall, pouring all anger in it.
BOOM!
Vivian froze.
A tiny crack appeared on the wall.
"..."
She slowly looked at her foot.
Then at the wall.
"That wasn’t supposed to happen."
CRACK!
The ceiling trembled.
The chandelier above her head suddenly swung violently.
Vivian’s eyes widened.
"Wait..."
The entire room shook violently like an earthquake.The chandelier fell.
"AHHH!"
Vivian screamed her lungs out and rushed toward the door.
The wall behind her cracked from the ceiling to the floor.
Then...the entire section of the wall collapsed.
Vivian ran out of the room carrying Robot Ninety-Nine under one arm.
With her other hand, she grabbed Arin.
"RUN!"
"Miss, what’s happening?!"
"I DON’T KNOW!"
They sprinted out of the house.
Behind them..
Another wall collapsed.
Then another. The beautiful mansion trembled violently.
Within seconds, cracks spread across the entire building.
Vivian and Arin reached the courtyard.
They turned around.
Both of them stared in horror.
The mansion...Was collapsing.
The roof crashed down. The walls crumbled.
The windows shattered. Dust and debris filled the air.
Vivian slowly sat on the ground.
Her face went pale.
"My house..."
Robot Ninety-Nine rolled beside her.
Its little mechanical eyes blinked.
"Why is the house falling?"
"Is this a natural disaster?"
"Should I contact the Environmental Disaster Management Department?"
Vivian suddenly burst into tears.
"My dresses!"
"My pearls!"
"Everything I was going to sell!"
"All gone!"
Robot Ninety-Nine tilted its head.
"Crying will not restore the destroyed items."
Vivian glared at it through her tears.
"You’re supposed to comfort me!"
Robot Ninety-Nine paused.
"Thank you for saving me."
"I thought you would allow me to be destroyed."
Vivian wiped her tears.
"If you get destroyed, do you think I have money to order for you again."
She pointed at the collapsed mansion.
"I’m suing the company that built this house!"
"What kind of fake walls are these?"
"Did they deliberately use cheap building materials?!"
Arin stared at the ruins.
"Miss..."
"What?"
"Unless there was a skyquake..."
"No house should collapse like this."
Vivian scratched her cheek.
"...Really?"
Arin narrowed her eyes.
"What did you do?"
"Nothing."
"You used a machine to destroy the house?."
"It’s a natural disaster, Arin."
Arin sighed. She had given up.
Whatever Vivian had done...
She clearly wasn’t going to admit it.
After a moment, Arin looked around.
"Miss..."
"Where are we sleeping tonight?"
Vivian’s expression froze.
Right. They had no house.
Robot Ninety-Nine suddenly spoke.
"I can contact the Astronova Estate."
"I can request a room for Princess Vivian."
Vivian immediately jumped up.
"No!"
Robot Ninety-Nine stopped.
Vivian hugged herself.
"I don’t want to go back there."
"I’ll lose my mind dealing with those people."
"My blood will boil."
She suddenly remembered how her body had moved against her will.
What if it happened again?
What if she was forced to hurt Elena?
Or her mother?
Vivian shivered.
What if the author is still controlling my fate?
What if I do something even worse next time?
She couldn’t stay there.
She needed someone who knew how this world worked.
Someone powerful enough to protect her.
Vivian suddenly stood.
"I’ve decided."
Arin looked at her.
"Decided what?"
"We’re going to find my father."
Arin’s mouth dropped open.
"Your father?"
"Yes."
"The military border."
Arin stared at her.
"But, Miss..."
"I thought you said you would never see your father again in your life."
Vivian smiled innocently.
"I can’t remember saying that."
Arin closed her eyes.
"...Of course you can’t."
MILITARY BORDERSeveral hours later, Vivian stood before an enormous metallic gate.
The military border wall was long like the Paris tower.
Massive defensive towers rose into the clouds while armored spacecraft hovered above the fortress.
Soldiers patrolled the enormous entrance.
Vivian swallowed.
"Wow."
"This place is huge."
She walked toward the gate with Arin and Robot Ninety-Nine following behind.
The border attendant saw her.
His eyes widened. He immediately rushed forward.
"Princess Vivian!"
He bowed deeply.
Vivian blinked.
They know me?
For some reason, she had expected everyone here to chase her away.
The attendant straightened.
"Are you here to see the General?"
Vivian nodded. "Yes."
The man hesitated. "Are you carrying any weapons?"
Vivian stared at him.
"Weapons?"
"Why would I carry weapons to see my father?"
The attendant’s expression became complicated.
"I’ll inform the General that you’ve arrived."
He hurried inside. Vivian turned toward Arin.
"Why did he think I would carry weapons?"
Arin opened her mouth. Then closed it.
Robot Ninety-Nine rolled toward Vivian and handed her a tablet.
"Princess Vivian."
"Please review this recording."
Vivian pressed the screen. A video appeared.
Her own face filled the screen.
She was standing in the exact same military border.
And in her hand...Was a knife.
Vivian’s mouth slowly opened.
On the recording, the original Vivian was screaming at several soldiers.
"Tell my father to come home!"
"Or I’ll cut myself!"
Vivian’s face turned pale. She quickly covered the screen.
"Oh my God."
Arin stared at her.
"Don’t tell me you forgot that too."
Vivian slowly lowered the tablet.
"I..."
Before she could finish..Two soldiers walked past them.
One glanced at Vivian.
"Isn’t that the famous girl?"
"The one who threatened her father with a knife?"
"Yes."
"I heard she once held a knife to her own neck."
Another soldier lowered his voice.
"Someone told me she even cut her father’s face."
Vivian froze.
Her soul left her body.
"..."
She slowly covered her face.
The novel didn’t mention this!
How many crimes did this woman commit?!
She had thought the original Vivian was simply a misunderstood villainess.
But apparently...She had been a walking disaster.
Vivian wanted to disappear.
Unfortunately, three men were approaching. They were mature, powerful-looking men dressed in military uniforms.
All three stopped when they saw her.
Vivian stared at them.
Which one is my father?
She suddenly realized something horrifying.
She had never seen Vivian’s father before.
What if I hug the wrong man?
That would be humiliating. She glanced at the three men.
Then spread her arms. Closed her eyes.
"The first person who hugs me..."
"...will be my father."
Arin’s face went pale.
"Miss, don’t..."
Vivian ignored her. She opened her arms wider. "Father..."
"I missed you."
"Please forgive me."
Silence. Complete silence. None of the three men moved.
They simply stared at her.
Vivian’s smile slowly disappeared.
One second. Two seconds. Three.
She opened one eye.
The three men were still glaring at her.
"..."
Vivian lowered her arms.
"Okay."
"That didn’t work."
The tallest man stepped forward.
His expression was cold.
Vivian swallowed.
Please don’t tell me this is my father.
Because if it was...
She had just begged the wrong person to hug her.
And judging by his expression...He wasn’t amused.