...What do I do?
In the suffocating tension, Elysia held her breath for a moment.
"It's simple, Eli. Choose me."
Valentin seized her left hand, his lips lingering possessively over the pale back of it. His warm breath settled against her skin as though branding it, while his half-lidded eyes lazily ensnared her gaze.
"You wanted me from the very beginning. So..."
Though Valentin spoke with complete certainty, there was an unmistakable trace of impatience beneath it, as if anxiety was beginning to eat away at him.
"There's only one answer. Choose me."
Just then, a rough grip tightened around her other hand like a rope, drawing Elysia's eyes to the right.
"No. Don't go."
It was Tristan.
"If you leave... I'll die."
His low growl sounded like the warning of a beast defending its territory. His lips pressed against her palm as though he intended to bite it, and the darkness swirling in his eyes billowed like smoke.
"I'm only saying this once, so listen carefully, Eli. I will never give you up either."
With both hands held captive by the two men, Elysia was being forced to choose between them.
But she couldn't bring herself to decide.
Because...
[!] Game Rule
If you want to survive, you have to two-time them.
She was trapped inside a ridiculous romance game where that absurd rule governed everything, and if nothing else, she wanted to avoid the death endings.
[System]
<Triangle Trap: Two or Die>
Starting the game.
#1
It seemed she'd somehow transmigrated.
She didn't want to believe it, but that was the reality.
Once every day, whenever the translucent System window drifted before her eyes like a ghost, Elysia was forced to remember that bleak truth all over again.
[System]
Welcome, 'Elysia Gray.'
Welcome to <Triangle Trap>.
"...Yeah, I'd rather freeze to death than be welcomed."
Elysia muttered under her breath, turning away from the System window that seemed to mock her.
Her real name was Sia.
For some inexplicable reason, after possessing Elysia Gray, the only thing she still remembered about her former life was her own name. It was as though someone had implanted the game's information directly into her mind—she remembered everything about the game she had entered, but nothing about the life she'd lived before it.
Strange.
Her past no longer mattered.
If she wanted to survive here, then she had no choice but to become Elysia Gray.
Triangle Trap.
Just as the title suggested, it was a twisted love-triangle game where the heroine, Elysia, became ensnared between two men.
Its rules were simple.
[!] Game Rule
Two-time them to survive.
In other words, this was a game where "legally cheating" was not only allowed—it was required.
The justification existed only from the player's perspective.
The male leads, however, felt the exact opposite.
Each of them wanted Elysia Gray all to himself, and neither cared what methods it took to achieve that.
The game had been designed from the start as guilty pleasure entertainment. Morality had never been invited.
Violence.
Obsession.
Betrayal.
Schemes.
Blood.
Lust.
This world was an outrageous train wreck overflowing with all of them.
Naturally, it carried an adults-only rating.
It was terrible for one's mental health. A game this utterly deranged deserved every bit of that red warning label. If it didn't have one, that would have been the real crime.
Sounds fun?
Maybe—when it was just a game.
But once you became Elysia Gray...
Everything changed.
[!] Warning
The moment your sweet deception is exposed,
you must choose one of the two men.
The problem was that no matter whom she chose...
Every route ended in death.
Survival might have been the strongest instinct of all, but dying simply because her double relationship fell apart?
That was just...
Too much.
I'm seriously going to get myself killed for two-timing them. What good are men anyway?
The instant she realized she had become Elysia Gray, her goal became crystal clear.
Survive.
Nothing else mattered.
Ordinary hardships could be overcome through sheer determination.
Unfortunately, those two weren't ordinary hardships.
Either one was dangerous enough to kill her.
So before she ever became entangled with them, she fled into a convent and became a nun, cutting off every possibility at its source.
If she devoted herself to the embrace of Goddess Arne in a place where men could hardly approach...
Then no ridiculous love triangle could ever begin.
[System]
Would you like to start the game?
[ Yes / No ]
No.
She pressed the button without the slightest hesitation.
Immediately, the hollow chime that threatened Elysia's life and peace vanished.
Every single day, she survived simply by closing the System window.
She had no interest in living like a moth blindly throwing itself into brilliant flames.
Even a long, humble life was better.
Life in the convent was difficult, but as the saying went, better to roll around in a dung heap while alive than lie comfortably in the grave.
Hang in there!
Clenching a dry cleaning rag like a solemn vow, Elysia got back to work.
She was cleaning the orphanage attached to the convent while keeping an eye on the children, since they were desperately short on helping hands.
"It's mine!"
"No, it's mine!"
Two children were locked in a tug-of-war over a stuffed rabbit.
"Children, remember? We promised to get along."
There were plenty of other toys.
Why did they always fight over just one?
The poor rabbit dangled helplessly in midair as each child pulled on one of its arms.
"The rabbit looks like it's hurting. What if one of its arms comes off?"
She tried gently talking them down.
Neither child listened.
"Let go of the rabbit!"
"No! You let go!"
"You little...!"
It looked like they were about to start wrestling.
Time for the mediator to step in.
"All right, that's enough. Hand me the rabbit."
"..."
"..."
"Ahem. Come on."
When Elysia reached out like a problem solver, both children immediately puffed out their cheeks.
Squatting in front of them with the rabbit hugged to her chest, she looked back and forth between the two.
"How about this? You'll be Rabbit Friend Number One, and you'll be Rabbit Friend Number Two. The three of you can all play together. Nicely. What do you think?"
The children hesitated...
Then both shook their heads.
"No. I want to play with the rabbit all by myself."
"I don't like them either."
Elysia fell silent.
...Right.
She hadn't considered the intense hostility between Rabbit Friend Number One and Rabbit Friend Number Two.
Well then.
***
Time for another approach.
"So you don't want three people? That's perfectly understandable. Then how about this? Playtime lasts an hour, right? Thirty minutes for you, thirty minutes for you. Just the two of you and the rabbit. Fair and cozy."
Shake.
Shake.
Rejected again.
Children really are complicated.
With a quiet sigh, Elysia forced another smile.
"Can you tell me why you don't like that idea? I'll listen carefully first, and then I'll make my decision."
"...I..."
One of the children timidly spoke up first.
"I wanted to play with the rabbit all by myself for the whole hour."
"Me too!"
Little greedy things.
Only now were they finally in agreement.
In that case...
There was only one solution.
"Hold on... Hmm? What was that?"
Pressing the rabbit against her ear as though listening to it speak, Elysia smiled knowingly before delivering her verdict.
"Oh dear, children. The rabbit says it's exhausted from watching you two fight today. It wants to rest by itself for a while."
Bingo.
The judgment was so perfect that both children instantly fell silent.
"Poor rabbit. You had a hard day, didn't you? Come on, let's go take a nice nap."
She tucked the stuffed rabbit into the front pocket of her apron like a baby kangaroo before turning around.
It couldn't be helped.
Not everyone could have what they wanted.
And even the rabbit caught in the middle had the right to say no.
Sorry, kids.
When you fight... neither of you gets it.
[System]
'Elysia Gray.'
Two irresistible men are waiting for you with longing.
Really?
[System]
Start now.
If delayed, this opportunity will expire.
She wasn't interested in that kind of opportunity.
"Goodness... Why is there so much dust in here?"
If she left it like this, the children would breathe it all in.
She'd better wipe everything down properly.
Ignoring the unusually persistent System window urging her to begin, Sia enthusiastically resumed cleaning.
It was time for evening prayers at the convent.
The nuns gathered inside the chapel, offering prayers under the Mother Superior's guidance.
Elysia was among them.
She clasped her hands together and prayed with all her heart.
Please let everything continue peacefully.
She had no grand wishes.
She only wanted a safe, quiet life.
Lost in prayer, Elysia looked up at the statue.
Goddess Arne gazed down upon her with a gentle smile.
At least after entering the convent...
She no longer had to worry about encountering them.
Silently renewing her faith in the goddess, Elysia lowered her head once more.
When the service ended, the Mother Superior stepped onto the platform.
Once today's sermon was over, the day's schedule would finally come to an end.
Strangely enough, she wasn't wearing the reading glasses she always used for her sermon notes.
Did she forget them?
How unusual.
"Everyone."
Instead of beginning her sermon, the Mother Superior spoke solemnly.
"Today, I have an important announcement. By order of the Church, we will be hosting guests here for some time. Please welcome them with the respect they deserve."
The moment Elysia saw the guests who stepped onto the platform...
She froze in horror.
"Our High Priest, Valentin de Arcane."
No way.
Why are you a priest?
At this very moment, he should have been in the capital, the cold-blooded heir to a ducal house who cared for nothing except his own interests.
"And the Commander of the Holy Knights, Tristan Loch."
Why are you a Holy Knight?
He should have been slaughtering enemies without hesitation on the frontier as the infamous butcher of an elite military force.
Neither of them belonged in a holy place like this.
Then why...
[System]
Congratulations!
The strategy targets have found you.
For a brief moment...
Elysia forgot how to breathe.
Because the two most blasphemous men in the world—
The elegant cold-blooded monster and the bloodthirsty killer—
stood side by side before the statue of the goddess...
Staring directly at her.