Fortunately, Mimi had a lot of experience being the protagonist, so she knew exactly where Iliana would be that evening. Unfortunately, confronting her would be like walking into a den of wolves if she was unprepared.

  Mimi glanced at the ticking timebomb in the upper right hand corner of her vision. Every second that ticked away from the countdown was like a spike of anxiety piercing her heart.

  [ SYSTEM: 9:19:23:17 ]

  [ SYSTEM: 9:19:23:16 ]

  [ SYSTEM: 9:19:23:15 ]

  There was no time to waste. If she wanted to see a speedy resolution, encountering Iliana was inevitable. Hopefully, she could use the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. As for the third pesky bird…

  Ant was still reclined on the bed beside her, his long legs stretched out over the covers and his arms resting behind his head leisurely. His head was tipped back and his eyes were closed, but as if sensing Mimi’s persistent gaze, they slowly cracked open. Mimi’s own red eyes peered intently into warm gold.

  “What?” he questioned irritably. The unspoken question being, Why are you suddenly staring at me?

  Mimi didn’t answer him. Instead, she tossed the covers off and pushed herself out of bed. Whatever miracle drug Eris concocted seemed to be doing its job, and she felt much better. Only a dull ache lingered in the back of her head, but it was now faint enough to ignore. Mimi strode over to a large wooden desk where she bent over and began scribbling something onto a piece of paper.

  Ant frowned at being ignored, finally sitting upright. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m writing down my current symptoms and side effects and reporting on my condition like Eris requested,” Mimi replied without looking up.

  Ant scoffed. “It’s only been a few minutes. Is that inefficient pill the doctor cooked up really so effective?”

  That caused Mimi to finally pause her writing. “Inefficient?”

  Ant didn’t seem to notice her reaction. “That pill worked well on you, but the reason is likely due to your increased healing ability. That probably expedited the effectiveness of the drug. On the average person, it wouldn’t work so well. I don’t know why that crazy doctor didn’t consider such a possibility when he asked you to be his test subject,” Ant said. He tried to appear nonchalant but Mimi could hear the thinly-veiled pride and mockery in his tone.

  The Eris that Mimi knew from the game was incredibly smart, probably more so than any other character. Whether Iliana or a love interest suffered from a mysterious illness, a plague, poison, or even some kind of magical affliction, the man was always able to come up with a cure and save the day. There was no way the doctor was unaware of the potential problem that Ant had pointed out. However, Mimi chose to humor him.

  She looked up from the paper she had been scribbling on with a sly smirk.

  “You really do know a lot about medicine, don’t you?”

  Ant’s body tensed like he had been caught, but he quickly relaxed as though nothing happened. “I only know a bit about the process of making medicine. I’m not a physician by any means,” he grumbled.

  Mimi hummed and tapped the fountain pen to her chin in thought. “But you said the pill was inefficient. Does that mean you know of a more effective way to make the medicine?”

  “Possibly. But since it has to do with people’s souls, I can’t be sure. I would need to test it, but I have a pretty good theory…” Ant quickly trailed off as though he realized he was getting carried away.

  “What is it?” Mimi asked him seriously.

  Ant sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. “No, forget it. It’s too much of a hassle, and it has nothing to do with me anyway. Why should I care what happens to those people?” Then, he laid back down and closed his eyes.

  Ah, I shouldn’t have expected such a selfish creature to suddenly have empathy. Whatever it is, it’s affecting me too, you jerk!

  “How about this,” Mimi proposed. “The doctor is helping us out by looking for information, so we are just returning the favor.”

  “Aren’t you already returning the favor by volunteering to be his test subject?” the snake countered.

  “Maybe.” Mimi shrugged. “But like you pointed out, it isn’t exactly a fair trade due to my ability. However, I know that this whole conundrum has been driving him crazy. If we help Eris figure it out, he could owe us an even bigger favor in the future.”

  As she spoke, her trademark eerie smile crept onto her face. “It wouldn’t be so bad to have the palace’s head physician on our side,” she concluded.

  A few moments of silence passed as Ant seemed to consider her words. Ultimately, he relented, opening his eyes and staring at the canopy above him.

  “A flower,” he finally spoke again.

  “Hm?”

  “There’s a special type of healing flower with ties to the spiritual realm. It could be effective in healing afflictions of the soul,” he admitted.

  “It isn’t a myth?” Mimi asked in surprise.

  Truthfully, she had heard of such a flower. She just didn’t think that it actually existed. It was mentioned in one of the other routes of the game, but no matter how hard Iliana searched, she was never able to find it, resulting in a bad end. She, like everyone else in the story, concluded that the flower was a myth meant only to give people false hope. Mimi never expected the flower to not only be real, but also that Ant was familiar with it. Was it due to his snake spirit heritage?

  “It’s real,” Ant said with certainty. “I’ve seen it.”

  “Where can we find it?” Mimi asked.

  “Many of the spirits in this land are selfish,” Ant explained. His tone had become slightly bitter. “They hide it away from anyone they deem unworthy, and to them that includes most humans.”

  “Does that apply to you as well?”

  Ant turned to look at her, staring deep into Mimi’s eyes. She held his gaze firmly, even though the intensity of it sucked the air out of her lungs. Those golden irises had never looked so stormy. After a moment, the storm seemed to pass and Ant finally looked away, speaking softly.

  “I can get it.”

  Mimi sighed with relief, though she felt a bit guilty as she turned to finish writing her letter. She knew that she didn’t actually need the flower. The system update in a couple of days would likely remove the bug from every character’s data. But still, she was tricking Ant into going and getting it.

  That was for two reasons. One was that she needed to send Ant away for a bit. That way, she would be free to meet with Iliana without raising any suspicions from him. The other reason was that she wanted the flower for herself. She didn’t know what she would encounter leading up to the final countdown. Mimi would be putting herself in danger by outwardly playing the villain like never before.

  From what she knew about the flower, its healing properties were amazing. If she combined that with her own innate healing ability, she would be nearly invincible as long as she didn’t sustain any immediately fatal injuries. If it was like Ant said and the flower was also capable of healing spiritual injuries, maybe it even had the power to override the system to some degree. There was a chance it could be used as her failsafe if she didn’t succeed her mission! Even if it was only a small chance, she had to take it.

  With a newfound vigor, Mimi sealed up her completed letter and walked over to the wardrobe. She rummaged around for a while before she found what she was looking for. It was a wine red dress with a tulle skirt, embroidered with golden flowers. This was the signature dress of Nemesis Cain, the one she wore most often in the game. Of course, that included the day she tried to kill Iliana Callista for good. Mimi also took out the matching golden flower hair pin.

  “Going somewhere?” Ant questioned, already getting off the bed.

  “Yes, come help me get ready. I have another lead I want to follow,” Mimi directed.

  As though he were used to it, Ant came over and helped her into the extravagant gown before doing up the lacing in the back for her. Since Nemesis was technically on house arrest, all of her maids had been taken away. Only one servant dropped by every few hours to deliver things like meals and tea, but everything else she was left to do on her own.

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  The fancy dresses Nemesis wore were beautiful but they were meant to be put on with the help of another person, as were most clothes of the nobility. Mimi wasn’t sure what kind of humiliation they were expecting her to endure by having to put them on herself. They all probably assumed she wouldn’t be able to and would be forced to roam the palace looking sloppy and improperly dressed. Little did they know that the villainess’s pet snake could be quite useful.

  Initially, Mimi didn’t expect Ant to be very helpful with such tasks since he was extremely isolated for most of his life. To her surprise, after seeing Mimi struggle to put on the beautiful gold and white gown that morning, he stepped up and secured it in place for her without a word. She hadn’t commented on it and neither had he. They just fell into a strange but comfortable routine.

  Mimi didn’t feel that it was odd since they both had feelings for other people anyway. Ant’s concept of social customs weren’t as rigid as those who grew up in the palace, so he wasn’t flustered by things like partial nudity. The important bits were still covered, so it wasn’t a big deal to them.

  After she finished pulling half of her long hair up, Ant slid the golden hairpin into place. Mimi gazed at his blank expression in the mirror as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Then, she turned to face him head on. Mimi was still seated at the vanity and had to crane her neck to look up at him. She held up a white envelope with a red wax seal.

  “While I’m gone, I want you to deliver this letter to Eris and then go look for the flower,” she told him.

  He raised a questioning brow. “You want to split up?”

  “For the sake of efficiency,” she said, though it was far from the whole truth.

  Ant frowned. “Fine.” Then, he hesitated. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

  Mimi smiled at him, and he huffed out a disbelieving laugh. “Who do you think I am?” she asked in a sickly sweet tone.

  “Before you go…” the man murmured, trailing off. Before Mimi could ask what he wanted to say, he gently licked his thumb and then grabbed her chin, tilting it further up. He softly rubbed at the skin there for a few moments before letting go. “You had a mark from the pen,” he explained at her bewildered expression.

  “R-right…” Mimi replied in a daze, not knowing what to say. A second later, she seemed to snap out of it. “Thanks.”

  Ant just shook his head before slowly transforming into a snake. It was slightly smaller than the size he usually was when presenting as her pet. She supposed it made it easier to get around that way. Mimi took a ribbon from her vanity and fastened the letter to Ant’s neck. Naturally, he would be delivering it as a snake. The man still refused to set foot outside of the room as a human. For now, it was probably for the best anyway.

  After he slithered out the window, Mimi let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding and looked in the mirror one last time in determination. The fierce, blood-red eyes gazed back at her, lifting at the corners in a sinister smile. In that moment, she looked exactly like the Nemesis Cain from the game.

  “Let’s do this.”

  –

  When the doors to the banquet hall creaked open, all conversation in the room immediately died. The silence permeating the air was heavy as all heads looked to the door in shock. Several people seated around the long table felt their jaws drop. A nervous servant took two steps into the room and bowed, their voice shaking as they weakly announced the person’s arrival.

  “A-announcing the arrival of L-lady Cain,” the servant squeaked out before scurrying away.

  Dimitri was the first to stand up, slamming his hand down on the table in anger causing it to shake. “She’s not a Lady anymore,” he coldly reminded the room. “What do you think you’re doing, Nemesis?”

  “What am I doing?” the woman strode in with confidence, stopping before the end of the table. “Am I not allowed to dine together with everyone like we used to?”

  The next second, she turned to bow at the person at the other end, seated at the head of the table. The man had remained sitting calmly, watching her with a curious gaze. His hair had begun to grey at the sides, but his face still contained traces of his youth, handsome and regal in appearance.

  “Your Majesty,” Nemesis greeted.

  “Nemesis.” The Emperor spoke fondly, much to the chagrin of everyone else at the table. He even called her by her first name like he had when she was growing up alongside his son. “How nice of you to join us. Please, have a seat.”

  There was one empty chair towards the end of the table, closest to the empty chair of the Empress. The Empress’s chair sat unoccupied at the opposite end of the Emperor, but no one would dare to sit in such a place. The Empress was sick and often too unwell to join her family for dinner, but the rest of the royal family clustered around the opulent table in her absence, always leaving a place for her.

  Beside the Emperor was the Empress Dowager, and across from her was Dimitri’s older sister. Next to her were the younger twins, another younger brother, and then finally Dimitri. Normally, being the Crown Prince, Dimitri would be seated by his father’s side where his older sister currently sat. However, there was a reason he wasn’t currently sitting there, and it was because Nemesis wasn’t the only guest that evening.

  The atmosphere had become extremely tense, and Nemesis even noticed Arius, currently on duty and standing in a far corner of the room, slightly move his hand to rest on the hilt of his sword. She made eye contact with him and winked. The head knight only frowned in response.

  Dimitri had yet to sit down, still furious at Nemesis’s bold act of crashing the royal family’s dinner. If it were the past, she would have been welcome with open arms. But now, only the Emperor dared to greet her. Though they were silent, all of Dimitri’s siblings also eyed her warily. Nemesis acted as though she couldn’t see any of it, casually taking a seat in the empty chair across from the only other non-family member at the meal: Iliana Callista.

  Iliana was a customizable character in the game, so Mimi originally wasn’t sure what she was going to look like. However, she recognized the protagonist right away. After all, Iliana’s current appearance was the very one Mimi had used in her last save file of Dimitri’s Bad End! Her hair was dark brown tied in two long pigtails. Shorter pieces on either side framed her delicate and round face, and a few light freckles dusted her cheeks beneath wide silver-blue eyes. She was the perfect picture of pure and pretty innocence, the total opposite of Nemesis.

  Iliana was currently sitting next to Dimitri with a dark look on her face, though she didn’t dare to cause a scene. After all, the Emperor himself had invited the woman to sit at the table. A servant nervously set the place in front of Nemesis, and the villainess chuckled at the way their hands trembled as they placed down the silverware. As soon as they were done, they sped away like they couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

  “Father, you can’t-”

  “Dimitri, sit down,” the Emperor interrupted his son, expression turning sour. “Nemesis is a guest. I am allowing her to be here, and she wouldn’t dare cause harm in my presence. Are you going to disobey me?”

  The Crown Prince clenched his teeth and sat back down without another word. Nemesis noticed Iliana shoot him a disbelieving glance, but the protagonist quickly schooled her expression when she saw the villainess looking. Nemesis just smiled at her.

  The awkward atmosphere lingered for a while longer until the servants began to bring out the food. Among the delicious dishes being placed before them, Dimitri’s younger twin siblings, Phocus and Phoebe, seemed to finally relax and began chatting excitedly. After some of the attention was diverted away, Nemesis smirked to herself.

  Beneath the table, one leg stretched out and lightly grazed the calf of the person across from her. Iliana immediately sat up straight and frowned as she jerked her leg back, causing Dimitri to look at her in concern. “Are you alright?” he asked quietly.

  When he turned and saw Nemesis’s serene expression, he couldn’t help becoming annoyed. “What are you up to?”

  “I haven’t done anything,” Nemesis defended, slowly cutting into a piece of chicken. She looked at Iliana, continuing to carve with her knife without a care. “It’s been a while, Iliana.”

  Iliana frowned and ignored her. Nemesis tsked. That wouldn’t do.

  I can’t have the protagonist taking the high road.

  “I saw Dimitri pretty often,” Nemesis continued, “but it’s too bad we didn’t have the chance to see each other much while I was locked up.”

  She spoke like it was no big deal, but she didn’t miss the look of surprise on Iliana’s face. The protagonist quickly looked at Dimitri, who avoided her gaze. Rather, he chose to glare at Nemesis instead.

  Aha, so it wasn’t just in the game. Iliana really didn’t know Dimitri was visiting Nemesis all that time. Why would the developer hide that storyline?

  “Nemesis, what are you trying to do?” Dimitri snapped, though he was deliberately keeping his voice low enough to not be heard by the others.

  Nemesis shrugged helplessly. “I’m just making conversation. By the way, I never thanked you for the warm clothes. I suppose I owe you one.”

  Iliana couldn’t hold back anymore and asked Dimitri directly. “What is she talking about?”

  The Crown Prince laughed uncomfortably. “Isn’t it natural to check on a prisoner once in a while?”

  The protagonist’s frown deepened and she took on a thoughtful expression. A moment later, she stood up. The abrupt sound of her chair scraping the floor drew the attention of everyone at the table, but Iliana looked calm. She turned to the Emperor and bowed.

  “If you’ll excuse me, Your Majesty. I’m not feeling well.”

  The Emperor dismissed her with a wave of his hand. “Not a problem, my dear. Go get some rest. If you feel unwell later then go visit the infirmary.”

  Iliana nodded and turned to leave. The pleasant conversation at the table resumed, but Dimitri remained glaring daggers at Nemesis throughout. However, the villainess remained aloof, even chiming in here and there. At first, the others weren’t very receptive to her contributions, but they quickly got used to it. They had grown up with Nemesis’s presence, after all. It didn’t feel entirely out of place, and soon everyone seemed to forget that she was now an attempted murderer.

  After a few more minutes passed, Nemesis also excused herself, citing her nightly curfew that was part of her house arrest. As she stood, she didn’t miss Dimitri’s ever-present gaze. He mouthed something to her, and she just barely made it out. It seemed to be, “You are up to something”. Nemesis just smiled coldly at him and left the banquet hall.

  On the way back to her room, Nemesis was abruptly pulled into a side corridor and pressed against the wall. The villainess wasn’t panicked at all, as though she had been expecting it. Her lips curved up at the sight of the person cornering her.

  “What blackmail do you have against the Emperor?”

  Iliana got straight to the point. The protagonist of Love in the Kingdom of Darkness was not a pushover by any means. She might have looked innocent and demure, but that was how the player, in this case Mimi, wanted her to appear. Her personality, however, was very headstrong and inquisitive, not afraid to push boundaries when necessary. Otherwise, how would she have the courage to tangle with so many high-ranking and dangerous characters and even enter into a relationship with some of them?

  Mimi knew that if she provoked Iliana enough, the other would grow curious enough to confront her. She had planted the seeds of doubt throughout dinner, and they were already quickly bearing fruit.

  Nemesis laughed and stood up straight, removing Iliana’s hand on her. Nemesis was a few inches taller and peered down at the protagonist, but Iliana didn’t waver.

  “That’s something I would also like to know,” Nemesis answered honestly.

  The answer caught the other girl off-guard. “Huh?”

  “Isn’t it odd?” Nemesis questioned. She spoke as though they were talking about someone else. “I committed terrible crimes against the Crown Prince’s fiancée and here I am, practically roaming free. Why is that?”

  Iliana scowled, but it wasn’t very intimidating on her pleasant face. “That’s what I’m asking you.”

  “And I’m asking you in return. I also don’t know the reason,” Nemesis told her.

  “You expect me to believe that?”

  A pair of footsteps was approaching down the main hall, so Iliana pulled Nemesis deeper into the darkened side corridor. There, the two of them were completely cloaked in shadow.

  “Believe what you want, it doesn’t matter to me,” Nemesis said. Her eyes were practically glowing red in the dim light. “But I can see that you want to know, so I invite you to go ahead and find out.”

  Iliana was clearly skeptical, as if she knew the other was up to something but didn’t know what. Nemesis couldn’t blame her. The villain just invited the protagonist to pry into her secrets like it was no big deal. But if anyone had a shot at figuring it out, it was Iliana. The powers of a main character were not to be underestimated. Whether Iliana believed what Nemesis was saying or not didn’t matter. Her curiosity had been peaked, and she would want to look into it either way.

  “What’s your goal?” Iliana asked. Always so straightforward.

  “I already told you. What kind of leverage could I possibly have? You might want to look into it. That is… unless you want to keep seeing me more often.” Nemesis smiled.

  “Is that a threat?” Iliana scoffed.

  “Only if you find my presence threatening,” the villainess answered. Iliana looked at her like she was crazy. Her eyes were basically saying, “Of course I do, you maniac!”

  Nemesis turned to leave before pausing. “Oh, and one more thing.” She looked back at Iliana, suddenly using her height to loom over the other girl. The protagonist strained to maintain eye contact with a grimace.

  “From my point of view, you swooped in and took away my fiancée. The whole kingdom might think differently, but to me, that makes you the villain. If you continue to get in my way, I’ll finish the job from last time.”

  She continued to step forward, and with each step, Iliana moved back until she was pressed against the wall. The entire time, Nemesis was smiling.

  “If you want to be rid of me, you better work quickly.” Then, she took a step back and paused before laughing. Iliana had no idea what the lunatic was laughing at. There was no way for her to know it was because of the incessant notifications from the system. Since the start of the conversation, they had been going off practically nonstop. As Nemesis turned to walk away, she threw one last wink over her shoulder at the disgruntled protagonist.

  "See you at breakfast.”