Reincarnated as the Villainess’s Unlucky Bodyguard

Liria moved through the halls like a ghost, silent and unseen.

The stone corridors of the castle stretched endlessly before her, lit only by flickering torches mounted along the walls. Shadows danced in their wake, stretching and twisting with every step she took.

Her thoughts were heavier than her footsteps.

She barely remembered making it back inside, barely registered the guards stationed at the entrance or the quiet murmur of voices that drifted through the halls. It was as if she were walking through a dream untethered, weightless, drifting somewhere between reality and the dark whispers still echoing in her mind.

"You are mine."

Liria clenched her fists.

She didn't want to think about it. Didn't want to hear that voice anymore, smooth and patient, slithering into her thoughts like a serpent.

But no matter how hard she tried to push it away, it remained.

Like a stain that wouldn't wash out.

By the time she reached her bedroom, exhaustion dragged at her limbs. She pushed the door open and stepped inside, letting it close softly behind her.

The room was dim, bathed in the cold glow of moonlight filtering through the tall windows. The air was still, the silence pressing in around her like a suffocating weight.

For a moment, she thought she could finally breathe.

"You look dreadful, Liria," came a haughty voice.

Liria didn't even flinch.

Ananara sat on her bedside table, golden leaves rustling as he shifted. His spiky body gleamed in the moonlight, his eyes narrowed in scrutiny.

"Truly, I have never seen someone carry themselves with such an appalling lack of grace. You look like you just crawled out of a pit."

Liria let out a slow breath.

"I'm fine," she muttered, stepping toward her bed.

Ananara scoffed. "A blatant lie, and not even a good one. You are many things, Liria, but a convincing liar is not one of them."

Liria ignored him, kicking off her boots and sitting on the edge of the bed. Her body ached with exhaustion, but she knew sleep wouldn't come easily. Not tonight.

Not with that voice still whispering at the edges of her mind.

Ananara studied her for a long moment, then hopped closer. His leaves rustled again, softer this time.

"Something happened."

Liria didn't respond.

"Are you sulking?" he pressed. "How dreary. I would have thought you'd at least put up some sort of excuse. This silence is beneath you."

Still, Liria said nothing.

Ananara sighed, exasperated. "I suppose I'll have to carry this conversation myself. As usual. Tell me, did you finally realize the weight of your own insignificance? It was bound to happen eventually. Perhaps I should congratulate you on your self-awareness—"

"Ananara," Liria cut in, voice flat. "Shut up."

The pineapple let out an affronted noise.

"Rude."

Liria rubbed her temples. Her head throbbed, her thoughts a tangled mess. The last thing she needed right now was Ananara's usual nonsense.

But he wasn't wrong.

Something had happened.

Something that wouldn't leave her alone, no matter how much she tried to shake it.

"You are mine."

A sharp spike of frustration rose in her chest.

No.

She wasn't hers.

She wasn't anyone's.

But if that was true… why did her heart twist at the thought?

Why did a part of her deep, buried, trembling want to believe her mother's words?

Liria clenched her jaw and pressed her fingers into the mattress, grounding herself in the rough texture of the blankets beneath her. She wasn't hers. She wasn't anyone's. Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire

[You're thinking too much again.]

Liria stiffened. The voice was smooth, familiar a quiet presence woven into her mind, detached yet always watching.

[Not even five minutes back in your room, and you're already spiraling. Impressive.]

"Shut up," she thought back, the words sharp, exhausted.

[What, no 'hello, beloved system'? No 'thank you for watching over me'? Honestly, Liria, I'm starting to feel unappreciated.]

She sighed, rubbing at her temple. "I don't need you to watch over me."

[No?] The voice was amused. [And yet, here I am, catching you before you fall too far down the existential abyss. Again.]

Liria didn't answer.

Her system continued, its tone shifting lighter, but laced with something firm beneath the humor.

[You are not her.]

The words struck something deep inside her, something raw and uncertain.

"You don't know that," she whispered in her thoughts.

[I do.]

The system didn't hesitate. There was no mockery in its voice now, no teasing lilt. Only quiet certainty.

[I see you more clearly than you do yourself, Liria. You think you're on some inevitable path to becoming her pawn, but let me ask you this]

A pause.

[If that were true, why are you still fighting it?]

Liria's breath caught.

"Because I don't want to be a monster," she admitted, barely forming the thought.

[Then you won't be.]

It wasn't that simple. It couldn't be that simple.

"She's inside me," Liria argued, gripping the blanket tighter. "She left something in me, didn't she? A piece of her. That's why she can reach me like that. That's why I—" She swallowed. "That's why I lost control."

The system was silent for a long moment.

Then—

[She may have left a mark. But she doesn't own you.]

"How can you be sure?"

[Because you're still afraid of becoming her.]

Liria opened her mouth then closed it.

[You hesitate. You question. If you were already lost, you wouldn't be sitting here agonizing over it. You wouldn't be terrified of what you might become. That fear, as much as you hate it, means you're still fighting.]

Liria exhaled, slow and uneven. "I don't know how long I can keep fighting."

[Then let someone fight with you.]

She blinked.

The system sighed. [You don't have to do this alone, you know. Despite your overwhelming tendency to isolate yourself like some tragic heroine, there are people who actually care whether you succumb to the darkness or not. Shocking, I know.]

Liria almost almost smiled.

"I don't need help," she muttered.

[You keep saying that, but your track record suggests otherwise.]

"I handled it."

[Oh, yes, by nearly murdering your closest companion. Very well-handled, indeed.]

Liria flinched. The memory of Enara's eyes widened, desperate, hurt flashed through her mind.

Her stomach twisted.

[You regret it.] The system's voice was quieter now, almost thoughtful. [Good. That means it wasn't truly you.]

Liria closed her eyes.

"But what if it happens again?"

[Then you stop it.]

"And if I can't?"

[Then someone will stop you.]

The answer sent a chill down her spine.

Her mind drifted, unbidden, back to the battlefield the moment she lost control, the weight of a sword in her hands, the pulse of raw power surging through her veins. She had felt unstoppable. Invincible. A force of destruction made flesh.

And for one terrible, fleeting second… it had felt right.

"She said I was made for this," Liria whispered, barely able to think the words.

The system didn't respond immediately.

Then—

[Do you believe her?]

Liria hesitated.

Did she?

She wanted to say no. Wanted to shove the idea away, to deny it completely.

But doubt lingered at the edges of her mind, curling in like smoke.

"I don't know," she admitted.

[Then figure it out,] the system said simply. [But don't let her decide for you.]

Liria exhaled shakily.

"Easier said than done."

[Most things are.]

For a moment, silence stretched between them, thick and heavy. Liria sat motionless, staring at the ceiling, her thoughts a tangled mess of uncertainty and exhaustion.

Then Ananara spoke again.

"Are you quite finished with your brooding?"

Liria turned her head slightly, meeting the pineapple's expectant stare.

"You've been sitting there like a tragic poet composing your final masterpiece. It's frankly insufferable."

Liria sighed. "Go to sleep, Ananara."

"Hmph. I would, but someone has to keep watch over you, considering your newfound hobby of wandering into danger at night."

Liria let out a tired chuckle, shaking her head. "Since when do you care?"

"I don't. But I do care about the fact that if you die, I'll be forced to find a new host, and that sounds dreadfully tedious."

Liria rolled her eyes. "Goodnight, Ananara."

"Tch. Fine. But if you start sobbing into your pillow, do it quietly. I need my beauty rest."

Liria smirked faintly, lying back against the pillows.

The whispers in her mind weren't gone. The doubt still lingered, coiled deep in her chest.

Daena stood in the shadows, her massive wings folded tightly against her back. The cool night air swirled around her, but she barely noticed it. Her glowing violet eyes were locked on the girl standing alone in the clearing.

Liria.

Daena had felt it the moment the Dark Sovereign's presence slithered into the world. It was subtle just a ripple in the fabric of reality, a whisper of something ancient and foul. But she had known exactly what it was.

And who it was.

She had come immediately, drawn by instinct, by duty by something deeper she refused to name. And when she arrived, she saw them.

Mother and daughter.

The Dark Sovereign's illusion flickered, nearly indistinguishable from flesh and blood, her twisted beauty reflected in Liria's mismatched eyes. She spoke softly, persuasively, her words curling around the girl like vines, trying to take root.

And Liria… Liria listened.

Daena clenched her fists, sharp claws digging into her palms. The girl was strong stronger than she had any right to be but she was still young. Still fragile. Still vulnerable.

The Dark Sovereign knew it.

She was patient, weaving her poison carefully, waiting for the moment Liria would falter.

It made Daena's blood boil.

She had been a fool to think she could keep Liria safe. To think she could stand between that woman and her daughter forever.

Because the Dark Sovereign wasn't coming for Liria.

She was already inside her.

And Daena had no idea how to rip her out.