Surviving marriage in yandere world

The sun rose bright and golden over the Royal Academy, birds sang, flowers bloomed and students shuffled to class, bleary-eyed and over-caffeinated.

And somewhere deep in the east wing, Emilia Rosenhart tried to quietly put on her school shoes.

Keyword: tried.

Because her route to first-period Alchemy now resembled something out of a dungeon crawler video game.

The moment Emilia stepped into the main hallway, she froze.

The usually pristine corridor had transformed overnight into a full-blown war zone. Desk barricades blocked every ten meters. Blackboards were nailed over windows like storm shutters. Tripwires glimmered faintly with mana.

And carved into the marble floor—seriously carved, with what looked like holy spears and dragon claws—was a massive warning:

"NO EMILIA ALLOWED. – Signed, The Sanity Purge Alliance."

Emilia sighed, adjusting her satchel.

"I told Rei I didn't want to get dragged into this. Now I'm literally a dungeon boss."

The ceiling creaked. A voice shouted down from a sniper perch of stacked textbooks.

"Target Emilia spotted! Commence Phase One: Emotional Suppression Barrage!"

Dozens of students popped up from behind barricades. They weren't random students anymore—they'd been conscripted by Rosette, bribed by Seraphina, threatened by Lilia, charmed by Drakana, or simply too terrified to say no.

Together, they hurled enchanted notes at Emilia. Each one glowed with pink script:

"Rei belongs to us, not you."

"Abandon all hope, sanity-thief."

"Please enjoy this free restraining order, hand-delivered by Seraphina's blessing."

[New Dungeon Detected: Hallway of Heartbreak Lv. 99]

[Objective: Survive until next save point.]

[Recommended Strategy: Don't.]

Emilia calmly sidestepped a rain of letters that exploded into glittery curses on contact.

"This is so petty," she muttered. "Rei called me his sanity once. Just once."

Another wave of enchanted paper whizzed past, one narrowly slicing her braid.

"…Okay, maybe twice."

She ducked and rolled forward, landing right in front of a barricade. Two trembling second-year boys held shields, blocking her path.

"H-halt! Emilia Rosenhart! By decree of the Sanity Purge Alliance, y-you're not allowed to proceed any further!"

Emilia stared at them blankly. Then she flicked her finger. A simple wind spell sent the shields—and the boys—flying backward like bowling pins.

"Next."

[Achievement Unlocked: Dungeon Speedrunner]

[Time to Clear First Wave: 27 seconds.]

[System Comment: The Alliance might want to uninstall.]

By the time Emilia reached the courtyard, word had spread.

Every single school club had fortified themselves into mini-boss encounters.

The Tea Ceremony Club had erected a wall of scalding kettles, steam clouding the path like a sauna of death.

The Archery Club strung ropes across the lawn, each one enchanted to launch a rain of blunt arrows.

The Theater Club stood dramatically on a stage, reciting verses like incantations:

"O, wicked Emilia! Foul temptress of sanity! Begone, lest the curtain fall upon thine hubris!"

Emilia tilted her head. "…Isn't your president secretly dating Lilia?"

The entire Theater Club gasped in unison. "Treachery revealed!"

Half of them fainted. The other half ran screaming to file denials. Emilia just walked past.

[Club Encounter: Tea Party of Doom Cleared.]

[Mini-Boss "Drama Llama" Defeated.]

[Loot Obtained: Half-Eaten Biscuit of Regret.]

But the worst came when she reached the Maid & Butler Society.

Dozens of uniformed servants lined up in formation, wielding feather dusters like polearms. Their leader, a tall butler with ominously glowing glasses, raised his hand.

"For Lady Rosette's honor, we stand united! No intruder of sanity shall pass!"

Emilia cracked her knuckles. "I really don't have time for this."

The maids charged.

Feather dusters whipped like whips. Silver trays spun like shurikens. Tea carts thundered forward like cavalry units.

For a solid five minutes, the courtyard resembled a war-torn battlefield where porcelain and teacups flew like artillery shells.

Emilia emerged, hair ruffled, skirt slightly torn, but otherwise unscathed. Around her lay fifty unconscious maids and butlers, fainting dramatically on the grass.

[Mini-Raid Completed: Butler Battalion Annihilated.]

[Exp Gained: +500.]

[New Title Acquired: Tea Slayer.]

Emilia deadpanned. "Great, iust what I wanted on my résumé."

By late morning, Emilia finally reached the chapel wing.

That's where Seraphina had prepared her masterpiece.

The entire hallway leading to Emilia's classroom was converted into a sanctified labyrinth. Holy glyphs glowed on every tile. Stained glass windows projected laser beams of divine light. Choir music hummed ominously from hidden speakers.

And at the very end of the hallway stood Seraphina herself, dressed in ceremonial white armor, clutching her holy spear.

"Emilia Rosenhart," she declared, her voice echoing like judgment day, "your heresy ends here."

Emilia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Seraphina, for the last time, Rei is not a god."

"He called you his only sanity," Seraphina snapped, eyes burning. "Do you know what that means?!"

"Yes. It means Rei was exhausted and panicked and said the first thing that came to mind."

"No! It means you are an idol to him. A false goddess! And I, as his rightful saintly bride, shall purge you!"

[New Boss Encounter: Seraphina, Apostle of Overlove.]

[Special Arena Perk: Divine Damage x999 against sanity-stealers.]

[Player Hint: You're doomed.]

Seraphina thrust her spear. Holy light cascaded like a flood. The glyphs flared, forming walls of golden flame.

But Emilia only sighed. She raised her palm, and a sphere of counter-magic pulsed outward. The divine glyphs fizzled like sparklers dunked in water. The stained glass lasers shattered harmlessly.

"…Wait, what?" Seraphina blinked. "How did you—"

Emilia dusted her sleeves. "I've been Rei's childhood friend longer than you've been obsessed with him. I built up immunity to holy harassment years ago."

[Counter-Perk Detected: Sanity Resistance Lv. Max.]

[System Opinion: Oooooooh, she just roasted you.]

Seraphina shrieked and lunged, but Emilia sidestepped, tripped her with a light push, and walked past.

"Class starts in five minutes. Now move."

Seraphina flailed helplessly, tangled in her own spear ribbons.

At last, Emilia reached the door to her classroom. She placed her hand on the handle—

—and froze.

Because the door was covered in glowing red thread. Elegant embroidery traced over the wood like veins. Each stitch pulsed ominously with Lilia's magic.

And standing right there, smiling sweetly, was Lilia herself.

"Good morning, Emilia," she said. "Heading to class?"

"…Lilia." Emilia exhaled slowly. "Of course you'd be the final boss."

"Not boss. Executioner." Lilia twirled a needle between her fingers. "I'm here to ensure Rei's sanity belongs only to his beloved sister."

"By turning his sanity into… embroidery?"

"Yes," Lilia said seriously. "I already stitched his initials into my wedding dress. Next, I'll stitch his sanity into mine. You're in the way."

[Final Gate Reached: Red Thread of Doom.]

[Objective: Escape with at least 1% sanity intact.]

[Side Quest: Impossible.]

Lilia flicked her hand. The red threads writhed like snakes, lashing toward Emilia.

Emilia raised her satchel like a shield. Needles clanged harmlessly off reinforced leather. She shoved forward, stomping through the threads one by one.

But Lilia was relentless, her sweet voice echoing through the hall:

"Rei will never need your sanity, Emilia. Because I'll destroy every shred of it, piece by piece!"

Emilia grit her teeth, finally shoving the last of the threads aside. She reached the door, yanked it open, and slipped inside—

SLAM.

The door shut behind her, muffling Lilia's giggles.

Inside, the classroom was empty. Silent. For a moment, Emilia thought she was safe.

Then she noticed the chalkboard.

Five words scrawled across it in bloody red chalk:

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE THE HIVE."

[Main Quest Updated: Survive the Emilia Purge.]

[Danger Level: Yandere Singularitarian Threat – Escalating.]

[System Tip: Consider transferring schools.]

Emilia sat at her desk, dropping her satchel with a heavy sigh.

"…I hate this academy."

Emilia rested her chin on her palm, staring blankly at the chalkboard.

"…The Hive. Really? They couldn't come up with a less creepy name?"

[Correction: The official faction designation is "Hive of United Wives."]

[Sub-Faction Branches: Rosette's Aristocratic Corps, Seraphina's Holy Crusade, Lilia's Red Thread Cult, Drakana's Dragon Legion, and the Maid & Butler Syndicate.]

[System Review: Worst MMO guild since 'Tax Evasion Online.']

Emilia groaned. "Perfect. I'm fighting a five-headed hydra of obsessive delusion."

Her gaze drifted to the window. From outside, faint chanting echoed across the courtyard. Dozens of students marched in formation, holding banners painted with slogans like "Sanity Belongs to Us!" and "Down With Emilia the Usurper!"

Some even carried crudely drawn caricatures of her—one had vampire fangs, another had horns, and one just had her face drawn on a stick figure with the word "NERD."

Emilia squinted. "…That one's not even threatening. Just insulting."

[New Debuff Applied: Mild Annoyance Lv. 2.]

[Effect: Increases urge to slap idiots by 300%.]

Her fingers drummed against the desk. She briefly considered just walking out, blasting a path straight through the courtyard, and calling it a day. But then she remembered Rei—currently trapped somewhere in this school with five lunatics who thought "sharing sanity" was a competitive sport.

"…If I don't stop this now, Rei's going to end up wrapped in holy sashes, dragon chains, aristocrat contracts, and embroidery thread."

[Side Quest Activated: Rescue Rei from Sanity Hive Assimilation.]

[Reward: Nothing. You still live here.]

Emilia buried her face in her arms.

"…I really, really hate this academy."

And outside, the chanting grew louder.

"To arms! For Rei's love! For sanity control!"

The siege of Emilia Rosenhart had only just begun.

To be continued…