With a loud crack, a spiderweb of broken glass stretched across my reflection, sectioning the mirror into pieces where my fist hit it. 

Why? Why?! This isn’t right! 

I lowered my aching hand, shaking the glass shards off and ignoring the little streaks of blood across my knuckles which, other than being a little more tan, were still the same as my old ones.

I was still soft, and round everywhere, with a stomach, and a slight double-chin. I had some facial hair before, but now it was thicker and fully grown in on my chin and sideburns, and it was all vibrant blue. That at least was different. But I was still short - though my frame was wider and more sturdy. I still had the same slouch, the same nervous hands and angry, bushy eyebrows.

A more cultured person might have used the word ‘Rubenesque’ - in fact, I think that’s how the character was described in the novel. Because I knew, of course, exactly who and where I was. 

I had been dragged into the world of the novel Like a Lily.

But unlike all the other stories I'd read, where a modern woman gets pulled into the body of a beautiful blonde princess or sultry villainess…

Did it really have to be her?

Evra Rune, that was the name of the character whose body I now inhabited. The half-Dwarf illegitimate daughter of Duke Alonso Rune. Also known colloquially as the 'beast he keeps in the attic'.

A side-character at best, a minor antagonist at worst, there wasn’t much written about her other than very basic information, very briefly and a single written scene with the novel's real protagonist. Everything else had to be gleaned through context clues and dialogue from other characters. 

The novel's protagonist, by the way, was a young, beautiful commoner girl with long pale blue hair called...Lily. 

Inspired, I know, but the writing was pretty good. 

Lily lived a simple, happy life in the countryside until a fateful meeting with destiny brought her into the Capital. There,  recognised by her blue hair as belonging to the bloodline of the Duke, she was brought into his home, revealed to be his long lost daughter, met an entire cast of handsome potential romantic options, and fell in love with the prince…and…

And, I don’t know what happened after that. I fell asleep before I could finish it. 

I only read about half of the book, all the way up to the day before Lily's coming-of-age party. The day that Evra attacked Lily, and was dragged away to her doom. 

So the sick feeling deep in the pit of my stomach wasn’t just leftovers from whatever magic pulled me here. 

Ugh. 

I couldn’t help wondering, as I stood there staring furiously with lavender eyes that didn’t belong to me, if someone was laughing right now. Some isekai god, or maybe the author, was losing his mind at this sick, twisted joke he’d pulled. 

Laugh it up, you bastard.