The girl woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside her window. She opened her eyes and rubbed her face, still feeling groggy from playing her favorite dating sim game all night.

She sat up in her bed and looked around her room, expecting to see her poster-covered walls and her desk covered in anime figures. But instead, she was met with unfamiliar surroundings.

Panic set in as she realized that she was not in her own room, but in a grand bedroom with high ceilings and ornate furniture. She looked down at herself and saw that she was dressed in a flowing, medieval-style gown. 

She jumped out of bed, her heart racing as she ran to the mirror. She stared at her reflection, seeing a face that was familiar but not her own.

Her long, flowing hair is a striking shade of blue that cascades down her back, like a waterfall of sapphires. Her eyes are equally striking, a deep blue that seems to sparkle like starlight. She wears a white, flowing gown that shimmers in the sunlight, adorned with intricate patterns of blue thread. 

This is not her, but she know who this girl is. 

She remembered the game she had been playing the night before - "The Wicked Villainess of Ruin" - and the heroine of the game, Aurora Starlight.

"No way..." She murmured. Even her voice change into Aurora Starlight voice. 

Cold shivers ran down her body.

She had been transported into the world of a game. That part, she surprisingly doesn't surprised. The real problem was that she had become the heroine.

In this day and age, becoming a heroine was the worst thing that could happen to you. Being a heroine didn't mean being the main character, because in this game, the main character was the villainess.

The game revolved around Nova Wilder, a villainess who was originally evil, but was killed by her own fiancé, the first prince Casper Grey. But instead of dying, she ended up regressing to her younger self. And then, before the magic academy even began, she managed to make all of her capture targets fall for her.

It all sounded great, except for one thing: the heroine ends up becoming the bad guy and dies in the end.

"What should I do...?" she muttered to herself.

Thinking about death flag, she though about herself. Did she died before transfered to this body? Is she dead when she sleeping?

The reality of her situation hadn't fully sunk in before, but now it hit her hard. She wouldn't be able to see her parents or friends again.

As much as being transferred into the world of a game was a dream come true for many gamers, she couldn't shake off the feeling of sadness.

"No, I shouldn't act like this," she told herself, trying to shake off the negative thoughts. She knew that it had already happened and she needed to accept it.

Right now, her focus had to be on her survival in this world. She obviously didn't want to die again and had to think about how to prevent it.

Sudden knock on her door.

"Miss, are you already awake?" a voice called out from the other side.

She recognized the voice as belonging to her maid, Lyra.

"Yes," Aurora replied weakly, trying to compose herself.

Lyra entered the room. Aurora immediately looked at a girl around her age wearing maid outfits. Stared at her maid appearance that identical to the game, she couldn't help but reach out and touch Lyra's blonde hair. 

Lyra looked embarrassed and confused. "What is it miss?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to touch you," Aurora smiled.

Lyra look confused. 

Her reaction seemed natural. That Make Aurora thinking. Is she now real human and not NPC anymore? 

The maid asked, "Are you ready, miss?" 

Aurora surprised and responded with a simple, "Ready?" 

Lyra continued, "Isn't today the day you're going to the magic academy?"

Aurora's expression changed to one of shock. 

"Today...?" Aurora croaked. "Nonononono. It's too soon. I'm not ready to deal with the villainess and capture target."

Lyra looked at Aurora with concern, "What's wrong, miss? Are you not feeling well? Do you need some more time to prepare?" 

Aurora shook her head, "No, it's not that. I thought I had more time."

Lyra smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry, miss. I have everything you need here. We can leave whenever you're ready. And remember, you've been preparing for this for years. You have the skills and knowledge to succeed."

Aurora took a deep breath and nodded, trying her best to appear as confident and collected as the real Aurora would be. 

"You're right," she said. "I'm ready."

She lied. 

Lyra nodded, "Of course, miss. I'll gather your things and meet you at the carriage outside."

Aurora watched as Lyra left the room. Then slowly she turned to change her clothes. 

She was dressed in her school uniform, a navy blue dress with a white collar and cuffs. She wore a matching navy blue cape and a pair of black boots. She looked like a proper magic academy student, but she couldn't shake the feeling of unease.

"I can do this," she whispered to herself. "I have to do this. I will survive no matter what."

With that, Aurora turned and left her room, ready to begin her journey at the magic academy.

***

Aurora walked up to the grand gates of the magic academy, her heart beating wildly in her chest. This was it, the moment of truth. Soon she must deal with he villainess and capture target. 

As she passed through the gates, she couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the towering buildings and lush gardens that made up the academy. Familiar scenery, yet feel fresh. She once again reminded that she living on the world of game. 

As she made her way to the main hall, she caught sight of a striking woman with dark hair and piercing eyes. She was surrounded by a group of admirers, but Aurora couldn't help but feel a sense of unease at the woman's cold, calculating gaze.

As it turned out, the woman was Nova Wilder, the villainess of this game, the top student at the academy and the daughter of the Duke. Beside her stand the first prince, Casper.

Aurora gulped.

The moment their eyes met, Aurora knew they would be enemies. 

Nova Wilder glared at her with such intensity that it felt like a physical force. It didn't make sense for Nova to hate her so much, since it was their first meeting. But then, Aurora realized that Nova Wilder had regressed and remembered their past life where she, as the heroine, had been responsible for Nova's death. Even though it was technically her fiancé who killed her, everyone knew that the villainess death usually because of the heroine.

And now the heroine is her.

And now nova wants her dead.

And Aurora doesn't want that. 

"What's wrong?" Casper asked, noticing Aurora's discomfort. "Do you know her?"

"Yes," Nova Wilder said, her voice cold and full of malice. "I believe she is the only daughter of Viscount Starlight, the rumored only light magic user."

Aurora smiled bitterly. Her enemy seems like knew her well.

"I see," Casper said. "So she's the one."

Nova Wilder stepped closer to Aurora and whispered in her ear, "Don't think you will win this time. Now nobody is on your side."

Aurora sighed. Really? Aren't you supposed to be the protagonist?

Well, to be fair Aurora heard about the secret ending. About how the villainess Nova actually didn't really change. She actually still evil but after regressed, she learn to hide it and make everyone her ally.

Aurora said, "I don't want to rain on your parade, but if you insist on making me your enemies, I'm more than happy to play along."

Nova was taken aback by Aurora's response. She hadn't expected her to understand the implications of her words so soon in their first meeting.

"You..." Nova said, her voice full of anger. "Are you a regressor too?"

Aurora smiled sweetly. "Better than that, I'm a gamer."

***

Aurora cringed internally when she remembered referring to herself as a "gamer." She was relieved that Nova Wilder didn't understand the term, otherwise it might have given her another way to bully her.

Still, the most important thing was that it was now clear that Nova Wilder considered her an enemy, even though Aurora had done nothing to provoke her.

Before this, Aurora had entertained the idea of living in peace by avoiding contact with the villainess and all the other capture targets. But now, this plan was no longer viable. Nova Wilder would make her life difficult whether she did anything or not.

The first class of the day began and, with luck, Aurora found herself in the same class as Nova Wilder.

Nova Wilder, of course, took a seat in the front row, while Aurora sat at the back of the class. Even so, Nova stared at her relentlessly, not paying attention to the teacher who was explaining the lesson in front of the class.

Aurora holding a smile. Come on, you're supposed to be acting nice. What's with this overwhelming animosity?

"Understand?" the teacher said. "Since ancient times, there have been six basic elements of magic in this world: fire, water, earth, wind, darkness, and light. The last two are pretty rare. Fortunately, in this class, we actually have students who possess those elements.

"First, Miss Nova Wilder, with her darkness magic," everyone looked at her, and she just sat there arrogantly. "And Aurora Starlight, the only light magic user right now."

The gaze turned to Aurora. She wasn't used to getting that much attention, so she stared down with a blush on her face.

The class continued with more theories of magic. Aurora was obviously interested in magic, but the theory and long explanations bored her. She wanted to try it out herself, but she would have to wait until the practical class.

As class ended, Aurora was putting her book in her bag when a girl approached her. At first, she thought it was Nova and she felt a bit anxious, thinking that Nova might confront her again. But when she looked closer, she saw that it was actually a petite girl with twin tails.

She knew who it was.

"Hey," the girl said. "Do you mind if we talk for a bit?"

"Sure," Aurora smiled.

"It seems like you didn't get along with Nova," the girl said.

"I guess," Aurora replied.

The girl's name was Ruby, one of the rival capture targets, specifically for Finnick, the son of the Knight Captain, and best friend of Prince Casper.

Originally, they should have been enemies, after all, as a heroine, Aurora would have been a rival. But not anymore. Since Nova had regressed, she already had a harem of capture targets.

If they weren't rivals anymore, that meant...

"Let's be friends," Ruby said. "If you're an enemy with her, I think it's best for us to become allies."

"Sure," Aurora said with a smile. "I'd love to be your friend."

The two girls chatted for a bit longer before parting ways. 

Aurora stared at the figure of Ruby as she walked away, and she made up her mind. 

"I should look for allies first," Aurora murmured to herself.

She knew that Nova already had four capture targets as her allies. It would be impossible for her to win alone. It would be better for her to have some help.

The simplest solution would be to form alliances with the rival characters.

And while Ruby making the first move, it's not like she was royal to her. Not yet anyway.

Ruby like her name, love gems.

Aurora walked back to her room. Inside her room, her maid, Lyra, greeted her. "Welcome back, miss. You must be tired. Do you want to drink some tea or do you want to take a bath first?"

Aurora shook her head, "No, I need you to do something for me."

Lyra looked at her expectantly, "Yes?"

Aurora walked over to her bookshelf and pulled out a map. She brought it over to the table and began marking it with a pen. "See this mine? I need you to go and tell my father to buy it. And please hire around ten or so people to start mining there."

Lyra looked at the map, confusion etched on her face "You want to buy that mine?" 

"That's what I said." 

"But miss," Lyra hesitated. "That mine has been abandoned for years and is known to be dangerous. Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Aurora nodded confidently. "I know it may seem risky, but I truly believe this will be worth it in the end. Trust me, Lyra."

Lyra was still not entirely convinced, but she knew that when Aurora had made up her mind about something, there was no stopping her. "If that's what you want, miss. I'll inform your father right away."

"Thank you, Lyra," Aurora said. 

Lyra left the room. Aurora sat down, deep in thought. Nova should know about that mine too. She knew that in the future, Ruby's family would find out that the abandoned mine was actually rich with gems, but she didn't do anything about it.

Aurora could guess why. As the daughter of a duke, money was never a problem for her. There was no reason for her to invest in this. Which was lucky for her, because now she had something to appease Ruby and gain some extra money at the same time.

Of course, as the daughter of a viscount, she had some pocket money. Compared to how she lived in the modern day, it was a lot. She remembered back then, she had to save for three months to be able to buy the pocket console of her choice. Compared to that, she could buy anything relatively easily here. Even if it was too expensive like that mine, she could just ask her father to buy it.

But still, gaining a way to have extra money was valuable. Especially for the future plans she had devised.

***