[BLACK PANEL – INNER MONOLOGUE]
They say your life flashes before your eyes when you die.
Mine?
A mundane, insignificant life.

[SCENE: CORPORATE OFFICE – LATE NIGHT. A lone woman, Norma Lee, clicks through her simulation system. Onscreen: SIMULATION FAILED: NO CONVERGENCE. She stares at it, too tired to feel anything.]

I wasn’t brilliant.

I wasn’t one of those shiny, fast-talking engineers who won awards and got promoted. 

In fact, I was always in the background- ignored, forgotten.

I also was the type who would get stepped on by people and overworked just because they knew how to take advantage of me.

But one thing I got credit for: I could always see things differently.
I could always find a way even if it was harder on me.

Didn’t matter, though. I was never anyone special.

[FLASHBACK: Meeting room. A male colleague cuts her off mid-sentence. People taking credit of Norma’s work.]

And when I did speak up, they took my ideas and slapped their names on them.
Rising stars.
While I became a stepping stone.

But I found some solace from working alone. Maybe this is just how my life will play out, I always thought to myself.

[SCENE: STREET CROSSING. Headphones in. A distracted driver. The sound of screeching tires—]

And then—
I was suddenly removed from my world.

[SCENE: A room lit from the bright sunlight. A velvet canopy above. Silk sheets. Gilded mirror across from the bed. Norma gasps and bolts upright on her bed.]

CAELIA (breathing hard):
“Where...?”

[Norma sees her reflection in the mirror next to her bed: black hair cascading over her shoulders. Unfamiliar gray eyes. Regal nightgown.]

CAELIA (whispers):
“That’s not me. Am I dreaming?”

[DOOR BURSTS OPEN – a maid rushes in with a tray. Stops in shock.]

MAID:
"L-Lady Caelia… Are you awake?"

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

Caelia..? 

[Caelia smiles awkwardly.]

CAELIA:

“Y-Yes…?”

MAID:
"...You’re… smiling?"

CAELIA (shaky):
“Do I… usually not?”

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:
Something’s off.
Very off. She called me Caelia?

Caelia… Why does it sound so familiar… 

Sounds like a villainess name.

[Caelia then made an instant realization.]

Fuck.

[INFO PANEL: LADY CAELIA ARDENT – Daughter of Duke Ardent. Cruel noblewoman. Antagonist of the romance novel The Radiant Rose of Everhart. Doomed to die by the prince’s sword.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:
I know this story.
I know this woman.

She’s the villainess.
The arrogant, bitter one who spent the entire book sabotaging the sweet little heroine.
And then… died.

And now… I’m her?

MAID: 

“I - I’m gonna leave the tea in your room, okay?”

[The maid briskly enters Caelia’s chambers and drops off the tea on the nightstand next to Caelia’s bed.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

There is no way this is happening right now. 

I skimmed this story in my previous life! I barely remember it!

I just remember that Caelia ends up dying at the end from execution!

Where are we even at in the story? 

Why did I have to be reborn as someone with an ill fate? 

Could I even.. Change my fate?

[Caelia felt a huge amount of anxiety looming over her. She pinches herself to test if this was all a dream but when she feels the pain, she feels another wave of disappointment.]

Maybe something in the library can explain this phenomenon. 

There’s no way someone like me could ever survive in this story.

Caelia Ardent from what I remember was always brash, very cruel, but she always persevered for what she wanted even though everyone hated her. 

The complete opposite of me. 

I guess in a weird, twisted sort of way, I wished I was as strong willed as her.

CAELIA (gently):

“Could you remind me where the library is later?” 

[The maid is in shock, almost dropping her silver tray.]

MAID (scared):

“M-my Lady, are you feeling alright? You have never been interested in reading before.”

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

Was the only hobby Caelia ever did was torment the main lead?!

CAELIA (awkwardly smiling):

“I’m feeling fine, I would just like to read for a little bit.”

[SCENE: Caelia walks the palace halls where the maid is leading her to the palace library. Ornate… but crumbling. Wooden panels warped. A faint draft whistles through. Her fingertips trail a cracked column.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:
How poetic.
Even the palace is falling apart.

[Caelia notices maids struggling to haul heavy buckets upstairs. Their faces red, hands raw.]

Do they do this everyday?
Everything’s slow. Inefficient. Painful.

Like it was… designed to exhaust people.

CAELIA: 

“Where is the crown prince?”

MAID: 

“Prince Theo just left for his expedition this morning, your grace.” 

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

I see now. We are in the time where Prince Theo left the kingdom on a quest. The quest lasts about 6 months, then after that is the coveted party. The party where it will be announced that the king and queen choose Annalise as the next empress.

And Theo announces the execution of Caelia for her cruel behavior.

I couldn’t at least be reborn as Caelia from the start instead of at literally the worst time?! 

Seriously, this woman has done no good and now I have to reap the consequences?!

[SCENE: Caelia finds herself at the palace library. Caelia leans against the bookshelf, arms crossed. Shadows from candlelight flicker across her face.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:
So I’m stuck here.
As Caelia.
In a story where I’m supposed to die in about 6 months.

Maybe there are some books here that can explain something. Magic exists in this universe, right? Maybe? Or am I mistaking it for another story I read…. 

[PANEL: Caelia looks around the library for any books pertaining to anything to do with magic, but to no avail.]

Alright, it seems like there is no magic in this universe… My memories of multiple stories are bleeding into one another.

Right now, the Prince is on his exhibition and this is the time where Caelia tortures the main lead the most. But… I don’t really wanna involve myself in something like that.

[PANEL: Caelia sits down on one of the chairs in defeat.]

I wasn’t important in my old life.
I was kicked around. Ignored. Passed over.

If I couldn’t survive there — in the modern world — as a woman,

How the hell am I supposed to survive here?

In a world where nobles marry for power, and women are decorative.

[Caelia exhales. Shoulders sag.]

I wasn’t even brilliant.
All I ever had was… a different way of seeing things.

And even that wasn’t enough.

[Caelia stares through the cracked window. Sunlight casts long shadows across the floor. Her reflection in the glass looks fragile.]

What would the original Caelia do?

She would definitely keep trying.

Seriously, I don’t want to die again..

[Caelia framed by the sunlight, standing alone in the massive palace library. Her face is uncertain—but her jaw set.]

NARRATION:
Once upon a time, in the great empire of Everhart…
there bloomed a rose.

[Scene: A golden-haired girl in a simple dress stands in a flower field, smiling at a group of townsfolk.]

Her name was Annalise.
Kind, sweet, and beautiful — beloved by the people.

[Scene: Prince Theo — tall, noble — places a flower crown on Annalise’s head.]

The crown prince fell for her.
Though she was a commoner, his heart chose her from the very first time he saw her.

[Scene: A cold-looking woman with black hair and grey eyes stands on a balcony above, glaring down at them.]

But not everyone rejoiced.
Lady Caelia Ardent — proud, sharp-tongued, noble-born — had been in love with Theo since they were young, and due to political benefits, her family also forced her into wanting to marry Prince Theo. 

Lady Caelia despised Annalise with her whole heart and vowed to make Annalise’s life a living hell.

[Montage: Caelia humiliating Annalise at a ball. Caelia bribed a noble. Caelia alone in her chambers, seething.]

Driven by jealousy and entitlement, Caelia plotted to destroy Annalise and her reputation.

First starting with simple tricks like sabotaging her wardrobe..

To then embarrassing her at royal balls and tea parties…

To then mentally tormenting her…
Caelia performed many antics but Annalise would always deal it with grace. 

Caelia had enough and one day she went too far. The empire would not tolerate cruelty — not even from nobility. 

[Final storybook panel: Caelia kneeling before the prince, a sword raised above her. Her face is twisted in rage and fear.]

Her ending was tragic, yet deserved.
Condemned by the prince’s own hand… the villainess met her fate and died by the hands of the only one she ever loved.

[SCENE: Back to the present - The Library]

[Caelia leans over the table, on top of the parchment she wrote on of her faint memory of the timeline.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:
Until the ball. That’s all I have before that scene becomes my reality. At this point, the Original Caelia must have done too much to Annalise already but I want to stop that immediately.

[Caelia rubs her temples and groans.]

No villainess manual. No magic. No cheats.
Just… me.

And a faint memory of a romance novel I barely skimmed on a caffeine high.

[Caelia leans back in the chair, staring at the ceiling. A thick engineering text from this world lies beside her.]

All I have is my degree that I don’t think I even deserve in the first place.

[Caelia’s eyes trail to the dusty library windows. Cracked. Weak hinges. Poor sealing.]

This palace is actually falling apart.
Wood is warped. Doors don’t shut properly.
The maids are hauling gallons of water up three flights of stairs like it’s normal.

[A lightbulb went off in Caelia’s head. Caelia clenches her hands into a fist, determined. A soft smile touches her lips.]

If I’m going to die here too…
I might as well go down trying.

[Caelia starts pacing around the library. A roll of parchment is clutched to her chest. Her eyes light up as her brain works.]

I may not be charming. I may not be graceful.
But if I’m going to survive in this world…

I need to be useful to it.

[PANEL: A silhouette of Caelia standing in front of the library window, holding a quill.]

[SCENE: Late-Afternoon - Palace Library. Sunlight streaks across a long oak table. A pile of parchment, a small charcoal stick, and a determined Caelia.] 

CAELIA (muttering to herself):
“Buckets up three flights. That’s… what, thirty pounds each?
Leverage. Tension. Maybe a wall-mounted crank…”

[Caelia quickly sketches a side profile of a pulley rig, then scratches it out.]

CAELIA:
“No… wood won’t support that much tension unless it's reinforced. Maybe if I brace it with cross beams?”

[Time passes. Candles replace sunlight. A knock.]

MAID:
“Your Grace, supper has been prepared.”

CAELIA (without looking up):
“Later. I’m working.”

MAID (hesitates):
“You’ve been here since morning…”

CAELIA:
“And I’m not leaving until I finish this. Please.”

[The maid quietly bows and exits.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:
I have to figure this out… before it’s too late. 

[A while later – the creak of wood. Someone opened the library doors. A shadow shifts. Caelia looks up sharply.]

CAELIA:
“Who’s there?”

[A tall man steps into the room. Light brown hair, starry blue eyes, rolled sleeves, confident posture.]

MAN:
“Didn’t mean to intrude, your grace. It seems to be very late.”

CAELIA (on edge):
“Who are you?”

MAN:
“Cassian. New butler. Just getting familiar with the palace.”

CAELIA (suspiciously):
“A butler… who wanders the library unsupervised?”

CASSIAN (smiles slightly):
“It’s my first week. Didn’t realize it was off-limits.”

[They lock eyes. Caelia notices his starry blue eyes. Caelia shifts awkwardly, beginning to gather her parchments.]

CAELIA:
“W-Well, it is. Especially after hours. Don’t let the head maid catch you.”

CASSIAN:
“Understood, Your Grace.”

[Caelia shuffles the papers quickly, missing one beneath a larger scroll. She walks past him, giving one last glance as she leaves.]

CAELIA- INNER MONOLOGUE:
I don’t remember anyone named Cassian in The Radiant Rose of Everhart.
Is he new? Or was he… background?

[Door clicks shut. Cassian walks slowly to the table, spots the single sheet left behind. He picks it up.]

CASSIAN (softly):
“Blueprints? These are… no, this is real work.”

[SCENE: CAELIA’S BEDROOM. SHE TOSSED HER ROLLED PARCHMENTS ON THE VANITY AND SITS ON THE EDGE OF THE BED.] 

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:
He didn’t see much… right? Right. Just a new servant.

[Caelia lies back, staring at the ceiling.]

I really hope he’s not someone important. 

The last thing I need is a second execution ending…

[Caelia turns on her side, gripping the pillow.]

Just survive this time. Just survive.

[END OF CHAPTER 1]