ILTV - The Villainess Fell in Love with Me

Chapter 2 - She's Just So Rei!! - Part 2

*Rei's Point of View*

(A/N: this chapter takes place about a month after the first half of 'Curses and Good Luck Charms', a bonus story from Light Novel 2 of 'I'm in Love with the Villainess'. This story recaps the events from that chapter, as well as going into detail about May and Aleah's past. As such, this chapter will cover themes of self harm and abuse.)

I awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling. At least it seemed as such.
Ah, of course, now I remember.

It had been almost three months since we had moved into our new home.
I turned to my side, seeing a beautiful blonde angel with blue eyes sleeping soundly beside me. This was Claire François, my beloved fiancée. We had been living together for the past three months. She was truly the love of my life.

I knew Claire wasn't exactly a morning person, but she was just so cute! Her body gently moved up and down with each gentle breath of hers. If this was your first impression of Claire you might be hard pressed to believe that she could possess such a fiery personality.

I moved my hand to cup her cheek. Wait, what if I woke her up?! I can't do that!

I had to pinch myself. It was as if I was still dreaming. To be by her side, to be her lover, to share our kisses with only each other...
I used to think this would never happen. That it could never happen.

Let's recap. This world I am a part of was the setting for a video game known as 'Revolution'. It was one of my favourite otome games in my previous life. Ah, right, I should explain that too.
In my old life, I was Rei Oohashi, a 25 year old woman who worked a boring old office job. One night, after some not-so-legal overwork, I decided to sit down and play Revolution, and found myself dozing off. When I awoke, I found out I was seemingly transported inside the game! Where I was met by none other than the future love of my life, Claire!

Claire wasn't a romance route you could take unfortunately in Revolution, instead she acted as the villainess for the video game. Instead, there were three romance routes you could take between the three princes of the Bauer Kingdom. The first prince was Prince Rod, the most popular of the routes. The second was Prince Thane, and the third was Prince Yu (Or rather Princess Yu).
Thane's route was the least popular of the routes, but he had the most encounters with Claire, so he was my favourite route in the game.
Still though, my heart always belonged to Miss Claire.

Once I got reincarnated as Rei Taylor, I immediately took advantage of my new life and made it my mission to save Claire.
See, I thoroughly studied the lore of Revolution, and no matter what, the climax of the video game, when the revolution happens, Claire would meet a terrible fate.

So, after conspiring with her father, we made a long term plan that would ensure Claire's survival. Of course, there were also events that didn't go in my favour, or didn't follow the course of the video game, but I chalked that up to 'breaking the game' by turning Claire into a romance route.
Over time, Claire warmed up to me, and we grew incredibly reliant on each other. No matter what we'd always be by each other's side. However, I knew dark times were ahead, so for the time being I ignored my feelings, even if I would tease my beloved with them.

This culminated in the Revolution taking place after a volcanic eruption in November 2015. (Though this world had a medieval/baroque setting, the year in this universe was 2015.)

On one terrible day, I found myself sitting in Claire's dormitory. There, I revealed who I was to her, in a very watered down way. I also informed her of the plan me and her father, Dole François had made months earlier. She was understandably upset, but she knew it was for a noble cause.

I remember I tried to convince her with the promise of a life together. Two daughters, a comfortable home, how I would always be by her side.
Her stubbornness unfortunately won over her, and she declined my offer. Instead, she decided to sacrifice herself. I remember our first kiss.