The Heroine Is Crushing On The Villainess?!

Anastasia Ranovia

Ah. Romance novels-where dreams bloom and standards for love rise impossibly high. And this was one of them. There was a popular fantasy romance novel called "The Rose of Ranovia" The novel was about a young girl, the heroine, named Anastasia Ranovia, a girl who was born poor but soon became royalty when her mother married a king. In the novel, the heroine, Anastasia Ranovia, was a beacon of kindness and beauty. She lived a life full of magic, adventure, and love.

Of course, every novel needs a villain. And that's where the villainess, Maelis Howard, comes to play. Maelis Howard was quite a cold, cruel, and self-loathing person. She did many bad and brutal things because she was jealous of Anastasia.

But who could blame her? She was a child born with dark magic, a powerful, dangerous magic. As a result, Maelis was often neglected and ostracized for her immense magical power, cursed to be feared and misunderstood.

With one last, aching breath, Maelis whispered, "Curse you, Anastasia.." before releasing her final breath.

The end.

"What?! She died?! My favorite character died? No!" A girl cried.

Ah. It seems a young reader has reached the final chapter. This is Sun-Young. A young girl who was born with a weak body. Because of this, she had to get hospitalised since middle school. Today is just a day of Sun-Young being hospitalised and reading romance books as usual.

Sun-Young lay on the stiff hospital bed, the sharp smell of antiseptics lingering in the room. Machines around her beeped in rhythmic patterns, marking each second as if counting down the remaining time she had.
Outside the window, the sunset spilled golden light across the horizon, but she was too weak to sit up and admire it.

Her body felt heavy, and every breath was a struggle. She'd spent the past few years in and out of hospitals, her terminal illness slowly wearing her down. With nothing left to do but wait, Sun-young sought comfort in books-her favorite escape from the reality of her failing body. There was one novel she kept coming back to, "The Rose of Ranovia", a fantasy romance she had read countless times.

Her body was growing colder, and she knew it wouldn't be long. The thought of leaving everything behind frightened her, but at the same time, there was an odd sense of peace.
She looked at the window, watching children her age playing together.

"Why did I get to have this illness? There's things I want to do.." She mumbled. "If only I was born with a healthy body."

As her vision blurred and the beeping from the machines grew distant. The world around her faded into darkness. The beeping stopped. And then... silence.

When Sun-Young opened her eyes again, she was greeted not by the sterile walls of her hospital room but by a dazzling chandelier hanging above her. The air smelled of roses and freshly polished wood. She blinked in confusion, her body suddenly light and healthy, as if the years of pain had been nothing but a distant memory.

She looked down at her hands-delicate and pale, unmarked by needles or scars. A soft, silky dress hugged her body, shimmering in the morning light. A large, ornate mirror on the wall reflected her image: wavy blonde hair cascading down her back, sparkling orange eyes, and a regal presence she didn't recognize.

It hit her all at once. This wasn't her.

She knew exactly who she was. Or rather, who she had become.

"I... I BECAME ANASTASIA RANOVIA?!" she yelled.

She stumbled backward, her heart racing.
This was impossible. Yet, the details were unmistakable-this was the heroine from her favorite novel. The girl destined to be loved by everyone, caught between four handsome suitors, and fated to face the infamous villainess.

"Oh. Wait... if I'm Anastasia now... That means-Maelis! I get to meet Maelis Howard!" A giddy laugh escaped her lips. "She's so stunning and cool-like a brooding knight from a fantasy!" She muttered to herself. She smiled, like some lovesick girl.

Sun-young-or rather, Anastasia-gripped the edge of a table for support. It seemed absurd, yet she wasn't scared. In fact, for the first time in years, she felt... alive. And maybe, just maybe, she could do more than just follow the plot she remembered.

She smiled softly to herself, a plan already forming in her mind.

And her first goal?

"Maelis Howard," Anastasia whispered. "I"ll make sure...to make your beautiful face smile!"

This was her story now-and she wasn't going to let it end the same way