How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game Chapter 2: Meeting Her

How should I begin this story?

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When I first opened my eyes in this strange realm, it felt as though my previous existence had been permanently severed.

That transition was far from graceful; instead, it was a terrifying descent into the abyss.

I woke up trapped beneath the dark, stagnant waters of a deep lake located on our family estate.

The crushing realization that I was drowning hit me with the force of a physical blow as I fought to reach the surface.

Every attempt to swim upward proved useless.

My limbs were heavy and uncoordinated, stripped of the necessary strength to fight the current. I felt like a prisoner in a waking nightmare, unable to escape the water's suffocating grip.

The following day, the harsh truth of my new life began to set in. Panic-stricken voices swirled around me.

"Oh my god, he's awake!" someone cried out, their shout lost in a flurry of calls for a doctor.

The surrounding turmoil was a brutal reminder of how distant my former life had become.

Through the chaos, an old man stood at my side, speaking a tongue I didn't recognize. Even without knowing the words, the palpable excitement in the room was clear.

"Ohh that's my grandson ya HAHAHA!"

His movements were energetic, his face radiating pure delight.

Though the language was foreign, I understood his meaning on an instinctive level—a minor comfort in my state of total confusion.

I was only six years old back then.

It took roughly four years for me to fully accept this second chance—this blank slate of a life.

During those four years, I worked hard to bond with those around me, from my new parents to the very walls of our home.

Then there was my new identity: Riley Hell. It was a name I felt both contempt and acceptance for, a label for this bizarre new reality.

But honestly, what other option was there? I had simply become Riley one day without any explanation.

I might as well make the best of it.

Possessing knowledge of the future that awaited this child—a path paved with agony and despair—I vowed to avoid that destiny at all costs.

'If I just stay in the shadows and live quietly, I’ll be safe, right?'

Our home was a small county on the empire's edge, humble despite its noble status.

Unlike the wealthy aristocrats of the capital who lived in luxury, our region found peace in a simple life supported by fertile farmland. We were few in number, but the genuine kindness and constant smiles of the people created a true sense of community.

In the original game's lore, this place was barely a footnote—a hidden sanctuary far from the plot.

In this isolated haven, dungeons and monsters were nothing more than myths, completely absent from our calm lives.

This peace was maintained by the formidable protection of Grand Duke Luther Heavens—a man whose name inspired both awe and terror.

However, it wasn't just his power that unsettled me; it was his family name that made my blood run cold.

"Heavens"... a name I couldn't help but loathe because I knew exactly what it represented.

In my memories, that name was tied to a terrifying figure: Liyana Heavens, the Duke’s only daughter. She was the villainess and the ultimate boss of this world.

She was destined to trigger the apocalypse, and more tragically, she was fated to be my future lover—a lover who would kill me without a second thought the moment she fell for the main protagonist.

The thought of our linked fates filled me with dread, but I tried to hide my anxiety behind a mask of apathy. I told myself there had to be a logical reason for our engagement that I simply didn't understand yet.

The game provided almost no details regarding the relationship between Riley and Liyana.

To the handful of people who actually played the game, there was virtually zero information explaining why they were even engaged.

Riley was nothing more than a disposable tool—a minor character used only to showcase Liyana’s terrifying power and yandere traits.

I could still see the images of the various deaths my current self suffered at the hands of that unstable woman.

Now, I was forced into the shoes of that very character, struggling with the grim reality of this world.

That was why I went to great lengths to ensure I never met that cursed woman.

Since my family was so low-ranking, the chances of meeting a Ducal family seemed nearly impossible, right?

For four years, until I turned ten, I worked tirelessly to keep things peaceful in our county.

My family was happy with our modest means and our simple dairy farm.

Everything appeared to be going perfectly—I intended to stay within our borders, protected from the chaos of the world outside.

Looking back now, I see how naive that plan really was. Fate is a cruel mistress, weaving a story with threads I couldn't control.

Events unfolding outside our county were like whispers on the wind, far beyond my reach or influence.

There were powers in motion that I could never hope to stop, no matter how hard I tried.

Then came the day of my tenth birthday—the day my carefully built illusions were shattered.

On that day, a child so beautiful she seemed divine appeared at my celebration.

"Riley, this is Liyana," the introduction sounded like a death sentence to my ears.

That was our first meeting... and it remains my greatest regret to this day.

Haha... I still find it hard to believe.

I was so focused on the future that I forgot to pay attention to the present or investigate the past.

Who would have guessed that the Duke and my father had been brothers-in-arms all along?

"Nice to meet you, Riley,"

"Y-yeah..."

"Hohoho, you two look good together. What about it, Riley? Care to give this young lady some love?" My grandfather’s teasing made my skin crawl, his words sharpening the tension in the room.

The mockery was bad enough, but the implication of his words made me feel ill.

"Shut up old man!!!"

"HAHAHA!"

"I'm sorry about that, young lady. My grandfather just likes to tease me," I said, offering a formal bow of apology.

Despite the terror I felt toward her, I had to maintain a polite front.

After all, at this moment, the girl in front of me was still innocent, wasn't she?

She simply nodded, her eyes never leaving mine as she watched me with intense focus.

"You're not afraid of me?" she asked, tilting her head with genuine curiosity.

"Why should I be?" I answered, trying to hide my trembling with a fake sense of calm.

In reality, I was terrified for a thousand different reasons.

She let out a soft, melodic laugh that made my hair stand on end. Looking back, that day was undoubtedly the moment our lives became irrevocably tangled.

I don't remember much of what happened after that first encounter, but from then on, Liyana began visiting our county frequently—specifically to see me.

Initially, the visits seemed harmless—just two kids playing. But as time went on, the weight of the situation became clear. Liyana's presence was a shadow hanging over me, a constant reminder of our dark fate.

As the days passed, the pressure of my circumstances began to feel like it was crushing the life out of me.

I finally realized the full extent of my problem, and it hit me like a ton of bricks—I was utterly fucked.

Three years passed in a flash, and Liyana and I had become inseparable friends.

By being with her, I saw depths to her character that were never present in the video game version—a reality that went far beyond mere pixels.

The more time I spent with her, the more my resolve softened. I started to believe I could change her.

The Liyana I knew in person seemed so different from the monster in the game. I convinced myself there had to be a reason for her eventual descent. Despite being only thirteen—though I possessed the memories of a nineteen-year-old—I clung to the foolish hope that I could rewrite her destiny.

It was a delusion born of hope, the belief that I could rescue her from the darkness.

But then, on a grim, rainy day under heavy clouds, reality struck me like lightning.

In the pouring rain, I saw something that destroyed all my hope—a scene that exposed the true heart of the girl I cared for.

I watched her eat one of my friends... a girl who was just as young and innocent as we were.

Hearing the crunch of leaves under my feet, Liyana turned around.

"Oh, Riley, you're here... did you see anything?"

Her voice cut through the silence, dragging me back to the horrific present.

"No....."

I could barely manage a whisper.

"Is that so? Let's go shall we"

"...Yeah"

The casual way she spoke made my stomach turn with loathing... and the look in her eyes told me she knew exactly what I had witnessed.