Flag-Breaking Villainess: The Story of How Breaking the Romance Flags of the Otome Game's Protagonist Ended Up Creating New Flags Between the Reincarnated Villainess and the Heroine - Chapter 1

In my room stood a large full-length mirror, reflecting the image of a young girl in her nightgown.

Silky, silver hair that shimmered like moonlight.
Crimson eyes with a cold, sharp gaze.
And a delicate figure with the faintest hint of curves suggesting future growth.

“Both the appearance and the name match…”

I slowly reached out toward the mirror. The cold surface met my fingertips, grounding me in the reality of my existence.

On the morning of my eighth birthday, memories from a previous life returned to me, accompanied by a splitting headache. Memories of a life that wasn’t my own.

Although I couldn’t recall my name, appearance, family, friends, or even how I died in my past life, one memory stood out vividly—the otome game I used to play.

The game’s name was Magical☆Academy: Gold Palm.
It was set in a world where magic existed, centered on an academy for nobles. The protagonist, a commoner with the rare light attribute, was granted special admission as the only non-noble student.

Once enrolled, the player would raise stats such as magical power, intelligence, and athleticism, while building relationships with various characters. However, one character stood as a constant obstacle to the heroine—the villainess.

The villainess was obsessed with the capture targets and constantly harassed the heroine. No matter the route chosen, the villainess always met a tragic end—whether through exile or even death.

And that villainess was me: Lilia Fortina, the duke’s daughter.

On paper, it seemed like avoiding the heroine and quietly living my life would ensure peace. However, because this world was rooted in the game, the fear of forced scenarios and predetermined outcomes haunted me.

The only way to guarantee my survival was to guide the heroine into the game’s sole route where the villainess was explicitly stated to survive.

I had eight years until the main storyline began. Plenty of time to prepare.

◇◇◇

Eight years passed since my memories returned. It was now the day the game’s main storyline officially began.

I sat at a café near the fountain plaza in the royal capital, Rona, sipping tea with my personal maid, Urs.

“So, are you planning to go to the academy anytime soon?”

Urs, her fiery red hair tousled as she ran a hand through it, asked with a frustrated sigh. I couldn’t blame her. We had arrived in the capital the previous day, stayed overnight, and had been lingering in the plaza since early morning. It was now well past noon.

“I’ll head there when the time is right,” I replied calmly.

Hearing this, Urs slumped onto the table in exasperation. Her casual demeanor was anything but maid-like, but that was to be expected. Urs wasn’t originally a character in the game. I had met her through actions I took that deviated from the original storyline.

Before my thoughts could wander further, my target appeared in my line of sight.

She was slightly shorter than me, her golden hair cascading down to her chest. Dressed in a travel-worn gray robe and carrying an old trunk in one hand, she looked like she had just finished a long journey.

Though the game allowed players to customize her name, her appearance was unmistakable. This was the heroine of the otome game.

In the game’s prologue, the heroine got lost on her way to the academy after leaving the fountain plaza. By evening, she would be on the verge of tears, only to be rescued by Allen, the first prince and one of the capture targets. Allen would escort her to the academy, gifting her a flower-shaped hairpin as they parted ways—a pivotal event in their romance.

My goal was to break that flag. The game didn’t specify the exact time she arrived at the plaza, so I had been staking it out since morning.

Leaving Urs to settle the bill, I approached the heroine. Just as I was about to call out to her, she stumbled and fell face-first onto the ground.

Worried she might have hurt herself, I extended a hand.

“Are you alright? Can you stand?”

She hesitated briefly but eventually took my hand, allowing me to help her up slowly.

“Th-thank you so much…” she stammered, her voice trailing off when her eyes met mine. She froze, likely realizing she was speaking to a noble.

“Hold still for a moment.”

I pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped the dirt off her face.

“Wow…”

She stood quietly, letting me clean her up. By the time I finished, she seemed a little calmer.

I took a moment to properly observe her.

Her long golden hair flowed down to her chest.
Her bright blue eyes were as clear as the sky.
Her soft features exuded a gentle, timid charm, paired with a modest figure.

She was the perfect embodiment of the game’s heroine. Seeing her in person, she was far more adorable than her character illustration. However, without a hairpin, her bangs fell into her eyes, obscuring her view.

“Before you fell, it looked like you were searching for something. Is this your first time in the royal capital?”

“Yes! Actually, I’m supposed to start attending Rona Magic Academy today, but I got lost… Do you know the way?”

“What a coincidence. I’m an incoming student too. I was just about to head to the academy myself. Let’s go together.”

Though I knew this wasn’t a coincidence at all, my words made her face light up. She eagerly nodded.

“Yes! Oh, um, my name is Liel. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

Liel bowed politely.

So she had kept the game’s default name. I had always played with the default name, so it felt oddly familiar.

“I’m Lilia Fortina. Nice to meet you.”

Before we started walking, I gently brushed her bangs aside.

“By the way, don’t you have a hairpin? I’m worried your bangs might block your view and cause another fall.”

“I did have one, but… I forgot to bring it when I left,” Liel replied sheepishly.

I pulled out a simple, silver hairpin I had prepared in advance. This would ensure the hairpin event with Allen never happened.

“In that case, take mine.”

“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly! Isn’t that expensive?”

“I bought it from a street vendor on my way here. It’s nothing extravagant,” I assured her.

And with that, I had taken my first step toward breaking the flags of the game.

I lightly ran my fingers through my long hair, continuing with my fabricated explanation.

“I bought it on a whim, but the color of this hairpin blends too much with my hair, so it doesn’t suit me. I’ve had no use for it, so please take it. It would be a shame to let it go to waste.”

“In that case… I’ll gratefully accept it. Thank you.”

“I’m glad. Now, hold still for a moment.”

A simple hairpin, yet meaningful in its own way.

I couldn’t just hand it to Liel and let her put it on without a mirror. Instead, I carefully attached it to her hair myself.

The silver of the hairpin sparkled against the golden glow of her hair, a perfect complement.

“It looks wonderful on you.”

“Thank you. With this, I can see you clearly now, Lady Lilia.”

She smiled at me as she spoke, her words so sincere that they made me feel slightly self-conscious.

“Shall we go? Liel, make sure you stay close to me.”

“Yes!”

And so, Liel and I began walking down a path that diverged from the original storyline.