episode_0001

One day, while searching for an entertaining game, I stumbled upon a game that appeared without any advertisements.

[Villainess Young Lady Maker]

It was a fresh new release that no one had reviewed yet.

Upon reading the game description, it seemed to be a game made in homage to ‘Princess Maker.’

The character appeared first was an antagonist young lady who looked like a villainess at first glance.

With deep red eyes resembling sunken apples, a small and cute nose, and a chubby chin, she gave off a fierce impression akin to a villainess.

Additionally, she had black hair styled in twin tails.

She looked like a noble child who unmistakably resembled a villainess.

Despite this, I found myself pressing the purchase button captivated by her cuteness, and before I knew it, the installation was complete.

==

“This game is a disaster.”

[BAD END]

Was it a mistake to choose it so thoughtlessly? Just like how I kept seeing that red text incessantly, much like Yoo Da-hee.

The game itself was straightforward.

The player assumes the role of a maid serving the villainess young lady, raising her.

The issue lies in the fact that the villainess young lady is an orphan.

Her father, considering her a daughter due to being a villainess, keeps her at home but mostly neglects her, while her mother is deceased.

No one takes care of the villainess young lady or even feeds her.

Of course, there is a maid attending to the villainess young lady. However, even the maid assigned to the villainess young lady neglects her.

Yet, perhaps out of some conscience, her father brings in a new maid. And that maid is the player.

And thus, the game began. It involved nurturing the neglected villainess young lady as if she were one’s own mother, making choices along the way to determine how she grows in this simulation game.

Initially, I played without much thought. I collected illustrations while building memories and enjoyed watching the villainess young lady grow each day.

Then, a sudden realization struck me.

“Why is this game titled ‘Raising a Villainess Young Lady’?”

I never once believed this child to be a villainess. From the moment I first saw her until now, playing through, I couldn’t find a single act of malice in her behavior.

Setting aside that question, I continued playing. I looked forward to seeing what kind of adult she would become, but…

The ending was dreadful.

It was the deaths of both the maid and the villainess young lady.

Something felt off when the villainess young lady turned 17 and started going out with her. People around us looked at her with eyes full of malice. Initially, I didn’t think much of it and continued playing.

When she turned 18, things took a turn. Rumors spread that the villainess young lady was the worst villainess in the region, a witch.

The culprit spreading such rumors was none other than the wife of the villainess young lady’s father, who envied her daughter’s exceptional talent in magic.

The wife, the villain of this game manipulating the foolish lord, engaged in all sorts of corruption, squandering taxes, raising taxes further, and displaying the worst management of the territory.

And she attributed all these activities to the villainess young lady. The powerless villainess young lady ended up becoming the worst lady, a witch who brought misfortune upon everyone.

As a national war broke out, citizens, fueled by accumulated anger, rebelled.

With the help of another nation, the rebellion succeeded, and as a result, both the villainess young lady and I, the maid, were captured and executed.

To someone like me, who was playing with thoughts of a happy future, witnessing the ending where the villainess young lady I raised died was shocking.

“So, this was about raising a villainess young lady…?”

After the ending credits rolled, a new section appeared on the main screen for collecting endings. It listed various possible endings.

Having seen this, I couldn’t bring myself to not start over. I was certain there must be a happy ending awaiting me.

Before I knew it, my play count had surpassed 100, yet I still hadn’t encountered a single happy ending among the numerous possibilities.

There was only a slight difference between being a maid or not. The villainess Yeong-ae was always caught and executed.

Normally, I would have given up and deleted it long ago, but for the sake of one happy ending, I recorded all the routes for various choices and continued to play.

“Huh?”

Finally, a story that was clearly different from before unfolded.

Yeong-ae, the villainess learning magic from a wizard. The choice to converse with the maid and the wizard after class.

The transformation magic that appeared there.

And the transformation potion that came out. The potion was the wizard’s original magic and an unreleased potion in the world.

Originally, those without mana couldn’t transform, but by drinking this potion, they could.

“No way…”

It was indeed unbelievable.

The maid walked up to a large full-body mirror, where the villainess Yeong-ae she had been nurturing stood.

However, the expression on that villainess Yeong-ae was more resolute than ever before.

She looked at herself in the mirror, straightened her posture, and took off the maid outfit she had been wearing until then.

Then, the villainess Yeong-ae entered the room she inhabited.

Unlike the dark room inside, flames engulfed the buildings visible outside the window.

The villainess Yeong-ae gazed endlessly at them.

-Tock, tock.

Despite the cries coming from outside the window, the sound of footsteps was distinctly audible, causing the villainess Yeong-ae to turn around.

“Mother?”

As she played, the villainess Yeong-ae naturally began to call the maid “mother.” With a sadder expression than anyone else, as if she knew her own future, she turned back.

“Mother…?”

In front of the villainess Yeong-ae were her own reflection, looking more beautiful and cold than ever.

From that moment on, no more choices appeared.

The maid handed the maid outfit and cloak she had worn to the villainess Yeong-ae.

But the villainess Yeong-ae couldn’t accept them.

She understood immediately what the maid was thinking.

“No. Mother. Absolutely not.”

Continuing to refuse, the villainess Yeong-ae. At that moment, the sound of a door breaking echoed through the mansion.

Sensing that time was running out, the maid began to forcibly change the clothes of the villainess Yeong-ae.

If it were someone else, they might have pushed her away with magic, but she couldn’t push away the maid who had cared for her like a mother when no one else did.

Eventually, the villainess Yeong-ae was fully dressed. The maid covered her face with the cloak, held her hand, and walked towards the fireplace.

“Please, Mother, reconsider. Mother!”

As the maid pressed a brick on the fireplace, a secret passage opened.

-Ding.

Only then did the animation end, and the final branching point appeared, prompting to save.

To save, the maid took out a notebook. Like writing in a diary, she wrote down the actions taken after saving. Normally, she would put the notebook back into her bosom after saving, but this time was different.

She handed the notebook to the villainess Yeong-ae. Then, she pushed the villainess Yeong-ae through the secret passage.

“Mother!!!”

-Clang!

As soon as the secret passage closed, someone entered through the broken door.

A woman in white armor pointed a sword at the maid.

“It ends here, witch. You are under arrest.”

“Emily…?”

Upon seeing the woman, the maid involuntarily uttered her name.

“Oh, sister?”

The woman realized the true identity of the maid, who appeared as the villainess Yeong-ae.

“Sister, how did you…”

“…What are you talking about? I am a witch.”

Realizing her mistake, the maid quickly changed her expression and feigned ignorance.

“Do you think I’m a fool? That gesture, that expression!”

Last time, when the villainess Yeong-ae and the maid talked, the maid mentioned having a different younger sibling, and that must be this woman.

Deciding she couldn’t deceive her, the maid looked at her and spoke.

“Deceive me just this once. I’ll grant that wish now.”

“Cruel… Even if that one time leads to your death?”

“I’m sorry. But it’s something I must do.”

“This is too much. You want me to let your sister die…?”

“I’m sorry, Emily…”

Realizing she couldn’t stop the maid, she embraced her once and placed a mana-sealing device on the maid’s wrist.

“You’ve grown up so beautifully, Emily. I’m sorry for asking you to do this.”

“…Fool.”

The screen turned black, and the story continued.

In the end, the maid had to endure terrible torture.

What was even more infuriating was that the one inflicting the torture was none other than the wife who had abandoned the role of the villain’s father and returned to another country.

“I really didn’t like those bright red eyes.”

-Swish.

As time passed, the day of execution approached.

In the crowded square stood a gallows, with the maid being dragged by her black hair towards it.

And in front of the gallows, her hair was lifted, revealing the maid to everyone.

“”…””

Although everyone had cursed her as a witch, no one could speak. The sight of the maid was so horrifying.

Everyone was speechless, staring, but only two people were shedding tears.

Cloaked, the villainess, dressed as the maid, stood between the folds of her cloak.

And there she was, the villainess raising her head on the gallows, and the woman in armor, knowing she was her sister.

“Do you have any last words?”

When the soldier standing next to the gallows asked the maid, a dialogue box appeared. However, there was only one line to choose from.

[I love you]

“This is like a game.”

Having raised the villainess all this time, unknowingly developing maternal feelings, the maid’s final words to her.

Surely, this is a clear manifestation of a mother’s heart.

-Click.

“I love you.”

-Thud.

As the maid’s final words echoed through the silent square, the rope snapped.

-Crack.

The screen turned black, and instead of the red text that had been displayed so far, white text appeared on the screen.

A single happy ending among all the bad endings. Could it really be called a happy ending if it meant saving the villainess by being executed in her place?

Whether this can be considered a happy ending is questionable, but if it could save her, it was a satisfying ending.

[Prologue]

“Huh?”

After seeing that word, I lost consciousness.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself immersed in the game as the maid who had just been executed.

“Huh.”