I'm a Villain in My Own Game?

[??? PoV]

Tarakat—a city that was once part of the Kingdom of Kuwalid, but had fallen under the control of the Empire eighteen years ago after the civil war in the kingdom came to an end.

The entire El-Arami Dynasty, which had ruled the kingdom at the time, was executed.

However, they never discovered that one of the Sultan's wives had managed to escape the country after being declared dead before the final battle.

That Sultan's wife was my mother—Raheema.

I was Seven years old at the time, while my younger brother, Umaya, had just been born. Still a toddler and unable to understand what was happening, I followed Mother to this city to evade the intelligence units of the Kingdom of Kuwalid.

If they discovered that remnants of the El-Arami Dynasty were still alive, we would surely be hunted to the ends of the world.

When I turned Nine, Mother passed away, leaving the two of us completely alone.

Two orphaned children in a city filled with people harboring ill intentions.

We were unfortunate enough to fall into the hands of a syndicate operating in this city.

We had no choice. We had to survive, and they were willing to take care of us as long as we worked for them.

At first, they only employed us as scavengers at a garbage dump not far from the city.

However, when I turned twelve, they sent me to a brothel filled with men who came there to indulge their lust.

That was the worst experience of my life.

I was forced to serve men who were two, three, even four times my age. It felt like living in the hell Mother used to tell me about whenever I disobeyed the teachings of Goddess Diana.

But did that benevolent Goddess truly exist in this world?

Why didn't she save us when her followers were suffering and in desperate need?

As the years passed, I eventually forgot the teachings of the Temple that Mother had once taught me.

Thirteen years.

For Thirteen years, I had worked in this place, where men were free to toy with women however they pleased.

"Whoa! Aliya is here!"

"The number-one dancer and entertainer in this place!"

I currently worked as a dancer here.

But at night, I became nothing more than a woman for hire, serving the desires of whatever men came to purchase my company.

I stepped onto the stage as the music began to fill the room.

I started swaying my body, moving gracefully as I showed off every curve of my figure to the audience.

The men fell silent, their eyes crawling over my body with disgusting, lustful gazes like animals.

But I was already accustomed to it.

Why did I have to live a life like this?

Once, I had read a book about a princess who was saved by a handsome prince.

Reading it had nearly made me laugh.

The world was nothing like a fairy tale.

There would be no gallant prince riding a magnificent horse who would always come to save you.

If you wanted happiness in this world, you had to reach out and seize it yourself.

But not everyone was capable of doing that.

I was nothing more than a fish carried away by the current, unable to fight against the fate that had befallen my family. I couldn't change the destiny that had forced me to live a life filled with suffering.

I was not a princess from some fairy tale...

After entertaining the guests, I went to rest in the room provided by the syndicate.

There was a comfortable bed, a fully equipped vanity, and beautiful clothes.

At first glance, it looked like a comfortable room, and the syndicate might even appear to be generous employers who provided such a fine place for their workers.

But to me, this was the place I wanted most to leave behind and forget.

This was where I had been violated at the age of twelve.

This was where I had served those disgusting men.

This was the place where they had touched my body simply to satisfy their depraved desires.

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—Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Sis, it's me. Umaya."

Hearing the familiar voice, I forced away the negative thoughts filling my mind.

"Come in, Umaya."

The door opened, revealing a young man with black hair, tanned skin, and the same golden eyes as mine.

He was the only family I had left.

He entered the room and sat down on the bed.

"Sis, I've officially become one of the syndicate's fighters," my younger brother said seriously. "I'll save enough money to get you out of this place."

Hearing his sincere intention made me smile.

He truly was the only person in this world who genuinely cared about me.

"Hee~ Look at you, acting all grown-up now, Umaya," I teased him. "It feels like just yesterday you were a little boy. Now you've grown into a proper man."

Umaya's face flushed at my words.

"Shut up, Sis Aliya. Why do you still talk to me like that? I've officially become an adult, you know."

"Fufufu... You're right. Just look at you. You're already taller than me."

I reached over and gently ruffled his hair.

"But Umaya, don't push yourself too hard. Come back safely when you're working later, okay? Promise me."

He responded with nothing more than a nod.

Perhaps I needed to change the way I treated him from now on.

It felt strange seeing the only family I had left, the person who had always depended on me, finally becoming independent and growing into an adult.

"Aliya, Umaya, are you in there?"

I heard a very familiar voice.

A muscular man entered my room.

Umaya immediately stood up and positioned himself in front of me.

"Boss, what do you want?" Umaya asked the man. His face look sour seeing him.

That's right.

This was the very man who had taken us in all those years ago, the man who had caused me to begin this life of suffering.

"Why are you being so rude to the man who saved you, brat?!"

The man grabbed Umaya by the collar.

"If I hadn't found you, you and your sister would have died on the streets and ended up as food for stray dogs!"

Umaya struggled to break free, but the man's enormous frame easily overpowered him.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Boris! He didn't mean to be disrespectful to you! Please, let him go!"

I pleaded desperately.

Mr. Boris then threw Umaya across the room.

My brother crashed into the wall, groaning in pain as he clutched his head.

"Tch. Fortunately, I'm in a good mood."

The man turned around and began walking out.

"You two, come with me. There's an important guest who wants to meet you."

My mood immediately darkened.

Whenever Mr. Boris mentioned an "important guest," it usually meant a nobleman who wanted to rent me for several nights.

But why did Mr. Boris want Umaya to come with me this time?

I had no idea.

Nevertheless, I had no choice but to follow him.

Umaya and I followed Sir Boris toward the exit of the building.

Outside, a horse-drawn carriage was already waiting.

"Get in," Mr. Boris ordered.

Umaya and I climbed into the carriage, followed by Mr. Boris.

Once everyone was inside, the carriage began moving, leaving the place behind.

"Mr. Boris, where are we going?" I asked, unable to hide my curiosity about this unusual situation.

Mr. Boris lit a cigarette with a match, took a drag, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

The smell of tobacco quickly filled the carriage.

"You are going to meet a High-Ranking Noble's Heir From the Empire," he answered casually.

A high-ranking noble?

Wasn't the highest noble title beneath the Emperor a Duke?

If this person was the heir, then the guest Mr. Boris was referring to was probably quite young.

Not long afterward, we arrived at our destination.

We entered an inn and made our way to a room on the third floor.

—Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Lord Raul, it's me, Boris Fernando," the man said politely. "I've brought the two of them."

"Come in."

Mr. Boris opened the door.

Inside, I saw a young man with black hair wearing an academy uniform, sitting at a desk and writing something in a book.

He looked incredibly young...

Perhaps he was around Umaya's age, or even younger.

"Lord Raul, I've brought them as requested," Mr. Boris said while bowing. "Aliya, Umaya, introduce yourselves to Young Master Raul."

Umaya and I stepped forward.

The young man glanced at the two of us.

"My name is Aliya, Young Master. My profession is an entertainer."

I lowered my head respectfully.

"M-my name is Umaya. I'm a fighter."

My brother's voice still sounded somewhat stiff.

The black-haired man nodded.

"My name is Raul de Garcia—the sole heir of House Garcia."

He introduced himself to us before gesturing toward the chairs.

"Please, sit down."

He then shifted his gaze toward Sir Boris.

"You can leave us. I want to speak with the two of them for a while."

"As you wish, Young Master."

Mr. Boris bowed before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

"All right. Let's get this over with quickly."

The young man seemed eager to ask us something.

"Where are you two originally from?"

"The Kingdom of Kuwalid—the city of Amrani, under the authority of Emir Bardak, leader of the El-Dawudi Clan."

I answered naturally.

"You certainly know quite a bit about your homeland," the young man remarked casually. "Unlike most entertainers."

His words irritated me, but I had to maintain my composure and keep my expression under control.

Of course, the information I had given him was a lie.

"What do you think of the El-Arami Dynasty that oppressed the people of the Kingdom of Kuwalid before the Revolutionary War?"

Why was he asking me about this?

What exactly was his purpose?

I couldn't read his intentions from his expressionless face.

"I don't know. I was still very young when the war happened."

"What do you think of the current government of the Kingdom of Kuwalid?"

Truthfully, I didn't care about the kingdom that had abandoned my family.

The people of that country had branded my family as traitors, and I had no reason to care about them.

At this point, all I wanted was to live peacefully with Umaya, without anyone else controlling our lives.

"Full of rotten people."

The voice came from beside me.

Umaya suddenly spoke, his voice filled with the hatred he held toward the people who had abandoned us.

"Their economy is still stagnant after the war. Several territories have been taken by other nations, while their dwindling supplies of food and water have forced many citizens to leave the kingdom."

Umaya continued, explaining the current state of the Kingdom of Kuwalid.

"The war was a grave mistake created by those who wanted power at the expense of ordinary people. The government may appear fair on the surface, but it's corrupt once you look beneath it."

So Umaya still hadn't forgotten.

He hadn't forgiven them either.

He was still trapped in our family's past and history.

"I see..."

The young man's gaze now focused more intently on Umaya.

"If you had the power to change that kingdom, what would you do?"

"Of course I'd change it and punish those corrupt officials!"

Umaya's answer came with passionate enthusiasm.

"Very well. From now on, the two of you will work for me."

The young man finally revealed the reason he had summoned us.

"The pay will be far better than what you're receiving at your current workplace. Your sister will work at an entertainment establishment I'm building, while you will become one of its security personnel."

In the end, my fate had not really changed.

Still, at least Umaya wouldn't have to perform dangerous work just to earn money.

With better pay, perhaps he could eventually start a family of his own and find the happiness he deserved.

"Pack your belongings and give this paper to the driver waiting outside."

The young man handed a piece of paper to Umaya.

"He'll take you to the Imperial Capital—Terragon. That will be where the two of you live from tomorrow onward."

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