Chapter 1: Elidranthia

Alright, it was nighttime. Let's collect our  thoughts. The web novel "The Assassinated Princess: Returning Back in  Time to Live a Happy Life" revolved around the female protagonist, often  referred to as the FP, who was assassinated by Elidranthia, leading to a  time reset through checkpoints. Following her revival, the princess,  accompanied by several male protagonists, embarked on a mission to  dismantle an assassin organization. The story reached a hiatus after the  fifth volume, but Eli's fate remained clear—she met her demise at the  hands of Prince Heracles while attempting to assassinate Claire,  ultimately clearing a checkpoint.

The first volume detailed the initial year of  the FP's idyllic life at school before Eli's fatal intervention. When  she found herself back on her first day of school through time travel,  she took precautions, resulting in Eli's demise instead. The narrative  then continued with other villains attempting to eliminate the FP or the  male protagonists. At one point, there was even a volume where the FP  sacrificed herself to save her friends. The story bore similarities to a  novel where the male lead repeatedly died while simping for a  white-haired girl.

Eli was portrayed as an unhinged girl who  frequently stabbed the FP throughout the first volume. Remarkably, she  had a strong following in the novel. In fact, it was Eli's character  that catalyzed the popularity of "The Assassinated Princess: Returning  Back in Time to Live a Happy Life" and secured its position in the top  ten on Royalties Road. The novel even garnered hundreds of patrons for  the authors. Eli's popularity rivaled that of Gasai Yuno and other  Ax-Crazy yandere characters.

Reflecting on it now, was it really such a  big deal? All I had to do was steer clear of her and avoid becoming a  deranged knife enthusiast, and I would be safe. As I strolled around, I  gazed into the mirror in the room and was taken aback. A beautiful, yet  slightly intimidating, girl stared back at me. Her red eyes seemed to  glow in the darkness of the night, evoking a sense of unease. I  attempted to smile and make funny faces at my reflection, but the  returned image was oddly more menacing.

"I wonder if I can make friends like this," I  murmured as I crawled back into bed. Eli was a ruthless psycho in the  novel. The most memorable scene involved her brutally stabbing the  heroine, licking the blood from her knife, and subsequently slaying the  male protagonist. Rest assured, I won't be doing that—I've never even  harmed a fly in my previous life. Committing such a horrifying act was  inconceivable for me. I've got this reincarnation cliche all figured  out. I'm confident I'll lead a happy life filled with love!

A few days had passed. Drawing from recently  inherited memories, I finally pieced together my identity. I was  Eldrandthia Shadowstep, a nine-year-old daughter of a new viscount. When  we returned from the capital with my grandfather and mother, our  carriage was attacked by monsters, and they were all slaughtered.  Miraculously, I was the sole survivor. The count had two wives and six  children, and I was the youngest.

It was surprising to realize that my  circumstances differed from the sinister portrayal in the book. In the  novel, I was supposed to kill the monsters and even resort to  cannibalizing the remains of my parents and the creatures. However, as  per my memories, I had merely hidden inside a compartment within the  carriage. The problem was that no one else knew this. They either  regarded me as a miraculous child who survived a monster attack or a  monstrous child whom the monsters themselves feared.

"This is quite perplexing," I muttered in the  family's study. I yearned for my parents' affection, but my father was  preoccupied, and my stepmother ignored me. Furthermore, my brothers and  sisters showed no interest in me either. Not a single one of them made  eye contact with me. No wonder Eli grew up to be such a psychopath; she  needed more love! If I could just showcase my cuteness to them, I was  confident they would warm up to me.

"Hey, dinner is ready," Richard, my second brother, called to me and left without even glancing at me.

"Okay," I replied and briefly caught a  glimpse of my reflection in the window. It pained me that they didn't  pay me any attention. Was it because of my eyes?

"Happy birthday, Eli," my father said. The  dinner was a bit more elaborate than usual. Instead of the typical bread  and soup, we had steak today. I was overjoyed that they had  congratulated me. Today was my birthday, huh?

"Dad, why is the sky red?" my younger brother  inquired. When I gazed outside the window, I indeed noticed a tinge of  red in the night sky. This was undoubtedly another world. According to  the novel, Eli was born on the first day of the Purgatory Comet at  midnight. The Purgatory Comet had various other names, such as the  "Killing Star," the "Comet of Hell," or "Reaper Comets." People believed  that those born on this day were messengers from hell or grim reapers.  It was all rooted in superstition, of course.

"Today is the day of the Purgatory Comet. It  lasts for five days. Happens once every 10 years," Dad explained while  giving a quick glance in my direction.

"I was born on the Killing Comet too!" my oldest brother, Zach, chimed in.

"Huh, but your eyes aren't as creepy as Eli's," my younger brother remarked.

"Haha, maybe because I was born during the  day, or perhaps because I was born on the last day of the Killing  Comet?" Zach laughed it off. "The tales about people born on the first  day of the Killing Comet are just superstitions. His Highness, the royal  prince, is perfectly normal, although he does have that slight red  tinge in his eyes, just like our Eli."

I ate our dinner in silence. Our county  wasn't particularly well off; usually, our suppers consisted of bread  and modest soup with bits of meat. However, tonight, we were treated to  steak! I needed to savor every bite.

I picked up the fork and knife placed before  me. The blade was sharp with serrated edges. According to my memories,  this was the first time I had ever picked up a knife. With a smile, I  stabbed the steak and cut tiny pieces of meat around the fork, just like  an elegant noble lady. The blade slightly bounced due to the meat's  tenderness, but it easily cut through. After cutting a corner of the  steak, I picked it up with my fork and savored the taste. The meat  juice, combined with the barbecue sauce, was mouthwatering, and I  relished each bite.

Then, I gazed forlornly at the serrated  knife's blade. As I licked its edges, the sauce dripped from it, a  delicious addition. I repeated the process of cutting more small pieces  of meat, thoroughly enjoying the sensation of cleanly slicing the flesh  with the knife. When the blade entered the beef, it was fun, and when I  pulled it out, a sense of accomplishment welled up within me.

"Eli, stop playing with your food. Don't  forget your etiquette lesson. The Magical Exam is in two months," Dad  coughed and reprimanded me. Startled, I was jolted out of my  food-induced bliss. When I regained my senses, I noticed the dinner  table had fallen completely silent, with everyone having finished their  meal. The atmosphere had turned somewhat awkward.

"Sorry, Father," I interrupted my enjoyment  of slicing the meat with the knife, cut a bigger chunk of it, and  swiftly stuffed it into my mouth. When the somewhat awkward dinner  finally concluded, I hurried back to the study to resume my reading.  However, I was halted in my tracks as I gazed outside at the red sky.

The red night was alluring. I opened the  window and shifted my attention away from the history books and math,  instead focusing on the red comet outside the window. The comet's glow  bathed the dark sky in an eerie red light, and as it enveloped me, I  found myself enchanted by its beauty. It was akin to gazing at the Milky  Way, only this time it was painted in red.

*ting

Congratulations, you have received the blessings of the Killing Star.

Blessing of the Killing Star (Level 1):

    Fearless
   Intimidation
   Improved Strength
   Enhanced Agility
   Beast Instinct
   Dark Magic

I blinked at the blue box before me. Huh?  This LitRPG setting was never mentioned in the web novels. Suddenly, I  began to doubt my place within the web novel, "The Assassinated  Princess: Returning Back in Time to Live a Happy Life."

I wondered if I had LitRPG attributes here.  Could I open a status screen like those overpowered protagonists? Even  though Elidranthia never underwent formal soldier training for the  empire, she was skilled enough to match the prince, who had undergone  rigorous training. So, that's the reason, huh?

"Hmm... how did she become an assassin anyway? The book never explained the reasons," I muttered as I left the study and returned to my room.

Eli was seriously creepy. Despite being my sister's daughter, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread whenever  I looked at her, and it only intensified with time. I needed to regain control of myself. She had done nothing wrong; she was merely shocked and traumatized due to my sister's death.

"What's wrong, honey?" My husband asked as he sat down beside me in bed. "Is it about Eli?"

"Yeah. She scares me."

"Well, I've heard that children born during the Killing Star can be like that. You felt it too, right? Zach was also  a bit intimidating."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry, dear," I said, trying to regain my composure. When I closed my eyes, her glowing red eyes seemed to peer into my soul. I could not look at her in the eye. When she ate the steak, it was as if she didn't savor the taste of the steak but rather the sensation of cutting flesh with a knife. That truly scared me. However, I was sure it was just my imagination. She still followed my and James's words. I needed to regain control of myself. It was not her fault that she was a bit intimidating. But I still couldn't look at her in the eyes. They look like that wolf monster's eyes that killed my ex.