"Hey big sister, are you hiding good? Hehehe!"
The sweet, childlike voice had a creepy edge to it that echoed through the quiet room and jolted Elena awake.
She blinked her eyes open to find herself curled up under a bed, hugging her knees. The cold floor seeped through her thin, fancy silk nightgown, making her shiver.
"Did I… transmigrate?"
That thought shot through her mind as memories of this body rushed back to her.
Elena was the daughter of a vampire and a human. She was incredibly beautiful—perfect features, ruby-red eyes sparkling like gemstones, and long silvery-white hair flowing down like moonlight. But her mom had died when she was young, and by twelve years old, she'd been sent off to live in her dad's vampire castle.
But even though Dad was a vampire, Elena didn't inherit any of his traits at all. She was completely human.
And in a vampire castle? Humans were just seen as food.
If it weren't for the fact that Dad was the lord of the castle, she knew for sure she would've been drained dry ages ago or turned into some kind of blood slave for all those vampires lurking around in the shadows.
So over time, she learned to be super careful—barely daring to step out of her room. She became more withdrawn and timid with each passing day; fragile almost.
Just moments earlier, however, her vampire stepmom—worried about Elena's "mental and physical well-being"—had unceremoniously sent in this "lovely little girl" to play games with her.
But after just one round of playing... Elena had been scared out of her wits!
"Big sister! Are you hiding well?"
The cheerful voice rang out again suddenly pulling Elena from her thoughts.
"Well then! I'll come find you now! Hehehehe!"
The laughter twisted into something unsettling as Elena crouched beneath the bed watching red leather shoes skip across the floor paired with white lace stockings and an eye-catching black-and-red gothic dress. At first glance? The girl looked adorable.
But the memories from this body's last owner told a totally different story.
This girl was a monster.
A creepy, bloodthirsty doll with a slit for a mouth.
Elena shivered as she remembered the last thing that popped into the original owner's mind before she died.
"If sister gets caught again, Nini will eat you! Hehehe!"
Elena froze up. What do I do? What am I supposed to do?!
Did I just get thrown into this situation only to be gobbled up by some nightmare doll?!
The little girl's red shoes bounced happily over to the wardrobe and swung the doors wide open.
"Not here! Hehe!"
Then she skipped over to the window, yanking back the curtains.
"Not behind these either! Hahaha!"
Elena bit her lip in panic. This was a total dead-end situation. As long as she stayed in this room, she'd be found—and then—eaten.
Just when despair started to take over, her eyes caught something carved underneath the bed: words.
Lots of them etched into the wood.
Elena realized—these were survival tips left behind by the original owner. The bed was her safe space—the place where she'd hide whenever fear took hold of her—and during those moments, she'd silently repeat what was written above her:
[Dark World Survival Rules]
1. In vampire castles, you're completely safe. If you feel uneasy, ask yourself: Have I lost my grace and elegance?
2. Never look in mirrors.
3. Don't mess with anything that has tentacles.
4. Ignore Chaotic-aligned beings—even if they say they're "good." If they start talking, always respond.
5. Keep your "normal" vibe at all times.
6. Anything below Level 100 is just an ordinary lifeform.
Elena knew these rules came from hard lessons learned through years of surviving out there; each one held serious weight.
Then—
Thud.
A brown teddy bear flopped to the floor with a surprisingly heavy thump. It landed facing Elena, its little black eyes seemed to shift, locking onto her from under the bed.
Elena quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
"What? What?!"
The little girl suddenly burst out laughing. "Teddy! Did you see her?! Did you? Hahaha!"
"Big sister..."
Elena's heart raced like crazy.
Then—
A head popped down upside-down right in front of her.
A huge grin stretched across its face, splitting it in half, revealing rows of sharp, pointy teeth that clicked eagerly.
Elena's eyes went wide.
[Your SAN -10]
"Found you!"
"Found you!"
"Found you!"
"Now..." The little girl jumped off the bed, grinding her teeth together with wild excitement. "Now can I eat you, big sister?"
Elena gulped hard. Then she slowly smiled and nodded deliberately.
"Sure."
She reached out her pale hand toward the girl's wide-open mouth, where those scary teeth could easily crush bone.
"Hehehe! Time for me to eat you now!"
The girl giggled, then—
Chomp.
But... she didn't actually bite.
Her teeth just grazed Elena's wrist like blades of grass, tickling instead of tearing.
Then she clapped her hands in excitement.
"I ate big sister! So much fun! So much fun!"
Elena let out a sigh of relief. Of course. It was just a game after all.
Dark World Survival Rule #1: In the vampire castle, you're totally safe. If you ever feel scared, ask yourself: Have I lost my grace and elegance?
Grace and elegance are what makes a vampire princess who she is.
There's no way a noble vampire princess would get eaten alive in her own home by a creepy doll—unless she forgot who she really was.
Elena crawled out from under the bed with practiced grace. The little girl in front of her no longer had that scary split mouth—just an adorable round face looking up at her with wide, innocent eyes.
"You know... you're actually pretty cute," Elena said softly as she stroked the girl's blood-red hair.
Everything fades away eventually—but cuteness? That lasts forever.
A faint smirk appeared on Elena's lips, giving her pale face an oddly wild look.
"Big sister! Let's play again! Again!" The girl bounced around excitedly, her cheeks flushed with joy.
Just then—
BONG—BONG—BONG—
The clock in the castle struck twelve times.
[Ding! Host has officially reached adulthood! Queen System binding in progress...]
Elena froze for a moment, and then tears started to fill her eyes.
Of course. As a transmigrator, I get a system too.
[Ding! Queen System successfully activated!]
[This system will help you become a calamity, unravel worlds, and rise as queen!]
Elena blinked.
Queen System?
Wow... that's pretty ambitious.
But the memories from the original owner reminded her—her only goal was just to survive this nightmare world.
[18th Birthday Gift: "World Perception"]
[A true queen needs to know the world inside out to conquer it.]
[This skill lets you monitor your own attributes and those of other lifeforms in real-time.]
An investigative skill?
Elena smirked as she glanced at the little girl clinging to her nightgown now.
Well then, let's get... personal.
A status screen popped up in front of her:
[Nini]
[Race]: Blood Doll
[Age]: 101
[Level]: 98
[Alignment]: Lawful Evil
[Possessions]: Terrifying Teddy (Level: ???)
[Weakness]: The three virtues of lolis—petite, soft, easy to manipulate.
**Description**: Born from kids' nightmares; she feasts on flesh and traps souls in plush toys. She hates being alone and has a voice that carries psychic corruption—you can't say no when she speaks! If you fail to keep her entertained, you'll end up as one of her stuffed animals—forever.
Elena: ((;꒪ꈊ꒪;))
This cute little horror…
Then she checked her own stats next.
[Elena]
[Race]: Human
[Age]: 18
[Level]: 1
[Alignment]: True Neutral
[Possessions]: Mom's Hairpin
[Weakness]: Walking buffet—everything wants to take a bite.
[Description]: The human princess living in Vampire Castle. Underneath her sweet looks, there's a bit of rot in her heart. She has a thing for those creepy slit-mouthed girls. Might even want to... do something with one.
"Damn this stupid system..."
"Big sister! Let's play hide-and-seek again! Again!" Nini tugged at Elena's nightgown like it was nothing.
Play again? You really want me to lose my mind faster?
But before Elena could say no—
[New Quest: Play hide-and-seek until Nini is happy]
"A queen needs to be loved by her subjects."
[Reward: Queen's Aura]
[Failure Condition: SAN hits zero. You lose your "normalcy."]
Elena's blood-red eyes sharpened.
Dark World Survival Rule #6: Always keep your "normalcy."
If she messed up, she'd forget how to act proper—and in a vampire castle, that could mean death.
But how long can I hold out? Nini's games are seriously draining my sanity.
Still, there was a sly sparkle in Elena's eyes as she leaned down closer.
"Alright then. But let's make it one big round."
Nini spun around like an excited little tornado.
[Your SAN -10]
"Huh?" she asked, wide-eyed.
"You hide; I seek. If I find you first, you become my blood-bound servant."
Weakness: Small and soft—super easy to manipulate.
Or basically—easy to trick.
"Big sister plays dirty!" Nini grinned widely, tongue hanging out like a puppy.
[Your SAN -10]
"So much fun! Nini is so pumped she might explode!" she squealed. "Deal! But... you only get one minute."
Elena paused for a second. This girl is sharper than she seems!
But one minute should be enough time.
"Fine."
"What if sis loses?" Nini smirked mischievously.
"Then I'll be your blood-bound servant."
"Nini doesn't want weak servants!"
Elena: (▼ヘ▼#)
"Then… give me your hairpin."
Elena touched the blood-moon hairpin nestled in her silver hair—it belonged to Mom.
Nini's eyes lit up with greed.
"Deal."
"No take-backs!" Nini laughed, showing off her sharp teeth.
"Same here." Elena grinned sweetly.
...
"Ten!"
"Nine!"
...
Elena counted down with her eyes closed. When she opened them, Nini was gone.
One minute.
She walked over to her vanity and—against every instinct—looked in the mirror.
Dark World Survival Rule #2: Never look into a mirror.
Her lips moved without sound:
"Tell me. Where is she?"
The reflection smiled back—a grin Elena knew wasn't hers.
[Your SAN -10]
Why am I so weak?!
The reflection's smile stretched unnaturally, cracking the glass. Blood oozed from the edges, forming three words:
—In the teapot.
Elena turned away and glided to her desk where an ornate porcelain teapot sat waiting for her.
"Nini~ Where are you~?"
Her fingers traced the lid before—
Snap!
She flung it open and leaned in, one crimson eye peering into the darkness inside.
"Found you!"
[Nini's SAN -10]