Chapter 5: The Race Against Time

Galatea Arcano's heart was pounding as she searched for a pen and a piece of paper. She knew she needed to figure out a way to survive as Galatea, the villainess in the game. In this hard mode, it was difficult to raise the interest of any of the male characters and a drop in interest could lead to death.

The situation was even direr for Thrainn Arcano, the youngest son of the duke, whose interest was already in the negative. Galatea needed to act quickly if she wanted to avoid certain death.

Galatea went to the luxury bookshelf and desk in the large room and took a seat. She grabbed the quill, dipped it in the ink, and started writing down everything she could remember about the male characters in the game.

First, she wrote about Drake Arcano, the first son of the duke and technically the young duke of the family. He was a typical nobleman who was too busy preparing to be the next duke to be interested in Galatea. However, he held strong and intense contempt and hatred for her for taking his blood-related sister's place.

Next, Galatea wrote about Thrainn Arcano, the youngest son of the duke. He was a wacky and active guy with a bad temper and a critical personality, always picking fights with Galatea. Galatea sighed as she wrote that Reynold's interest started at a negative, with no hope of reaching a positive.

Galatea then wrote about the crowned prince, Cassius Everglade. The only information she had about him was from the normal mode, where he met the protagonist, fell in love with her, and healed his heart. Galatea knew that the chances of a different outcome in the hard mode were slim.

Finally, Galatea wrote about the wizard, Orix Blaze, and the knight, Leo Thorn. She had limited information about them, but she knew that they both had a chance of being a positive influence in the game.

Galatea leaned back in her chair, feeling overwhelmed. The pressure was on, and she only had a limited amount of time to find a way to survive.

"I need to focus on Orix and Leo," she muttered to herself. "They have a chance of helping me, unlike the other two."

Galatea stood up, determined to make the most of her time in the game. She needed to find a way to raise the interests of Orix and Leo, and she was determined to do whatever it took to survive.

"This is a race against time," she thought as she headed out of the room. "I need to make every moment count."