I Refuse to be the Cannon Fodder!

Celestia Aster had been a pushover all her life.

She had a fiery temper and lived extravagantly, but the moment someone showed her a hint of kindness, she would lay down her life for them. In essence, she was hard on the outside and soft on the inside type. She'd always been this way, yet it had taken her until now to realize it.

Why?

Because she'd recently discovered that not only was she a pushover in this life, but she had been an even bigger one in her previous life.

Celestia gazed up at the statue of God Caelus, a painful scene from her newly recovered past life memories replaying vividly in her mind.

"Tia, I urgently need a hundred dollars. I'm failing my university courses and need to enroll in online classes."

She had felt proud of her boyfriend Daniel for putting effort into his studies and had assured him he didn't need to repay her quickly, wanting to encourage him. Every time he said he liked her, she fell deeper in love.

Her bank account was empty because of him, but she told herself she could save on food and pick up more part-time jobs.

With these thoughts, she headed to the library to work on a group project. Opening the group chat, she found only two of the five members had responded.

"Tia, I'm sorry. I have other assignments to finish. Can I send it later?"

"I'm sorry, Tia. I caught the flu."

At least two of them had the decency to reply. Otherwise, she might have been really upset. Fatigued from her multiple part-time jobs, she felt too drained to devise a way to make the others cooperate. In the end, she stayed late at the college library to complete the project herself since it was due the next day. Stretching her arms, she left the library and walked to a nearby café for some much-needed coffee before tackling more assignments.

As she walked, a familiar voice caught her attention.

"Hey, hey, hey! Careful! It's expensive."

There was Daniel, the boyfriend who was supposed to be studying, playfully holding hands with another girl and smiling.

"How did you manage to get this bracelet? It's way out of your budget!" the girl asked.

Daniel grinned smugly. "Let's just say I found a pushover."

"Wow, who could be so stupid? They gave you this much money?" she asked in disbelief.

"It's Tia from the Engineering Department," Daniel said casually.

"Ah, no wonder."

The girl's understanding nod stung more than the betrayal itself. Celestia didn't want to hear any more. She should have been angry or heartbroken, but all she felt was a cold numbness. Somehow, she managed to get home in one piece after witnessing their conversation.

Opening the door, she was greeted by the cheerful chatter of her family.

"Mom, can I get more pocket money? All my friends get more than I do!" her younger brother whined.

"Of course, you did well on your midterms. I'll increase your allowance," her father responded without hesitation.

Her hands trembled with anger. Her brother had barely passed his subjects, yet he was getting a raise in pocket money that was only a little less than what she earned monthly. Meanwhile, she was working two part-time jobs and had been told to stop attending online classes because they were "too expensive."

Without saying a word, she turned and left the house, walking aimlessly on the street.

Why was the universe throwing all these harsh truths at her on the same day?

Everything she had ignored or rationalized since childhood was now laid bare before her.

Still, at least she knew the truth now. She could change her life, couldn't she? It wasn't too late.

But in fact, it was too late.

She died fifteen minutes later in an accident.

That was the last memory of her previous life.

Now, she stood in a world vastly different from her old one, yet her life here bore an eerie resemblance to her past. She had reincarnated into the incomplete novel she'd read in her previous life. Not as the female lead or even the villainess, but as a mere cannon fodder character, existing only to elevate the female lead's position in the male lead's heart.

It seemed even God had found her fate so pitiful that He had granted her memories of her past life instead of the usual two-line prophecy.

Every citizen of the Kainosia Empire visited the temple of God Caelus at the age of twenty to receive His blessings. It was more tradition than necessity, a kind of superstition.

Very rarely, Caelus would grant a glimpse of the future to someone in the form of a one- or two-line prophecy. No one knew the criteria for earning such divine favor, and the last recorded prophecy had been over two centuries ago.

Celestia had never heard of anyone being shown their entire past and future until their death. But here she was.

Oh well, she wasn't going to dwell on it. If she continued living as she had before, she was doomed to die.

The novel "Tears of Dawn" had made that clear. Her end in the story was a pitiful one: sacrificing her life for the female lead during a demon attack orchestrated by the main villain. And why? Because she loved the male lead so much that she couldn't bear to see him heartbroken if the female lead died.

Celestia pushed herself up from the altar, her knees weak from kneeling too long. Whether it was the weight of her past life's memories or the shattering of her worldview, she wasn't sure. Yet, she found herself adapting to the new reality surprisingly quickly.

As she opened the temple door, she noticed a few priests pacing anxiously. When they caught sight of her, they rushed over.

"Lady Aster…" one of the female priests began hesitantly.

"Lady Aster, did you receive a prophecy by any chance?" a male priest asked eagerly.

Celestia shook her head. "I did not," she lied smoothly. What was she supposed to tell them? That she'd discovered she was cannon fodder in a shitty romance novel? Absolutely not.

"But… we felt a great surge of divine energy—"

She tilted her head innocently. "I'm sorry, priest. I don't have divine power, so I'm not sure what you're referring to."

The priests looked unconvinced and seemed ready to ask more questions, but a loud, disdainful voice interrupted them.

"Ha! What a joke. Her? Receiving a prophecy? There's no way that could happen. And even if it somehow did, this girl isn't the type to keep it a secret. You don't have to worry, priests. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll take her back."

Celestia turned to face the man whose voice was all too familiar. His features resembled hers, though his expression was filled with disgust and impatience.

It was her second older brother, Jeremiah.