Because I Love You

Francine Lataille is the villainess of an otome game called 'Personal Spring', and at some point she became self-aware of this. She began to learn things in ways unclear to her, and her knowledge carried over between playthroughs. She tried to struggle, to change the outcomes she knew were coming, but her words and actions were bound by the game's script. Gradually she came to accept that. She's just along for the ride. And gradually she fell in love with the protagonist, Emma Grenier, even though she can never express it.

After innumerable playthroughs she knows everything about the game. Every route, every choice, every event, every conversation, every interaction, and every ending; even those she's not actually present for. She even has some knowledge of the outside. She's not sure how, but it's all come to her bit by bit. There is nothing about the game she hasn't seen hundreds of times.

Until one day another New Game starts where something is different. It seems small at first, but things are not as they should be. Is it a glitch? Is she following a new script now? Or could it be the most terrifying possibility, that she is finally responsible for her own actions?

( This is a story I completed 3 years ago, and have been gradually updating here and there ever since with the hope of making it fit for publishing. At the time it was the longest thing I've ever written, ending at 35k words, but I've far exceeded that now in other stories. I guess this is more like a novella. There will be 11 chapters (10 + an epilogue) of rather varying length. I'm not sure if I should just post them as quickly as possible, or space them out like a day apart or something.)
( I do have a cover image in the works, but it'll take a little longer before it's ready. )