Page 8 of The Villainess Chose Naps Over Death Flags

She had to.

Because there was no way in hell Carol Reed—who had survived six years of corporate hell—was going to let a video game villainess route take her down.

She had work to do.

Chapter 3

Corporate Survival Skills

The moment the gag came off, the tiny sprite burst into tears.

"I'm so sorry!" Carol said quickly, fumbling with the ropes around the sprite's small body. "I'm so, so sorry. I can't believe you were tied up for—how long was it?"

"T-ten years," the sprite hiccupped, her voice small and sweet even through the crying. "Ten years of watching and not being able to help or warn her or—" She broke down into fresh sobs as the last of the bindings fell away.

Carol cupped her hands gently, and the angel sprite immediately flew into them, curling up in her palms like a tiny, glowing ball of distress.

"I'm sorry," Carol repeated, stroking the sprite's head with one finger. "That wasn't me—I mean, I just arrived. I'm a player. A new player." She took a breath.

The sprite stopped crying mid-sob and looked up at Carol with wide, tear-filled eyes. "Wait. You're... a PLAYER? An actual player?"

"Yeah," Carol said. "I just transmigrated into this body today. That's why everything feels different."

"Oh thank the CODE! Finally!" The sprite sat up in Carol's palms, wings fluttering excitedly. "You're actually LISTENING to me! You untied me! You're asking for my help!"

"Of course I am," Carol said, confused. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Because Caroline never did!" The sprite's voice cracked. "She could hear me just fine—both of us, actually—but she CHOSE to only listen to Missy! She kept me gagged and bound for TEN YEARS because she didn't WANT good advice!"

Carol stared at her. "Wait. She could hear you? She just... chose not to listen?"

"Exactly!" The sprite nodded emphatically. "Companion sprites are assigned to everyone—angel and devil, guidance and chaos. We're supposed to provide balance. But Caroline only wanted to hear what Missy had to say. She wanted the drama, the schemes, the vindictive plans. So she silenced me and followed Missy exclusively."

Carol looked over at Missy, who was examining her tiny pitchfork with exaggerated innocence.

"What?" Missy said. "She LIKED my advice. I was very popular."

"You encouraged her worst impulses!" The angel sprite accused.

"I encouraged her to live her truth," Missy corrected. "It's not MY fault her truth was chaos and drama."

Carol rubbed her temples. "So Caroline wasn't forced to be terrible. She actively chose it."

"Yes," the angel sprite said firmly. "She had guidance available. She had warnings. She had someone trying to help her make better choices. She just... didn't want to hear it." The sprite looked at Carol with desperate hope. "But YOU freed me. YOU'RE listening. That means you're different. You're making different choices."

"I am," Carol confirmed. "Because those choices were leading to execution, and I'd really prefer to not die."

"A very sensible priority," the sprite said, relief flooding her voice.

Carol rubbed her temples. This was somehow worse than she'd thought. Caroline HAD been making conscious choices—just terrible ones. She'd actively chosen chaos over wisdom, drama over peace, vindictiveness over kindness. For ten years.

"Okay," Carol said slowly. "So the difference is that I'm actually willing to listen to both of you?"

"YES!" The angel sprite practically vibrated with excitement. "I can finally HELP! Give you guidance! Warn you about bad decisions! That's what I was designed to do, but I can't do it if I'm gagged and tied up!"

"What's your name?" Carol asked gently. "You must have a name, right?"

The sprite looked surprised. "Oh! Um... I don't have one. Caroline never gave me a name. She mostly just called me 'that annoying thing' when she bothered to acknowledge me at all."