Tag: I Became a Villainess in an Anticlimactic Novel

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

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Except for stopping to eat and sleep, I thought we’d be on the carriage the whole time.

But don’t tell me…

“Bleurgh.”

I…

“Urk.”

“Meliara, are you alright?”

I didn’t think I’d get carriage sickness…! 

The carriage ride was worse than I had imagined. It was like riding a never-ending ride of Disco Pang Pang¹.

Although I didn’t eat much, I still kept feeling nauseous, so we finally ended up stopping the carriage.

We managed to find a lodging nearby where I could lie down on the bed while we passing through a small village.

Still, the motion sickness showed no sign of going away.

“That medicine really doesn’t work on you.”

Although I had already taken the motion sickness medicine that the knights had saved for Linden, it only tasted bitter, and showed no sign of helping me get better.

“We’re trying to find a more effective drug. Just wait a little longer.”

Although I felt sorry for the knights who would suffer from Linden’s words, I was in no position to argue about it right now.

“Whine…”

Kelber also struggled to rest all three of his heads on my bed, perhaps because he was also worried. I stroked his head, saying not to worry, but even that small action made it feel as if the whole world was spinning.

“I’ll take a quick nap.”

“Yes, that would be for the best.”

I lay on the bed and closed my eyes. In this case, it’s best to take a nap.

‘If you keep getting motion sick like this, it’ll probably take more than half a month to get to the temple…’

It was a road that had to be driven on for three days, yet I cried out in surrender after just a day. Although the temple was also a problem, this would further disrupt my plan for asylum. I groaned at the unexpected wedge thrown in my plan.

‘Chrysanthemum tea is the best for motion sickness…’

Even in my previous life, I also frequently got motion sickness. There were many folk remedies for motion sickness, but chrysanthemum tea was the one that worked best for me. So, whenever I rode a roller coaster or a boat, I would always carry some chrysanthemum tea with me in a thermos.

‘But here, I don’t even know where to get it from.’

Now, I couldn’t even go and look for it, since the world would spin even if I tried to walk on flat ground.

All I could do was lie on the bed and moan. I tried to close my eyes, hoping that ‘time would heal me’, but Lecht entered the room after a knock.

He had disappeared as soon as the carriage had stopped, so just as I was about to ask where he had gone, I saw that he had a cult of hot tea in his hand.

“Drink.”

The moment I got up to receive the cup with a bewildered mind and caught a whiff of the orchid’s scent, I immediately knew what it was.

“Chrysanthemum tea…?”

“That’s right.”

“How did you…”

“…”

He closed his mouth which was trying to say something, then said stiffly.

“It was Tanma. He said that chrysanthemum tea was good for motion sickness.”

“Ah.”

Judging from the fact that it was the butler, and not just anyone else, who had said so, it seemed to be a well-known folk remedy in this world.

I took a sip of the tea he gave me. I only took a few sips, but it completely cleansed my stomach. The uncomfortable feeling disappeared in an instant.

“Haa, it seems like I’ll live another day.”

The amount of chrysanthemum tea he had brought was more than enough for five people to share between them.

After I finished drinking a moderate amount, I set the cup aside.

“Thank you.”

“Since it’s already quite late, we’ll stay here for dinner tonight and leave tomorrow.”

Lecht said, as if he knew that I wanted to sleep.

I smiled timidly.

“Yep, that’s fine.”

“I cast some heat insulation magic on the tea.”

He seemed to imply that I’d be able to drink it any time I want throughout the evening.

To be honest, I didn’t need the chrysanthemum tea anymore because most of my nausea was already gone, but I simply laughed without telling him the truth.

“Lecht, you’re very kind.”

His fingertips flinched.

“…I’ll leave Kelber behind with you.”

At his words, Kelber quickly climbed into my bed and settled down there. After confirming that once more, Lecht proceeded to leave the room without saying anything else.

As I watched him leave, Linden, who was watching from the side, tucked me in bed and said.

“I’m in the room right next to you, so just call me if you need me. Understand?”

I noticed his appearance as he tucked the blanket over me tightly for no reason.

‘He seems to be thinking that no matter how much I’m suffering from my broken engagement, that I’ll still be a good chess piece he can use, just by being the Princess of Darchez…’

So for him to take care of me this much is all because it fits into his scheme.

But I’m a doomed stock.

“Linden.”

“Why did you call for me?”

I, who had already read the novel, knew just how much he wanted to bring down his older brother, the Crown Prince.

He was compared to his older brother, the Crown Prince, for his entire life, and was chased endlessly by the powers in the Crown Prince’s faction. His precious connection was killed by the Empress, and all those how approached him favorably were the Crown Prince’s spies, thus, he was always a loner.

It was the female lead, who finally touched his heart, which was falling apart after losing his last blood relative, the head of the Ezzarson Guild. It was only natural for him to fall in love with her.

However, the novel, which had all of its narratives revolve around the male and female lead, was harsh to the second male lead. Even her, who was no different from being his salvation, was taken away.

By his older brother, whom he had been jealous of and hated for his whole life.

‘All the readers thought that Linden would blacken and revolt. And it probably would’ve have happened if it weren’t for the Demon King Invasion cliff hanger ending.’

When the Demon King invaded, the amount of troops that had gathered under Linden’s name was enormous. It was a size that couldn’t have been prepared in a short amount of time.

That meant he must have built up the power to confront the Crown Prince a long time ago.

So, if he was taking this opportunity to force his way through that crack that came about after my broken engagement with the Crown Prince and make me one of the people in his faction, then I was only wasting this person’s precious time.

“Is it true that you have something to do in the East?”

Even I, too, wanted to lighten his life a little bit.

Because no matter how much of a schemer he was, he still wasn’t a bad character. He had simply lived a life of cheating and deceiving in order to survive.

“Yeah, why?”

“What sort of thing?”

“I can’t tell you because it’s confidential…”

He talked without even blinking. As a character who was good at lying by nature, I couldn’t even tell if his words were true or not.

“It’s not because of me…right?”

“Because of you?”

It was something I couldn’t outright ask him, so I was at a loss for words.

As I bit my lips, unable to say anything else, Linden came up to me with a grin.

“Although I’m not sure what you’re worried about, it’s alright, so you can relax.”

“…Really?”

If it was this guy, who could read other people’s expressions and intentions proficiently, he would definitely know what I’m thinking.

“Yes. I really have something to check, so we’re going together.”

That make sense… He’s such a busy kid, where would he even find the time to spare in order to try and capture me like this? To think such a thought would be far too arrogant.

Thinking like that, I was able to let out a breath in relief.

“Then I’ll believe that.”

“It’s because it’s true.”

He reached out and placed his hand slightly against my forehead.

“You seem to have a slight fever too. Enough, get some sleep.”

“…Okay.”

I turned my body to watch Linden, who had meticulously shut my curtains, leave my room.

‘He said it himself that that wasn’t it, so it probably isn’t.’

Even if that wasn’t the case, I didn’t want to make it any more complicated, since I still felt rather sick due to my motion sickness.

At last, I closed my eyes and went to sleep at the sound of the door closing.

Thanks to the chrysanthemum tea, i was able to quickly fall into a deep sleep.

Unfortunately, the good night’s sleep didn’t last very long.

***

pls do not share this anywhere or the transmigration gods will transport u into boku no pico !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

“Bring the sedan chair from the Grand Duchy.”

Lecht, who had come out of the lodging, said to Tanma.

“Although it’ll definitely make her less motion sick, wouldn’t the real thing still be visible to to her, even if it looks like a carriage to everyone else?”

The ‘sedan chair’ that Lecht referred to was a means of transport which was frequently used in the Demon Realm. Although it was brought to the human world and made to look like a carriage with illusion magic, it was actually an installation that was made by having two slug spirits the size of a brown bear carrying a sedan chair.

“Then it will only bring me closer to certainty.”

Tanma burst into laughter at Lecht’s words.

“Aren’t you certain about it, even now as well?”

“It’s not just a matter of seeing Kelber properly.”

“Aha, so that person who thought that was the same person as the one who ran around chaotically just to find one chrysanthemum flower, right~?”

“…”

Tanma said with a sly smile.

“His Majesty, at least the one that I know, would never act like that. How unusual.”

Just like he said, this wasn’t at all like Lecht.

This was Lecht, who treated everyone in this world as if they were air. He was born noble from the very beginning, and never once thought of others, nor ever had to lower his head at all.

That person then immediately overturned the village upside down, just because he was looking for chrysanthemum tea.

He wouldn’t do that, unless he thought that was her.

“You don’t remember. They’re completely different in appearance.”

Tanma smiled softly at Lecht’s blunt tone.

“But the way they smile is the same. …That’s what you’re thinking too, right?”

Lecht’s fingertips twitched at Tanma’s sharp sense. Tanma, who had been serving him for over 100 years, knew exactly what Lecht was thinking.

“Aren’t both her memories and appearance all exactly to your expectations?”

In Tanma’s eyes, using the facts that he knew as an excuse only seemed to be his way of complaining.

“Are you worried about repeating what happened two years ago?”

“…”

Two years ago, there was a case where a newly appeared saint of the sun god in the empire, insisted on visiting the Arvis Grand Duchy to ‘bless’ it.

The Grand Duchy was a place that was no different from a hotspot that transported those of the demon realm to the mortal one, and was filled with the blessings of the moon god, which was worshiped by the demons.

It was pathetic and troublesome for the saint to give the blessing of the sun god to such a place, but he was persuaded by Tanma, who said that they should get along well, so she entered the Grand Duchy.

However, the woman saw through Kelber correctly.

She said that there were three heads.

Lecht was full of anticipation and placed all of his hopes on her.

However, it turned out that the woman was only a con tractor of a demon, and not the woman he had been waiting for.

“There’s no guarantee that this won’t happen again, even this time.”

Lecht never forgot is disappointment at that time. The feeling of his spirit being robbed and his small ray of hope that had bloomed being trampled all over.

“Doesn’t Your Majesty know better than anyone else that it’s different from last time?”

At Tanma’s point, Lecht’s fingertips flinched again.

He knew.

Lips that would purse when anxious. Eyes that would flit around when noticed. Adoring Kelber so much. Not eating breakfast and going to find chrysanthemum tea when you were motion sick.

There’s no way he wouldn’t know.

She would be the only one in this world who could say that such an arrogant and self-centered person like himself was kind.

Although a hundred years had passed, there was no way he wouldn’t recognise her, no matter how many bottles of liquor he had poured because of the memories that would become clearer and clearer as time passed.

However, Lecht replied sharply to Tanma’s prompting.

“Enough.”

“Your Majesty.”

“Stop spouting nonsense. That’s something we’re able to find out once we visit the temple.”

If she was taken to the temple, he would be able to make sure she was the person he was waiting for.

Lecht had already planned to take Meliara to the temple of the moon god, the very moment he heard that her destination was the village of Chiban. He was willing to make as many excuses as possible just to take her.

So, Lecht was suppressing the emotions that had suddenly surged up until he was certain.

“I’ll call for the sedan chair.”

Tanma was also aware of the fact that Lecht’s determination came from an effort to restrain himself, so the dispute didn’t continue any further.

It was when he was about step forward in order to get his job done.

“Won’t we all die like this?”

He heard two men talking in whispers after a day’s work, looking exhausted.

“Still, won’t it be fine since the fatality rate is less than twenty percent?”

“That’s the case for men like us. Our parents and wife. Besides, don’t you have three children? The mortality rate for children is particularly high.”

“Haa. That’s right. Apparently it’s transmitted through physical contact only, so it’s been tough trying to keep the wife and children from leaving the house.”

It could sound like a lament of a circumstance that could be found anywhere.

However, the next line caused both Lecht and Tanma’s heads to turn in that direction in unison.

“To think there could be an epidemic in our village, of all places.”

Tanma furrowed his brow slightly and walked over to where they were.

“Excuse me. Could you tell us more about this?”

[1] Disco Pang Pang is a popular korean amusement park ride where people sit on a circular machine holding onto the metal bars surrounding it and try not to get thrown off. there are countless viral videos of the host trying to shake passengers off while either making fun of them or trying to matchmake them to other passengers.

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god, i’ve seen what you’ve done for others,,,i’m only asking for a man who will think of me the same way as lecht, MANS WAITED FOR HER FOR OVER 100 YEARS HELGHELKWJFAJ

also are we heading into a romfan covid-19 arc ???? GHSDLKFJF

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

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Only the two of them were left in the restaurant on the first floor after Meliara headed back to her room.

Although the sharp tension that filled the atmosphere was still there, lecht stood up, as if he couldn’t care less about it.

Upon his appearance of leaving without even a word, a knight who was next to him cried out in protest.

“Please show more courtesy toward His Highness, the Prince…!”

“Enough.”

However, Linden raised a hand to silence him.

Instead, he looked warily at Lecht and asked cautiously.

“I didn’t expect to see you in a place like this, Grand Duke.”

Lecht, who had stopped in his tracks because of the knight, turned his head to look at Linden.

His ambiguous attitude didn’t seem to be perfectly respectful, nor was it completely disrespectful either.

Nevertheless, he said something completely irrelevant instead.

“The fact that I’m Grand Duke Arvis.”

Linden flinched reflexively at that sharp gaze that seemed to pierce through his body.

“You’d better not let her know.” 

“…Why?”

“There’s no need for you to know that.”

Having said that, Lecht’s gaze skimmed over the knights standing next to Linden.

“You’d better make sure your knights keep their mouths shut, since there’s no way that fact will leak out from my side.”

Linden’s gaze landed on Tanma, who was standing behind Lecht.

Although the butler was smiling, that smile was just as cold as the light in Lecht’s eyes.

Lecht left the restaurant without any qualms after that.

“How could he be so rude…!”

“Enough. Don’t speak recklessly.”

Linden shut his angry knights up. Instead, he sighed and wiped the sweat at his furrowed brows.

‘I think I know why His Majesty said that.’

When he was very young, he overhead His Majesty the Emperor talking to his older brother, the Crown Prince.

What he had said was so absurd that he could still clearly remember it.

“And, no matter what happens, never oppose the Grand Duke of Arvis.”

“Would I even ever have the chance to meet that person who never even leaves the Grand Duchy?”

“I’m saying this because he doesn’t appear very often. No matter what unreasonable or absurd situation there is, never go against him.”

“Why are you so wary of him?”

“That man is the reason our empire exists today.”

“I know he’s a descendant of the country’s founder, but…”

“It’s not like that! That person…”

There was no mistaking the fact that the emotion that filled the face of the Emperor, who was sighing deeply, was undoubtedly ‘fear’.

He was well aware of Grand Duke Arvis’ capabilities. It was to the point that he felt that sending the Grand Duke’s knights to subdue the barbarians or invade other countries was more reassuring than sending the Imperial Palace’s.

But did the empire’s emperor possess that much tact?

“The reason he leaves us be and allows us to act like the imperial family is simply because he doesn’t like to leave his territory.”

“What do you mean by leave us be? Father, just how could the Grand Duke possibly be so low-profile…”

“Ziken”

He wasn’t even there, yet the emperor was still careful about what he said.

“Unless the empire is in a crisis, just let him live quietly within the Grand Duchy. Because the moment he decides to point his sword toward us, this empire will become a wasteland.”

“What do you mean…”

“If you don’t want to see the empire in such a state, then don’t provoke him.”

Although Ziken may not have noticed, Linden did.

The fact that it was something more than simply the Grand Duke grasping onto one of the Emperor’s weaknesses.

Something that even the Emperor was trying to hide.

Ever since he had met Grand Duke Arvis, he had only been even more confused.

A dismissive attitude that flows out so naturally.

A power that could easily subdue, and was to natural to be called arrogant. Is this the exact feeling of how it felt to be a ruler since birth?

The moment he revealed his overwhelming aura, Linden recalled the one and only portrait of Grand Duke Arvis in the Emperor’s room, and immediately changed his attitude.

Since he was someone whom even the Emperor was wary of provoking, it was wiser to be cautious, instead of seeing a critical situation first.

Linden turned toward the stairs to the second floor.

‘Just what does Meliara have?’

Just what exactly was it that even forced Grand Duke Arvis to make a move?

Although he volunteered to accompany them on their journey in order to find out about it, it somehow seemed as if it would be a troublesome journey now.

“Haa, I need a drink.”

Linden, who felt stifled by the refreshing scent left behind by Lecht, ventilated the surroundings with a little wind magic and went to look for alcohol for the first time in a long time.

*** 

pls do not share this anywhere or the transmigration gods will transport u into boku no pico !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

It was a fine morning as I washed my body and hummed while descending the stairs excitedly.

When I arrived on the first floor, a kid was already waiting there to greet me first.

“Woof!”

“Kelber! Did you sleep well?”

As I stroked the head of the guy that was wagging his tail, I found yet another familiar face.

“Butler. We meet again.”

I thought that he seemed like someone who had aged really well.

“Yes, it’s an honor to see you again, miss.”

“Please just call me Meliara.”

“Yes, Miss Meliara.”

No, I was asking you to call me my name without the addition of the ‘miss’ in front of it though.

However, it seemed to be more comfortable for the butler to call me ‘miss’, so I just laughed it off.

“And your name is?”

“It’s Tanma.”

“What a cool name! Then Tanma? Butler? Or Butler Tanma?”

“Call me whatever you like.”

I smiled brightly, deciding on a name in order for it not to be awkward later.

The butler also smiled from corner to corner of his face. His smile exuded a dignified aura.

“Breakfast has been prepared already. Would you like some?”

The butler guided me to one side of the restaurant on the first floor.

Lecht and Linden were already there waiting for me.

“Did the both of you sleep well?”

“Yep. Did you have a good sleep too?”

Lecht merely nodded his head concisely while Linden asked me in return gently. He even pulled out a chair for me to sit in.

I, who was experiencing the first time a man had pulled out a chair for me to sit in, sat down with a faint smile in my heart.

As soon as I settled into my seat, Linden immediately pushed a large plate in front of me.

“This is the best-selling breakfast menu item here.”

“What’s all this? Sausage, bacon, and eggs on pancakes. Even a salad…?”

It was an amount so big that I couldn’t even tell if it were a breakfast or a hearty dinner instead.

Although it looked like it had been cooked tastily, I had no choice but to put on a slightly embarrassed expression.

‘I don’t normally eat this much in the morning…’

I normally only eat about a piece of toast and one cup of multigrain shake.

I didn’t have much time to eat since I was always busy with work, and once I had already established the habit once, I would get rather bloated if I ate too much for breakfast.

When I had first taken possession of this body, I tried to eat more for breakfast, wondering if my appetite had changed since my body had also changed, but it seemed as if I couldn’t eat more for breakfast due to the influence of my mind instead of my body.

But I had no choice but to pick up my knife and fork awkwardly once I saw the way Linden looked after he had prepared all of this for me, his eyes sparkling.

“Thanks. I’ll eat well. Haha.”

It was when I stretched my fork out toward the pancake, thinking to myself that I should pretend to eat it, even if I had indigestion later.

The plate gradually moved away from me. Gently, as if my fork and the plate were magnets that repelled each other.

I spotted the hand that moved the plate as my gaze followed the plate in a puzzled state of mind.

“Lecht…?”

It was Lecht.

“Now what are you doing?”

Linden’s protest followed behind quickly, but Lecht ignored him easily and placed a smaller plate in front of me instead of the large plate of breakfast.

Two pieces of toast which were cut into the shape of a triangle were placed on the noticeably smaller plate.

It looked exactly like what I had been eating every morning for the past few years.

“This is…?”

“You’ll feel uncomfortable moving about if you eat too much in the morning.”

“Ah…”

So you were worried about how it’d affect our travel. I thought you had noticed that I felt troubled by the huge breakfast. 

I smiled mockingly at myself, who had expectations for no reason, and lowered my fork to stab some toast.

As soon as I stared at him, he added, as if he had something else to say.

“…It’s strawberry jam.” 

I burst out laughing again.

“How did you know that I like strawberry jam?”

Although he naturally wouldn’t have known, and had just chosen it because it was the most common one, I was still in a good mood for no reason, as I smiled and took a bite of the toast.

The crispy texture of the toast was so delicious that I wouldn’t get tired of eating it even if I had to every morning.

A cup of multigrain shake would be perfect here.

Since there was no way I’d be able to find multigrain powder here, I swallowed my regret and reached out for a glass of water, but the glass suddenly disappeared.

Instead, a light brown drink was placed right in front of me.

It was the drink I had been thinking about a while ago, so my eyes were bound to widen into circles when I saw it. 

Nah, no way.

“What is this?”

“Try it. You’ll like it.”

Instead of answering my question, he suggested me to taste it. 

I slowly tasted the drink with a trembling heart. The sweet yet savory taste soaked my tongue and flowed down my throat. 

‘Is this really multigrain powder…?’

I was confused.

Of course there was no law against the people of the empire eating ground and roasted soybean powder or glutinous rice powder and the like, and mixing it into milk. It’s just that in my mind, multigrain powder was a very ‘Korean’ food, so I didn’t think that I’d see it here at all.

‘Nothing is impossible if you have the right ingredients.’

But just because I had understood it didn’t mean that I could make any sense of it.

When I looked up in confusion, Lecht was staring at me with his chin in his hand, leaning against the table.

Looking at his languid expression and his unwavering eyes, it seemed as if he had been watching me ever since he had given me that toast. When our eyes met, he added, as if he had just been waiting.

“Apparently it tastes better when you add honey instead of sugar.”

My heart started to beat faster at those meaningless words.

“Ah, yes… That’s right, it’d taste better with honey.”

Why was my heart in such a fluster over such an offhanded remark?

Was it perhaps because multigrain powder was just exactly to my liking? Or maybe it was because I noticed that he was watching me eat? Ah, or was it just because Lecht’s face was just that handsome?

Well, to be fair, with a face like that, even if he said, ‘Ma’am, this jade heating mat is a premium high quality product,’ I would still be excited and buy everything.

Yes, this rapid heartbeat is because of that sharp jawline and those dark features of his that were sexy, even this early in the morning.

I tried to calm my heart down by chewing on my toast and drinking all the multigrain shake, rationalizing all my thoughts.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“Will that be enough for you?”

Linden asked, as soon as I put my glass down. The look of concern was obvious on his face.

“I’m fine. I don’t normally eat a lot in the morning anyway.”

“I see…”

“Have you eaten enough? It seemed as if I was the only one eating.”

“Yep. I finished eating already.”

“That’s a relief. Lecht, have you eaten… Huh? Where did he go?”

When I turned my head back again, Lecht was nowhere to be seen. The jingle of the doorbell and the shaking of the door showed that he had already gone outside.

“So fast, I didn’t even hear the sound of him moving…”

“Meliara.”

As I was still blankly awestruck, Linden called out to me again. Turning his head, he asked me with an extremely serious expression on his face.

“How do you know that person?”

“Rather than know each other… did you see that dog there? Kelber. I ran into that kid yesterday and then happened to also meet him for the first time.”

Although Lecht spoke as if we had met in the past, this was the first time I had met him.

“It was my second time meeting him last night when I was with you.”

“But why…”

He trailed off at the end of his sentence. 

But I seemed to know what he was trying to say.

It was why he was so openly hostile to Linden, but not to me? He was definitely treating me differently from Linden, so much so that it was even obvious to me.

“Perhaps he’s one of His Highness, the Crown Prince’s people? He might not know that our engagement has already been broken.”

That was the best guess I could make.

“That’s not it.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“The thing is…”

He seemed to be extremely cautious with his words. The place where he sneakily glanced towards was where Butler Tanma was waiting for Linden and I with a friendly smile.

“Since he’s someone who’s a close acquaintance of His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Ohhh.”

The Prince of Misfortune who was rejected by the Emperor. A direct power who had a close relationship with the Emperor. It was understandable for Linden to act low-key in front of him.

‘Wait no, you’re one of the Emperor’s people, yet you don’t know that I’m the Princess of Darchez?’

What a mysterious man.

“Would you feel more at ease if I swore on the Lake of Moonlight that I’d protect you?”

But I didn’t hate it for some reason.

“Try it. You’ll like it.”

He may have done such things without putting much thought into it, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it and smiling over it again and again. 

What could I do if it was something good? It wasn’t a crime for my heart to flutter, right? 

After experiencing the natural unspeakable magic that occurred no matter what a handsome man said, I began to have high hopes for my journey in the future.

*** 

The carriage that greeted me the day I came out with all my luggage was extremely nice. 

Unlike the dazzling carriages I had seen in the Darchez Duchy, it carried a dignified aura, and was made of dark varnished wood. At the same time, the decorations which weren’t too excessive only added to the carriage’s luxurious feeling.

“Get on.”

“It’s okay! I can just go there via the public carriage.”

“Is there a need for us to travel on the same road with different carriages?”

“Ah…”

That’s true. It would be strange for me to pay to rent a public carriage when there was one already readily available.

“Then I won’t refuse you! Thank you.”

“It’s only natural for this to happen.”

Oh my. Look, even his answer is perfect.

“It seems like I’ve found a really good companion.”

Aside from the cost it saved from renting a carriage, sharing the same one was a wonderful choice, as it would even take into account his responsibility for my safety too.

I smiled happily and entered through the door Lecht had opened for me.

The inside was just as nice as the outside. Contrary to its dignified feeling, it was still cozy. It also seemed to have a subtle scent of peony.

“Even the seats are spacious.”

Is this what it feels like to ride an expensive limousine?

I burst into laughter for no reason upon experiencing this sort of luxury for the first time.

‘But what are you all doing instead of getting on?’

I seemed to have seen enough of its interior, yet still heard nothing from Linden or Lecht, so I poked my face out of the open door.

Sure enough, the two men were glaring at each other with the cold wind blowing in the background.

“Of course, isn’t it a given for everyone to ride in the same carriage together?”

“I’m not sure why you would think that was a given.”

“Wow, you’re so cold-hearted. Can’t we share one of them?”

“What’s wrong must be your attitude of claiming a favor as a right.”

“I’m not claiming it as a right, but it’s common sense in this situation…!”

From what I heard from the contents of their argument, what I seemed to get from it was that Linden was roughly saying that, “Doesn’t it make more sense for us all to get in the same carriage since we’re all going together?”, and Lecht was, “It’s my carriage, so why should you get on it?”

“Haa…”

I suddenly heard the sound of Linden calling out to me just as I had sighed, at a loss on who to convince.

“Meliara, can’t I get on the carriage too?”

“Huh…? This carriage isn’t mine, so…”

At my words, Linden’s face reflexively looked as if it were close to tears.

“Then am I supposed to follow you guys on a horse by myself…?”

“N-No, it’s not that, but…”

Since you’re someone with a lot of money, shouldn’t you rent your own carriage…?

No, but as Linden said, we’re all going the same way, so wouldn’t it be strange for us to go separately? It was reasonable for Linden to get on the same carriage as us using the reason I was using to ride in Lecht’s carriage.

“Meliara. Take me too… okay?”

Linden, who had suddenly closed the distance between us before I knew it, gave me a pitiful look. Even if it wasn’t the case, I still felt as if I were bullying him, since his expression was so pitiful, like a child’s, and was a mixture of both a puppy and a rabbit’s.

“O-Okay.”

I, who didn’t want to feel like I was a gangster bullying a child, answered impulsively, causing Linden’s face to brighten like a blooming flower.

“Thanks!”

And then quickly climbed into the carriage.

Ah… I received yet another critical hit from his beauty.

It was then that I catch sight of Lecht behind him.

“I’m sorry. It’s not my carriage, yet I…”

“It doesn’t matter.”

He answered immediately before I could even finish my sentence.

“If you’re comfortable with it, then do it.”

He was someone who had been acting extremely firm, saying that he’d never allow Linden to ride with us, but when Linden did get on the carriage with us, he acted as if it only an insignificant matter.

‘Are you just trying to meddle with Linden’s every move?’

As a person of the Emperor, do you not like Linden, who is ‘the stain on the Imperial Palace’? Or did the Emperor send you to ‘test’ Linden?

Although my head was filled with all sorts of thoughts, it didn’t seem to have anything to do with me, so I simply let it all go. I was just happy to be able to see these two handsome men at a glance.

So I shouted out energetically.

“Then shall we not stop until we get to Chiban Village?”

…I didn’t know at that time. 

That our journey to the temple would be so difficult…

---

tsundere lecht hehehehe

also, if anyone has the raws for the very last chapter of this series, pls pm me on discord !!

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

The man who had just entered the restaurant, scanned his surroundings and stopped when his eyes met mine.

I couldn’t move either, too captivated by the man’s deep gaze.

‘I didn’t know we’d meet again.’

Thump thump thump thump.

My heart suddenly started to beat foolishly.

“Woof!”

The puppy’s cry, which expressed his joy to see me, was a bonus instead.

Breaking the brief silence, Kelber ran up to me and leapt up, placing his front paws on my thighs.

As he tried to lick my face, I burst into laughter and rubbed his face.

“It’s nice to see you again too!” 

The man, who came to break up the excited greeting, pulled on Kelber’s leash. When he pulled the leash of the middle one, all the heads were also pulled back at the same time.

“Get down, Kelber.”

With just a few words, Kelber calmly got down to the floor.

I let out a small exclamation of admiration at how well trained he was. He was both charismatic, and even made training his dogs seem charismatic.

His voice was both strong and lovely at the same time.

“So we meet again.”

I gave him a pretty smile, since I was happy to see him again.

But instead of greeting me, he just stared at me and proceeded to say something rather ridiculous.

“Your hairstyle has changed.”

“Ah.”

I brushed back the baby hairs that had fallen past my ear.

“I tied it up since it felt uncomfortable.”

When I had met him during the day, my hair, which had been let loose, was now tied up.

“Does it look weird?”

I asked stealthily. Is it so bad that you’d comment on it as soon as we meet again?

“I like it. It’s refreshing.”

“Really? That’s a relief then.”

I tucked my hair behind my ears and smiled bashfully. Receiving compliments has always been an enjoyable thing.

“Are you also staying here today?”

“For now…”

He muffled the end of his words as he alternated his gaze between me and Kelber.

“That seems to be the case.”

“I heard that there are a lot of pretty decent single rooms still on the top floor that are available. Oh, and the wild boar meat here is also really good.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

As I was chatting to him, Linden tugged my sleeve lightly.

“Meliara. This person is…?”

He had a look of a young child who was extremely wary of strangers as he asked.

“Oh, I ran into him by chance during the day. He’s the owner of Kelber over here.”

Come to think of it, since he was a noble, would he recognise Linden?

I remembered that he had been dragged away by a butler who seemed to have raised him as well. Although the commoners wouldn’t recognise Linden by his face, the high-ranking aristocrats would.

Then, a thread of suspicion suddenly came to my mind.

‘Then in that sense, I’m also the daughter of one of the three major dukes.’

Though of course, now disowned.

Although it wouldn’t have been known to everyone yet, this man still didn’t call me ‘Princess’ either. Besides, it would come out rather naturally too.

‘Do you not know my face?’

It came to mind that he may not be a high-ranking aristocrat.

Then wouldn’t you be surprised to hear that Linden is a prince?

“Nice to meet you. I’m Linden Ezzarson von Bakarta.”

“Heok.”

Linden’s self-introduction made me feel a prick in my conscience for no reason.

‘Everyone in the restaurant will be shocked if you’re that loud…!’

Upon looking around anxiously, I discovered something even more shocking.

Our surroundings were severely quiet, and everyone was even looking this way. However, it was a different sort of tension from being shocked by the appearance of the prince.

‘Don’t tell me… the people I had simply thought were all mercenaries and travelers were actually all Linden’s own escort knights?’

I thought he had simply been walking around freely since commoners didn’t recognise his face, but to think that the knights must have been watching him from where they were hidden all this time!

‘Well, to be fair… he’s a prince who never knows how many poisoned arrows might come down at any moment, so there’s no way he’d just be roaming around by himself.’ 

I quickly looked at the owner of Kelber. 

How shocked must he have been. Just as I was thinking of going to comfort him by telling him not to worry, the man however, simply nodded his head indifferently and took a seat next to me.

The forehead of Linden, who had been ignored, wrinkled slightly.

But he soon regained his composure and smiled.

“Isn’t it basic courtesy for one to return a greeting after receiving one?”

His laugh seemed to sarcastically be saying, ‘why are you like this, you rude bastard’.

However, Kelber’s owner, who was far from being embarrassed or offended, spoke casually.

“Why should I?”

“What…?”

“Although you may think it’s nice to meet me, it’s not for me. So I don’t think there’s a need for me to return your greeting.”

I could feel the sincerity in his voice when he said that, so this time, not only Linden, but also my eyes widened in shock.

Wow, this is the first time I, who had lived in modern times, had seen a My Way¹.

I could feel the knights surrounding us flinch, perhaps because they had thought that his rudeness had gone too far.

Linden lifted his finger slightly to restrain them.

He spoke while still smiling.

“You seem to be close with my older brother. If that’s the case, then that might be why you aren’t happy to see me.”

No matter how much they opposed each other, I didn’t think they’d shed all pretense of courtesy this fast, but…

“Even if that’s the case, shouldn’t you at least tell me your name?”

In any case, Linden seemed to be trying to deescalate the situation somehow.

However, the man didn’t seem to have the slightest intention in helping him with his efforts.

“Why should I?”

pls do not share this anywhere or the transmigration gods will transport u into boku no pico !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

He said the exact same thing as before.

This time, Linden’s smile faltered noticeably. The raised corners of his lips trembled slightly.

Not only that, but his knights all started to rise from their seats. It was the moment when their swords were unsheathed from their scabbard.

“Grrrr…”

This time, Kelber’s fur bristled as he bared his teeth. Perhaps because he had three heads, but his growl seemed to be three times more menacing as normal dogs.

Linden’s gaze slowly moved from Kelber, to his knights, and then finally, to the man.

“What do you think will come out of this?”

Although he was still smiling, it was definitely a threat.

I wasn’t the only one who felt this sort of tension, but the expression of the man who owned Kelber didn’t even change a single bit.

‘Should I come forward and stop them…?’

Although I wondered what sort of help my words could possibly be to them, I still opened my mouth to stir up the atmosphere.

However, before I could even say anything, an enormous pressure started to overwhelm and envelop the room.

“That’s what I was going to say.”

“Urk.”

“Heok.”

At the owner of Kelber’s low remarks, several knights behind him fell to their knees. They clutched their chest and trembled.

Although I also felt as if my stomach was being squeezed, as if something was on top of it, it was clear just by looking that the pressure felt by the knights was different to the feeling of awkwardness I felt.

‘What’s going on…’

I couldn’t figure it out if I didn’t know the cause. 

The black energy that had burst out in an instant from the man who was sitting next to me was seeping into the bodies of the knights. I avoided it skillfully. 

‘Black energy? Aura? What is this?’

Although I didn’t know what it was, one thing was certain: the fact that this man was an incredibly formidable person.

Even Linden, who was set up with the foundations as an excellent mage in the original novel as the second male lead, seemed to be clenching his fists due to the bothersome energy.

“You…”

Linden’s voice trembled slightly.

“No way…”

However, the man turned his head to me, ignoring Linden.

Although it was an act that could be said to be disrespectful toward the prince, Linden, who had already witnessed his capability, didn’t bother to make a point of it.

The reason why they couldn’t make a big fight here and cause Linden to seem like the victim was probably because he would a lose more than he would gain.

“Lecht.”

He looked at me straight in the eyes and spoke.

“It’s Lecht. My name.”

“Oh. My name is Meliara.”

I responded in bewilderment to the self-introduction that didn’t seem to match the atmosphere around us.

The gaze he looked at me with was subtle as he muttered quietly.

“…Ara?”

My shoulders shuddered in that moment.

‘Right. If you look at it, you could get Ara out of Meliara.’

I was surprised the moment I heard my name from my previous life.

“If you want to call me that, then you can. Haha.”

I tried to laugh it off, but then he suddenly said something out of the blue.

“Don’t you recognise me?”

“Pardon?”

He didn’t seem to be talking about when we met in the afternoon.

How would I know who you were?

When I looked confused, as if I really didn’t know, he added cautiously.

“Have you… never met me before…?”

His voice had softened to the fullest, and the eyes he used to observe me had become completely gentle, the sharpness from before nowhere to be seen.

I wondered if this was the same person who seemed as if he was about to devour all the knights until just now.

I felt as if I had glimpsed the affectionate side he had been hiding, a warm breeze blowing through my heart.

“Well, I don’t know.”

I smiled, pretending to be calm, and said.

“I think today is my first time.”

If it was me, I knew I wouldn’t have forgotten such a handsome face.

‘Did he perhaps ever meet the original owner of this body?’

If that was the case, then I’m sorry, but it wasn’t in my memories. So, of course, the only thing I could was pretend to be clueless.

“…or maybe not.”

His eyes darkened as he muttered softly.

I felt sorry for no reason for not remembering…

“Although I don’t remember meeting you before, won’t it be fine if we get to know each other more from now on?”

I smiled as brightly as I could as I spoke.

Although I didn’t know what kind of meeting he had with Meliara in the past, there was no law against building a new relationship with me.

Relationships with handsome men have always been welcome.

“…”

However, he didn’t respond to my suggestion.

Hey… it’s a bit embarrassing, so can you at least say yes or no…?

I, who always felt awkward when it was silent, let out a haha before adding.

“Although I did say that, I won’t have much time since I’ll be busy with something from now on. Haha.”

Although I did say that I’d get to know him, the truth was that I had to find the spirit and to go and seek asylum somewhere.

The handsome man was enjoyable, but avoiding the collapse of the empire was more important.

“Something?”

“Yes. I’m planning on going to the eastern village of Chiban.”

The village of Chiban was right before the Arvis Grand Duchy, and was the closest village to the abandoned temple of the Moon God.

“So, next time I see you…”

“Then I’ll go with you.”

“…Huh?”

I felt flustered for a moment since his reply had come back even before I had finished my question. 

This wasn’t the conversation I had been expecting though?

The conversation I had been expecting was that I would say, ‘So, next time I see you, let’s have a cup of tea together’, and then he’d answer ‘let’s do so’ in reply.

Although it was a pity for me to leave a handsome man, I couldn’t just give up on my survival just to see more of him.

But what do you mean by us going together…? Didn’t we only meet for the first time today…?

Upon seeing my perplexed expression, he said.

“I was also scheduled to head to the east.”

“Ah, is that so…?”

“Furthermore, the security outside of the capital isn’t too great, so it’ll be safer for you to move around with me.”

That’s… true, I guess?

There was no guarantee that I, who didn’t even know any self-defense, would be safe on my way to the abandoned temple of the Moon God.

‘If I look at it from that angle, then it would be safer for me to go with Lecht…’

I mean, his skills seemed to be great, just judging from the black energy that had blown in the wind earlier.

However, I couldn’t just shout, ‘alright!’ without any hesitation.

In any case, he was also someone who I had only met for the first time today.

Though I did say that there were no bad people amongst animal lovers. Though he was handsome enough to melt away all my vigilance and alertness!

‘But accompanying him for a few days was a different story, right…?

He said, as if he could see the concern showing on my face.

“Would you feel more at ease if I swore on the Lake of Moonlight that I’d protect you?”

“Pardon…?”

He suddenly pulled out a dagger before I could even respond properly.

“No matter where you’re going, I swear that I’ll take full responsibility for you safety until your arrive.”

At the same time, upon seeing him reach out to cut the tip of his finger without any hesitation, I hurriedly stretched out my hand to stop him.

“Wait!”

I grabbed his hand which was gripping onto the dagger with both hands.

“There’s no need for you to go so far!”

Swearing on the ‘Lake of Moonlight’ was the most supreme oath one could make for those who believed in the Moon God.

It was said that if this oath was violated, that the Moon God would then curse the souls of those who took that oath and sentence them to ten thousand years of suffering.

But to think that you would do that! And so willingly as well!

Any of my remaining anxiety was immediately washed away.

“Let’s go together!”

It takes about a week to reach the abandoned temple of the Moon God.

Although I didn’t know where this man’s ‘schedule in the east’ was, there was no way it would be at the temple, so I was sure that we’d split ways in the middle.

To think he’d make a vow to the Lake of Moonlight just to accompany me for a few days. That could’ve been a disaster.

Still, even if that was the case, I was still grateful at his willingness to do so. My heart fluttered for no reason.

“I was also at a loss at the thought of going by myself, but now that Lecht is going with me, I feel reassured.”

When I spoke with a bright smile, he put away the dagger he had taken out and nodded slightly.

“Yeah.”

The combination of his reply in a deep voice and those golden eyes of his that were slightly downcast made my heart flutter very easily.

Looking at that handsome face, I smiled happily at my daydream of a week-long feast for my eyes, until Linden suddenly tugged at my sleeve.

“I’ll go as well!”

“Why you as well…?”

“I, I also have something to do in the east.”

Really? I think you just stuttered though?

“Take me with you too, okay?”

The way he looked at me pitifully was cute, like a whining rabbit. How could I say no to a face like this?

“Just do as you like.”

In fact, it wasn’t as if I could do anything to stop him from coming.

No matter how much he’s called the ‘Prince of Misfortune’, he was still a prince anyway. Who could possibly stop him…

Oh.

I turned my eyes to Lecht. If it was Lecht, I felt as if he would even be able to block the way of a prince.

“That’s fine, right?”

“I’m just accompanying you on your way.”

Fortunately, Lecht didn’t try to make it difficult for anyone this time.

“Then, let’s set off tomorrow morning.”

I said while alternating my gaze between the two of them.

Lecht on my right. Linden on my left.

Gosh. There are flowers in both hands.

Although they weren’t my flowers, it was still a pleasant night nonetheless.

[1] 마이웨이 (My Way) refers to those who do not care about other people’s opinions and tend to act according to their own thoughts without listening or caring about others, only going ‘their way’.

author’s note:
i’m also confident that i can hold onto flowers properly too…

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AHHHHH GOD I’VE SEEN WHAT YOU’VE DONE FOR OTHERS, WHEN WILL IT BE MY TURN ༼;´༎ຶ ۝ ༎ຶ༽

anyways, it’s literally chapter 4 and there’s already a showdown between the ml and second ml HNGSDFLKJFDJFDSJ i’m rooting for lecht but soft boy linden also has a soft spot in my heart tho HGLDKSFJFDS

tbh i’d be meliara in this situation, i’m weak to good looks COME HERE I’LL RAISE YOU

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Having successfully exchanged my jewelry for money, I changed my outfit first. 

That was because, even though I had worn the simplest clothes from the Duchy, they were still too flashy and made me stand out too much. The long flowy skirts were also too uncomfortable.

I used to wear pants since I had felt uncomfortable with even formal skirts, not to mention the clothes that a noble young miss had to wear.

After that, I bought a map and found an inn that was the closest to the city walls. This was the best place for me to start moving from tomorrow.

I roughly unpacked my luggage in the single room and found a restaurant on the first floor.

“Here’s your garlic wild boar meat stir-fry and creamy beer~”

I ordered one of the things I had always wanted to try while reading <A Divine Retribution>, and now it was really right in front of me.

“Thank you for the food~!”

To think it’s wild boar…! Isn’t this a dish that can’t easily be tasted in Korea?

“Oh, it’s really good though?!”

Although it was my first time trying wild boar meat, it actually wasn’t that bad?! It’s pork, but should I say it was more delicious than pork?

Since this was so delicious, I wanted to try all the other food that was here. Perhaps the grilled brown bear tongue that I had seen earlier.

I was so hungry that I finished the food without any hesitation. It wasn’t until I had washed my mouth down with a mouthful of creamy beer that I finally opened the map that I had bought. It was a detailed map of the Bakarta Empire, as well as the areas surrounding it.

“Then, where should I plan to go?”

My notebook, which lay open next to the map, contained what my future plans were.

1. Asylum (Where should I go? – As far away from the Empire as possible!)

2. Obtain the spirit¹!!! (The one that’s in the abandoned temple of the moon god!)

The ultimate goal after seeking asylum, was none other than finding the spirit.

Although going into hiding was one thing, I still needed a way to protect myself in case something unexpected happened. So what I had thought of was the spirit.

The spirit, which was mentioned in passing in the novel, was sleeping in the abandoned temple of the moon god and was said to be a defense spirit.

Although it wasn’t strong enough to stop someone from deliberately trying to kill me, I would still at least be able to avoid being shot by stray arrows.

It was unknow whether the Demon King would only destroy the Empire or completely wipe out the entire continent instead.

So, if the world were to suddenly turn into a war zone, it was clear that having the spirit would have a great impact on my survival rate. The problem was… 

‘Why is the abandoned temple there?!”

The abandoned temple of the moon god, where the spirit was sleeping, was right next to the the territory of Grand Duke Arvis!

Grand Duke Arvis, who boasts the second largest territory after the capital, was a place that was extremely hard to enter.

In particular, Grand Duke Arvis, who ruled the area, didn’t leave the Grand Duchy very often, so no one but the Emperor knew what he looked like.

Since he didn’t show his face very often, there were rumors that said that he was an ugly-looking man, and there were also doubts on whether he was a real person or not.

However, I knew the reason why the mysterious and incomprehensible figure didn’t leave the Grand Duchy.

‘Because he’s the one who destroys the Empire!’

Grand Duke Arvis was the Demon King, who had hidden his identity!

After staying quiet for close to a hundred years, what sort of bullshit could have caused him to suddenly call for his entire demon army and completely obliterate the empire?

‘Could the emperor have offended him…? No, he couldn’t have.’

The Demon King was a founding contributor who had helped the founding emperor to establish the empire.

Since no one else had lived for a hundred years, although the other nobles and ordinary citizens merely thought that the present Grand Duke Arvis was only a descendant of the founding contributor, only the Emperor knew that he was that very person himself.

‘I mean, he knows he’s the Demon King, so would he have been crazy enough to provoke him?’

So what the hell was the reason?

When he founded the empire, he raised a human up into the emperor’s position, but did his desire to conquer finally boil over?

Or what, did he wonder, ‘shall I devour the Empire today’ simply because he was bored?

Why was someone who should be ruling the Demon world live as the Grand Duke in the mortal world in the first place?

“Huu, let’s calm down.”

Thinking of this, I calmed my worked up self with a few deep breaths.

‘It’s alright. There are still three months left until the invasion.’

Right, what’s important right now isn’t why he lives as a Grand Duke in the mortal world, but how I’m meant to get to the abandoned temple next to his estate.

‘I’m going to be as inconspicuous as possible, steal the spirit and bounce.’

There wouldn’t be a chance for me to encounter him anyway, since it’s said that he’s always stuck to the confines of the Grand Duchy.

I’ll come and go quietly. Quietly.

‘Please don’t let anything strange suddenly happen, just because I’m in the body of a villainess…’

I grabbed my map and notebook with the hope that everything would go well.

While I was thinking that it’d be better for me to go to bed early since I’d have to ride in a carriage first thing in the morning tomorrow, someone approached my table whilst I was in the midst of preparing to leave.

pls do not share this anywhere or the transmigration gods will transport u into boku no pico !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

“Meliara?”

As I raised my head up, I saw a man approach me, taking off his hood.

“It really is you!”

He approached me with a bright smile that seemed as if he were happy to see me, and naturally sat down at my table.

“I think this is the first time I’ve seen you wearing pants. I thought I saw wrong for a moment.”

Seeing him talk to me in such a friendly manner, I couldn’t even manage a stutter in reply.

Who are you…? 

Dark pink hair tied up into a single bunch. Eyes as blue as the summer sky. Skin that was like white jade.

‘What kind of characters are all so pretty and good-looking?’

The man I had met in the afternoon had been so handsome, it seemed as if he’d be able to conquer the world just with his beauty alone, but this man in front of me was quite formidable too. It was clear that he’d be in ‘the top 5 most good-looking people I’ve ever seen in my life’.

So… who are you?

‘We seem to know each other since he had greeted me before… but did I ever have such a friend who had greeted me so warmly like this?

It was hard for me to think, ‘Oh, it’s you!’, just by looking at his face.

“Y-Yeah, how have you been?”

I tried to greet him without being awkward to the best of my ability.

However, his eyes widened, as if surprised by my greeting.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s just because you’re speaking casually to me.”

Heok. Did we usually not do so? I only did it because you were also speaking casually to me…!

“Ahaha, it’s been so long since we met so I forgot…”

“I mean, it’s good! You can continue.”

He used his hand to prop up his chin and smiled brightly while looking at me.

“You wouldn’t do so, even if I asked you in the past. That’s why I always felt hurt, since it felt like you were trying to keep a wall between us all the time.”

When he gave a faint child-like smile, coupled with the vibe of a pure idol, I felt as if I had a maternal love that didn’t even exist.

“Then, since you’ve already changed your way of speaking with me, can you change the way you address me as well?”

“Address?”

“Yeah. After all, ‘Your Highness’ is too stiff.”

Your Highness…?

I inhaled sharply.

‘Your Highness’?!

“Call me Linden.”

“Ahem!”

I tried to stop the choking sound from coming out of my mouth.

I knew he couldn’t have been an extra with a face like that!

A combo of pink hair and blue eyes.

‘You’re the Empire’s second prince!’

He, who was giving me a pretty smile right now, was the second prince of the Bakarta Empire, who possessed the long name of Linden Ezzarson von Bakarta, and was the second male lead in the original novel.

Unlike the Crown Prince, who had the Empress for a mother, and was from the main line of descent, he was the son of a concubine. As the only daughter of the head of the billionaire Ezzarson Guild, his mother, who had come to the imperial palace to help her father, had caught the eyes of the Emperor and eventually became a concubine.

She, whose influence was weak despite her wealth, couldn’t win over the Empress, who enjoyed the support of the aristocratic faction, and eventually died a mysterious death when Linden was seven years old.

His grandfather, the head of the Ezzarson Guild, raised the child outside of the imperial palace in order to prevent Linden from getting caught up in the struggle for succession.

‘Although I heard that his face wasn’t widely known, unlike the Crown Prince’s, I didn’t know it would be this bad.’

He, the prince, was sitting in an inn on the outskirts of the capital, yet no one around us paid any attention to him.

‘But it’s not like I don’t know, just because those around me don’t know!’

In addition to that, he was often referred to as a ‘schemer’! I had to be careful not to provoke him.

“Ohoho, but how could I say the name of His Highness, who is the light of the Empire, so thoughtlessly?”

I diligently tried to make something up. However, his face stiffened slightly as he mumbled reflexively.

“The light is my older brother.”

Shit. I pressed the wrong switch.

‘I forgot that he had an inferiority complex to his older brother, the Crown Prince.’

He hated the fact that everyone would say that the Crown Prince was the future and light of the Empire, while simultaneously calling him the stain and the shadow of the Imperial Palace.

“You are the light to me. Hoho.”

Nothing good would come out of pretending in front of a schemer, so I wagged my tail slightly in order to make him feel better.

However, Linden looked at me suspiciously and said.

“…Did you decide to change routes and go for me after breaking your engagement with my older brother?”

“No way. I don’t have anymore lingering attachment to the imperial palace.”

Seriously. I have no interest in that anymore.

My only concern right now was ‘how to steal the spirit quietly and flee to a distant continent’.

“You said it was your only hope at one point.”

“Gosh. How could that be my only hope when the world is so vast?”

The imperial palace was a doomed stock. Grand Duke Arvis… when the Demon King starts to run rampant, the entirety of the Imperial Palace would return to dust.

“…Your thought process seems to have changed after your broken engagement.”

“…”

Could you please stop saying things like ‘you’ve changed’ since it prickles at my conscience…?

Although there was no way he’d ever notice that this body’s soul had changed, I was only speaking dispel any useless doubts.

“I just had a change of heart after my engagement got broken off. You don’t need to worry about it too much.”

“How could I do that?”

Linden tilted his face toward me.

“It’s your business, not anyone else’s, so of course I have to care.”

In addition to that, he began to look at me closely with a slow gaze.

Although it was burdensome for me to have such a pretty face right in front of me, I didn’t know where to put my eyes since he kept looking at me with those blue eyes of his. I sneakily avoided his gaze and wiped off some cold sweat.

“Hahaha, how nice of you.”

A laugh that seemed awkward, even to me, suddenly burst out.

While I was wondering how to fix this, he whispered to me, as if he hadn’t felt anything strange.

“I’m not being nice. I’m only like this because it’s you.”

His expression was so pitiful that it made my heart ache for no reason. 

The reason Linden was so dangerous was because contrary to his insidious mind that was constantly plotting to bring down the Crown Prince and snatch away the female lead, Olivia, he had a very naive-looking appearance.

And he knew how to use his appearance to his advantage. 

So I knew this was all just acting. I knew he was a trickster, yet…!

“You know, just like how I’m your only friend, you’re my only friend as well.”

Haaa… I’m melting, I’m melting.

I ended up screaming in surrender to his face and said, “Thank you for caring about me, it’s really comforting to know.”

I knew that he hadn’t said this to console me, but rather, to ‘supervise’ me, since it would be a waste for him to throw away ‘the Empire’s only princess’ card so early.

“If Your Highness ever needs comfort someday, please come and find me. Although I can’t say anything particularly cool, I can still lend a listening ear to you.”

If I had remembered correctly, it was about now that his grandfather finally died.

Finding out that he had lost the last person who would always be on his side unconditionally must have been extremely difficult for Linden.

Anyway, there was no room for me, since the original female lead would comfort you instead.

‘But giving someone who is in need of comfort a shoulder to cry on is simply one’s duty as a human being, right?’

However, he made another bizarre request at my suggestion.

“Then call me Linden.”

“Well, naturally that’s a bit…”

No matter how much you want to, you’re an imperial prince and I’m a princess… Oh, I’m about to be exiled soon, so I’m actually a commoner.

“Then at least speak casually with me then.”

“Haa…”

How persistent. It was clear that there’d be no end if we continued to argue like this.

“Alright, Linden.”

In the end, it was a battle that I, who was particularly weak to handsome men, had no choice but to lose to Linden, who used his looks to his full advantage for the most part.

It would’ve been strange for me to call him ‘Your Highness’ while speaking casually to him, so I just gave up on it all.

Then Linden, who had been disappointed, looked a little surprised before his whole face brightened up.

“As expected, there’s no one like you, Meliara.”

“…Right.” 

His smile was dangerously pretty. Look how fast my heart is beating already…

While I was in the midst of thinking that meeting a handsome guy wouldn’t be as hard as expected, someone came into the restaurant at the sound of the bell at the top of the door.

I unconsciously turned my gaze to the sound of the door opening, and inhaled sharply upon looking at who had entered.

[1] although 기연 means ‘fate’ normally, in webnovels (especially martial arts ones), they often refer to when a character receives an opportunity to level up spontaneously (e.g. being chased by a villain, falling off a cliff, then finding [something/somebody] in the cave under the cliff and getting stronger through that). this can also refer to objects depending on the situation (e.g. secret martial arts almanac, elixir, master, etc.)

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it’s alright meliara, i too, also have a weakness for handsome men ( ´ཀ` )

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

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‘First of all, I want to convert all these jewels into money.’

I left the Duchy with a few jewels that had belonged to Meliara.

It was unfortunate, but even if the world was doomed to end tomorrow, I was still hungry, and urgently needed some money to buy food.

‘Where would be a good place? If it’s a store on high street, then they might recognise my face.’

There was no point for me to stir up rumors for no reason, so I stepped into an alleyway in order to avoid people’s eyes, thinking that it’d be better for me to go to a jeweler that wasn’t located on the main street.

It was then.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

I heard a dog barking behind me.

I turned my head, since I, who even liked the occasional stray mutt that passed by, would like anything as long as it was an animal. Then, my eyes widened into saucers.

“Hic!”

The animal that had barked at me was indeed a dog. 

It was just that it had three heads.

‘C-Cerberus?’

The first thing that came to my mind was the dog that guarded the gates of the underworld in Greek mythology. The color of his coat was black, and his eyes were also an eery blood-red.

‘Did this novel have a setting where this sort of thing existed?’

I tried to recall the original novel.

‘In hindsight, it did seem as if the main couple hunted a ‘monster’ that appeared in the capital, which created several cool scene… Then, is this that monster…?’

As I stiffened up since I didn’t know what to do, the ‘animal’ hurriedly approached me.

‘Although I knew how to fight off flashers, I didn’t know how to deal with monsters!’

Do I run away? No, wouldn’t it catch up to me?

Pretend to be dead? No, then I’d definitely get eaten up either way!

I should climb a tree… but where is the tree that’s supposed to be here?!

While my head was full of all these sorts of thoughts, the ‘animal’ had suddenly already arrived right in front of me.

Although it seemed as if a scream would come out of my mouth at any moment, I kept my lips shut for fear that a loud noise would provoke it.

But it was then.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

The three heads of the animal barked one after another, rubbing their faces against my abdomen. it was even wagging its tail softly!

The way it stuck out its tongues and made a panting sound was a bit cute, so I carefully petted the middle of the three heads.

Then the child let out a bark, as if pleased, and raised its front paws toward me.

“Uwah!”

My body tumbled backwards at the sudden weight. Then, the three heads rubbed against my face and the nape of my neck while licking my cheeks.

“Ah! Wait, wait! Ahahaha! My face will be a mess if you all do it at once!”

“Woof!”

Despite my protests, the child only barked cutely, acting cute.

‘It’s got three heads, but it’s still a puppy nevertheless, right?’

There was no mention of such an animal in the original novel, but the author couldn’t possibly explain every single dog that passed by!

After coming to the conclusion that this was one of the common animals in this setting, I showered my adoration on the child to my heart’s content.

It even lay flat on his back, perhaps because it just liked my touch that much.

“You want me to rub your belly? Haha, alright!”

I was scratching the child’s stomach with both hands at its cuteness, when I heard a man’s voice from not too far away.

“Kelber.”

At that resolute voice, the tail of the child who was being touched by my hand, which had been raised in the air, froze.

When I looked up, I saw a man who was walking toward us from the end of the alleyway

“You suddenly left the ranks. What are you doing?”

At that deep voice, the puppy jumped up and hid behind me with a whimper. 

I instinctively hugged the child tightly at its pitiful whimpers.

The man who had stopped right in front of me looked down at the two of us without saying a word.

His golden eyes intertwined with mine. 

At that moment, I suddenly felt my breath catch and stopped breathing, in a way that was completely different to when I did when I first encountered the three-headed puppy.

‘Are you sure you’re human…?’

His appearance was exquisite enough to naturally raise such suspicions. 

His perfect features that created a deep impression, as well as that flawless copper-colored skin, devoid of even a single blemish.

Silver hair which was as elegant as the moon that shone ethereally in the deep night sky, and eyes that were sharp, yet were as bright as jewels.

He was so dazzling that there were no words that could possibly describe his appearance.

“Are you the owner of this child?”

I, who had a weakness for handsome men, almost blurted out, ‘Do you have a lover?’.

“I am.”

He frowned as he answered and alternated his gaze from me to the child called ‘Kelber’.

“That’s unusual. There’s never been a case where Kelber has been so friendly with a human he doesn’t know.”

“Ahaha. I’m normally the type of person to be loved by animals.”

It had been like that ever since I was a child. Animals had always like me, regardless of whether it had been the haggard stray cat, the dense pigeons, or the agile red squirrel.

Nevertheless, this wasn’t the first time I had heard a dog owner say, ‘He’s not normally like this,’ embarrassed by the way their dogs who had been on a walk had run up to me for a hug.

I smiled and stroked Kelber’s neck.

“What a cute child. Each of its three heads has a different personality, so it’ll never get boring. Hahaha.”

Each head’s disposition was slightly different. One who likes rubs, one who likes to lick, and one who just constantly shook its head.

“Three heads…?”

The man muttered in a strange voice despite the fact that I had complimented all three of them.

“Oh, was it perhaps a bit strange for me to say ‘three heads’ just because they have three heads?”

The furrow in his brow, which had already been there at my words, got even deeper,

I was wondering what was with him, and whether I had perhaps used a rude expression by accident, but he suddenly grabbed my wrist.

“?”

Although he wasn’t rough, he pulled me firmly toward him and grabbed my chin with the other hand.

“!”

I took in a short breath in the distance between us that had suddenly narrowed.

His clear and refreshing scent tickled my nose. Even the light fragrance, which wasn’t too heavy, was according to my taste, so my heart started to beat faster.

I twisted my wrist, trying to get out, flustered at the fact that my racing pulse seemed to have been delivered right to his fingertips.

But rather, he clenched my wrist in an even tighter grip and scrutinised my face.

Although it would’ve been a rather normal reaction for me to push him away and ask him what he was doing, the look in his eyes while he was looking at me was so desperate that I couldn’t bring myself to push him away so heartlessly.

“Are you perhaps…”

It was when he seemed to be trying to say something, but his luck seemed to have run out.

“Your Excellency!”

Another man’s voice sounded from behind him. 

At the appearance of another man, the handsome man finally released me and hurriedly backed away.

“Have you found Kelber yet… Oh, so he was here.”

The man who appeared behind him was a middle-aged man with gray hair.

‘Judging by his clothes… is he this handsome man’s butler?’

He seemed to be a nobleman since his light clothes seemed to look very luxurious.

I got up from where I was, shook off the dust from my clothes and nodded in greeting. The butler smiled and greeted me in the same way.

“You found Kelber. Thank you.”

“No, I just came across him while passing by.”

“I’d still like to repay you somehow, so is there anything you’d like?”

“It’s alright. I haven’t done anything that great.”

He hesitated at my euphemistic refusal, then took out two gold coins and stuffed them in my hand.

“Even if that’s the case, I still can’t possibly not repay you for the favor, so please, at least accept this.”

“It’s alri…”

I was about to refuse, but then stopped and thought about it again.

‘No, even though this child approached me and acted cute, from their point of view, I must have been taking good care of the child, right?’

In addition, just from looking at the clothes that both he, and even the butler was wearing, it was clear that this person was someone with a lot of money. If we were talking about two gold coins, then it’s definitely nothing worth mentioning for that man.

In any case, the higher my budget was, the better it would be for my exile before the collapse of the empire.

Alright! It’s impolite to refuse money that’s given to you out of gratitude anyway!

“Then I’ll take it. Thank you.”

I changed my words and smiled. I quickly put the gold coins in my pocket in case he changed his mind.

Upon receiving my thanks, the two of them quickly disappeared from my sight.

Before leaving the alleyway, the handsome man stopped once more to look back at me.

‘The longer I look at him, the more his looks seem to fit my taste.’

That’s all I could think of when I saw the man staring at me with a mysterious expression for a long time.

Although I smiled and waved at him, he walked off at the sound of his butler calling after him without even a single acknowledgement back.

‘What a shame.’

Although he had already disappeared from my sight, his faint scent on my wrist lingered with me for a long time.

***

pls do not share this anywhere or the transmigration gods will transport u into boku no pico !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

“You there.”

After he left her, Lecht, who was immersed in his own thoughts, stopped walking and called out to a man who was just passing by.

“Pardon…? M-Me…?

The commoner approached Lecht, whose cold aura emanated uncontrollably, extremely tense.

“How many heads does this dog have?”

The man’s hands trembled at the bizarre question of the man who seemed as if he would cut off his head at any moment.

He was afraid that he’d be dragged away and made to do hard labor if his answer wasn’t to their satisfaction.

“O-One.”

“Are you sure there’s only one?”

At the question that was repeated, as if what he had answered was an incorrect answer, the man started to sweat and checked the dog that he was pointing to again.

The large black dog revealed its ferocious teeth, very clearly showing its hostility. Its red eyes made him erupt in goosebumps.

“I-Isn’t there only one head…?”

“Hmm.”

He had only answered according to what he had seen, but the man let out a nasally hum, as if he didn’t like that answer.

“Sorry…!”

In any case, it was always the fault of the commoner if they happened to offend the nobility, so the man bowed his head in obeisance. As he waited for the incoming mocking that was about to come, a slightly different, gentler voice sounded out.

“Your Excellency, what else are you doing again?”

“…”

“You may go.”

At the words of the person who seemed to be the butler, the commoner said a, ‘thank you!’ and ran away hastily.

Tanma, the butler and aide, looked back at his master with a serious expression on his face and asked.

“Why did you do that?”

“They saw three.”

“Pardon?”

“That woman could see that Kelber had three heads.”

It was only then that Tanma finally realised why Lecht had such a strange expression on his face earlier.

“To be able to see through your illusion spell…”

Kelber, who Lecht had summoned, originally had three heads.

However, it was normal for an ordinary human to see a dog with a single head instead, since there was an illusion spell.

But that woman had seen Kelber’s true form instead.

“Could she be a demon? Or a contractor?”

It was natural for Tanma to bear such doubts, as anyone who had made a contract with a demon, or who was a demon, would be able to see through the illusion spell.

At this question, Lecht recalled how it had felt to hold her wrist and the peculiar sense of unfamiliarity he had felt through her eyes.

“No. I didn’t feel that sort of feeling at all.”

If that had been the case, then Lecht would have noticed. No matter how well they hid or controlled their energy, no demon would be able to hide from the Demon King, Lecht.

“They were able to see Kelber’s true form, even though they were a human?”

“That’s why I’m being so serious about this.”

Silence flowed between the two of them. 

Tanma looked at Lecht and asked carefully.

“Then would it be… that person…?”

Lecht’s fingertips twitched at the question that seemed to have read his thoughts.

As Tanma said, the question of ‘is it her?’ dominated Lecht’s mind. 

However, there were a few reasons why that doubt hadn’t turned into a certainty.

“Her appearance definitely seems to be different than what Your Majesty said.”

One of them was her appearance.

The woman he remembered was someone with pitch-black hair and eyes which were as pretty as obsidian. It was extremely different to the appearance he had just seen.

In his memory, she was shorter than the woman he had just saw, and was on the petite side.

‘However…’

“However, she may not be able to have both the same appearance and soul at the same time either.”

Tanma clearly summarised Lecht’s thoughts.

“Should we investigate this?”

“As soon as possible.”

Lecht answered Tanma’s question as if he had just been waiting for it.

“I understand.”

Although he had more work to do, Tanma didn’t complain.

A human woman who could see the true form of Kelber through the illusion spell.

Perhaps she was the one the lord had been waiting for this whole time.

author’s note:
i also have black hair, and black eyes though… lecht, tell me, how am i meant to find someone like you…?!
(??: author-nim, acting like this here isn’t acceptable.)

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ERMMM SO ABT HOW I SAID NEXT UPDATE IS IN TWO WEEKS…. i lied ^^ this series is literally abt to finish so i’m gonna like just release as much as i want LMAOOOOO

ok well, SO MANY THINGS IN THIS CHAPTER kelber is so cute omg kelber best boy i just want to hug back a three-headed dog back with me too pls,,,the way meliara kept referring to him as her child too AHHHHH HE’S SO CUTE I LOVE

PLUS DID YAWL SEE THE HOT ASS ART WE GOT OF OUR ML MMMMM EVERYONE SAY THANK YOU TO THE ARTIST FOR THE MEAL !1!1!1 we being fed RL good here huh

also i just love the trope of ml falling in love with fl first like YESSSS GIMME THE SAUCE BRO HNGGGGDSLKFJFD

n e ways,,, hope yawl enjoyed this chapter introducing our ml !! as always, chuck a review/rating on novel updates if u can (link in the table of contents page), donate to the kofi if possible, and i’ll see u next week !!! 🙂

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

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I possessed the body of the villainess of the novel I was reading. 

I’m doomed.

It wasn’t because I had transmigrated into a novel, nor was it because I had possessed the body of a villainess.

Rather, it was because in this novel, demons had suddenly invaded and destroyed the empire, right before the happy ending, which caused it to descend into an anticlimax¹.

…Damn it. What should I do?

***

pls do not share this anywhere or the transmigration gods will transport u into boku no pico !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

I was also working overtime on that day too. After revising the powerpoint that had already been revised five times at the request of the manager, it wasn’t until 11 o’clock that I finally managed to leave the company with a heavy body.

I was waiting for the traffic light at the crosswalk in front of my house after taking the taxi back, since I had just barely missed the last train, thinking to myself that the transportation cost would be extremely high for this month as well.

“Is that really the end? It’s not a joke?”

Although there were no cars around since it was rather late, I was double checking the pages of a novel that had been completed a few days ago while waiting for the light to turn green.

This rofan² novel, titled <A Divine Retribution³>, was a popular work that had maintained it’s top rankings on the Series⁴ app for the past year.

The male lead, a crown prince who had both power and good looks, and the female lead, who was a good-natured but strong saintess.

As the title of the book suggests, they were a righteous couple who embodied the saying ‘good will always triumph evil’, always punishing evil and rewarding the good. They were even nicknamed by the comment section as the ‘Hong Gil-Dong⁵ couple’.

But was its huge popularity its problem? Right before the wedding of the male and female lead, the author suddenly introduced demons to her story! And it was even a horned demon that lived in the Demon Realm!

“I thought the story would be extended due to its popularity.”

Naturally, I had thought that the male lead would neatly save the empire with the support of the female lead.

“But this is actually the ending?”

However, contrary to the expectations of the readers, the author completely destroyed the empire!

They had killed of the male lead, female lead, second male lead, and even the extras!

What sort of anticlimactic ending was this? No, rather it was a complete death penalty⁶ ending!

The readers, who were felt greatly betrayed by the author, went crazy in the comment section, and I had also hoped that the author was playing some sort of joke on us. However, the author instead, left a ‘completed’ tag on it without even posting an epilogue.

“Did you fight with the publishing company or something? Did something happen in your personal life? No, then you should’ve just taken a break instead of writing this sort of crazy ass ending!”

The traffic light finally turned green while I was complaining about how much time and cookies I had wasted.

“You should at least write an epilogue though.” 

It was then when I was walking across the crosswalk while muttering to myself. 

A white light suddenly struck me along with a screeching sound.

The pedestrian light had clearly already turned green.

Of course, although it was also because I hadn’t checked my surroundings properly since I had been on my phone, the cause of the accident was clearly at the fault of the driver.

WIth a loud bang, my body rolled over the bonnet before being slammed to the floor. The pain that followed was too painful to be put into words.

Maybe all the bones in my body had been broken. There wasn’t anything else I could do but moan in pain.

It was then the door of the nice-looking car finally opened as a man alighted and staggered towards me.

“It’s really a person. Fuck. Why would you suddenly pop out of nowhere?”

The man, who muttered at me, annoyed, brought his face closer to mine to check my face. The smell of alcohol was so strong that it covered the reek of the blood that was splattered everywhere.

“Haa, they said that they’d cut off my credit card if I cause another accident though.”

The man who muttered like so, looked around.

“There’s no CCTV, and no witnesses either. I can just burn the black box.”

I could hear some sort of vague murmuring faintly through my ringing ears.

“You’re the one at fault for jumping in front of my car.”

He went back to his car, as if fleeing, and drove over my body. With a cracking sound, my world turned to darkness as my remaining bones shattered.

*** 

After that, when I opened my eyes, I found everything to be too confusing. From the antique furniture and my appearance, to even those who constantly called me ‘Young Miss’.

There were also a lot of typical lines that I never thought I would ever utter, such as, ‘who are you’, and, ‘where is this place’.

However, after a few days, I soon had to acknowledge the fact that I was about to start a new life now. Since there was no other way I could explain this absurd situation.

However, after I had accepted that fact, another problem cropped up.

‘Of all things, to think it’d be the last novel I read! And a villainess at that as well!’

Meliara Darchez. 

The original owner of the body I had possessed was the second daughter of the Duke of Darchez, one of the three major dukes in this Empire, and the villainess of <A Divine Retribution>!

She was like a speck of dirt, a foreign substance that kept on interfering with the love between the female and male lead, so although the readers all naturally hated her, I, however, just could not bring myself to curse at the villainess.

Was it because the name ‘Meliara’ was similar to my name, ‘Lee Ara’?

‘She was also a rather pitiful character.’

When the Duchess died in the process of giving birth to her, she became the object of resentment for both the Duke and her older brother, the Duke’s heir, as soon as she was born.

Even if she made sure to be the very model of an exemplary noble young miss through her bearing and sophistication, and always took care to maintain high scores in all her classes, she was always treated as nothing but a nuisance.

When the Duke treated her harshly, the servants of the Duke also followed suit in ignoring her rather naturally.

‘Haa, just what sort of offense could a small child even commit?’

Even worse, was that when she was fifteen, a prophecy proclaimed that a saintess of the sun god, who would rewrite history, would soon appear.

The Duke of Darchez claimed that she was the saintess. Upon receiving attention from her father, which she was receiving for the first time, Meliara clung on to the hope that ‘perhaps this time, I’d be able to receive his love too’, but that excitement didn’t last for very long.

The Duke began to force her to show her powers.

His coercion then turned to forcefully pressuring her by locking her in a windowless room and even starving her, going as far to say that she had no right to see the light until she could exert her powers.

‘Honestly, when I listen to that sort of narrative, I don’t feel like a villainess, but rather some sort of unfortunate female lead… but that’s not what’s important right now!’

What’s important right now isn’t how unfortunate her life has been so far.

Rather, it’s that I’ve now become her!

“Ha…”

To think that of all the many novels I had read, it had to be <A Divine Retribution>.

Had I known this would happen, I would’ve just read a calm healing water⁷!

Although I regretted it, there was no helping what had happened already. I would just have to try and deal with it somehow.

“You can even sigh right now?! To not only tarnish our Ducal family, but to even make us into a joke, just what sort of face are you showing right now?!”

I looked at the man who had been yelling at me since earlier. 

The man who was standing on the other side of the desk and yelling unjust insults at me was none other than the Duke of Darchez, this body’s father.

“If you don’t have anything to do, then mess with the saintess! Do you understand or not?! If your head is empty, then you should at least be quiet and not cause an accident!”

It was hard to believe that the words he had spoken without any hesitation were words of a father to his daughter.

‘He really doesn’t care about the loss or disappointment his daughter, who had just gotten her engagement broken off, was suffering from, would feel.’

The reason he was so angry was because of the notice informing him of the broken engagement that had been delivered this morning.

Meliara had been engaged to the Crown Prince through a political engagement. She was destined to be the Empress.

However, Meliara, who becomes anxious when the true saintess of the sun god from the prophecy appears, and the crown prince falls in love with her, turns the arrows of her resentment towards her instead, and commits all kinds of evil, even eventually attempting to poison the saintess.

Although she wasn’t given the death penalty since it ended as an ‘attempted murder’, the breaking off of the engagement was unavoidable.

‘Although it was a wise decision from the Emperor’s perspective in order to quell the temple’s dissatisfaction…’

The Duke, who was one-sidedly notified of the break up, had his pride severely scratched, leading him to expel Meliara.

“Never mind. You’re no longer my daughter. Just know that your name will forever be erased from the Duchy’s family genealogy!” 

Just like that.

This incident was the so-called ‘cider⁸’ section in <A Divine Retribution>, in which the villainess had her engagement broken off, and was even expelled from her family.

However… 

‘Don’t even mention the refreshing situation! The ending of this novel was its downfall!’

It was a whopping destruction!!!

‘That definitely can’t happen!’

My previous life had already ended unfairly with a hit-and-run, so I definitely couldn’t die in vain this time too.

I would definitely live! And very well at that!

‘I have to leave the empire before the demons invade.’

If doom is the ending, then getting exiled was the answer.

“Get out of the Duchy, right this instance!!!”

While I was in the middle of thinking about the dark future, I nodded my head refreshingly at that welcome suggestion.

“Yes, I understand.”

Anyway, if I wanted to escape to someplace faraway, my status of being the princess of a Duchy could prove to be an obstacle.

Meliara didn’t even have a good relationship with her family, so I didn’t have to feel sorry for leaving, and I, who was an orphan in my previous life, couldn’t even begin to understand the what a family bond was. 

I was happy to be exiled.

“You…!”

However, the Duke’s face turned red, as if he didn’t like my answer.

Perhaps due to Meliara’s original nature, which longed for her father’s love due to lack of affection, he probably thought that she would grab onto his pants and cling to him.

Although I considered acting like that for a while, I was someone who wasn’t able to cry and cling to someone, even if I had lived through a very tough life. Even if I got beaten, I wasn’t someone who would get on my knees that easily.

If I didn’t protect my own worth, then who would?

We weren’t going to see each other after today anyway.

“I’m saying, don’t even think about setting foot in this house ever again! You will never be able to pretend as if you know me, and you will never be able to use the name Darchez ever again!”

“Alright.”

Even if you didn’t explain in such detail, I still knew what a banishment order was.

“It’s not necessary for me to be there when you remove my name from the genealogy, right? Then I’ll leave right away.”

I had to formulate a defection plan as soon as possible. I couldn’t possible waste my time constantly getting entangled with the Duke.

“Then goodbye…”

“You ungrateful bitch!”

Clang!

The Duke threw a teacup at me just as I was saying goodbye and was about to leave. Although I wasn’t it since it had flown to the wall, it was still enough to shock me.

I looked at the wrecked remnants of the shattered teacup and asked.

“Did… you just throw that at me?”

“What? You’re leaving? It wouldn’t be enough, even if you begged on your hands and knees!”

“Huh…?”

“Your clothes and your food, to enjoy such a life, who do you think it’s thanks to?!”

Even in the novel, the Duke had also cursed and used abusive language and violence on Meliara, on the pretext of educating her.

However, when I saw such violent tendencies in person, my anger doubled, and I truly felt that Meliara’s life was pitiful.

“Why did you long for love from such a madman like your father?”

The Duke wrinkled his forehead at the astonishingly harsh words and sharp voice that came out of my mouth.

“You seem to be mistaken about something. Just because you provide food, clothing, and shelter, that doesn’t make me your puppet.” 

“W-What?!”

“To throw things just as you will is clearly a show of violence. How could someone like a Duke of the Empire be unable to keep his anger under control properly?”

As if anger had loosened the filter on my mouth, all the words I had wanted to say suddenly all flowed out.

“J-Just what sort of senseless words and actions right now…!”

“What’s senseless is the fact that you lost your wife, yet used your sense of loss as a shield to abuse a motherless child!”

Among the children who entered my orphanage in my previous life, there were many children who had become victims of child abuse. Therefore, this was a rather sensitive topic for me.

In the end, my voice naturally grew louder. Meliara’s original body also helped me to conjure a loud voice, as if venting out her own anger and frustration.

So much so that the Duke flinched.

“Haa.”

I let out a sigh and calmed my pounding heart.

Although he wasn’t worthy of my respect, he was still a duke anyway, so I tried to be as polite as I could.

“I’m begging you so please, make sure that my name is removed from the genealogy.”

If this was what a family was, then it’s this side that refuses.

“I won’t accept any apology, so don’t even think of looking for me with that as an excuse.”

Although my heart wanted to snap back even more, I stopped.

It was a waste of my time since he wouldn’t understand, even if I talked about it to him anyway, and I was also starting to feel uncomfortable breathing the same air as that human being, as if it were polluting me.

“May we never cross paths in the future ever again.”

I sincerely prayed like that before leaving his office.

I heard the Duke’s shout from behind after a while, but I ignored it.

Because this body was too precious to care about such trash, and there was too much to do in the future to waste time in a place like that.

Besides, when the demons invaded in the future, the Duchy would be the first to fall, and the Duke especially, would suffer a particularly terrible death.

The moral of the story is that the good will be rewarded and the evil will be punished, even without my intervention.

‘Fall into the hell that’s brought on by the demons, you damned abuser!’

Knowing the fact that I was now able to freely leave the Duke’s household, I raised my middle finger in a refreshing way with a relieved heart.

[1] 용두사망 is used to describe a composition that starts off well, but fizzles out with a bad ending. examples include bleach and game of thrones (source: the qoo)

[2] 로판 is a genre that combines elements of both romance and fantasy.

[3] 권선징악 is rather hard to tl into a book title, but it roughly translates to good triumphing over evil, or [something] having a moral lesson behind it (like a parable).

[4] 시즈리 author is trying to avoid copyright (they’re referring to the series app)

[5] 홍길동 is a character in a novel who is a superhero and is often compared to that of robin hood (i.e. robbing the rich and giving to the poor). his name is also used synonymously with the name ‘john smith’ in official documents as a sample name.

[6] 용두死 the hanja for death is pronounced ‘sa’ which makes it a pun with 용두사(미) which is anticlimax.

[7] 잔잔 힐링물 refers to works that are heart-warming, and about overcoming hardship/healing from fl/ml’s trauma and how they overcome it together. an example of such is the manga ‘orange’.

[8] 사이더 is internet slang for a refreshing/satisfying situation.

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AHHHHH NEW SERIES W/ THAT YUMMY HOT ML ON THE COVER !!!!

so one of the things you may have noticed is that the title changed !! i’m not a native speaker so i did have to do some digging to find out what the fuck 용두사망 means, but it basically means those sort of shows/books/whatever creative work which starts of fucking AMAZING, the development in the middle is eh, and then the ending is literally FUCKED. some popular titles that i saw while i was researching was mainly game of thrones and bleach, but if you watch kdramas, apparently memories of alhambara or smth is classified as an anticlimax too! it’s a bit hard to literally translate it to english though so just think of it as a story with a shit ending LMAOOOO here’s a pictogram thing that the koreans usually use to explain it:

also another thing that was rlly hard was the original novel’s title. it’s sort of an idiom so if i literally translated the whole title as a book, it wouldn’t rlly fit, but when i searched it up, the main gist of it is that it’s a didactic novel, which shows that good will always triumph over evil.

TL RANT OVER, now onto some thoughts i had during this chapter were:

HOLY SHIT I HATE THE DRUNK DRIVER ??? ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS??? hit and runs are the lowest scum you get no sympathy from me dumb fuck lives aren’t toys yawl can play with, same with those that dui ;-; ANOTHER THING I HATE IS THAT WHOLE TROPE OF FATHERS HATING CHILDREN THAT WERE BIRTHED AT THE SACRIFICE OF THEIR MOTHER ??? WOULDN’T YOU CHERISH THEM MORE SINCE YOUR BELOVED USED THEIR LIFE TO BRING THEM INTO THE WORLD ???

deadass worms for brains. anyways, i’m rlly excited for this fl, she seems strong and decisive PLUS HOT ARTTTTTTT !!! next update should be in two weeks xx