There are days like that, aren't there?
A day when you wake up early on your own feeling refreshed, as if the previous night's dreams have completely dissolved from memory, accompanied by an inexplicable certainty that everything will proceed without a hitch.
Today was precisely that sort of day for me.
On top of that, I had just received the news I had been anticipating, which left me brimming with excitement…
Thud!
My husband, Euclid, spoke in a pathetic tone, his striking beauty on full display once again today.
His golden eyelashes, radiant as the sun, trembled, casting a sorrowful, miserable shadow across his impeccably composed features.
‘Incredible. Can he truly command such a sorrowful aura?’ His visage was endlessly captivating…
No, that was hardly the issue at hand!
I questioned him sharply, doubting my own ears, and Euclid responded in an even shakier voice than before.
So I hadn't misheard?
I couldn't help but let out a laugh of pure shock.
Yet when I noticed Euclid's shoulders trembling, I quickly masked my frown.
There were times when even I felt overwhelmed by my own reflection, so I could scarcely fathom the pressure such an imposing face placed upon Euclid's delicate heart.
Or perhaps he had already concluded that he could no longer bear living alongside such an intimidating expression, prompting this demand for a divorce.
Could that truly be the explanation?
With a shaking hand, I reached for the divorce papers Euclid had carefully laid upon the desk.
His name was signed in fine, elegant penmanship—my favorite trait of his.
Truly, I still couldn't bring myself to believe it.
After lingering in denial for a moment, I turned my gaze back to Euclid.
He lifted his head and looked at me with an anguished expression. Those glistening eyes gave me pause, weakening my resolve.
Euclid hesitated at my remark, but eventually nodded.
What? Could the gentle, respectful Euclid truly give such a reply? Did he genuinely desire a divorce that badly?
I stared at him, my eyes widening.
Unable to endure my piercing stare, Euclid bit down hard on his lower lip.
No, why sink his teeth into those precious lips so harshly!
Fearing his lip might bleed, I realized how absurd my worry was under the circumstances.
Even so, I couldn't stop myself.
( ‘After all, Euclid is my favorite!’ )
For the longest time, I had felt grateful to have my absolute favorite character as my husband, and I had done everything within my power to bring him joy. Naturally, his sudden plea for a divorce failed to settle in my mind.
Yet there he stood with those papers—a harsh reality.
Well, if it was for my favorite person…
If what he truly wanted was a divorce from me…!
Clenching my fists, I parted my lips.
Whatever else might happen, divorce was the single thing I refused to permit!
I rose, seized the divorce papers, and ripped them to shreds right before Euclid's eyes.
Stunned by my rash behavior, Euclid watched with wide, trembling eyes as the fragments scattered.
On any other day, such a look from him would have unsettled me, but not now.
Unable to quiet the storm brewing within me, I curled the corner of my mouth and thought:
( ‘Did he genuinely think I reincarnated into this world just to end up divorced?!’ )
1. Reincarnated as a Villainous Heiress in a Soap Opera
Because my grandmother was deeply devoted to fortune-telling, she had apparently reassured my disappointed father, who had desperately wanted a son, telling him not to fret.
Whether Grandmother was simply reassuring my mother—who felt uneasy after finally bearing a child after a decade of marriage—or whether she genuinely believed my destiny held great fortune, no one knew for certain back then.
Yet it did not take long before Grandmother's words began to resemble a divine revelation.
My father, who had been employed at a modest firm, was scouted out of nowhere by a major corporation he had never dreamed of joining, swiftly rising through the ranks to secure a handsome salary.
Convinced his newfound success was entirely his own doing, Father confidently declared he would quit his job and launch his own venture.
My mother, who had always yielded to him, pushed back for the first time and walked out of the house with me. Undeterred, Father poured all his accumulated savings, including his retirement pension, into getting his enterprise off the ground.
Predictably, things went downhill for a man who had never managed a business and had known only corporate life.
Eventually, deeply indebted to relatives and acquaintances alike, Father came hurrying back in search of Mother—or rather, me.
Father, who had always carried an air of authority, cast his pride aside and apologized profusely.
Astonishingly, the moment I returned home, Father's failing venture began to flourish as if by magic. In truth, it far exceeded mere prosperity.
Within a single month, he settled all his debts, and riding one stroke of luck after another, his company earned a solid reputation as a mid-sized enterprise almost overnight.
The relatives who had once looked down on him soon began currying favor with him. Positions throughout Father's company were carved out for aunts, uncles, and cousins; with business thriving, familial relations reached an all-time high—until Father's sudden death.
The very inheritance that had once drawn the family close now tore it apart.
Though every last relative vied for guardianship to seize control of Father's life insurance and fortune, Grandmother firmly maintained her position as my legal guardian.
Once I reached adulthood and Grandmother passed away, I found myself entirely on my own, taking direct charge of my finances. Before long, a realization struck me.
I had uncanny fortune wherever finances were concerned.
The shops where I worked part-time were perpetually crowded with patrons, and even lottery tickets bought on a whim yielded handsome payouts.
Curious to see just how far this luck could carry me, I took a bold leap and established an investment firm.
The outcome was nothing short of miraculous.
Every business plan I backed, every project I funded, yielded immense returns.
Accumulating wealth proved far more thrilling than I had ever envisioned, and it suited me to perfection.
Yet.
Was it an inherited workaholic streak from my father, or merely raw human greed asserting itself?
From the moment I started generating profits, my mind remained fixed on the relentless thought that it would never suffice.
Even as it bewildered me, I became so thoroughly consumed by accumulating wealth that I could not tear myself away.
Then one day, having forsaken romance due to a total lack of trust in people trying to exploit me for my wealth, I picked up an unexpected new hobby.
While exploring investments in digital content, I happened upon a romance fantasy novel titled The Saintess’s Dangerous Choice and became thoroughly obsessed.
The snag was that my favorite character was neither the male lead nor the second lead, but a mere supporting character!
I reread his few scenes so many times that I practically committed them to memory.
Possessing boundless funds and very little else, only one choice remained.
Chuckling to myself, I fired off a brief email to the author.
I stated they were welcome to publish it publicly, and that I would pay whatever sum per chapter they desired if they would write a side story or a fresh installment featuring Euclid Rodion as the central lead.
Then, merely moments later—
Barely a minute had passed since the email was marked read before a reply landed in my inbox.
Out of the question.
After all, money could make anything happen in this world, and if it couldn't, it simply meant the sum wasn't high enough.
Expecting a favorable response, I swiftly clicked to open the message.
Yet before I could even parse its contents—
A blinding light overtook my field of vision, and the strength drained rapidly from my limbs.
Clatter! As my body and head hit the floor, a deafening ringing resonated in my ears.
And when my eyes fluttered open once more…
‘Is this… real?’
I had become Evgenia Basilian—the villainous cousin of the female lead and the obsessive fan of one of the male leads, the Crown Prince, in The Saintess’s Dangerous Choice.