Chapter 2
1. Being a Villainess Isn't a Crime, Right?
Aristina Bianca Rosen.
The only daughter of Duke Karnel Rosen, head of one of the empire's most prestigious noble houses.
But far from possessing the dignity befitting her status and wealth, she was a complete scoundrel and wastrel, reviled as the "villainess who will ruin the empire."
From a young age, Aristina had been in love with the Crown Prince. However, the woman he chose was not her.
Serene Hyperion.
She was the protagonist, blessed with beauty, intelligence, and character in equal measure.
"Die! All of you, just die!"
Aristina would rampage, smashing objects in fits of rage.
But then, for some reason, she suddenly changed her tune and held a tea party, inviting Serene.
There, Aristina raised a glass of reconciliation to the future Crown Princess.
"Let's forget the past."
"Sounds good."
Following tradition, Aristina took the first sip before handing the glass to Serene.
But then, what happened next? As the tea party continued after the ceremony...
Serene suddenly let out a short scream and collapsed. Her body stiffened, her breathing stopped in an instant, and her face turned deathly blue.
"H-Help... me...!"
"Miss Serene!"
Thanks to the family physician who had come just in case, her life was saved, but Serene remained bedridden for a long time.
"To think she'd poison the glass of reconciliation!"
The empire was plunged into shock.
Sharing a glass of reconciliation was a highly solemn ritual. The world erupted in condemnation of the shameless villainess Aristina.
However...
"This is unfair! I had nothing to do with it!"
Aristina insisted.
And astonishingly, it was the truth.
This incident wasn't orchestrated by Aristina. She had genuinely intended to perform the reconciliation ritual with Serene.
But no one believed her.
"What a disgrace! For our house to produce the first duchess in history to face the guillotine!"
By her furious father's order, Aristina was confined to a remote annex study in the Rosen Duke's Mansion.
She gathered evidence in her own way to prove her innocence, but it was all for naught.
On a certain night, as she awaited the imperial decree...
"Who are you?"
Suddenly, Aristina's shout echoed from inside the study, followed by a horrific scream.
The maids rushed over and flung open the door to find Aristina lying dead alone.
There were no signs of intrusion or escape. No murder weapon was found.
Only traces of her vomiting blood remained, with no wounds on the body.
A bizarre murder, as if committed by a ghost. That was the end of the empire's wastrel duchess.
<The Tale of the Villainess Aristina>.
Of course, that wasn't the real title...
I knew this story. Maybe I picked it up thinking it was a mystery novel set in high society?
Anyway, it was definitely a story from a novel I had read somewhere.
So why had I suddenly become that Aristina?
"It's divine punishment! Should've had a kinder heart!"
"Phew, what a relief! I can finally sleep without worries starting today!"
"Good riddance, you villainess!"
Lying face-down inside the stark white body outline, listening to the maids' curses pouring down from above, cold sweat trickled down my back.
'Why did this happen to me?'
I remembered dying. After finishing my shift at the logistics center, on my way home at dawn, a drunk driver's foreign luxury car hit me.
'So even my life ended with a Mercedes showing up!' I lamented as my consciousness faded...
And then I possessed this body? Out of nowhere? And into a romance fantasy novel, no less?
In the original story, I only knew up to Aristina's death.
I had been binge-reading mystery novels at the time, so the moment I realized it was a rofan, I dropped it.
'I don't know. For now, let's keep playing dead.'
I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to escape reality. But...
"Why isn't anyone coming? It's hot out; what if decomposition starts? They should bury me or cremate me quick."
The terrifying words from above made my eyes snap open involuntarily.
"W-Wait a sec..."
The maids nearly fainted as I propped myself up.
"Aaaah! The body, the lady's body...!"
Amid their screams, I dazedly looked around.
Everything matched the original description perfectly.
The calendar pointing to July 13th.
A murder in a perfect sealed room, with entrance, windows, and fireplace all blocked.
No murder weapon or signs of struggle, and no wounds on the victim.
'In other words, this body right here.'
I gazed at my reflection in the opposite mirror.
A pure white, pigeon-egg face framed by disheveled golden hair. Eyes hazy like dull rubies from just waking from death. A goddess-like figure in an ivory chemise dress.
Contrasting her stunning, soul-stealing beauty, this body's future was utterly bleak.
'This situation is absurd. Aristina wasn't supposed to come back to life. If the culprit who committed the perfect crime and vanished finds out...?'
Chills ran down my neck.
'They'll come back and kill me again!'
My senses sharpened. I quickly sorted out the situation in my head.
(1) Targeted by an unidentified, highly skilled murderer.
(2) So many suspects willing to kill this body that they'd need numbers up to 99.
(3) Plus, real-time petitions flooding in to execute me ASAP.
This was a character designed to die. But...
'That doesn't mean I can just die for real.'
I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them.
Dying is truly horrific. And I'd already experienced it once.
Going through it twice would be too unfair, right?
'No way! I hate that! I'll avoid it somehow!'
At least a silver lining in the misfortune. Though I ultimately got wrecked by a drunk Mercedes at the end...
Struggling to survive wasn't unfamiliar. I'd done it for the past 20 years.
'Alright. Time to become the survival king of this district!'
I steeled my resolve and jumped to my feet from where I'd been sitting.
"Eek!"
The maids, huddled together trembling on the other side, screamed again.
"What do we do? She's not dead!"
They hurriedly bowed their heads to the floor.
"We're sorry! We're so sorry! We just rushed over when you shouted 'Who are you?'! Your heart had stopped and breathing too, so we stupidly thought you'd been murdered by an intruder! But you're perfectly fine!"
Watching the maids make a fuss, the reality of being dropped into this world hit me even harder.
And at the same time, I had one more realization.
'Another silver lining.'
When I read this, I mistook it for a mystery novel.
So I was on the edge of my seat like, 'When will the murder scene come? Who's the culprit?' focusing intensely on every character—even the extras.
'Given the maids' gossip, they could've killed Aristina anytime without it seeming odd... but anyway, they're off the suspect list.'
According to the original, these maids all had alibis at the time of the murder.
And the scene was vacuumed clean of evidence. Nothing more to see here.
I made a snap decision.
'First, I need to get out of here.'
This remote annex was the perfect hunting ground where the culprit pulled off their perfect crime.
Staying even a minute longer was a loss for me. It only raised the odds of getting murdered again. Even if unlucky, I hate this place.
"An intruder? No one came to this study. I just got dizzy and collapsed alone. Don't you dare spread that nonsense."
I sealed the maids' lips just in case, then strode past them.
"Miss? Where are you going?"
"I'm leaving this place."
"Pardon?"
The maids jumped in surprise.
"You're confined right now!"
They scrambled toward me, but I was already yanking the door open at lightning speed.
But that was it. The moment I bravely stepped into the hallway, my feet froze.
'What the...?'
I'd noticed a brilliant glow shining in.
Sure enough, a figure dazzling enough to make one's eyes widen was approaching from the opposite side.
Dazzling platinum hair, formal attire proclaiming high status, clear crimson eyes.
Though his skin was so pale it bordered on sickly, his face made most beauties look inadequate.
"...?"
He spotted me too, his expression turning utterly baffled.
"Duke!"
The maids cried out from behind.
Duke?
Oh right, there was a father. The very one who had confined Aristina here.
In the original, he would rush to the annex and discover his daughter's corpse. But because I possessed her, he found something entirely different.
His wastrel daughter, standing perfectly fine, bold as brass, just as the servants said—not murdered at all.
"..."
His incredulous look instantly turned to fury.
The duke coughed, covering his mouth with a pale hand as he glared at me.
"So? Now you're threatening the maids into making up this absurd lie to obstruct me, your own father?"
A chilling killing intent emanated from him.
Oh no.
I panicked. I knew the place was riddled with landmines, but stepping on one after just a few steps?
In a situation like this, there's only one option.
Whenever crisis struck in life, I'd navigated it with my assets.
Not innovative creativity, sharp analysis, or bold decisions... but sly acting skills.
"Ah, my heart hurts!"
I clutched my chest and collapsed dramatically.
Nearly 20 years of honed fake illness acting, infused with the realism from truly experiencing death's pain. It was documentary-level performance art.
Even the maids, hardened by Aristina's past schemes, fell for it hook, line, and sinker this time.
"M-Miss! Are you okay?"
