Prologue: The Return of the Villainess
"I heard the woman has finally returned to the Empire."
In a small banquet hall, people were busy whispering in small groups, dressed in modest attire. Rumors were flying because the person who had once turned the empire—and especially the capital—upside down had finally returned.
"Hey, did you hear the rumors too?"
"Of course. How could anyone not?"
Charlize Altsbait.
She was the granddaughter of Duke Altsbeit, one of the most powerful figures in the Empire. The Duke, rumored to be a cold-blooded mastermind in the shadows, cherished only one person: his granddaughter.
When it came to her, the scandals were so numerous they made your mouth ache just talking about them. Was this why? She had grown up to be the Empire's greatest troublemaker under the hand of her maternal grandfather, who had asked her from a very young age what was "right."
A bit of background is needed here. Charlize's father, the previous emperor, had fallen in love with the Altsbeit princess, leading to a great harmony between the powers of the empire. However, since the Altsbeit princess was the Duke's only daughter, the imperial family and the Duke's family had made a pact.
"I promise to give birth to two children—one will be the heir to the ducal family, and the other to the imperial family!"
Thus, although Charlize was of the imperial bloodline, she grew up as a princess bearing the name Altsbate (Altsbeit). The depravity she committed in the name of the Duke and the imperial family was truly dazzling. She didn't hesitate to commit offenses, mostly involving vandalism and public intoxication. Her temper was legendary.
In any case, she had returned after leaving the empire for a while following a major incident.
The gossiping crowd suddenly fell silent.
"Hey, isn't she coming in?"
Soon, from somewhere, a tinkling, trilling laughter—"Kyahahaha"—could be heard. Where everyone's eyes gathered, a wide-eyed beauty stood, looking stunning.
Her pink hair, flowing like fine silk, was praised as the noblest color in the empire. It was the only color born from the harmony of the imperial family (silver and black hair) and the Altsbeit family (red and orange hair). It was a color symbolizing a miracle that made everyone sigh and stare, regardless of whatever crimes she committed. She had bright red eyes that seemed to contain blood, beautifully upturned.
"...Who is she targeting today?"
"Hey, don't make eye contact."
Unfortunately, her fierce expression matched the "depravity" she was known for. Her cheeks were overly flushed, and her smile looked like someone out of their mind. Soon after, the first victim arrived.
"Uh-huh, does this gentleman look like the handsome guy who rejected my confession before?"
"Wh-what are you doing, Princess?!"
While everyone else kept their mouths shut, the extremely beautiful princess—whose face would be hard to see even if you offered all the treasures in the world—turned red with drunkenness and burst into laughter.
"Hmmm, isn't that right? Are you older? Can you even reach 20 in a year?!"
Charlize, stumbling on her feet, spilled the champagne she was holding over the old man in front of her. The elderly noble blinked in shock. Meanwhile, Charlize leaned down and whispered something into his ear.
"Are you ugly? Then die."
"Hey!"
The stunned aristocrat couldn't take it and ran away. After a moment, the princess stumbled and was supported by knights in black.
"He's ugly, so death penalty!"
They were the Knights of the Duke of Altsbeit. Among them were elite knights solely responsible for escorting the princess chosen by her grandfather.
"Kyarr, our 'Terry' is going to eat tonight!"
Terry was a monster dog raised by the princess. It was a crossbreed with monsters, a terrible beast that could bite through human skin in an instant. Those who saw it guessed correctly: finally, the famous bitch 'Charlize Altsbait' had returned to the imperial capital.
"This is a big problem..."
"It's serious."
People were busy whispering, afraid their eyes would meet Charlize's.
"Now, once again, the handsome men of the capital must be on alert..."
"Every aristocratic family with handsome sons of the right age must be careful... I need to inform the salon."
"Hey, do you even need to? Everyone already knows."
Charlize sat arrogantly with champagne in one hand. No one surrounded her, as if an invisible barrier had been set up. To look at it, it seemed like something big was about to happen.
The Duke of Altsbeit. 'Eye contact is forbidden!' A family of whom it was said that they could make even the sun fall if they just pointed at it. Charlize was the only granddaughter of such a place. Moreover, her brother was the current Emperor.
It was said that there was no one who could stop her unless it was a special case.
"Has 'the problem' been resolved? What happened with the most handsome of the Holy Knights, Captain Kahas...?"
"Oh, did you mean that? I thought about the love story with the Western Duke Lemut, but... Aren't they engaged?"
"Oh my god, what about the story of the elemental sergeant apprentice Lopenheim being kidnapped and taken by force to the mansion?"
Charlize Altsbait's resume was brilliant. It was so splendid that no one could remember it all. Among her major feats, as expected, was that she had "touched" every important person in the empire at least once. There were also rumors that this trip outside the empire was ordered by the imperial family, who couldn't stand Charlize's "accidents" anymore, and issued a probation order under the guise of travel.
Cheerful music flowed, as if the hired musicians were trying to change the mood. Meanwhile, a young man approached Charlize with quiet steps. Everyone who had been paying attention held their breath.
"Princess Altsbate."
"..."
When Charlize openly ignored him, the young man frowned and spoke again.
"Princess."
As soon as the rumored title that Charlize hated most escaped his lips, it went exactly as expected. Charlize turned her head with a wicked expression. The young man flinched at her cold gaze, but soon bit back.
"I waited only for today. The day you returned..."
"What are you... who are you?"
The young man trembled at her harsh, cold voice, but tried to speak calmly.
"Don't you remember me?"
"Eh? Let's see... aren't you ugly?"
"..."
"I don't remember ugly guys."
"...Fine. You would be right. Yes..."
"What? Stop dragging it out..."
"Because the person you should remember is my sister, not me."
At that moment, the young man pulled a sharp dagger from his sleeve. In fact, the young man was a skilled knight. When such a person made up his mind and drew his blade, the sword rushed toward Charlize with astonishing speed.
*Clang!*
However, the attempt was in vain as the escort knight's sword blocked it and his arm was grabbed.
"Damn it! Princess! You're a damn bitch! Rick Terstein! My brother will remember it! The name you deceived!"
"..."
"My brother was despondent because of you and ruined his life! Because of you! I'll curse you, I'll curse you!"
The young man struggled to finish his words even as the escorts dragged him away.
"Even the fiancé you hang onto like that will hate you and abandon you! Kill her!"
Soon, only silence fell over the place where the young man had disappeared. Charlize looked toward where he had been and turned her head indifferently.
"What, who are you talking about?"
Her voice was unremarkable.
"Not fun."
*Hiccup.* Charlize slowly rose from her seat. The remaining escort knight approached to help, but she coldly pushed him away.
"Don't touch me."
The escort quickly stepped back, as if accustomed to it. Charlize stumbled toward the entrance.
"I want to go back."
Of course, everyone was relieved by that drunken voice. So no one knew that Charlize wasn't actually drunk and was just acting. Moreover, the hand she held in a fist was soaked with cold sweat.
Charlize returned to her room and sat down alone, resting her face in her lap.
'Ugh, it's going to be bloody!'
Charlize's proud shoulders shook like an aspen leaf. The trembling she had endured finally took over. A knife? A sword? How many times had she almost been stabbed openly at a party! It was the fifth time—five times! Even considering it had only been a week since it was officially known she had returned to the capital, this was a truly shocking number.
'I know Rick Terstein. No, what's wrong with him?'
Rick Terstein was a ruthless stalker of Charlize Altsbate. There was a time when he tried to do something bad to Charlize, who was drunk and chasing after every party. Of course, the Charlize of the past didn't tolerate it and punished him, but she never thought his family would attack her with that excuse. In fact, aside from this case, she didn't even know what the other four assassination attempts were for.
'There are too many men who have it out for me!'
Because her body isn't 'Charlize Altsbeit'!
She—no, 'Yoon Ji-hoo'—was the person who had "borrowed" Charlize Altsbate's body for a while. It was bad luck, the worst kind of bad luck, to wake up as a villainess in a 19+ novel that was absolutely depraved.
No, the worst of bad luck. She screamed to herself every time she felt pain.
'Let's just hold on for a year.'
'I just need to seduce one guy.'
The person she was referring to was her only fiancé. After all, he was the man who hated the villainess most in this world. She cried impatiently in the room where she was left alone.
"Ah, if it wasn't for that bastard's coin!!"