"Oh, no!"
What?! I nearly jumped out of my skin.
'No, my money! I have to get back!'
The Duke looked a bit surprised by my reaction, but his face remained cold and stern.
"Hmph, that's why I told you to behave yourself."
"Oh no, Grandfather! Please, anything but that!"
A flicker of refined ferocity crossed the Duke's expression. It was almost as if I could hear his thoughts: *How dare you speak so arrogantly when you have nothing?*
"I have no intention of allowing this engagement to be broken," he said firmly. "Don't even think about saying another word. Just take good care of your fiancé."
"Yes, yes! Of course!"
After dismissing me, the Duke turned to the man standing beside him—the one who had been giving me looks of pure disapproval.
"There must be a reason why the Duke of Lemut is so confident in asking for a breakup. Find out what it is immediately."
"Yes, Your Grace."
None of that mattered to me. Only one thought occupied my mind: one year. I just had to stay engaged to that man for one year! But the problem was that he desperately wanted out.
'I need to meet him first.'
As I came to this conclusion, I felt the Duke's eyes on me again. He looked at me with deep disappointment.
"You can do whatever you want, but don't even think about agreeing to the breakup just because he has a pretty face. I certainly don't have the money to pay him back."
His tone made it clear he wouldn't tolerate a failed engagement.
'Wait... he won't let us break up? This is perfect!'
To my eyes, the stern Duke suddenly looked like a winged angel. *An angel who will help me get my money back.* I nodded with newfound determination.
"Yes, Grandfather! I won't let him go!"
The Duke froze for a second, looking at me with a bewildered expression.
* * *
Life as a villainess was surprisingly lavish.
Charlize was basically the heir to a massive fortune, the "Gold Princess" of the empire. From what I knew of the novel, she also had a decent relationship with her brother, the tyrannical emperor. She was the type of woman who did whatever she wanted, spent money like water, and slept soundly while everyone else suffered.
'I died without spending my billions, and now I've woken up with a diamond spoon in my mouth. That's a good title for a story,' I thought.
But there was a catch. If the original plot held true, this villainess was destined to die a horrible death as soon as the heroine appeared. Her past actions had already earned her enough enemies to last ten lifetimes. And I had woken up just as the clock was ticking down to the heroine's arrival.
'I have one year to stay engaged and survive the karma this body has built up.'
To make matters worse, my fiancé was doing everything in his power to avoid me, even going so far as to request a formal breakup.
For a few days, I couldn't even enjoy the luxury because I was so worried. But as time passed, more of Charlize's memories began to surface. It was actually shocking to realize how much trouble she had caused.
I fiddled with the necklace around my neck.
*"My daughter, my son. You two must get along, or your mother will be very angry."*
It was a memento from Charlize's mother, the late Empress. She had made Charlize promise to wear it always, and true to her word, Charlize had never taken it off.
'By the way...'
I turned my head and saw a maid standing nearby. As soon as my eyes met hers, she let out a sharp gasp.
"I-I'm sorry, Princess!" she cried, dropping to her knees.
In her hand was an envelope—a letter.
"Please, spare me, Princess!"
I took the letter from her trembling hands. It was from my fiancé, the man I hadn't even met yet. I had sent him an invitation to meet, hoping to talk him out of the breakup, but the letter had come back unopened.
'Wow, he really doesn't want to see me.'
The maid remained on the floor, shaking. It wasn't her fault, and I had no intention of scolding her, but I kept my face neutral.
"...Any other response?"
"T-They kicked me out at the gates, Princess..."
'Kicked her out? Really?'
I was stunned. My fiancé hated me even more than I had anticipated. As a reader of the novel, I understood why Askin Remut loathed Charlize.
Charlize was obsessed with beauty, and in her eyes, Askin was the most handsome man in the empire, second only to her brother. When Askin’s family had fallen into financial ruin, Charlize had convinced her grandfather to lend them a massive sum of money—on the condition that they become engaged.
Duke Altsbeit had gone a step further, charging predatory interest rates. It was a slave contract; Askin was forced to pledge his loyalty and his legendary skills as a swordsman to the Duke just to keep his family afloat. The money had gone toward his younger sister’s medical bills, as she suffered from a mysterious, incurable disease.
"Maybe I should go there myself..." I mused.
"Sh-should we prepare a carriage?" the maid asked, looking hopeful.
'Yes, I need to see his face and figure out how to stop this breakup.'
I was about to stand up when the door burst open. Another maid rushed in, her face pale.
"Princess! H-His Majesty the Emperor is here!"
I froze. The Emperor? The Tyrant?
Roxidean Altsbeit. The male lead of the novel and Charlize's older brother. While most of my memories of the fiancé were still blurry, my knowledge of the brother was even worse.
'What should I do?' I thought, tapping my chin. "Tell him I'm not seeing anyone right now."
"P-Princess?! But he's the Emperor!"
"Where's Grandfather?"
"The Duke is out of the country on urgent business today."
'Great. Grandfather isn't here to buffer this.'
"Just tell him no," I repeated. I couldn't remember how Charlize usually interacted with him, and I didn't want to blow my cover. I really wanted my money back.
"H-Ha! But Princess, that's—!"
"There's no need for that," a low voice interrupted.
I spun around in surprise. A man was leaning casually against the doorframe. He had jet-black hair and the same deep red eyes as Charlize.
It was Roxidean, the Tyrant.
'Why does he look so dangerous?'
He was incredibly handsome, but he felt more like a predatory beast than a human being. He looked at me and grinned, baring his teeth.
"Hello, Sister."
'His eyes aren't smiling at all,' I thought.
Suddenly, a clear memory of Charlize flashed in my mind.
*"The Princess?"*
*"Don't call me that!"*
Ah, right. Charlize hated being called "Princess" by him. Even though she was one, she resented the fact that she didn't live in the Imperial Palace.
"Don't call me that," I said, testing the waters.
Roxidean stepped into the room, still smiling. Then, with terrifying casualness, he pointed his sword at me.
'...A sword? Is he insane?!'
"Haha, are you rebelling against your dear brother again? Should I correct your bad habits today?"
Wait... this was different from the book. In the novel, he was supposed to be a doting, if slightly stupid, brother to Charlize. Why was he holding a blade to my throat?
Fortunately, the sword was still in its scabbard, but the pressure against my neck was very real.
'...He’s absolutely out of his mind.'
Even in the novel, he was more of a villain than most of the actual antagonists. He was a man of unpredictable eccentricities. I hadn't realized those eccentricities extended to his own sister. And judging by the memories that were returning, Charlize wasn't the type to back down from him either.
Roxidean laughed and sheathed the sword. He casually threw himself onto the sofa, stretching his legs out and resting his chin on the table as if he owned the place.
"Ah, I'm so stiff. It hurts."
Watching him lounge there, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Something stirred in my chest—no, in my mind.