NDHNT 1

A Fast Regression is Needed for a Ruined Possession

 

 

Slap!

A sharp sound echoed as a burning pain spread across my palm. At the same time, a shrill voice rang throughout the ballroom.

 

“How dare you, a mere wretch, act so familiarly…!”

 

Panting with rage, I suddenly snapped back to my senses and lifted my head. Silence had fallen over the once lively ballroom, which had been filled with music, chatter, and laughter.

 

No one dared to speak, but their gazes were unmistakably fixed on one spot—Lucia, who had collapsed to the floor, clutching her flushed cheek. And… me, who had just possessed the body of the one who had slapped her.

 

I knew this moment.

 

This was the scene where the heroine, Lucia, was struck at her debutante ball—an event she was attending a bit late in life—by Leticia Blando, the daughter of her former master.

 

Strictly speaking, the term “former master’s daughter” was somewhat misleading. Lucia was the daughter of a wet nurse, not a servant, and while Leticia bore the Blando family name, she was nothing more than an illegitimate child of unclear lineage.

 

“But why…?”

 

Why was I Leticia? Why had I entered this novel?

 

Dazed, I looked down at Lucia. She remained slumped on the floor, unable to stand, staring at me with wide eyes filled with humiliation and shock. My heart clenched at the sight.

 

“Uh, well… um…”

 

In the original story, Leticia didn’t stop at a single slap—she grabbed Lucia by the hair, hurling insults about how she had seduced the prince and how someone like her could never be a real noble. Eventually, she was dragged away and thrown into prison.

 

But I wasn’t Leticia. I was just a reader who had been enjoying the book.

 

Lucia was even my favorite character.

 

“Um, are you… alright?”

 

I cautiously reached out my hand to her, but that was a mistake.

 

Lucia flinched, shrinking away, and the onlookers, who had been momentarily stunned, finally began to sneer and whisper.

 

“…You’re hardly in a position to call someone else a wretch.”

 

A mocking voice brushed past my ears.

 

Whispers swelled in response.

 

“No wonder she hasn’t received a single marriage proposal at her age.”

“The Count of Blando must be ashamed.”

“At least Lady Jimenez has divine power, but she… ”

 

Sharp words stabbed at me—no, at Leticia.

 

This scene hadn’t been in the original novel.

 

From the beginning, the nobles had never welcomed Lucia, who wasn’t born into nobility. They also secretly enjoyed watching Leticia torment her.

 

“Are you alright, Lady Jimenez?”

“How could she treat a saint like this…?”

 

Someone helped Lucia to her feet. It was a noblewoman who usually covered her mouth with a fan and laughed when Lucia was bullied.

 

Lucia seemed to realize this as well, smiling awkwardly.

 

“…I’m fine.”

 

Then, she turned to look at me.

 

The moment our gazes met, I held my breath.

 

After hesitating, as if choosing her words carefully, she spoke gently.

 

“Lady Blando must not be feeling well and made a mistake.”

 

“…”

 

“She has already apologized, so I’d prefer if we let this go.”

 

“Apologized? When did Lady Blando apologize?”

 

A voice rose in anger.

 

It was true—I had only asked if Lucia was alright, not actually apologized.

 

“Apologize immediately. How could you be so rude and shameless?”

 

A triumphant shout pierced the air like a dagger.

 

Lucia tried to calm the crowd, but no one listened.

 

I swallowed a sigh and looked around.

 

Everyone was waiting, expecting Leticia Blando to bow her head in submission.

 

“Lady Blando!”

“Didn’t you hear the demand for an apology?”

 

The nobles, who were suddenly siding with Lucia, weren’t particularly righteous.

 

They were just afraid of the Crown Prince, so they couldn’t openly torment Lucia. Instead, they subtly looked down on her and found amusement in making her suffer.

 

They certainly weren’t in a position to scold Leticia with such righteousness.

 

And yet…

 

“…This is karma.”

 

What could I do?

 

I had become the villainess, Leticia Blando.

 

Closing my eyes briefly, I exhaled and opened them again.

 

Lucia, ever kindhearted, was trying to calm the nobles down.

 

When our eyes met, she glanced toward the empty balcony, as if suggesting we move the conversation elsewhere.

 

“Lady Blando. Um… shall we step aside for a moment and…”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

The words slipped out abruptly.

 

Lucia’s eyes widened in shock, as if I had said something completely unexpected.

 

Even after being slapped, she showed no trace of resentment.

 

She really was a pushover.

 

She was even trying to move the conversation away to spare me further humiliation.

 

“…I’m really sorry, Lucia.”

 

I bowed deeply.

 

It was only after speaking that I realized we weren’t on first-name terms.

 

Laughter trickled down from above me.

 

“Ha! How shameless…”

“Does she think an apology is enough after causing this scene?”

 

Oh, so now they were mad that I apologized?

 

What did they even want from me?

 

As I furrowed my brows,

 

“Be quiet.”

 

The voices that had been hurling insults at me suddenly fell silent.

 

I slowly lifted my head.

 

Step, step.

 

The sound of approaching footsteps stopped.

 

“So noisy.”

 

“…”

 

“Don’t you think?”

 

A man stood there, looking down at the crowd with an expression of utter disinterest.

 

“D-Duke…”

 

Someone muttered under their breath.

 

His languid blue eyes turned in our direction.

 

I forced myself to look away from the sword at his waist.

 

There was only one person in the Imperial Palace allowed to carry a weapon at a banquet.

 

“Adrian Lefinar.”

 

I repeated his name in my mind.

 

The Emperor’s cousin.

 

The ruler of the North.

 

A prodigy who manifested sword energy at just eighteen.

 

A man who could slice through massive beasts in a single stroke, known as a bloodthirsty madman.

 

It was said that the number of subordinates who had died under him was too many to count.

 

“Why is he here…?”

 

In the original novel, he personally subdued Leticia and threw her into prison.

 

His icy gaze swept over me, Lucia, and the other nobles.

 

“Surely, you’re not trying to cause trouble before the Crown Prince’s ascension?”

 

“…”

 

“If not, are you perhaps curious about how sharp my sword is?”

 

A gloved hand brushed over the hilt of his sword—a clear warning.

 

Lucia, her face momentarily stiff, quickly turned back to me.

 

“I think there was a misunderstanding. Let’s just…”

 

“His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, and His Highness the Crown Prince are entering!”

 

The herald’s booming voice cut through the tension, and the commotion immediately ceased.

 

Lucia, myself, and the other nobles hurriedly bowed.

 

The three royals waved lightly before descending the stairs.

 

Then, someone whispered into the Crown Prince’s ear.

 

Ricardo—the male lead.

 

His soft smile vanished instantly.

 

And then…

 

“…Leticia Blando.”

 

The golden-haired prince strode toward me, his expression filled with fury.

 

Startled by his intensity, I instinctively stepped back.

 

His piercing glare bore into me.

 

…Ah.

 

This life was doomed too.

 

Leticia Blando was the villainess who tormented the heroine, Lucia Jimenez. She had three reasons for hating Lucia.

 

First, the fact that the daughter of the nanny who had abused her and was then expelled had dared to become the esteemed Lady of House Jimenez.

 

Second, unlike Leticia, who had failed to manifest the divine beast—a hallmark of the Blando family—Lucia had awakened sacred power and was recognized as a saint.

 

And lastly, the most infuriating reason—Lucia was receiving the fervent courtship of Ricardo, the man Leticia had long admired.

 

To Leticia, who had been born from her mother’s affair and grew up neglected by her father, Lucia was a walking embodiment of inferiority and jealousy.

 

It was already unbearable that a mere nanny’s daughter had risen to nobility, but now she had even awakened divine power and won the love of the male lead? There was no way the ill-tempered Leticia would let that slide.

 

To make matters worse, she had people around her who encouraged her resentment.

 

“Poor Leticia, all because of that wretch…”

 

Brenda sighed while tightly clasping my hand.

 

She was Leticia’s aunt, the one who had taken over the role of tormentor after the abusive nanny had been expelled during Leticia’s childhood.

 

“To be put under probation, and with the Crown Prince’s ascension ceremony tomorrow, no less. Everyone is in an uproar because even the Duke of Lefinar has come from the North this time. And yet, because of that wretched girl, you…”