Chapter 01
Diana wrapped her arms tightly around Harold’s back.
Their bare skin touched with nothing in between, and she could feel the heat of his body directly.
Her fingertips traced the firm lines between his muscles.
Suddenly, Harold squeezed her tightly, curling his body toward her.
Just as his sharp nose brushed against the nape of her neck, Diana gasped, “Hik!”
“…Ha.”
Harold let out a lazy breath, clearly enjoying the flow of her holy power.
His hot breath pooled against her collarbone, making Diana’s heart pound irregularly.
‘This is just a healing ritual.’
Yeah, healing.
It was a sacred act to cure him of his terminal illness.
Diana steadied her mind. But as if testing her resolve, Harold began rubbing his cheek against her shoulder.
His jet-black hair tickled her skin.
Diana bit the soft inside of her cheek, trying to control her quickening breath.
The power she was using left her whole body overly sensitive, making it hard to endure.
‘I can’t take it anymore.’
In the end, Diana let go of him and stepped back.
She blushed, looking at him standing there in just his pants.
Those broad shoulders, that solid chest. Sculpted chocolate abs.
It was hard to believe this was the body of someone sick.
“How about we just hold hands tomorrow?”
“Didn’t you say more skin contact improves the quality of the healing?”
“Yes, but…”
My heart won’t survive this…
“Anyway, from now on, let’s just hold hands! And make sure you wear all your clothes tomorrow!”
“I don’t want to.”
“Why not!?”
Harold casually swept her pink hair over her shoulder, clearly amused by her frustration.
“Because I want to get better soon, Diana.”
Plus, nothing worked better to seduce the visually weak Diana.
Harold put his arm around her shoulders and flashed a sexy smile.
“So starting tomorrow, let’s try even more skin contact.”
Diana’s face flushed red as she struggled to pull away.
“T-That’s impossible!”
Why is he acting like this? The male lead’s brother who used to hate ‘villainess’ Diana?
He didn’t act like this when we first met!
Diana felt like crying.
* * *
A few months ago, I got hit by a car while walking home from work.
When I woke up, I was ‘Diana the Villainess.’
I immediately realized I had somehow ended up inside the novel [The Fallen Noble Lady Captures the Young Master].
Unfortunately, I’d been thrown into the story right at the end.
I had taken over Diana just as she failed to poison her former friend, the female lead, and was being kicked out of her family.
“How could she try to poison her friend…”
“Look at her eyes, they’re full of venom.”
The servants pointed fingers at me the whole time I was being dragged out.
My father didn’t even show his face.
And there, standing by the window, was the female lead, still living in Diana’s house.
She smiled brightly at me, as if pleased with how things had turned out for her former friend, the villainess Diana.
That’s how I ended up abandoned on the streets.
Life on the streets wasn’t easy at all.
“Where’d that girl go!”
“Didn’t she run that way?”
“Damn it, if we catch her, we could sell her for a lot!”
I held my breath, curled up, and covered my mouth until the traffickers’ footsteps faded away.
I let out a sigh of relief.
It had already been ten days since I got stuck in this body and lived like this.
In the original story, Diana was destined to be kidnapped by human traffickers right after getting kicked out, sold off to another country, and eventually ended her life after enduring a lot of suffering.
I was trying my best to avoid that future, but I was running out of energy.
*Grrrroooowl*
‘I’m hungry.’
On top of everything, I’d lost my shoes while running, and now my feet were throbbing.
‘If only I could make some money.’
But no noble would hire someone known as an ‘attempted poisoner.’
I even tried to get manual labor work, but no one hired me because I looked too weak.
“This is the last of the bread the temple gave me.”
I stared gloomily at the single piece of bread I had left.
It was hard and crumbly, completely tasteless, like a lump of flour.
But it was my final source of food.
I broke it into small pieces and chewed them slowly.
It didn’t taste good, but just having something in my stomach made me feel a little better.
That’s when a small puppy wandered into the alley where I was hiding.
It was skin and bones, looking like it could die any moment.
The dog collapsed a few steps in and stared straight at me.
No, it was staring at the bread in my hand.
“This is my last piece, too…”
“Whimper.”
It reminded me too much of the dog I used to have, and I couldn’t bring myself to be cold-hearted.
Why did it have to look so similar?
I broke the bread in half and tossed it toward the puppy.
“Yip!”
The dog barked once, as if in thanks, then ran off with the bread.
I tucked the remaining bread into my skirt pocket and rested my chin on my knees.
‘What am I going to do from here?’
Of course, even though the main story ended, there was a side story where the two protagonists lived happily. It was set three years after the main story, so I had some ideas about making money. However, to use my knowledge of the side story to make money, I needed some startup funds. Plus, there was the issue of whether I could survive the next three years to avoid my scheduled death.
Getting hit by a car and dying a pointless death, only to die another meaningless death?
‘Is this really how it’s supposed to be, even though I’ve been reincarnated?!’
Suddenly, my vision flashed blue.
“What the…?”
[<System> A gift for the struggling reincarnator! You will receive one ability from a web novel you’ve read in the past!]
[<System> Would you like to accept the ability?]
[<System> ※Note: The ability will be chosen randomly.]
It seemed like fate wasn’t ready to let me die just yet.
I put my hands over my mouth to keep from shouting in excitement.
“Yes! Yes, of course!”
In my previous life, I’d been a heavy reader. I’d read over a thousand web novels, and most of them featured powerful heroines with abilities.
Who knew my old reading habits would come in handy?
No matter what ability I got, I’d find a way to make it work.
[<System> Spinning for a random ability!]
[<System> Congratulations! You’ve acquired the divine power of the heroine from *The Saintess in the Thorn Garden*!]
Just like that, the pain in my sore feet disappeared. All the little scrapes and bruises on my body were healed perfectly.
Divine power… It was great, really, but…
‘Wasn’t that novel rated R?’
In that story, the heroine’s divine power could only heal through physical contact, and the intensity of the contact determined how effective the healing was. If they went all the way, the heroine could even revive someone whose heart had stopped—so there were always constant *beep* sounds…
And the world of *The Fallen Noble Lady Captures the Young Lord*, the one I was now stuck in, didn’t have divine power.
What would happen if someone showed up who could heal anything through touch?
‘…Exploitation ending.’
Oh no.
What good is this?!
It felt like winning the lottery but then having to pay taxes higher than the jackpot.
* * *
This power was like a poisoned chalice. But I wasn’t in a position to be picky right now.
So I decided I’d use it just once, as efficiently as possible.
After thinking it over, I figured out who I’d use it on.
Harold Baisen, the terminally ill brother of the male protagonist.
After waiting outside the duke’s mansion for six hours, I was finally allowed inside.
Persistence pays off.
“If you go inside, the Duke should be there,” I gave a polite nod to the butler of the Baisen family, who had led me here.
“Thank you,” I said, bowing politely.
When I entered the drawing room, I saw a man who looked seriously ill but handsome nonetheless.
‘Wow, he’s really good-looking.’
Inky black hair, navy blue eyes, sharp features—he was a stunning combination of a handsome face and a tall, toned body.
But his pale, almost ghostly complexion made it clear he was very sick.
“Thank you for granting me an audience today, Your Grace,” I said.
Harold glanced at me from head to toe, his brows furrowing.
He stopped me as I approached the sofa.
“Wait.”
“Yes?”
“You’re filthy. Don’t come any closer. Speak from there.”
“Oh, okay.”
Fair enough—my current appearance was a mess. I hadn’t changed clothes or washed properly in ten days.
‘At least he agreed to meet me after just six hours of waiting.’
I didn’t complain and stayed where I was.
Seeing me obey without protest, Harold’s frown deepened.
“You’re not hissing like a stray cat for once. Why so well-behaved?”
He crossed his legs and tilted his chin arrogantly.
“Getting kicked out must’ve finally made you realize your place, Lady.”
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