Chapter 02
｡･:*:･ﾟ★ Translated by Sienna ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
It was a futile death.
Instead of enjoying today, I worried about tomorrow and just kept running and running. I thought there would be a finish line at the end. But what I held in my hands was not the baton of success but the cruel reality of death.
If I knew it would end like this, I wouldn’t have worked so hard…!
In the final moments of my life, that’s what I thought.
…It was definitely like that.
As soon as I opened my eyes, the ceiling that greeted me was incredibly extravagant.
“……What is this? Why is it so extravagant?’
Is this the afterlife?
No, it feels like something you’d see in a museum, like a work of art…
“What in the world is this… Cough!”
As I muttered unconsciously, I felt pain in my throat. It feels like my throat is burning!
It’s bad enough to wish that I were dead!
“Oh, Milady!”
As I was gagging and writhing in pain, someone came toward me in panic. It was a petite girl with her orange hair tied up in a bun, wearing a maid outfit.
“If you force yourself to speak, it’ll be hard for you. The poison hasn’t been completely detoxified yet.”
Poison? What poison? I ingested poison?
But I was hit by a car, not poisoned. Moreover, I’m not the sort of individual one would refer to as a lady. I couldn’t understand what she was saying. Then, at that moment, I saw a mirror on the opposite side of the bed. I stopped abruptly, forgetting the pain.
In the mirror, I saw a woman I had never seen before.
…Is she a goddess?
With pink hair tinted with grayish tones and clear green eyes, the woman was the most beautiful person I had ever seen.
“Lady Daphne…” Enchanted by her beauty, I sat still, then a maid addressed me with a pitiful tone.
This person’s name is Daphne.
……Wait a minute. Daphne?
Daphne? Where have I heard that name before…
That’s when it hit me.
“……!”
I felt like I could hear a tearing sound in my ears, and scenes I had never seen before flooded into my mind. It didn’t take long for me to realize that these were memories of ‘Daphne.’
Daphne Peregrine.
That was the name of the villainess in the R-19 romance novel I had read. The setting of the novel I had transmigrated into went something like this.
In this world, demons existed, and the despair they created tainted people’s hearts black.
As this led to endless war, the goddess descended upon the land. To end the war, the goddess led an army onto the battlefield, and four heroes followed her. The heroes successfully defeated the demons, and together, they founded an empire.
Gresbel of Peace.
Cairohan of Justice.
Evans of Strength.
And Peregrine, one of the four great families and Daphne’s family, were known for their mastery over magic.
The Peregrine family served as the ‘Watchers of Evil’. They were responsible for keeping the remaining demonic magic in the world under control. Thus, the descendants of Peregrine possessed exceptional magical abilities or had formidable swordsmanship skills, capable of effortlessly defeating monsters.
Although the Peregrine family was highly esteemed, the current generation faced a tragedy—
Specifically, the youngest daughter of Peregrine, Amila Peregrine, died while giving birth. Despite caring for his frail daughter, Duke Peregrine received the news of his daughter’s childbirth and death simultaneously.
The Duke fell into despair. Every time he saw his granddaughter, he thought of his deceased daughter. Unable to overcome the grief, he eventually turned away from Daphne.
To make matters worse, Daphne didn’t possess any magical abilities. Thus, inversely, Daphne became obsessed with the name ‘Saintess.’ The Saintess was someone blessed by the goddess before she closed her eyes, possessing strong divine powers.
It was a prestigious position, referred to as the representative of peace and tranquility, and not just anyone could hold that position. Daphne believed that if she became the Saintess, she could shed all the disgrace.
‘It’s an absurd story. How could a family with magical powers produce a Saintess with divine powers!’
But Daphne was not to be deterred. She used her family’s wealth, hired expensive tutors, and studied herbalism.
However…
Every herb that Daphne touched withered and rotted, losing its vitality. In the end, she was told by her teacher, ‘It seems you don’t have a talent for herbalism.’ Then, Daphne poured hot tea over her teacher’s head.
Considering Daphne’s young age, one could truly say she was a born villainess. The only incompetent lady in the heroic Peregrine family.
This label drove Daphne even more insane. But there was one bright light in her life: her fiancé, Roderick Evans.
To become someone fitting for him, a member of one of the great families, she clung even more to the name of the Saintess. But as in every narrative of a villainess in novels, the Saintess was someone else.
Roderick fell in love with the heroine, and blinded by jealousy, Daphne attempted to poison her. But it was discovered by the male lead just in time, and she was thrown into prison.
Daphne met a lonely end in prison. I thought it was an ending fitting for a villainess…
But I became that Daphne! Does this make sense? I entered the body of a Villainess! I lived so sincerely and virtuously!
If there is a god, this couldn’t be possible. In a fit of rage, I grabbed the mirror. Then I thought I heard angry footsteps, and the door burst open without my permission. A man with thick gray hair and a fierce look, contrasting mine, approached me.
“You’re finally up.”
The handsome man spoke in a gloomy voice, almost suffocating.
“Bringing disgrace to the family then attempting to commit suicide. Do you think that’s the way to treat your uncles and grandfather who raised you?”
Uncles and grandfather. The moment I heard those words, I realized who the man was.
Lyas Peregrine.
He was the first son of Duke Peregrine, Daphne’s maternal uncle. Being a magic swordsman with exceptional academic knowledge, he was renowned as an authority at the Institute Academy.
And, presumably, according to the original story… He was the foolish brother who abhorred his deceased youngest sister. However, his gaze towards his niece was chilling.
“I thought someday you would come to your senses. But in the end, this is the result.”
“…….”
“Taking your own life just because of your broken engagement.”
In his low-pitched voice, I could feel the contempt directed towards me. His words hinted that Roderick called off his engagement with Daphne. As a result, she took poison, and somehow, I ended up in her body.
One might question how he could say such a thing to his niece who just survived a life and death situation, but…
Yeah, it’s kind of crazy, honestly.
I could somewhat empathize with his emotions. Leaving the world solely due to rejection is indeed a fleeting emotion, especially in matters of love.
‘Moreover, Daphne had everything.’
Though lacking in talent, she had a wealthy family background as an heir to a heroic lineage, money, and an enviable appearance.
Why would she grovel to that bastard when she had everything?
I wanted to agree or at least provide some support, but my condition wasn’t suitable for that.
As I kept silent, Lyas sighed. Then, he tossed something he had been holding onto the carpet. A small vial rolled towards my feet.
“It’s an antidote. It should be more effective than what you took before.” Having said that, he lowered his upper body and stared at me with a cold expression, “And this is my last mercy.”
“…….”
“I’ve been putting up with you because of your mother, Amila, but…… I can’t turn a blind eye anymore,” he spoke in a chilling voice.
“You are not to take a single step outside the mansion until the Duke arrives. I’ll decide what punishment to impose on you later.” With that, he turned and left the room. Until the door was closed, I couldn’t utter a word.
“Milady, are you okay?” The maid cautiously asked. I must have looked quite distressed sitting there blankly.
“…….”
But I froze for a different reason. Because I had never seen such a handsome man before in my entire life. With memories of my previous life still fresh in my mind, the sight of a handsome man like Lyas was truly shocking.
“If my maternal uncle looks that good, then…… kerchuck!” I mumbled but I couldn’t finish my sentence and started coughing.
It feels like my esophagus is burning!
As I held my throat, the maid quickly grabbed the vial from the floor.
Antidote! I quickly swallowed the medicine, hoping for this pain to disappear as soon as possible.
But…….
Ugh, why does it taste like this!
The taste was atrocious. It felt like a mix of sewer water, garbage water, and every imaginable filth in the world.
“Milady, here’s water!”
Only after the maid gave me water did that horrendous taste finally subside.
“Phew…”
Taking a breath and trying to relax, the maid spoke with a worried expression.
“Lord Peregrine is really too much. No matter how angry he is, how could he say that to someone who just woke up…”
She glanced at me while attentively observing my condition.
It felt like she was trying to match my mood by forcibly criticizing Lyas.
Nothing feels more awkward than having to put on a forced smile in front of your superior…
Recalling years of internship experience, I decided to give the maid some freedom.
“Go out.” But due to the poison, my words were somewhat short.
I felt like if I spoke a little longer, my throat would burn even more.
“…Leave me alone. I’m tired.” I added a brief explanation.
“Ah… Yes! I understand!”
As if afraid I might change my mind, the maid quickly left the room.
If anyone sees her, they’ll think I’m trying to devour her.
Well, considering it’s Daphne, that wouldn’t be an unusual thought. With a sigh, I rose from my seat and sat down at my dressing table.
In the mirror, there was a beautiful woman with pinkish-gray hair, upturned eyes, and clear green eyes. She had a complexion as white as snow.
Still surprising to see. I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful.
No matter how many times I looked, it didn’t feel real. But the lingering pain in my throat reminded me that this was all too real.
It’s certainly not a dream.
The memories, the pain, it was all real.
Having confirmed that it’s not a dream, it was time to devise a plan. I slowly reviewed the original novel. The novel I possessed was a R19+ gritty reverse harem novel, where a Saintess blessed by the goddess becomes obsessed with the heirs of the four great families.
And I pushed for the sub-male lead, Norton, to be the male lead. He’s a black-haired, reclusive man. Anyone can see that he’s definitely a male lead material. Though it’s a shame his eyes are not red. However, the real male lead was a blond prince, and I felt a sense of despair, thinking, ‘Wow, my investment just got screwed……?’
But our gracious author provided separate side stories for each character, including different endings. The problem was that in all these diverse endings, the torture scenes for Daphne were consistent.
As diverse as the personalities of the main characters were was as varied as the methods of torture.
Back then, I enjoyed the variety of crazy people, thinking, ‘Wow, this place has some interesting spots!’ But now…
Now, it turned out, these scenes were to be my ending. I couldn’t help but grasp my head as I remember the scenes vividly.
