“So, that woman has finally returned to the empire.”
A small-scale party. The guests were huddled in tight clusters, dressed in understated elegance, their voices weaving a low, constant hum.
And for good reason—the protagonist who had stirred the entire empire, and the capital in particular, was rumored to have returned.
“Heh, have you heard the rumors, too?”
“Of course. Is it even possible not to?”
Charlize Alzbeit.
The granddaughter of the Duke of Alzbeit, one of the most formidable figures in the empire. She was the only person doted upon by the Duke, a man known to be a notorious miser and a titan of the underground world.
The stories of his affection for her were so vast they could make one’s mouth sore.
Perhaps that was why.
Raised from a young age by a grandfather who indulged her every whim, she had blossomed into the empire’s greatest delinquent.
A bit of context is necessary here.
Charlize’s father, the previous emperor, had fallen into a fiery romance with the daughter of Duke Alzbeit, resulting in a grand unification of the empire’s power players. Because that daughter was the Duke’s only child, the Imperial Family and the Alzbeit household had struck a bargain.
“We pledge that you shall bear two children! One shall inherit the Duke’s household, and the other, the Imperial Family!”
Thus, although Charlize was of imperial blood, she was raised as the Lady of the Alzbeit house, bearing their name.
Leaning on the combined weight of the Duke’s household and the Imperial Family, the atrocities she committed were truly spectacular. She never hesitated to act out; though her offenses were limited to destruction of property and drunken violence, they were enough to color the perception of her temperament.
Regardless, she had supposedly returned after fleeing the empire following a massive incident.
The people whispering among themselves suddenly went, *hup*, and clamped their mouths shut.
“Gasp, isn’t that her walking in now?”
Soon, a shrill, tinkling laughter echoed from the entrance.
Every eye in the room snapped to a beauty of such brilliance that it forced a gasp. She stood unsteadily, a vision of volatile elegance.
Her pink hair flowed like fine silk, a color lauded as the most noble in the empire. It was a hue found nowhere else—a mutation born from the union of the Imperial Family, who produced only silver and black hair, and the Alzbeit household, known for their red and orange locks.
A color symbolizing a miracle, one that made everyone sigh and look on, no matter what crime she committed.
Her eyes were red, as if stained with blood, with beautifully upturned corners.
“……Who on earth is she going to target today?”
“Hush, don’t make eye contact.”
Regrettably, her appearance was as vicious as the havoc she wreaked. Her cheeks were overly flushed, and her laughter carried a touch of derangement.
Soon, the first victim was claimed.
“Oh my, aren’t you the handsome man who rejected my confession before?”
“W-what are you doing, M-my Lady!”
Even with the face of a transcendently beautiful lady—rare to see even if one offered all the treasures in the world—she looked unhinged, her eyes glazed with intoxication.
“Hmm, no? Did you get older? Is it possible to age twenty years in just one year?!”
After kicking at his shins, Charlize poured her champagne over the old man standing before her.
The noble blinked in shock.
In the brief silence, Charlize leaned down and whispered into his ear.
“You’re ugly. Die, you.”
“Eek!”
The pale-faced noble scrambled away in a panic.
But it was only for a moment; the young lady stumbled, her gait unsteady until she was caught and supported by knights clad in black.
“You, death penalty for being ugly!”
The knights of the Alzbeit household.
Among them stood elite knights chosen by the Duke, her grandfather, tasked solely with guarding her.
“Cackle, our ‘Terry’ will have a feast tonight!”
Terry was a monster dog kept by the young lady. A hybrid of a monster, it was a horrific beast capable of tearing human flesh to shreds in an instant.
The onlookers realized it in that moment: the infamous arch-delinquent, Charlize Alzbeit, had finally returned to the imperial capital.
“This is a disaster…….”
“A true disaster.”
The crowd huddled together, whispering urgently. They kept their gazes averted, terrified of accidentally locking eyes with Charlize.
“The handsome men of the capital will be wiped out once again…….”
“Noble families with sons of marriageable age must be warned. I need to notify the salon immediately.”
“Hah, is that even necessary? Everyone must know by now.”
“…….”
Charlize sat with arrogant grace, holding a glass of champagne in one hand. An invisible barrier seemed to surround her; no one dared approach, as if mere proximity to her were a catastrophe.
The Alzbeit household.
It was said that their power was enough to drop not only birds from the sky but the sun itself, should they choose to aim for it. In such a house, Charlize was the apple of her grandfather’s eye. Furthermore, her brother was the current Emperor. Unless something truly extraordinary occurred, there was no one—and no force—capable of restraining her.
“Has ‘that problem’ been resolved? You know, the matter regarding Kahas, the most handsome leader among the Paladins…….”
“Oh, you mean that? I thought you were referring to the passionate conflict with Remut, the Duke of the West. Aren’t they engaged?”
“My goodness, what about the story where she kidnapped the disciple of Rophenheim, the spiritist, and forced him into her mansion?”
Charlize Alzbeit’s resume was flamboyant—so much so that no one could keep track of it all. The defining theme was that she had provoked every major figure in the empire at least once. Many whispered that this recent trip abroad had been a disciplinary exile, disguised as a journey by an Imperial Family that could no longer tolerate her unending scandals.
As if sensing the tension, the hired musicians shifted the tempo to something more cheerful.
In that moment, a young man approached Charlize with a calm, steady gait. The onlookers, who had been watching from the corners of their eyes, collectively held their breath.
“Lady Alzbeit.”
“…….”
When Charlize blatantly ignored him, the young man frowned and tried again.
“Your Imperial Highness.”
As the title Charlize famously loathed left his lips, her expression turned wicked. She turned her head, her gaze so chilling that the young man flinched, though he quickly gritted his teeth to compose himself.
“I have waited only for this day. For the day you would return…….”
“Who are you? Who is this?”
Her voice was sharp and frigid. The young man trembled but forced himself to speak calmly.
“Do you not remember me?”
“Hmm? Let’s see. You’re ugly?”
“…….”
“I don’t remember ugly bastards.”
“……I see. That would be natural. Yes…….”
“What is it? Get lost.”
“Because the person you should remember isn’t me, but my younger sibling.”
In an instant, the young man pulled a sharp dagger from his sleeve. He was, in truth, a skilled knight. As he lunged with murderous intent, the blade streaked toward Charlize with astonishing speed.
*Clang!*
The strike was blocked by a guard knight’s sword. With a swift movement, the guard seized the young man’s arm, bringing the futile attempt to a sudden, jarring end.
Prologue
“Damn it, damn it! You lady! You damned arch-delinquent! Rick Teustein! You remember my sibling, don’t you? That name you toyed with!”
“…….”
“My sibling’s life was ruined out of despair because of you! Only you! I’ll curse you—I’ll curse you until the end!”
Even as the guards dragged him away, the young man strained to make his final words heard.
“The fiancé you cling to so desperately will loathe you just as intensely and cast you aside! Go and die!”
Silence reclaimed the hall the moment the young man vanished.
Charlize glanced at the spot where he had been, then turned her head as if the outburst had never occurred.
“What was that? Who were they talking about?”
Her voice remained chillingly indifferent.
“Boring.”
*Hiccup.* Charlize rose slowly from her seat.
A guard knight reached out to steady her, but she coldly brushed his hand away.
“Don’t touch me.”
The guard retreated in haste, clearly accustomed to her temperament.
Charlize stumbled toward the entrance.
“I want to go back.”
Everyone present let out a sigh of relief at that drunken murmur.
Because of that, no one suspected the truth: Charlize was not drunk. She was merely performing the part.
Nor did they notice that her fist, balled tightly at her side, was slick with cold sweat.
Once Charlize reached her room and the door clicked shut, she collapsed where she stood, burying her face against her knees.
‘Ugh, this is terrifying as hell!’
Charlize’s shoulders, which had remained so poised moments ago, now trembled like an aspen leaf. The terror she had been suppressing surged forward, uncontrollable.
A sword? A sw-word?
Just how many times had someone tried to run her through with a blade at a party this week?
Five times—five!
It was a staggering number, especially considering it had only been a week since her official return to the capital.
‘I know who Rick Teustein is. But what possible grudge could that man have against me?’
Rick Teustein was a bastard who had viciously stalked Charlize Alzbeit. He had haunted every party she attended, hunting for an opening, and had even tried to force himself on her once when she was in her cups.
Of course, the original Charlize hadn’t hesitated to punish him, but she never imagined his family would seek vengeance using that as a pretext.
Then again, she didn’t even know the motives behind the other four assassination attempts.
‘I’ve beaten up way too many men!’
Because the soul inhabiting this body—the core of it—was not ‘Charlize Alzbeit’!
She—no, ‘Yoon Ji-Hoo’—was merely a soul who had borrowed the body of Charlize Alzbeit. It was her misfortune, or rather, the cruelest stroke of luck, to have opened her eyes inside a wretched, ruinous 19+ rated novel as the villainess.
No, it was the absolute worst kind of misery.
Whenever the agony became too much, she would scream the mantra to herself:
*Endure it. Just for one year.*
*‘I just need to seduce one guy.’*
The ‘one guy’ in question was her only fiancé. A man who, of all people, detested the villainess more than anyone else in this world.
Alone in the dark of her room, she couldn’t hold it in any longer and let out a strangled shriek.
“Ah, if it weren’t for those damn coins!”