Don't Mess With Villainess

CHAPTER #1.

Lady Yvaine had slit her wrists the night before her wedding to Prince Oslind.

Her life ended inside her room, drenched in grief and betrayal.

And me? I was Anna—the girl who died in a bus accident, still bleeding from the wounds of Jake and Edith’s treachery.

I don’t know how it happened. I don’t know why I woke up in this body. All I know is that when I opened my eyes, I was no longer Anna.

I was Lady Yvaine.

From head to toe, she and I were almost identical like a mirror image. It was as if I had been plucked from my world and dropped into hers. And Edith—my traitorous bestfriend—was here too, living as Micaela, Yvaine’s stepsister.

I haven’t seen Jake yet or rather, Prince Oslind. I don’t even know how the real Micaela and Oslind truly died. But I know how i and Yvaine died. And that’s enough.

This era is different. Nobles rule. Magic exists. And in this second life, one thought burns inside me:

I was given a second chance to correct what went wrong.

This time, I will not be weak.

This time, I will fight.

“Lady Yvaine, do you think the Mother Queen will allow what you’re planning?” Nashi, my personal maid, asked nervously.

“I don’t know,” I said with a small smile. “But we’ll never find out if we don’t try, right?”

I was grateful for this second life. And I swore, this time, I would not be a coward.

The carriage rolled to a stop at the palace gates. Micaela arrived as well, though she rode in a separate carriage. Good. Otherwise, I might have pushed her out during the trip.

Inside the palace, the gilded hall opened before me. And there he was standing, elegant, familiar.

Oh. Right.

Jake. Prince Oslind.

The resemblance made me want to laugh. I bowed in greeting.

“Yvaine, are you feeling better now?” the Mother Queen asked.

“I am better now, Your Majesty,” I replied softly.

“But I’ve come here today to ask for something. I hope you will allow it.”

I glanced at Prince Oslind. He was silent, but shock flickered in his eyes as he looked at me.

“Speak,” the Queen commanded.

“I know that Micaela and Prince Oslind love each other,” I said, voice steady.

“So I will speak for myself. I am asking to break the engagement.”

A murmur rippled through the court. Oslind’s lips parted as if to say something, but he stayed silent.

This hurt more than I could say. But I had already decided. No more being fooled. No more being weak.

“I heard what happened,” the Mother Queen said slowly.

“But I will not let you go.”

I blinked, startled. “What do you mean, Your Majesty?”

A smile curved her lips. “Yvaine Fei, I have eight princes. If you do not want the Third Prince, why not the Seventh?”

My eyes widened. “The… Seventh Prince?”

I knew nothing of the royal family beyond Oslind. I had no memories of Yvaine’s life, no knowledge of their rules or customs. I was a stranger in this body, in this world.

“Why the Seventh Prince? Why the demon?” Oslind asked I frown and glance at Oslind. Why did he care whom I married?

“Silence!” the Mother Queen’s voice cracked like a whip. She rose from her throne and approached me.

I straightened, meeting her gaze, and she took my hand.

“Marry him, Yvaine,” she said gently.

I smiled faintly. “Yes, my Queen. I will.”

It didn’t matter whom I married. What mattered was completing what I came here to do.

After the audience, I stayed in the palace.

Tomorrow, the Seventh Prince would arrive, along with the Second and Sixth Princes from the Amaris Kingdom.

I still felt Yvaine’s heart beating inside me—her pain for Oslind mirrored my pain for Jake.

Watching him with Micaela twisted my heart, but I would endure it.

For them, everything we shared meant nothing.

They threw it all away.

Don’t worry, Yvaine, They fooled us once. But this time, we will fight.

I sipped my tea, then called for books. I couldn’t simply sit and wait for miracles. In this strange world, one wrong move could kill me.

“Lady Yvaine, the Third Prince Oslind is here,” the maid announced.

I set the book down and composed myself.

“Let him in,” I said.

The door opened. Oslind stepped in, eyes searching my face.

“Anna—Yvaine, please!” he blurted, reaching for my hand.

I pulled back. “Don’t touch me. You disgust me.”

“Listen to me. You don’t understand. The Seventh Prince—he’s dangerous for you!” he said urgently.

I arched an eyebrow. “And who exactly is right for me? You? Who are you to decide?”

I wanted to hold him, to beg him to choose me again. To ask why Edith. Why Micaela. But I bit it back.

“Please, I’m only worried about you,” he said, exhaling.

“We shared something in the past—”

I laughed bitterly. After what you did, now you’re worried?

“Stop lying. If you truly cared, you wouldn’t have hurt me,” I said coldly.

“I… I love you. I didn’t mean to fall for Edit—Micaela,” he stammered.

“It’s over,” I said firmly.

“Anna and Yvaine are dead. But even in death, we can still face you. And we will take revenge because you were the reason why we died.”

His face paled. Sweat dotted his forehead. He said nothing more and left.

I sat back down, my heart aching. No matter how much I begged, he would still choose Edith.

Where had I gone wrong?

I gave everything.

And yet—why?

“Lulu,” I asked quietly, “why do they call the Seventh Prince a demon?”

“Because he’s terrifying,” Lulu whispered.

“He’s always sent to war. They say when he draws his weapon and steps onto the battlefield, no one can stop him until the enemy is wiped out.”

I nodded. He won’t kill me, right? Even if he was called a demon, I would gamble. I would make sure those who wronged me paid.

I could use fire spirits—a secret Yvaine’s parents had kept.

Fire spirits belonged to the royal family, their power rare and coveted.

A hundred years ago, they ended a great war, but instead of being honored, they were used, dwindling with each generation.

Now, only by chance would a child be born with that power.

When Yvaine was born, a blazing bird flew across the sky. Helios descended, followed by Ares, the God of War. But Yvaine’s parents had sealed her powers to protect her.

Now, I would use them.

In secret, I would master the fire spirits.

Micaela used water spirits her mother was a foreign concubine.

“My sister hasn’t even visited me,” I muttered, closing the book.

Was that why I was given a second life? Because my first had been too weak?

Whoever gave me this chance thank you. This time, I will fight.

“Lady Yvaine, isn’t this dangerous?” Lulu asked softly, lowering the book she held.

“The fire spirits will rot inside me if I don’t use them,” I said.

“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”

Yvaine had never learned magic. She had been too focused on loving Oslind—a love he never returned.

“Don’t worry, my lady. I’m on your side,” Lulu said firmly.

I met her eyes. Whether I had allies or not, I would win.

“Thank you, Lulu,” I said quietly.

Outside, thunder rumbled. The palace prepared for the arrival of the Seventh Prince—the demon.

And for the first time since my rebirth, my heart felt steady.

This time, I would not be weak.

This time, I would fight.

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