Chapter 4

Patrick turned pale the moment he glanced at the clock.

He had apparently realized the lesson had run over its scheduled time, and the infamous incident of a distinguished Academy professor being hung upside down from a window seemed to flash through his mind.

“M-My lady… O-of course there will be no homework. Thank you for enduring my humble lecture. I was simply so moved by your noble ladyship’s passionate thirst for knowledge that…”

He bowed repeatedly, rambling incoherently.

“You may leave.”

“Y-Yes, my lady!”

The moment I dismissed him, Patrick retreated with astonishing speed.

No homework? Nice.

Stretching lazily, I smiled to myself.

Only one class remained for the day—a theory lesson on constructing magic circles.

Surprisingly, Deborah had considered even four hours of morning lessons unbearably tedious and skipped them whenever she pleased.

So she’s not only lazy… she’s canonically bad at studying too.

Shaking my head, I headed toward the detached building where a researcher from the Magic Tower was waiting.

“My lady. Welcome.”

The moment I entered the magic training hall, a woman with ash-gray hair bent nearly ninety degrees in greeting.

Her hands, folded neatly before her, trembled ever so slightly with fear.

It wasn’t surprising.

The number of magic instructors Deborah had driven away was too many to count.

“It’s not that I’m incapable of sensing mana! You’re simply a worthless, incompetent teacher! I’m a direct descendant of House Seymour!”

Deborah refused to admit she had absolutely no talent for magic.

Instead, she blamed every instructor she had, throwing anything within reach whenever she got frustrated.

In fact, every throwable object had already been removed from the training hall.

That alone spoke volumes about Deborah’s previous behavior.

The Seymour bloodline was famous for its exceptional affinity with mana.

So why was Deborah completely talentless when it came to magic?

Most protagonists who transmigrated into fantasy novels could at least use magic.

Many even mastered swordsmanship and contracted spirits.

That cursed villainess debuff…

As I lamented Deborah’s abysmal stats, I quickly corrected myself.

Deborah possessed overwhelming beauty.

Immense wealth.

And unmatched family backing.

Actually… she already has everything.

And if you thought about it from the opposite perspective…

The more gifted the protagonists in these novels were, the more jealousy, hostility, and hardship they attracted.

Deborah, on the other hand, had always been the one making everyone else’s lives miserable.

As long as I stayed quiet…

Each day would pass peacefully.

“Not bad.”

After class, I happily murmured to myself while eating one of the capital’s most famous macarons—masterpieces crafted by a renowned confectioner who produced exactly seventy-seven of them each day.

I spent the rest of the afternoon idling around.

When evening arrived, the servants carefully prepared my bath.

“My lady, is the water temperature to your liking?”

“It’s acceptable.”

As I soaked in the enormous tub filled with floating flower petals, a contented sigh escaped me.

The attendants gently massaged my perfectly healthy muscles with fragrant natural oils.

Even my hair was washed with unbelievable care.

At first, having servants attend to me so thoroughly had felt unbearably awkward.

But the human body adapted frighteningly fast to comfort.

This is wonderful.

Wrapped in a silky robe that clung softly to my skin, I collapsed onto my bed.

Another peaceful day had come to an end.

I hope tomorrow is just like today.

Although…

For that to happen…

I’d have to change Deborah’s fate.

After lying around for a while, I finally got out of bed and entered the study next door.

Lighting a mana stone enchanted with illumination magic, I began writing down everything I could remember about the novel.

Deborah was the stereotypical one-dimensional villainess.

She relentlessly bullied the heroine, Mia Vinoche, before meeting a miserable end.

Pulling Mia’s hair.

Slapping her.

Poisoning her drinks with a substance that melted the victim’s esophagus.

Those were merely the basics.

But the most horrifying act…

Was creating a doll made to resemble Mia exactly and placing a curse upon it.

The person who ultimately exposed all of Deborah’s atrocities was none other than one of Mia’s admirers—

The Crown Prince.

That was one of the most satisfying chapters in the novel.

Using the cursed doll as evidence, the Crown Prince accused Deborah of blasphemy.

A clever move.

Within the Empire, there was only one authority that stood above both the Emperor and the great noble houses.

The Saint.

Saint Nayla had sacrificed her own life to eradicate evil and save the people.

She had even divided her body into six pieces to create an immense protective barrier.

The people revered her as a goddess.

Even the saint in this world has a ridiculously hardcore backstory…

Mia Vinoche possessed holy power so pure that she was hailed as Nayla’s reincarnation.

Given Deborah’s mountain of accumulated crimes…

The Crown Prince’s accusation of “blasphemy” gained overwhelming support.

Even as a daughter of one of the Empire’s founding families, insulting the Empire’s saint was an unforgivable offense.

Deborah was brought to trial.

The jury had been carefully filled with people bribed by Mia’s devoted admirers.

After losing the trial…

Deborah was imprisoned in a monastery near the barrier—

A place little different from a prison.

Readers had fiercely criticized the author.

After all the horrifying things Deborah had done…

Why was her punishment merely confinement in a monastery?

Then the author had replied:

“She’s the daughter of House Seymour. A member of one of the founding families. An execution would be impossible.”

Quite a few readers had dropped the novel because the author insisted on sticking so rigidly to the setting.

So…

If I want to avoid ending up in the monastery…

The key is simply not bullying the heroine.

Deborah’s downfall was surprisingly simple.

Despite possessing the overwhelming backing of House Seymour…

She had made the fatal mistake of targeting the novel’s heroine.

Fortunately…

I have absolutely no intention of bullying Mia.

The good news was that the story had only just begun.

Deborah hadn’t even met Mia yet.

The “pink diamond necklace” Duke Seymour had mentioned proved that my transmigration coincided with Chapter One of the original novel.

In the opening chapter…

A powerful monster emerged from a mysterious rift near the barrier.

One of Mia’s future admirers, Pilaf Montes, was gravely wounded while fighting it.

The one who healed him with divine power…

Was Mia Vinoche.

As was typical in reverse-harem novels…

Pilaf fell in love with Mia at first sight after she saved his life.

Learning that she was the impoverished daughter of a fallen noble family, he wanted to help her however he could.

“Lady Mia, I must repay the debt of saving my life.”

Pilaf was the heir to House Montes—

Another of the Empire’s founding families.

His words carried tremendous weight.

Yet Mia merely smiled gently and shook her head.

“I only did what anyone should.”

“Lady Mia…”

“I only hope that Lord Pilaf recovers quickly.”

Moved by her pure heart, Pilaf later happened to discover that her birthday was approaching.

He wanted to give her something truly special.

After asking around, he learned of a unique treasure—

A pink diamond.

It was the first colored diamond ever discovered.

And since Mia’s hair was naturally pink…

Pilaf decided the necklace would be the perfect birthday gift.

Unfortunately…

Deborah had also coveted the Empire’s only pink diamond.

Once word spread that both House Seymour and House Montes were pursuing it, other nobles joined the bidding frenzy.

The jewel’s price skyrocketed.

In the end…

Pilaf obtained the necklace.

Even Deborah, despite being a duke’s daughter, found the final price excessive.

And Duke Seymour, thoroughly disgusted with Deborah’s behavior, had absolutely no intention of buying it for her.

Unaware of its staggering value, the innocent Mia later appeared at the Academy wearing the pink diamond necklace Pilaf had gifted her.

…And that’s when Deborah grabbed her by the hair.

She violently tore the necklace from Mia’s neck, leaving scratches on her delicate skin.

To make matters worse…

Pilaf happened to be the man Deborah had secretly admired since childhood.

Her jealousy toward Mia only intensified from that point onward.

First rule.

Never pull Mia’s hair.

Even if I see the pink diamond, I’ll pretend I didn’t.

As I wrote down every precaution necessary to survive this cursed novel, I couldn’t help laughing bitterly.

Avoiding Deborah’s bad ending seemed far easier…

Than surviving in modern Korea as the hopeless pushover Yoon Dohee.

Deborah had wealth.

Power.

Beauty.

I had possessed none of those.

To survive, I’d needed a job.

But my qualifications had been painfully mediocre.

I’d wasted my life letting people take advantage of me instead of investing in myself.

Even if I’d somehow landed a decent job…

I probably would have struggled even more afterward, since my major had never suited me.

I actually wanted to retake the college entrance exam.

“Dohee… you know our family can’t afford another year.”

Just before the exam, my father’s words had placed immense pressure on me.

I scored far worse than I had on my mock exams.

I desperately wanted another chance…

But I knew my family’s financial situation too well to even ask.

Or perhaps…

They’d subtly made sure I couldn’t ask.

I had simply convinced myself that I’d eventually grow to like my major if I worked hard enough.

Thinking about the past, I sighed before setting down my pen.

Then I stood up.

From now on…

I’m going to live properly.

I couldn’t waste my time doing nothing forever.

If I wanted to continue enjoying this luxurious life…

I had to improve my situation.

The most important thing…

Is repairing my relationship with Duke Seymour.

Having the head of the family despise me was a serious problem.

Objectively speaking…

Everything Deborah enjoyed—her wealth, status, and privileges—came from Duke Seymour.

Lose his support…

And I’d lose everything.

No matter what…

I needed to stay on good terms with him.

Fortunately…

I had one advantage.

Deborah is the only one of his children who resembles his late wife.

Pulling back the curtains, I gazed out at the Seymour townhouse beneath the night sky.

It’s time to make my move.

Near the Duke’s office lay a mystical rose garden.

Powerful preservation magic ensured the flowers bloomed throughout the year.

Unable to forget his beloved wife, Duke Seymour had preserved the rose garden she had cherished exactly as it had been during her lifetime.

Incidentally…

It was also the location where, in the novel, the kidnapped Mia and the eldest son, Rozad, shared one of their disturbingly sadistic R-rated scenes.

I’d read that chapter so carefully it was burned into my memory.

I never imagined that scene would someday become useful.

Feeling unexpectedly fortunate, I returned my notes to the drawer, locked it carefully, and pocketed the key.

Elsewhere…

Deborah has been far too quiet.

Looking over the household ledger that recorded his daughter’s expenses, Duke Seymour frowned.

No one loved extravagant spending more than Deborah.

Yet apart from last month’s payment to the dressmaker…

She had spent almost nothing.

Why?

Could it really be because she’s confined to her room?

Confusion flickered across his cold eyes.

Being under house arrest had never prevented Deborah from spending money before.

She could have summoned dressmakers and jewelers to the mansion every single day if she’d wanted.

So what exactly was she plotting?

A daughter driven entirely by her desires had suddenly become silent.

That only made him more suspicious.

She had starved herself…

Even resorted to self-harm…

All over a single piece of jewelry.

There was no way Deborah had simply given up on the Empire’s only pink diamond.

Of course…

After everything she’d done, Duke Seymour had absolutely no intention of buying that overpriced trinket for her.

The more I think about it… the more outrageous it is.

She actually tried to manipulate my affection.

Grinding his teeth, the Duke swore he would never give Deborah what she wanted.

“My… My Lord!”

At that moment, his aide rushed in.

“Lady Deborah is in the rose garden…”

“What?!”

Hearing the unbelievable report, Duke Seymour shot to his feet in shock.