Prologue
Noctum Afros.
The man who gave up the throne to become a Grand Duke—called a demon of the battlefield.
He had spent most of his life fighting monsters, his manners rougher than any mercenary.
And yet, despite such flaws, noble ladies constantly sent him proposals of marriage.
Why? Because he possessed overwhelming wealth and power… and a face so beautiful it excused all else.
It was as if the nobility had been enchanted, bewitched by him.
But today would be the end of it.
Today, he had decided to announce his engagement to Lady Rina Goldstein.
Before the announcement, Noctum stepped out onto the balcony for some air. He lifted a cigar—then froze.
His gaze locked onto a figure sprawled in the garden.
A woman, with rare, shining golden hair.
That alone was enough for him to recognize her as Charlotte Daphsine.
Her reputation was notorious, her scandals loud and wild enough to even reach him, though he lived far away on the northern frontier, cutting down monsters.
Once, he had heard a story that she crippled the young lord who had saved her, then kept him as a plaything instead of offering thanks.
If I helped this madwoman, what would happen to me?
…Nonsense.
Clicking his tongue, Noctum vaulted lightly down to the first-floor garden.
Whatever the case, leaving an unconscious person lying in the open would be discourteous.
Of course, that didn’t mean he was volunteering to be turned into a cripple.
“Ahem. Are you all right, Lady?”
He reached out and nudged her with an awkward hand.
He expected her not to wake so easily. Yet, to his surprise, her eyes flew open—and locked on him.
“Darling!”
“…?”
Why was this lady suddenly calling him darling?
“Why… how could you only appear in my dream now? Do you know how long I’ve been waiting?”
“Lady, I think you’re mistaken—”
“Did you cut your hair short because I said I hated it long? Oh, Noctum… I can’t believe this.”
The name on her lips was indeed his own. But he had never, in his entire life, worn his hair long.
“And why are you carrying a sword? Oh… I’m sorry. It must be because of me, isn’t it? Wielding such a cruel weapon…”
I’ve been carrying a sword since I was three years old, Lady.
“Ugh, I just wanted to tell you I was sorry… sorry for not warning you not to ride the carriage…”
Suddenly, she threw her arms around him, clinging tightly.
Noctum awkwardly patted her back, thinking:
What kind of bizarre new confession method is this supposed to be?
“If only you had still been alive…”
…Alive?
Why was this woman acting as though he were dead—when he was standing here, perfectly alive?
***
Chapter 1
Charlotte Daphsine.
The eldest daughter of House Daphsine, fated to become the infamous villainess who would one day be killed by her own husband.
That was the role given to her—unchangeable, unavoidable.
Charlotte realized this truth very naturally.
It happened when she was twelve.
“What is this supposed to mean?”
At first, Charlotte didn’t believe the absurd story in her head.
That she had reincarnated into a novel as a character—worse, as the cruel ex-wife of the male lead.
And the male lead was none other than the crown prince himself, Noctum Leuphel.
A man said to be flawless in every way, especially in magic.
A man destined to sit on the throne the moment he came of age—so how on earth was he going to become a grand duke and marry her?
It was nonsense.
But the funniest part of the story came next.
When Charlotte turned thirteen, the illegitimate daughter of her father’s mistress suddenly appeared.
And Charlotte lost everything.
The beautiful dresses and jewelry that had always been hers.
The lavish meals she once ate alone.
Even her title as the duke’s only daughter.
And, most painful of all, her father’s affection.
From then on, Charlotte’s place in the house shrank until she became desperate. In the novel, that was the point where she broke, turning into a wicked woman.
She would lash out at servants for no reason, covering it up with money.
She would grab anything she wanted by force.
And then, at a debutante ball, she fell instantly for Noctum Afros, the former crown prince turned grand duke.
She forced a marriage with him… only to be coldly rejected.
“It disgusts me to even look at you. Do not expect love from me, Lady.”
Even when she begged for affection, he ignored her.
Three meaningless years passed like that.
Then, suddenly, Noctum handed her divorce papers—saying he had finally found the woman he truly loved.
Charlotte, unable to accept it, persecuted that woman, Muse Callio.
At last, she even tried to poison her with the help of the true villain, Adrian Verche.
But Adrian only used her.
“Poor Charlotte. You didn’t even realize you were just a puppet.”
Once she was no longer useful, Adrian abandoned her.
And in the end, led by her husband’s hand, Charlotte mounted the guillotine and lost her head.
A story so tragic, it sounded like something out of a novel.
“No, even a novel wouldn’t be this messy!”
Charlotte scoffed. At the time, she still thought of it as fiction.
But when summer came and she turned thirteen… the mistress’s daughter arrived at the duke’s mansion.
“Oh, my beloved daughter, Dana. I’ll give you anything you want.”
And Charlotte, just as the story foretold, was abandoned.
There was no reason—no explanation. Like the sun rising and the moon setting, her father simply cherished his mistress’s child more than his legitimate one.
The world was moving exactly as the story in her head.
Only then did Charlotte truly understand how serious her situation was.
She began to fight, desperate to escape fate.
One year, then two, then three… seven long years she struggled, trying to prove she was not the villainess.
She poured affection on her half-sister.
“Dana, I really think of you as my little sister. Let’s get along well. Whatever you want, it’s yours.”
She volunteered at charities and the temple, hoping to help the poor.
Sometimes she stayed inside the mansion, thinking if she never appeared in public, no bad rumors could spread.
But no matter how hard she tried, the result was the same.
People twisted her actions, making them seem malicious.
Commoners claimed she went to charity events only to mock them.
Nobles spread rumors she was hiding away to study black magic to destroy the world.
“The young lady seems to be losing her mind. How disgraceful.”
“Tsk, tsk… who knows when she’ll start lashing out.”
Mere words, passed mouth to mouth.
But they cut deeper than any blade or spell.
Even the friends she trusted left her, calling her a monster.
No matter how she pleaded that it wasn’t true, they didn’t believe her. They only grew more afraid and more disgusted.
“Ah…”
Charlotte felt something inside her collapse.
Yes, fate could not be changed so easily. The world had abandoned her.
All that awaited her was isolation and the slow loss of herself.
Still, Charlotte endured. She would not give up. Not yet.
She smiled at Adrian Verche, the marquess—the very man who would be the hidden mastermind in the story.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Charlotte.”
“Yes… let’s get along well.”
She bore her father’s cold scorn.
“Useless girl. When you’re grown, what help will you ever be to this house?”
She even swallowed her half-sister’s constant mockery.
“You’re crazy. The crown prince is coming to the ball tonight and you’re skipping? Oh wait, of course—you were out drinking and causing trouble last night. It’s already in the papers.”
Through all the ridicule, Charlotte pressed on.
“I won’t die miserably. I won’t end like that.”
But her determination was crushed when a marriage proposal came.
“How did you seduce the grand duke? What tricks did you use for him to send you a proposal?”
“What? That’s not—”
“You must’ve been throwing yourself at him behind my back. Well, good. At least raising you wasn’t a complete waste.”
Her father’s cold words, paired with the proposal letter, shattered her last hope.
She had thought that if she simply didn’t pursue the duke, she could escape her destined end.
She had dreamed of living quietly somewhere far away, forgetting all the scorn.
But fate did not allow it.
“The wedding is in six months. Stay locked in the house. Who knows what trouble you’ll cause otherwise.”
Her father’s voice was the final knife.
“I was such a fool… If it could be changed, I would’ve changed it already.”
All her desperate struggles were useless. She was just a fly caught in a spider’s web.
From then on, Charlotte became indifferent to her life and emotions.
A woman already as good as dead.
Even after marrying the duke, she looked at him with cold, lifeless eyes.
But strangely… her husband did the opposite.
Every day, he showered her with affection.
“My lady, the weather is lovely. Shall we go swimming together?”
“I planted your birth flower in the garden. It’s beautiful, just like you. Let’s walk together and see it.”
“Happy birthday, my wife! I prepared a meal—let’s celebrate together.”
He knocked on her heart again and again, no matter how firmly she locked the door.
The more she pushed him away, the closer he stepped.
It was baffling. He acted as though he had fallen for her at first sight.
Even on their wedding day…
“Ah… So you are truly to be my wife.”
Through her white veil, he stared at her as though entranced.
He kept glancing at her hair, covered his own mouth, breathing heavily as if he couldn’t calm himself.
The hand he held hers with trembled, but he clutched it like a lifeline. His kiss was gentle, as though it were his first love.
Even the usually composed Charlotte was startled. Others must have been even more shocked.
Indeed, rumors soon spread—
that the terrifying villainess had bewitched the grand duke with black magic.
Atleast you should have made memories with your husband instead of regretting