TVBUC 02

CHAPTER 02

“Why do you ask? Is it… magic? No, is our Anne’s health poor?”

The Count stammered, looking at me with concern.
Eventually, Huyas answered.

“She’s very weak. Extremely weak…”

“Weak? Impossible!”

The Count glanced at me, his face twisting in distress.

Soon after, the two dismissed me and continued their conversation alone.
I sat on a garden chair and imagined what they were saying behind closed doors.

I didn’t have to hear it to know.

“You’re saying her magic power is weak?”

In response to my uncle’s question, Huyas would likely answer—misdiagnosing, of course:

“Yes, she barely has any ability. Though she has pure wizard blood, when she becomes an adult, she’ll only manage the smallest trace of magic.”

“A small trace?”

“At most, she could blow out a candle.”

“Ah…”

I could almost hear my uncle’s despair echoing all the way here.

I swung my legs in the air, too short to reach the ground.

Huyas was right that current-day Marianne’s magical ability was weak.
But he wasn’t completely right.

Marianne’s dormant power would explode the moment she found the magic stone that resonated with her energy.
Later, on the day she came of age in the House of Darkness, she’d accidentally find that stone—and become the infamous villainess of the century.

“Jelraus!”

A tiny droplet of water popped from my hand.

Since I’d been possessed by Marianne Delvay, I’d tried my best to recall the original novel’s magic spells.
This was all I could manage.
As the spell described, the result was about the power of a jellybean.

“Je! Lra! Us!”

When I shouted each syllable with all my strength, the droplet doubled in size.

Of course, I’d never show this to anyone.
This ability had to be hidden—completely.

Better to survive under my greedy uncle than to become a wizard by chasing some magic stone.
My plan was simple: learn how to make and save money from him, then live independently someday.

“Alright! Let’s survive!”

…But that plan crumbled the very next day.

“Marianne, wake up.”

“M-Mm… Uncle…”

It had been only two days since I arrived at my uncle’s mansion.
Just when I’d finally fallen asleep in this unfamiliar place—why wake me now?

I rubbed my sleepy eyes and sat up, only to notice that my luggage—unpacked just last night—had been repacked.

“Uncle… why is my luggage—”

“Anne, you will no longer stay here. You’re being sent to the House of Kereis.”

“…Wh-what?”

I screamed, forgetting I was just a child.

Kereis—the House of Darkness.
Something that wasn’t supposed to happen until a month later!

I looked up at my uncle with my big, black eyes, pleading.

“Why? Why now? I-I don’t want to go… I want to stay with you, Uncle, please?”

Tears welled up and rolled down my cheeks.

Look at this pitiful child, begging so sincerely—
But my uncle’s heart was already made up.

He tugged at his mustache and said coldly,

“Anne, I’ve thought carefully about your future. This is the best decision for you.”

“Uncle!!”

“That place will serve your future better than this one.”

Better?! The most notorious house in the Empire is a better choice?!

I wanted to grab his hair and scream,
How much did they pay you? Huh? You think you can sleep at night after selling a kid off like this?!

“Hrrrng…”

Even when I cried as they loaded me into the carriage, my uncle didn’t come out to see me off.

Apparently, he had planned to send me a month later—but he’d changed his mind because of how oddly I’d been acting: smiling too much, clinging to him, and giving suspicious looks.

I overheard the maids gossiping about it. The tears nearly came again.

You terrible man! Just you wait—when I become the villainess, you’ll regret this!

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and crouched in the corner of the carriage.

All my plans had fallen apart.
The situation was the worst it could be.

And I was about to meet those lunatics from Kereis—way too soon.

Even just reading about the House of Darkness in the novel, you could almost smell the blood.

They were the kind of people who could raise little, innocent Marianne into a villainess.

What do I do now…?

In the southern lands, beyond a vast forest, stood the Duke of Kereis’s mansion.

The carriage that left at dawn reached the edge of the forest only by evening.

The coachman slowed his horse, wary of the thick fog.

He’d never dreamed he’d have to come here.
If not for double pay, he never would have.

Whoooosh.

A chilling wind whistled past, raising goosebumps all over him.
Even the horse seemed to sense the unease and refused to move forward.

The coachman glanced around nervously.

“C-come on, let’s go… forward.”

Meanwhile, I was fast asleep in the carriage, completely unaware.

Until that eerie chill crept over me and I woke up.

Outside the window were dark trees, almost black, wrapped in mist.

“Wow… I really did end up in Kereis, huh?”

So the story was following the original, after all.
Even faster—by an entire month.

All my efforts had been for nothing.
After all that planning, it was meaningless.

“Fine. Whatever happens, happens. Villainess or not, who cares? Hmph, maybe living as the century’s greatest villainess won’t be so bad.”

I tried to convince myself, but my heart wouldn’t calm down.

I fished a small twig from my dress pocket and squeezed it tight, trying to remember the story’s details.

“Kereis… Kereis…”

The house controlled the richest lands in the West—fertile fields and abundant resources.
On top of that, generations of the family excelled in swordsmanship.
Whenever war broke out, the Kereis men would march and return victorious.

The original male lead was the Crown Prince, but for some reason, the author gave all the money and power to the villains.

Maybe they wanted that classic contrast—
Gentle man vs. dangerous man.

I remembered the readers’ comments being split into two camps: Crown Prince Team vs. Kereis Team.

“No, no! This isn’t the time for that!”

I reminded myself—I was Marianne Delvay now.

And since I was headed straight into the lion’s den, I had to be prepared.

“Right! In all those popular novels, the heroine ends up taming the villain, doesn’t she? I can do that too!”

I had one major advantage: I knew the original story.

That meant I could predict—and maybe even change—the future.

“…Phew.”

I was going to age prematurely at this rate.

My parents died before I could even remember their faces.
Then I went to my uncle’s house—
And now, the Kereis mansion.

What a wild ride.

“Pull yourself together, Marianne!”

With renewed resolve, my tiny lips pressed into a firm line.

The Kereis estate was massive.

More like a palace than a mansion.

They really were the wealthiest family in the Empire.

“My lady, please… stay safe.”

“Huh?”

The coachman’s farewell was strange.

Usually people said, “Have a good day,” or “See you again,” right?
But stay safe?

He quickly unloaded my luggage and left without another glance.

Seriously?!

As soon as I stepped into the mansion, a butler greeted me.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Marianne. I am Devuye. Hoho.”

He was a handsome young man with brown hair tied to one side and a monocle glinting in the light.

Even his laughter was graceful.

I remembered reading in the novel that every servant in the Kereis household was good-looking.
Readers had gone crazy in the comments every time a new one appeared, begging for more illustrations.

Yes, beauty truly is justice.

His looks alone eased my nerves—
At least, until he said the next words.

“The Duke is waiting for you right now.”

“Gasp!”

Just like that, I was meeting the final boss from the very start.

The Duke of Kereis—father of the dark sub-male lead—
A man of ice and blood.

The reason all three of his sons grew up twisted lay entirely with him.

“My lord, Lady Marianne Delvay has arrived.”

When I entered the parlor, the Duke slowly turned from the window.

For a moment, I almost gasped aloud.

Dark blue hair. Crimson eyes.
Tall, broad shoulders, a body like a sculpture.

Every line from head to toe radiated discipline and elegance.