TVMS 01

CHAPTER 01

. It’s Not a Crime to Be a Villainess

Aristina Bianca Rozen.

The only daughter of Duke Canel Rozen, head of one of the most prestigious families in the Empire.

Yet far from being refined or graceful as her status and wealth might suggest, she was a reckless, ill-tempered troublemaker—called by many “the villainess who will ruin the Empire.”

That Aristina had harbored a one-sided love for the crown prince since she was a child. But the woman the prince chose was not Aristina.

It was Serene Hyperion.

A flawless heroine, possessing beauty, intelligence, and virtue in equal measure.

“Die! Just die, all of you!”

Aristina would often throw tantrums and destroy things.

But then, as if a change of heart had struck her, she hosted a tea party and invited Serene.

There, Aristina raised a toast of reconciliation to the future crown princess.

“Let’s leave the past behind us.”

“All right.”

As was custom, Aristina took the first sip and then handed the glass to Serene.

But what happened next shocked everyone. As the tea party continued…

Suddenly, Serene let out a scream and collapsed. Her body stiffened, and her face turned a ghastly blue as she struggled to breathe.

“P-please… help me…!”

“Lady Serene!”

Thanks to her personal physician, who had come just in case, her life was saved—but she was bedridden for a long while.

“Who would’ve thought she’d poison the toast of reconciliation!”

The Empire was thrown into chaos.

Sharing a reconciliation drink was a sacred ritual. The entire world was ablaze with outrage at the shameless villainess Aristina.

But…

“I’m innocent! I don’t know anything about this!”

Aristina insisted.

Surprisingly, it was the truth.

She really had wanted to reconcile with Serene. This was not her doing.

But no one believed her.

“What disgrace! For the first time in our family’s history, a noble daughter will be executed!”

Furious, her father ordered Aristina confined to the remote study in the annex of the duke’s estate.

She tried to gather evidence on her own to prove her innocence, but it was useless.

Then, one night, as she awaited her fate from the royal court…

“Who are you?!”

A sudden scream rang out from the study, followed by a horrifying shriek.

When the maids rushed in and flung open the door, they found Aristina lying there—dead.

There were no signs of intrusion or escape. No murder weapon was found.

Only a trace of blood she had coughed up. No visible wounds on her body.

A bizarre murder, as if committed by a ghost. Thus ended the life of the Empire’s notorious villainess.

.

That’s probably not the real title, but…

I knew this story. Was it a romance-fantasy novel I picked up, mistaking it for a mystery set in high society?

Either way, it was definitely a novel I had read somewhere.

So why… am I suddenly Aristina?

“She got divine punishment! That’s what happens when you’re nasty!”

“Phew, I feel so much better! I’ll finally sleep well tonight!”

“Serves you right, you villainess!”

Lying inside the outline of a corpse drawn in chalk, listening to the maids cursing above me, a cold sweat ran down my back.

‘Why am I like this?’

I remember dying. I was heading home after a late-night shift at a logistics warehouse when a drunk driver in a luxury car ran me over.

“I guess a Benz did show up in my life after all,” I thought bitterly—then blacked out.

And now, suddenly I’m in a fantasy novel? Why this one, of all things?

I only read up to the part where Aristina dies. Once I realized it was a romance-fantasy and not a mystery, I dropped it.

‘Whatever. For now, I’ll just keep playing dead.’

I shut my eyes tight and escaped into denial. But then…

“Why isn’t anyone coming? It’s hot, and if she starts rotting, what then? We need to bury her or burn her fast.”

At those terrifying words from above, my eyes snapped open.

“W-wait a minute…”

When I shakily sat up, the maids screamed in horror.

“Aaaah! The corpse—the lady’s corpse!”

Stunned, I glanced around.

Everything matched the novel’s description exactly.

A calendar showing July 13th.

A murder in a perfectly sealed room—no doors, no windows, no open fireplace.

No weapon, no struggle, no wounds. Just this body—mine.

I looked into the mirror across the room.

Golden hair scattered messily, a pale face like a dove’s egg, dazed ruby-red eyes still foggy from death. An ivory chemise dress clinging to a goddess-like figure.

A face so beautiful it could leave anyone breathless—but a future as bleak as it gets.

‘This makes no sense. Aristina was never meant to come back to life. If the killer who pulled off the perfect crime finds out…?’

A chill ran down my spine.

‘They’ll come back to finish the job!’

I snapped to attention. Time to assess the situation:

(1) A highly capable, unknown killer is after me.

(2) There are so many suspects, they’d have to take numbers and wait in line—up to #99.

(3) There’s a public petition practically begging for my execution.

Basically, I’m a character made to die. But…

‘I’m not going to just die.’

I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again.

Dying is horrible. I’ve already done it once.

Having to do it again? That’s just unfair.

‘No way. Not happening. I’ll avoid it at all costs!’

If there’s one thing I have going for me, it’s survival instinct. Sure, I died in the end, but struggling to live is something I’m used to—it’s what I did for the last 20 years.

‘Fine. I’ll become the survival queen of this world!’

Resolved, I shot up from the floor.

“Eek!”

The maids, huddled and trembling across the room, screamed again.

“She’s not dead!”

They scrambled to bow low.

“We’re sorry! We’re so sorry! We only rushed in because you shouted ‘Who’s there?’ And then you stopped breathing, and your heart stopped, so we stupidly thought you’d been murdered! But you’re totally fine!”

Watching them panic made my new reality feel all the more real.

And then another realization hit me.

‘One more stroke of luck.’

When I read this, I thought it was a mystery novel.

So I had studied every character, wondering “When’s the murder going to happen?” and “Who’s the culprit?” I even remembered the extras.

‘Based on the maids’ gossip, they’d have good reason to kill Aristina—but still, they all have solid alibis.’

According to the original story, all these maids had alibis for the time of Aristina’s murder.

And the scene is totally clean—like it was vacuumed. No evidence. Nothing to gain here.

I made a quick decision.

‘I need to get out of here.’

This remote annex was the perfect hunting ground for the killer’s perfect crime.

The longer I stay, the higher my chances of being killed again. No thanks. I don’t want to die just from bad luck.

“An intruder? There was no one here. I fainted from dizziness, that’s all. Don’t you dare spread rumors.”

I warned the maids just in case, then walked right past them.

“Miss? Where are you going?”

“Out of here.”

“What?”

They panicked.

“You’re under house arrest!”

They rushed toward me, but I had already flung the door open.

But that was as far as I got. The moment I stepped into the hallway, I froze.

‘What’s that light?’

A dazzling radiance filled the space.

And from the other side walked a man so striking, it nearly blinded me.

Shimmering platinum hair, formal attire signifying nobility, piercing red eyes.

His pale skin looked nearly ghostly, but his beauty was beyond compare.

“…?”

He spotted me and looked utterly stunned.

“Duke!”

The maids shouted behind me.

Duke?

Oh, right—my father. The one who locked Aristina away in the annex.

According to the original story, he was supposed to find his daughter’s corpse.

Instead, because of my possession, he found something entirely different.

His wild daughter, not only not murdered—but standing proudly and very much alive.

“….”

His stunned expression quickly turned into fury.

The duke coughed, covered his mouth with a pale hand, and glared at me.

“So? Now you’re coercing the maids into telling outrageous lies just to obstruct me, your own father?”

His entire presence radiated deadly cold.

Uh-oh.

I knew this world was full of landmines, but did I really have to step on one so soon?

There was only one thing I could do now.

Every time life had thrown me into crisis, I survived by using my best asset.

Not clever plans or bold action—but shameless acting.

“Ow! My heart!”

Clutching my chest, I collapsed dramatically.

With nearly 20 years of faking illness and a firsthand experience of death to draw from, I delivered a performance worthy of a documentary.

Even the maids, seasoned by Aristina’s usual antics, were completely fooled this time.

“M-my lady! Are you all right?”