The Double Life of a Wicked Woman

‘Mother, who am I, and where am I?’

Even as I clutched my head and looked around, the reflection in the mirror was unmistakably that of Elizabeth Arlesia.

Crimson-red and silver-streaked hair, cascading in luscious waves. Slightly upturned eyes and the rare silver irises of the Empire—every detail matched the infamous villainess and witch from The Saint, Osborne: Elizabeth Arlesia.

“…Why, of all people…?”

She was beautiful. Stunningly so. But the owner of this body, Elizabeth, was a villainess destined for a tragic death in The Saint, Osborne. As I realized I had somehow been transported into her body, I let out a silent scream of despair. Memories of a hazy dream from the night before resurfaced in my mind.

I had been asleep. It seemed I’d dozed off after binge-reading the long-hiatus novel The Saint, Osborne. In the dream, I found myself walking down a pitch-black tunnel, endlessly long. When I reached what seemed like the end, instead of an exit, I was met with terror. A space entirely engulfed in darkness, with a black figure emanating an ominous glow.

Thinking it was just a terrible nightmare, I tried to run. But the tunnel vanished, and it was as if invisible walls trapped me. Unable to escape, I crumpled to the ground as the black figure loomed over me.

“Go back…”

I had no idea where or how I was supposed to return. The space was an incomprehensible void of blackness, and the shadowy figure repeated the same phrase countless times—”Go back.” Every time I struggled in fear, the figure pressed down on me even more relentlessly.

“I… I want to go back too!”

The words spilled out unintentionally. Spoken out of fear. If the figure knew how to send me back, I would gladly comply. If this was a dream, perhaps staying still or running away until I woke up would suffice. My mind raced with possibilities.

Though I didn’t know if “going back” meant waking from the nightmare, I was sincere. Trembling in terror, I heard the figure whisper one final time.

“Since one who should not have crossed over has done so, I shall reveal how to return.”

“…What? Someone who shouldn’t… have crossed over…?”

Before I could make sense of those words, the black figure vanished in a burst of dark light. Then I woke up.

When I opened my eyes, it wasn’t the ceiling of my small apartment I saw. Instead, unfamiliar, ornate patterns adorned the ceiling, framed by a delicate, white canopy that draped down elegantly. That was just a few hours ago.

At first, I didn’t realize I had become Elizabeth. If it hadn’t been for a maid exclaiming, “Lady Elizabeth!” and helping me to this chair, I might have brushed everything off as just another strange dream and waited idly to wake up.

Then I noticed the note in my hand.

“Become the villainess and die. Only then will you be returned to your original world.”

It was impossible to ignore. Whoever wrote this knew that the soul inhabiting Elizabeth’s body wasn’t of this world. And the fact that it was written in Korean, not the language of the Morc Empire where Elizabeth lived, made it undeniable. This wasn’t something I could simply dismiss.

No, more precisely, it resembled the “return method” the black figure spoke of in the dream, making it even more unsettling.

The problem was that Elizabeth’s story in The Saint, Osborne—where she is a villainess—was still incomplete and on hiatus. That meant her death was certain, but what came afterward remained unknown.

Why was this note in my hand?

The black figure’s words seemed clear: “You, who should not be here, made a mistake in coming. Follow the book’s storyline to your death, and I’ll send you back to your original world.”

It wasn’t like the original world had been particularly great. Overworked and berated by my boss, I couldn’t claim to have led a happy life. But—oh! I suddenly remembered—last night, I’d won tickets to Bangbom Boys’ concert! That alone was enough to fill me with overwhelming joy. Yes, I had to go back. I had to see my adorable boys!

“But why did it have to be Elizabeth Arlesia, of all people? Couldn’t I have been…”

“…a kind protagonist, or even an extra with a brief, uneventful life?”

The villainess who must commit evil deeds and meet her death—that was Elisabeth. The note explicitly demanded she “die as a villainess.” No matter what, her fate was sealed. Whether this novel was on indefinite hiatus or not didn’t change that fact. Hence, the way for me to return was also clear.

“Die as a villainess.” That’s what it meant. Could I really pull it off? Perhaps just following the story as written would suffice. Or, using the title of nobility to lord it over others wouldn’t be a bad option either.

“Ugh… Fine. Life is short anyway! Since this world offers fame and wealth I couldn’t even dream of back home, let’s live it up and be a villainess!”

After all, it’s just a story. If this is how it’s going to be, then I’ll thoroughly become a villainess and die. I’ll make sure to return and see my beloved Bangbum Boys concert! Whether this note truly has the power to send me back or not, the circumstances were too perfect to dismiss. From the ominous entity in my nightmare promising to reveal the way to return, to waking up with this mysterious note in my hand—it all felt orchestrated for me to believe.

“Even if I die, it’ll be Elisabeth dying, not me. It’ll be fine.”

That thought brought a bit of comfort as I began contemplating Elisabeth’s character.

Elisabeth’s family background in the novel was rather unusual. Her father was a count, making her the young lady of a count’s household, but her mother came from a higher-ranking marquess family. On top of that, her maternal family, the Vincent House, was so prestigious that the emperor himself had offered them a duchy title. However, Elisabeth’s maternal grandfather had declined it, saying, “Titles shape people,” choosing instead to remain as a marquess. In practice, though, they carried the authority of a duke’s household.

On the other hand, Elisabeth’s paternal family was an unremarkable count’s lineage, with no particular ambition for power. Yet somehow, a notorious villainess was born between these two vastly different families.

The family tree was absurd, but what could I do? The plot was entirely at the author’s discretion. Clearly, the author had a “not all good people produce good offspring” mindset—likely a reflection of some office-worker cynicism.

“More importantly, how does one even become a villainess?”

In the original novel, Elisabeth, who was known as a witch, stood in stark contrast to Osborne, who was revered as a saint. Elisabeth openly despised Osborne, refusing to hide her disdain for her. As the saint, Osborne drew admiration from all, including the emperor, Karlcia Senil Morque, the empire’s sole duke, Rath Arahan, and a seemingly ordinary priest with extraordinary abilities, Arten. Elisabeth’s jealousy reached its peak when Osborne monopolized their love and attention, especially that of the emperor, whom Elisabeth fell for at first sight.

In this situation, Osborne’s love story unfolded with Duke Arahan, while the emperor blamed Elisabeth for everything, using her as a scapegoat and eventually having her executed as a witch. Of course, Elisabeth’s numerous evil deeds in trying to eliminate Osborne also contributed to her demise.

Now, it was my turn to commit all those evil deeds. Because, of all times, I had been possessed right on the day of the imperial ball where Elisabeth first laid eyes on the emperor and fell for him at first sight!!

“What was she wearing on this day again? Ah, yes. The emperor’s least favorite color…”

I racked my brain to remember. The emperor despised the color red. Although he had been at the forefront of blood-soaked wars, for some reason, he harbored an intense aversion to red. That detail stuck with me. On this fateful day, Elisabeth, with her crimson hair, made her grand entrance in a red dress. Naturally, the emperor’s first impression of her was anything but favorable.

“Yes, it was definitely a red dress.”

As I bit my lip, recalling the sequence of events, a knock came at the door of Elisabeth’s room.

Knock knock knock.

“My Lady, it’s Maya.”

“Ah… Maya. Come in.”

Maya, the head maid of the Arcelcia household, was a nanny-like figure who had cared for Elisabeth since she was young. Seeing her made the reality of the situation hit home—this was the world of the novel, and I was now Elisabeth. I tried to imitate Elisabeth’s mannerisms as naturally as possible, to avoid arousing suspicion.

“Oh my, My Lady. You’re not dressed yet?!”

“I was debating which dress would suit me best. Maya, what do you think of this red dress?”

“Oh my! My Lady’s sense of style gets better every time I see it. It matches your crimson hair and silver eyes perfectly. Please wait a moment; I’ll help you put it on right away.”

“Alright.”

In truth, a red dress would stand out too much against Elisabeth’s crimson hair and silver eyes. But that was exactly her style—she was someone who relished attention. She hated it when that attention shifted to Osborne. A villainess like Elisabeth loved the emperor, but whether it was out of a desire for power or genuine affection was unclear. To her, Osborne was undoubtedly public enemy number one.

‘But seriously, what’s with this corset…’

“Aaaaagh!!”

I couldn’t help but scream as Maya mercilessly tightened the corset around my waist. No matter how much I begged for mercy, she showed no sign of relenting. It suddenly made sense why women in medieval times either died young or had hunched backs. Was this some kind of immersive world history experience?

Just as I was reflecting on this, Maya gave another firm tug, as if to snuff out my thoughts entirely. Whether it was her skill or the corset’s design, my waist became impossibly slim. Honestly, if I could have this waist without the corset, that’d be great. Ugh. Once I return, the first thing I’ll do is go on a diet.

“My Lady, what jewelry would you like to wear?”

“…Hmm. All red.”

“Pardon?”

“Everything in red.”

Maya looked at me, stunned, as if she’d misheard. But my response remained the same: “All in red.” Why? Because the emperor hated red! That was the simple reason. If I could get on the emperor’s bad side, his attention would naturally shift to Osborne, and my villainous acts could begin in earnest.

Two painstaking hours later, my makeup and outfit were complete. My reflection in the mirror showed a vision that was perfect for driving the emperor into a fit of rage.

“Completely drenched in red, I look like tteokbokki.”

A woman with porcelain-white skin and crimson-tinted hair was adorned entirely in red. I had intended to wear red shoes as well, but Maya insisted on white, so I reluctantly complied. Even the hair accessory was a red flower reminiscent of a rose, completing the look.

“Tteokbokki. Perfect.”