The Double Life of a Wicked Woman

Karlsia Senil Morch. The 27th emperor of the Morch Empire and the man who expanded its territory by absorbing the northern Astaran Kingdom into the four continents unified by the first emperor, Epel Senil Morch. Even though he ascended the throne at a young age, as soon as he received reports that the noble lords in the borderlands of the Astaran Kingdom were harassing and exploiting the citizens of the Morch Empire, he immediately marched to the battlefield, annihilated them, and returned victorious after expanding the empire’s borders. He was a hero of the empire and a ruler hailed as a wise king.

Of course, just as a coin has two sides and a sword has two edges, he also had traits of a tyrant that made him unworthy of the title of a wise king. There was even an episode in the original story where he discovered someone insulting his beloved Ozben, unearthed the family’s corruption, and eradicated their entire lineage.

In any case, I set aside my thoughts about him for now. I was no longer a reader but Elisabeth, and I had to greet the emperor. Leaving the terrace, I entered the hall. Unsurprisingly, there he was—the emperor, Karlsia Senil Morch, with the golden hair and eyes symbolic of the empire, exuding charisma that dominated the room.

Unlike Ozben’s softer tones, his golden hair and eyes were brighter and more radiant, like pure, unblemished gold. His sharp features made it clear why Elisabeth had fallen for him at first sight.

If Aranhan had the air of a refined nobleman, the emperor embodied dignity, solemnity, and elegance. Well, as handsome as he was, he wasn’t mine to have, nor could he be, considering he was the one who’d ultimately kill me. So, I could only click my tongue in frustration. Sure, I had to feign love for him and approach him, but he was nothing more than an unattainable dream.

As the emperor walked toward me, I quickly bowed my head to show respect.

“Raise your head.”

His deep voice was soothing to the ears—surprisingly sweet for someone who straddled the line between a wise king and a tyrant. Obeying his command, I cautiously raised my head, only to be greeted by his dazzling appearance. He looked as if a divine light shone behind him, making him sparkle.

Ugh, my eyes!

As I instinctively squinted, I noticed Ozben looking at me with a slightly concerned expression. No, sister, don’t worry about me. Focus on the emperor. She probably still felt guilty about earlier.

“Hm. Aranhan.”

“Lat Aranhan, Duke of the Empire, pays his respects to His Imperial Majesty, Karlsia Senil Morch, the Radiant Light and Eternal Sovereign of the Morch Empire.”

The emperor first acknowledged Aranhan, his close friend and the empire’s chancellor. Then his gaze shifted to the woman standing beside him—the one with golden hair resembling his own.

“And you are…?”

“Ah… I am Ozben Luciella, daughter of the Marquis of Luciella, paying my respects to His Imperial Majesty, Karlsia Senil Morch, the Radiant Light and Eternal Sovereign of the Morch Empire.”

“It’s been a while. Since the harvest festival, has it been a year?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“You’ve grown even more beautiful.”

Ozben blushed deeply at his words, lowering her head and mumbling nervously. Right, this was the moment when the emperor fell for Ozben at first sight. Ugh, the meeting of a radiant emperor and a saintly maiden—it was like something out of a fairy tale.

Still, Ozben’s romantic storyline was progressing with Lat Aranhan standing beside her, which was a bit of a shame. But it had nothing to do with me. Whether they dated or fought over one woman was none of my concern.

I just had to focus on my role as the villainess. For instance, bullying Ozben, poisoning her, or hiring assassins to kill her. Could I really pull it off? Probably not. But I had to grit my teeth and do it, channeling all the frustrations I couldn’t express in my original world.

The Bangtan Boys concert awaits me!

Lost in my thoughts, I was startled by a low clicking sound.

“Tsk.”

“…”

Snapping back to reality, I realized the emperor was staring at me. I tried to bow quickly, but before I could, he waved his hand dismissively and turned his gaze back to Ozben. The emperor had blatantly ignored me. In the eyes of the nobility, this was a major slight, but they seemed too enchanted by the emperor’s attention on Ozben to notice or care.

Damn you, emperor! If I didn’t have to die as a villainess, I’d find a way to ruin you! Even if I die as a villainess, I swear I won’t let you have my beautiful saintly sister!

I fumed silently, but no one paid me any attention.

“Continue to enjoy yourselves.”

With those words, the court musicians resumed their performance, filling the hall with lively music once more. Some couples took to the floor to dance, while others picked up conversations interrupted by the emperor’s arrival.

And now, the much-anticipated moment! The spotlight turned to the saintly maiden—our dear Ozben. Who would she dance with?

“Lat, are you abstaining from dancing again this time? I know you wish to avoid unnecessary gossip, but… isn’t it time for you to step forward?”

“I believe Your Majesty’s situation is more urgent than mine.”

The emperor and Aranhan were subtly competing over Ozben through a conversation about dancing. Meanwhile, Ozben, flustered and unable to intervene, simply shifted her gaze between the two, her feet shuffling nervously.

“Or are you planning to dance with Lady Luciella?”

“…”

Aranhan fell silent at the emperor’s pointed remark, glancing at Ozben.

Wait, hold on. I wasn’t supposed to be a passive bystander here. I had to bully Ozben somehow. But instead of acting, I’d slipped into viewer mode, watching this unfold like a drama.

What should I do to torment her? Should I approach the emperor as Elisabeth had in the original story? While I pondered my next move, Aranhan said something that left me utterly dumbfounded.

I stood there, mouth agape, staring at him in shock.

“No. I plan to dance with the person who owes me a debt.”

“Someone owes you a debt? Wait, Lat, you’re not the type of person who lends money.”

That debt doesn’t seem to be the kind of debt you’re thinking of, Your Majesty.

No!! Ozben should be the one to dance with him! Though I knew the emperor’s gaze toward Ozben was far from casual and had already given up on that idea, I shouldn’t be the one to dance with him! Well, of course, I wouldn’t be dancing with him. It must be someone else who owes Lat a debt. Yes, that must be it.

“Lady Arrelcia, would you dance with me?”

“…….”

Why is it that bad premonitions are always right? Someone, please tell me! The emperor’s gaze is burning! By the time I realized what was happening, Aranhan had approached and was offering me his hand. I hesitated.

I didn’t need to accept, but there was no real reason to refuse. Refusing might be fine if I thought about my villainess image, but aside from that, if Elisabeth, making her debut in high society, were to reject the Duke’s invitation, it would be an insult to both the Arrelcia and Vincent families. Refusing in that case wouldn’t be a bad thing. After all, I was already planning to die as the villainess.

“Um…”

Right, I had planned to refuse. But then I looked at the emperor’s blazing golden eyes and saw Ozben glaring at me with an intense look as well. When I turned to face Aranhan, I saw him mouth the word “payment.” Isn’t that a bit of a threat…?

“…Of course. Haha…”

Go away, timid Isehwa. Our villainess sister is about to die as a villain, so just move out of the way.

Despite my inner protests, swept along by the atmosphere, I hesitantly took Aranhan’s hand, and we were led to the center of the room as the music for our dance began.

The orchestra’s fantastic music didn’t really fit the image of Elisabeth, the so-called villainess, but in this moment, I could feel many women’s gazes on me.

“…Is the compensation you desire, Duke, a dance?”

Curious, I asked the question, and Aranhan gave a formal reply.

“Yes.”

“Didn’t you once refuse all other young ladies’ dance invitations because you didn’t want to be gossiped about?”

“That’s correct. But I thought it would be fine to dance with you.”

The meaning of “fine” seems a little different from what I understand. Is there a double meaning here…? Or am I just imagining things?

“I’m not sure what you mean by ‘fine,’ though.”

“…Sometimes silence is the answer. I’m only using you, so don’t worry about it too much.”

“…Ah, I see.”

When I responded in a calm tone, agreeing with his words, Aranhan seemed a bit surprised and asked me again.

“You’re not surprised. And you’re not even angry.”

“Considering I sneezed on your face and clothes, this seems like a pretty good deal.”

“…”

It wasn’t an incorrect statement. I had sneezed on the Duke of the Empire’s one-of-a-kind face and on Amileus’ clothes. Now, I was forgiven with just a dance. How lucky was I? Of course, I hadn’t planned to end up dancing with him, but Aranhan wouldn’t be able to kill me, the granddaughter of the Vincent family. Instead, I could demand severe punishment from the emperor or the Vincent family in return.

Even more so, since the emperor didn’t care for Elisabeth, he might welcome Aranhan’s request. So, dancing just once seemed like a perfectly acceptable condition.

While we danced in silence, the music stopped abruptly. The dance between Aranhan and I came to an end. I still felt his warmth in the hand I held, but I simply nodded to him and turned to leave.

And then, I saw the emperor with Ozben. As expected, the emperor was dancing with Ozben. Elisabeth, once a candidate for empress, had been cast aside by the former crown prince, who was now the emperor, Karlsia. It could be called a bad fate.

From Ozben’s perspective, the emperor was just a secondary lead, while Aranhan was her rival and the villain. Could it be that a villainess like me can recognize another villain?

Well, at this point, if I tried to torment Ozben, my head would probably be chopped off before I could even become the villainess. Maybe I should just go.

Since Aranhan was surrounded by other young ladies, I didn’t need to pay attention to him. The emperor would be occupied with Ozben, and once they were done dancing, they would talk. With nothing else to do, I decided to leave. As I made my way toward the front door of the hall, I had accomplished my initial goal. To carry out evil deeds, you need careful planning, so I had plenty to prepare. I was about to head home and organize my thoughts about the original novel when, suddenly, a familiar man blocked the stairs.

“Are you planning to run away now after dancing with Lat?”

No, what are you doing here? Damn you, Karlsia!!!