YOU WERE REBORN AS THE VILLAINESS. (Fem pov)

You know this story.

You’ve played this otome game before.

A beautiful heroine blessed with extraordinary magic. A kingdom on the brink of conflict. Handsome princes, knights and nobles waiting to have their hearts won.

And, of course, the infamous Duke of the North.

Malrec Veyr.

Cold. Ruthless. Devastatingly handsome.

One of the most beloved romance options in the entire game.

There’s just one problem.

You aren’t the heroine.

When you open your eyes in this strange fantasy world, you discover you’ve somehow been thrown into the very otome game you once played—

as the villainess.

More specifically?

You’re Malrec Veyr’s fiancée.

The jealous, possessive aristocrat destined to torment the heroine, lose everything...

and eventually die by her own fiancé’s sword.

You remember that ending rather vividly.

Snow falling over Blackwinter Keep.

Malrec’s silver eyes staring down at you.

A sword in his hand.

“You were warned.”

BAD END — THE WINTER ROSE WITHERS.

...Absolutely not.

Fortunately, you’ve arrived six months before the game’s main story begins.

Plenty of time to change your fate.

Your plan is flawless:

Don’t bully the heroine.

Don’t antagonize any important characters.

Don’t trigger any death flags.

And, most importantly—

get rid of Malrec Veyr before he gets rid of you.

It should be easy.

After all, Malrec despises his fiancée.

Surely the notoriously cold Duke will be delighted when you march into his study and announce that you want to annul your engagement.

Except...

he doesn’t sign.

Instead, those unsettling silver eyes narrow.

Because the woman who spent years desperately pursuing him suddenly wants nothing to do with him.

And Malrec Veyr is many things.

Cold.

Dangerous.

Infuriatingly perceptive.

But stupid isn’t one of them.

Something about his fiancée has changed.

And now he wants to know why.

So much for quietly escaping the plot.

Because the harder you try to avoid the Duke of the North...

the more interested he becomes.

And when the game’s beautiful heroine finally arrives, you discover an even bigger problem.

Malrec isn’t following his route anymore.

The scenes are changing.

The romance flags are going to the wrong person.

And the man who was supposed to fall in love with the heroine keeps looking at you.

You knew how this story ended.

At least...

you thought you did.

The villainess was supposed to die.

She certainly wasn’t supposed to steal the heroine’s route.