BTML CH 01

Chapter 1

1. The Villainess of the Rose Cross Mansion

Knock, knock, knock.

A maid appeared after a brief knock.

“Lady Elje.”

She called me carefully.

I slowly lifted my gaze from the documents I had been focused on.

“A new student has just arrived.”

“Alright.”

I nodded and stood up.

As if she hadn’t expected me to move personally, the maid’s eyes widened.

“Th-then this student…?”

“I’ll meet them myself.”

I answered firmly and stepped out of the room.

A scene so luxurious it was hard to believe this was a boarding school spread before my eyes.

Crystal chandeliers sparkled like jewels, reflecting light in every direction.
The wallpaper was embroidered with intricate vine patterns in gold thread.
Every piece of furniture placed throughout the building was of the highest quality.

It was, in short, an interior designed entirely to suit the tastes of the elite.

“Where is the student now?”

“We haven’t been able to bring him inside yet. He’s resisting quite a bit…”

“Got it.”

I headed straight outside the mansion.

Under pouring rain that looked as if the sky had burst open, a young man was shouting sharply.

“Let go! I said let go!”

Caught in the grip of several men, he struggled like a madman.

Under the dim glow of gas lamps, his rain-soaked golden hair shone vividly.
His icy blue eyes flashed dangerously as they scanned his surroundings.

“Who the hell are you people?! How dare you—!”

Though he looked barely past adulthood, still youthful in appearance—

His presence was as fierce as a beast baring its fangs.

I watched him quietly, then gave a small signal with my eyes.

“Knock him out.”

One of the men nodded and struck the back of the young man’s neck with the edge of his hand.

Thud!

The young man’s eyes widened before he slowly collapsed.

I gave another order.

“Close the gate.”

Clank— clang!

The iron gate, engraved with elaborate rose vines, shut with a loud noise.

I looked down at the unconscious young man lying before me, my expression grim.

From now on, this man wouldn’t be able to leave the Rosenkreuz Boarding School for years.

At least, that was how it went in the original story.

“Put him in a solitary room for now.”

“…Yes, understood.”

After giving him one last glance, I turned away.

The Rosenkreuz Boarding School was a very strange place.

Because in truth, it didn’t function as a school at all.

This was a place where people from prestigious families with inconvenient circumstances were forcibly confined.
Under the pretense of “education,” their families could claim they had simply been enrolled in a good school.

There was no age restriction either—they even accepted older students.

Which meant—

Even fully grown adults could be dragged here.

Succession disputes, inheritance conflicts, illegitimate children…

The reasons people were brought here varied widely.

And among all those who had been brought here—

Not a single person had ever escaped.

The surveillance was too thorough.

In other words, this place—

Was essentially a dumping ground to hide the dirty secrets of the elite.

Rosenkreuz Boarding School.
Also known as the Rose Cross Mansion.

One day, when I opened my eyes—

I had become the villainess who managed this place.

And that young man who had just been brought here was—

One of the male leads of this world.

And the man who would one day play a part in tearing me to pieces.

Lucian von Kaleid.

* * *

《The Most Fragrant Flower Is the One That Has Been Trampled》

That was the title of the dark romance fantasy novel I had read in my previous life.

Three handsome and powerful male leads became obsessed with the female lead, eventually developing twisted, obsessive love.

The story was filled with love, hatred, obsession, and conflict between the four of them.

So what role did I take in this world?

A typical villainess who exists to create conflict in a romance fantasy.

The officially recognized villainess of the original story—Elje Lepherian.

If I had to summarize her life in one sentence:

She was the lover of Male Lead #3, the owner of the boarding school, and a villainess who became obsessively attached to him and ultimately met her ruin.

In the original story, Elje’s actions went like this:

While Male Lead #3 was often absent, Elje ruled over the boarding school as an arrogant and tyrannical villainess.

Naturally, she also inflicted all kinds of abuse on Lucian, the first male lead.

Stacking up death flags one after another, Elje eventually got discarded by Male Lead #3 when the female lead appeared.

After that, driven by jealousy, she tried to harm the heroine—

And in the end, she was brutally executed by the three male leads.

Obviously, I have no intention of living like that.

My goal is simple:

To safely leave this dark romance fantasy world and live well on my own.

Once the female lead appears, the three male leads will naturally become obsessed with her and forget about me anyway.

So the best option is to quietly withdraw at the right time.

But first, it’s better to destroy any death flags in advance.

So the survival strategy I came up with was:

Build good relationships with the male leads before escaping.

I have no intention of tormenting the heroine or obsessing over Male Lead #3.

But you never know.

Things could spiral out of control regardless of my intentions.

After reading dozens of romance fantasy novels, I learned a term:

“The original plot’s force.”

Meaning no matter what, events tend to follow the original story.

And if that force kicks in—

And the male leads suddenly lose their minds and try to kill me…

Then at the very least, I should be on good terms with them so I can appeal to their mercy.

So—

Let’s start with the nearest male lead.

Swallowing nervously, I stared at the ornate door in front of me.

It was the solitary room where Lucian was being held.

Click.

I inserted the key into the lock and turned it.

The cold sound of metal grinding echoed in the air.

And—

At last, the door opened.