Prologue
“What did you just say?”
The man, who had been laughing in disbelief, growled at the woman in front of him.
But the woman didn’t care about his threatening tone. She calmly sipped her tea.
Even though she knew the man scolding her was the Crown Prince of the Trian Kingdom and her fiancé, she didn’t even flinch.
She had never bowed her head to anyone in her life.
If anything, she was the type to force others to bow.
“Oh my, didn’t you hear? I said let’s break off the engagement.”
She suddenly made this bold suggestion.
The man couldn’t even hide his expression anymore. He glared at her as if she were his worst enemy—not his fiancée.
And honestly, that wasn’t wrong.
To Crown Prince Perik Trian, Leriel Tenebris was the person he hated most in the world.
“You’re the one who forced this engagement. And now you’re the one saying this?”
He had been blackmailed into getting engaged to her.
That alone was humiliating.
And now she wanted to pretend it never happened?
It was so ridiculous, he couldn’t even laugh anymore.
An engagement wasn’t something you just made and canceled like a tea party.
Who gave her the right to treat it like a toy?
“Don’t you want to break off the engagement?”
Leriel put down her teacup and looked him straight in the eye.
Her expression said: I’m giving you exactly what you want. Shouldn’t you be thanking me instead of getting mad?
She looked at him as if he was the strange one for being angry.
Perik couldn’t hold back any longer. He slammed the table and shouted.
The whole sitting room echoed with his angry voice.
“Ha! Of course I do! I’ve waited for this moment—freedom from you!”
There was no love, no respect, not even politeness in their engagement.
Leriel only gave him the engagement ring to use his royal power for her own gain.
He still clearly remembered the mocking faces of the guests at the engagement party.
That was just a month ago. And now she suddenly wanted to cancel it?
There had to be a reason.
Everything she did always had a hidden plan behind it.
She was known as one of the most evil women from the villainous Tenebris family.
“But not like this. If the engagement ends, it should be my choice.
You breaking it off first? You must be plotting something again. Aren’t you?”
He couldn’t let himself get caught in her schemes again.
Once was enough.
Perik stomped the floor in frustration.
The teacup on the table shook slightly from the vibration.
Leriel looked down at her own teacup.
It was trembling like a leaf in the winter wind.
‘Uh-oh. He’s really mad. How do I fix this?’
But actually, it wasn’t the floor’s shaking that moved the cup.
Her hand was shaking.
‘If I were him, I’d be thrilled to break off the engagement.’
Looking closely, you could see fear in her eyes.
But because of her scary and strong appearance, it didn’t show clearly.
Perik didn’t notice and kept doubting her.
He didn’t know that the person sitting in front of him wasn’t the real Leriel anymore.
“Are you planning to marry another noble and grow the noble faction’s power?”
‘No way! I’m too busy running away from the saint, remember?’
“Or are you trying to make people say I’m so terrible even you had to cancel the wedding?
So the royal family loses all its respect?”
‘Wow… Not even close. You’re totally wrong about everything.’
Leriel stayed silent while he ranted and yelled.
Now that she thought about it, maybe she rushed things.
Sure, she had done some good deeds lately.
But after 20 years of being a villain, her reputation wouldn’t go away so easily.
‘Please just break up with me already! I’m not plotting anything! I just want to survive!’
She wanted to grab him and shake him while yelling that.
But she knew he wouldn’t believe her just because of a few words.
So, how could she convince him?
As she kept thinking, she suddenly shouted:
“Fine! Then let’s do this!”
Her sudden outburst surprised Perik, and he paused.
This was her one chance. Leriel quickly added:
“I’ll prove that I’m breaking off the engagement with no evil plans!
Then Your Highness will feel safe letting me go, right?”
“…Prove it?”
“Yes!”
It sounded like nonsense.
Of course, Perik didn’t stop doubting her.
“How?”
He had been hurt and humiliated by her before.
It wouldn’t be easy to earn back his trust.
But that was the old Leriel, not her.
She had nothing to do with what happened before she possessed this body.
She had to express that somehow.
To say out loud the goal she’d had ever since she woke up in this novel.
Her dream. Her wish.
Her one and only way to survive.
“I’ll get disowned by my family within a month!”
That was it.
She was going to become the troublemaker of the villainous duke’s family.
Looking at her, boldly declaring this crazy plan…
Perik could only blink in silence.
“…What?”
