Chapter 1
When I opened my eyes again after fainting, I found myself lying on the bed once more.
This time, instead of the woman who had tried to drag the little girl to the attic, there was an old man who looked like a doctor and another woman standing beside me.
The woman looked down at me and said softly,
“Are you all right, Madam?”
I blinked and quickly asked,
“Wh–what day is it today?”
“Pardon? Ah… it’s March 4th.”
“Then, that little girl—how old is she this year?”
“Little girl? Oh, you mean Lady Olivia? She’s seven years old this year, Madam.”
Her answer made my mind spin.
“…Please leave me alone for a while. I want to be by myself.”
“Of course. Please rest well, Duchess.”
After they left, I sat up in bed and buried my face in my hands.
The soft silver hair brushing against my cheeks and the smooth fabric of the white dress felt too real to be a dream.
And after thinking for a long time, I came to one conclusion.
“…I’m doomed.”
I clutched my silky silver hair and tried to recall the plot of the novel.
The story The Second-Generation Saintess Is the Strongest in the World was set in a fictional empire called Miragia—
a world where magic, knights, dukes, and princesses all existed.
The story followed the third prince, Arthur Airic Pendleton, and a brave and kind young noblewoman, Lucia Lillian Millow, as they grew up and fell in love.
But in that story, the one who tormented them all the way to the end was none other than the evil witch and final villainess—Olivia Rose Este, daughter of the Duke of Este.
Olivia was born from the forbidden love between her noble mother, the former Duchess, and her father, the empire’s strongest dark sorcerer.
At only six years old, both her parents died, and she was sent to live with her uncle, Duke Nigel Clyde Este.
He adopted her as his daughter after a family meeting, but for Olivia, that was where her tragedy began.
The Duke neglected her completely, as if adopting her had fulfilled his only duty.
So, he left her in the care of his wife, Evangeline Roxanne Este.
Evangeline, a saintess blessed with holy power, instinctively feared Olivia’s strong dark magic.
Whenever she saw the child, she felt a strange terror that Olivia might one day devour her.
That fear soon turned into hatred and rage—
and eventually, Evangeline began to abuse the child.
It started with sharp scolding, but soon became cruel verbal and physical abuse, especially when the Duke was away.
Her secret torment of Olivia grew worse each time her husband left the estate.
Evangeline took out her anger and insecurity on the Duke’s adopted daughter.
Her lover, Father Claude, encouraged her cruelty even further.
The servants and maids all knew about it but stayed silent, afraid of Evangeline’s wrath.
Some even joined in the bullying, finding twisted pleasure in looking down on a girl who, by birth, was far above them.
Together, the fallen saintess and the corrupt priest continued their evil acts for years.
Then, on the day before her eighth birthday—April 27th—Olivia awakened as a witch.
It happened after Evangeline insulted her late mother and broke her keepsake, a lapis lazuli necklace.
No one had ever believed Olivia’s words or cared about her pain, but that day, her emotions exploded.
With uncontrollable power, she killed Evangeline Roxanne Este and her lover, Claude.
Then she waited for Duke Nigel Clyde Este to return from his trip—
and buried the entire estate in a massive landslide, killing almost everyone inside.
The next day, Olivia appeared in the capital as “the poor young lady who lost her parents overnight in a tragic landslide.”
There, she met the prince, Arthur, fell in love with him,
and committed more terrible acts just to make him hers.
…That was the story of the witch and villainess, Olivia Rose Este—
and I, Kim Ji-won, had possessed the body of Evangeline Roxanne Este,
the saintess who abused Olivia and was killed by her in the end.
And not just at any point—
but right before the day Olivia turned into a witch!
I muttered in despair,
“If I do nothing… I’ll be killed by Olivia.”
Terrified, I shook my head.
No! I couldn’t let that happen.
I, Kim Ji-won—who had lived 25 years working hard, only to die in a drunk-driving accident right before my final interview—
had somehow ended up inside a novel, and now I might get murdered by a seven-year-old?!
Absolutely not. I had to avoid that ending.
I bit my lip and thought hard.
“…First, I need to be nice to Olivia. No—before that, I should apologize.”
I nodded to myself. That was the only plan.
I didn’t need Olivia to like me—
I just needed her not to hate me enough to kill me.
I sighed, remembering her tiny figure that barely reached my waist.
How hard must it have been for her, enduring all that abuse and neglect alone?
Even I would’ve gone crazy.
Even if Evangeline had feared Olivia’s power,
how could she treat such a small child that way?
It was unthinkable to me, someone from the modern world.
I found myself pitying Olivia and cursing Evangeline at the same time.
The more I thought about it, the stronger my urge to find Olivia and apologize became.
I stood up right away.
“Madam? Why are you out of bed? Do you need something?”
Outside my room stood the same maid from earlier.
I hurried over and asked,
“Where’s Olivia? Where is she right now?”
“Pardon? Ah—she probably returned to her residence in the annex, Madam.”
“How do I get there?”
“Go straight down the garden path and turn right at the corner. You’ll see it. But, why—?”
“Thank you!”
“M-Madam!”
Ignoring the maid’s worried voice, I ran down the stairs.
All I could think about was apologizing to Olivia.
I rushed along the path the maid described.
When I turned the corner, I saw a small figure walking toward the annex—it was Olivia Rose Este.
“Olivia!” I shouted.
She froze and turned around.
I quickly ran up to her and grabbed her shoulders.
“I’m sorry! It’s all my fault!”
Her eyes widened in surprise.
I panted and continued,
“That woman—no, I—Evangeline… I hurt you so much, didn’t I? I’m sorry for everything! I won’t ever do it again! I won’t hit you or say mean things anymore. I promise!”
“…”
Olivia stared at me silently for a moment.
Then she shook off my hands and said coldly,
“…Stop lying, Auntie.”
“I’m not lying! I really mean it!”
“No! You always say sorry and then hurt me again!”
“…!”
“You pretend to be nice in front of others but hit me when we’re alone! You said my mom and dad were bad people! You said I should never have been born!”
“Olivia, I—”
The little girl glared up at me, her big eyes filled with tears.
