It had been three months since Theo ascended to the throne.
During that time, the empire had stabilized rapidly, and watching it happen made me think that perhaps it was finally time to pursue a long-held dream.
The day I announced to Anton that I planned to find a husband, he ran straight to Molga and blurted out the blasphemous claim that the head of the household had gone mad.
So I couldn’t act on my plan right away and was biding my time, waiting for the right moment.
Now that the worst fires had been put out, I came to see Theo.
“No.”
“That’s too much, Theo.”
“You must always be somewhere I can keep an eye on you—within my sight.”
I hadn’t even finished saying I planned to hand over the temporary headship of House Metheisa to our capable butler, Heburn, and take a short trip, before he shut it down.
Even as I wandered in circles around Theo’s office, disrupting his thoughts and pestering him while he was busy with state affairs, his answer remained unchanged.
“I said I’ll be back in about a month.”
“And what kind of trouble do you plan to cause this time? What, going on vacation just to bring back the head of the enemy nation?”
“…That’s actually kind of a brilliant idea. I’ll keep that in mind for your next birthday present.”
Realizing what he just said, Theo clapped a hand over his mouth.
Then, seeing my serious reaction, he sighed like a man who had just stepped in something unpleasant.
“Theo, Theo. Are you really not going to let me go?”
“Would you care to reread the report you submitted to me?”
Theo flicked a sheet of paper and placed it on the desk.
Instead of answering, I averted my gaze—an admission in itself. As if to prove a point, Theo’s lecture began.
“Duration: Approximately one month. Parentheses open. May be extended. Parentheses close.”
“…Well, things could happen on the road, you know?”
“Destination: Anywhere my feet can reach within the empire.”
“…They say a journey without a set destination is the most exciting kind.”
“Reason: Having devoted myself entirely to my duties as a marchioness, I now desire freedom. I want to rest. I want to sleep in. Etc…”
When Theo finished reading, a heavy silence fell between us.
I had written it, sure, but hearing it read aloud made it sound like I hadn’t put in much effort.
As I debated whether to rewrite it, Theo spoke first.
“I do acknowledge that you gave it your all as a marchioness, Sister. No one knows that better than I do.”
“That’s my Theo!”
Moved by his recognition of my hard work, I looked at him with sparkling eyes, forgetting the situation for a moment.
But his next words hit me like a slap to the face.
“That doesn’t change the fact that you still slept in most days, didn’t it? Have you already forgotten how hard Molga worked waking you up every morning?”
“…”
“And didn’t you occasionally skip out on work entirely? That’s why Heburn, who was just an ordinary butler, became a ‘capable’ one.”
Everything Theo said was true. I couldn’t argue.
“Freedom, huh…”
Theo tapped the word with his finger.
“Sister, enjoy your freedom—right here beside me.”
“…”
“Do you know how hard it is to clean up after someone who messes from afar?”
Tch. I had lost—completely.
But I couldn’t back down.
This trip wasn’t just about getting some rest. I planned to be away from the capital while Theo spent time with the female lead, Isabella.
‘I must avoid being seen while they’re together as much as possible.’
The imperial palace felt larger than ever as I stepped out, rejected and dejected.
What started as an effort to avoid a villainous end had become something genuine.
This world wasn’t just the setting of a novel—it was where I lived. And Theo wasn’t just the male lead of some story—he was my beloved younger brother.
Together, we’d built a strong sibling bond.
To avoid tragedy, to escape death, I had lived fiercely.
ִֶָ___________𓂃 ࣪˖ ִִֶֶָﾒ ་༘࿐__________
“You’re sure about this?”
– ‘We showed you ourselves!’
– ‘You have to see it in person!’
“Well… when you showed me, I honestly couldn’t believe someone could look like that.”
– ‘You need to see it at least once before you die—he’s that good-looking.’
– ‘Theo’s handsome, but so is this guy!’
– ‘How can we be expected to choose between them?’
I needed a break. And more than that, it was time to live for myself.
Watching the spirits chatter excitedly, I smiled and began plotting.
“All right. There’s nothing wrong with rewarding myself after working so hard.”
– ‘But Theo said no, didn’t he?’
– ‘Sneak out! Just run away!’
“Run away? They say life outside the house is nothing but suffering.”
One of the spirits who suggested running away snorted and lifted its chin.
– ‘You’re just scared of getting caught again. If you do, it’ll be the thirteenth time, right?’
Why that little—
I flailed my hand and pinched the cheek of the spirit who hit the nail on the head.
With a shriek, it fluttered its wings and flailed, accusing me of being mean and wicked.
I laughed dryly as the others scattered, but no sooner had a minute passed than they crept back to my side, chattering once again.
– ‘It’s a shame. If you go to the north, we’d get to see him every day, up close!’
– ‘Isn’t there a way to make that happen?’
There was. These days, people saw me as the hero who had slain a tyrant emperor and brought about a successful revolution. But before that, I had a solid reputation as the empire’s greatest villainess.
And the villainess title had its perks. No matter what I did, people just chalked it up to “her being her.”
Back home, I dismissed Molga and Laura with the excuse of being tired and collapsed into an armchair in my room.
When I saw the stack of letters on the side table, I muttered,
“Guess I should go through these.”
With that, the spirits brought the tower of letters and dumped them in front of me.
Thanks to Heburn sorting out the important ones, I had ignored these up until now—mostly letters and invitations full of flattery from those trying to curry favor with the emperor’s sister.
This one’s out, that one too.
After tossing out several, I was left with a few select invitations.
– ‘Lize, are we going to a party?’
– ‘Can we eat cake?’
– ‘That cake at Lady Angela’s tea party last time was so good! Let’s go there again!’
Ugh, these spirits loved to gossip.
I waved a hand to shut them up and opened an invitation accompanied by a violet bloom.
A soirée hosted by Lady Iola. Now that was a stage worthy of a proper scandal.
Maybe I was meant to be an actress in my past life.
I did seem villainous to the bone. Hehe.
My odd chuckle made the spirits scatter again—for a different reason this time.
Traitors.
I made a pinching gesture again and watched them flee in a panic. Their antics made me chuckle in amusement.
Smiling at their antics, I summoned Heburn and declared that I would be attending Lady Iola’s party.
He gave me a suspicious look and asked,
“What exactly are you planning to do there?”
Whether it was the marquisate or Theo, everyone around me assumed the worst of my every move. Must be a chronic condition. Or maybe group paranoia.
“What could I possibly do? I just plan to mingle with some young ladies.”
“Are you going to make them cry?”
“…I’ve never had that hobby, but maybe I’ll develop it.”
Heburn sighed like a man who had foreseen his own fate.
“I’m going to inform His Majesty.”
“Butler, you’re so heartless.”
“His Majesty left strict instructions before he departed. He told me to alert him in advance if the head of the house was about to cause trouble. Said he needed time to brace himself.”
Of course. My Theo knew me far too well.
When I didn’t respond and just smiled awkwardly, Heburn sighed again.
Honestly, I think 80% of the wrinkles on his face came from dealing with me over the past ten years.
That thought made me feel a little guilty.
As I scratched my head and looked away, Heburn issued a stern warning.
“You are no longer just the Marchioness . You are also the imperial family. Please remember that.”
“Mm. I won’t forget.”
He had just given me a very polite and roundabout “Don’t do anything,” but being a villainess has its advantages.
I only hear what I want to hear.
I took his words quite literally.
He told me to be aware, so I would be—nothing more.
Even I had to admit, I was pretty sly.
With a shrug of my shoulders, I looked forward to Lady Iola’s soirée happening in four days. I needed to make a big enough scene and then head north.
“In the novel, the Northern Duke was just an extra.”
But what I felt was different.
He may have played a minor role in the story, but in this reality, he wielded immense influence.
Rumors about him were endless, and just his title made the faint of heart tremble.
His reputation was grand, his presence immense.
And thanks to the spirits, I’d already gotten a peek at his face—one that even rivaled Theo’s.
In short, he was a cheat character, blessed with a divine face and power.
Before I knew how handsome he was, I had hoped to catch a glimpse of him in person just once, by actively attending social events as the Marchioness of Metheisa.
But whether due to his mystique or his minor role in the novel, I’d never even met him once. He always skipped official events and disappeared to the north after private meetings with the Emperor.
A man who gave no openings. Which was why I now planned to head north during my “vacation.”
Not only for his handsome face, of course, but also because the north was the most well-preserved natural region in all of Prios.
It suited my elemental affinity, and above all…
“My future husband!”
The retainers had been hounding me about marriage lately.
It was better if I chose my own husband. Preferably someone handsome and supportive!
Of course, every noble house that tried to propose a match to the ducal family had been rejected, but I had my reasons to believe.
“I mean, come on—how could the male lead’s sister not have a male-lead-tier face?”
Grinning into a handheld mirror, I watched the spirits recoil in horror and step back.
Seeing their reaction, I smirked and declared,
“Timing can be created.”
– ‘And reasons can be made!’
They’d heard me say it so often that the spirits now sang it in chorus.
It pleased me so much I nodded proudly.
“Right. Let’s go north.”
Good looks need to be seen up close—and for a long time.
