At a window, a little girl watches as below in a sumptuous garden, a group of young ladies between the ages of 15 and 17 sip tea and savor desserts beautifully presented. The child with ruby eyes and purple hair merely smiles, while beside her, a maid dressed in servant's attire sits with a rope around her neck, eyeing the girl with fear. Her body remains motionless, unable to even cry out for help.

"You know, Dorothy, you and I could have been good friends, but you picked the wrong side."

"Please, miss...forgive me..." The maid's tears stream down her cheeks.

"Oh, sweet Dorothy, to think apologies erase mistreatment... no, it's never forgotten. I, Charlotte Leroux, do not forgive."

With that, the child pushes the maid who falls out the window, letting out a desperate scream as the young ladies enjoying their conversation erupt into shrieks. The girl then leaves the room with a few skips.

Below, the commotion is a cacophony of the girls, the butler, and the head housemaid orders all the young ladies inside while someone must rush to the palace to report the incident.

"What's happened here?" An elegantly dressed woman emerges and screams upon witnessing the sight of the hanged maid.

"It's Dorothy, my lady... she has committed su*cide..." another maid informs her.

"Take the young ladies home and explain what happened. Mariam, darling..." the lady embraces her own daughter.

She can't stop crying at such a traumatic sight. A brown-haired girl also peeks out, hearing everything, and the lady commands her to return to her room and not to go out into the garden.

******

In a lonely room, the girl with purple hair celebrates by dancing with her stuffed animal partner.

But one may wonder, why would a little girl do something so gruesome? Well, it has an explanation. The soul inhabiting this child doesn't belong to her; it is that of a 30-year-old woman named Anika Will, a modern-era woman who was merely a secretary, though it was but a facade to conceal her true self. Sadly, she lost her life by failing to take certain precautions, and now, she finds herself in the body of Charlotte Leroux, the future villainess of a romantic tale where her fate is grim, but not now, for she is determined to change everything, starting by ridding herself of those who made that poor girl's life a misery, simply branding her a villainess without knowing her past.

Charlotte Leroux is labeled as the villainess in the novel "Romantic Fantasy." The story follows the sweet Shana Roche, the Earl's daughter, who falls hopelessly in love with the prince at the debutant ball organized by the empress. Shana and the prince dance together three times, and malicious rumors spread about how the prince plans to break his engagement to Charlotte as he's taken an interest in Shana. When Charlotte discovers this, she tries everything in her power to destroy Shana, but in the end, everything backfires, and the poison meant for Shana is consumed by the empress. This leads to an investigation, and Charlotte is found out, losing even the empress's affection and sentenced to the guillotine.

But no one knew the torments Charlotte faced in her childhood at her family's mansion. She was the daughter of the Marquis Leroux's first wife, who, three years postpartum, succumbed to illness. Following her death, the Marquis's first concubine rose to Marquise, marginalizing Charlotte and exploiting the Marquis's frequent absences to treat her abominably, stripping her of jewels and luxurious dresses and allowing her daughters to taunt Charlotte and demand servile obedience. If that wasn't enough, the Marquise's eldest son viewed Charlotte with perverse and lustful intent, spying on her as she bathed. When Charlotte divulged this to her father, she was scorned a liar.

Because of this, she faced severe punishment, confined to her room for a week with only stale bread and water once daily. The Marquis claimed the punishment served to make her reflective and refrain from falsely accusing his amicable son.

Luckily for Charlotte, after a week, the boy was sent to the academy and the Marquis continued his travels, while the girl continued to endure unwarranted and brutal punishments. The only respite came when her grandmother visited, the sole person to challenge the Marquise, for she didn't recognize her as the Marquise, being a former concubine of non-noble birth. Even the woman's children were never accepted as her grandchildren by Valentina; Charlotte was her only acknowledged grandchild, birthed by a lady of good family and the Marquis's legal wife.

At fourteen, Charlotte was taken to the palace to be introduced to the empress, who, charmed by her beauty and poise, immediately proposed an engagement to the second prince, to which the delighted Marquis assented. The Marquise, of course, was furious and demanded her daughter Rogelia, more beautiful and clever in her view, be the one engaged instead.

"What foolishness are you speaking? Do you think the empress will fancy marrying her son to the daughter of a concubine with no noble blood?"

Valentina, Charlotte's grandmother, offered her opinion and the Marquis did not contest. Valentina even suggested taking Charlotte to her own home for a proper upbringing. Charlotte was elated to leave a home where she was unwanted. At her grandmother's, she found happiness, until the "inevitable" happened: Hugo met Shana, and Charlotte met a tragic demise.

A sad tale where nobody bothered to understand the villainess; she was only ever judged.

Now, Anika, the one who had arrived at this world, in the body of young Charlotte, had to confront the insanity of it all. She locked herself in her room for two torturous weeks, grappling with this new reality, trapped in the body of a girl whose memories only painted a picture of unhappiness and misery. But things would be different going forward. This Charlotte wouldn't vie for a man unworthy of contention; instead, she would vanquish those who harmed the hapless child. And so, the maid Dorothy became her first casualty, as she was the one responsible for administering Charlotte's punishment, mercilessly whipping her without an ounce of empathy. As such, Charlotte felt no need for compassion.

Upon arriving in a new world, a new life, and a new body, Anika, now Charlotte, began to discover things. For instance, her new body possessed magic, and not just any magic but dangerous magic. After embracing her new existence, she emerged from her two-week confinement and sought out books in the library that would be helpful, learning about magic and how it functions. She soon learned about dark magic, known to be dangerous to both its wielders and those who confront it; those few known to have wielded it reportedly lost their minds. Charlotte smiled upon learning this fact because she was already insane.

She also discovered certain magical conveniences, such as lights powered by crystals activated by seals located somewhere in the house, acting as on and off switches. She noted advantages like being able to travel vast distances through portals stationed at strategic points. However, one needed a permit for the portal guardians to allow passage through them, among other benefits.

***

Following that incident, the marquess's daughter remained locked in her room, weeping for hours, and suffering nightmares about the event each night. Charlotte found delight in seeing how the girl's conscience troubled her. As always, Charlotte stayed on the third floor, lingering near the stairs to overhear the discussions below.

"I can't fathom why she did it. She even claimed she was about to marry a wealthy man."

"Perhaps the wealthy man left her. Many women end their lives due to romantic disappointments."

"True, that man may not have even existed. She's always given herself airs just because the marquess favors her."

"That's right, she scolded me the other day for resting when it was already my break."

What should have been a somber conversation between colleagues about their friend's departure instead morphed into chatter about the benefits of no longer having that annoying girl around. Charlotte allowed herself a slight smile, finding humans so predictable.

She got up to explore more of the place out of boredom but stopped when she heard the woman claiming to be the marquess.

"Where do you think you're going? My daughter is very upset. Go bring her sweets and do whatever she asks," the woman commanded.

"Why should I? I am not a servant; I am the legitimate daughter of the marquess."

"You, my daughter? How preposterous. You are a bastard."

"You are not the marquess. The title is beyond a prostitute like you..." Charlotte sneered maliciously.

Upon hearing this, the marquess hurried toward the girl and slapped her, a sound that echoed throughout the space. Everyone witnessed the act but chose to remain silent.

"What is the meaning of hitting my granddaughter?"

The marquess froze at the voice of that person—it was the Marquis's mother, whom, Charlotte recalled, treats her kindly. Charlotte ran to her grandmother, taking her hand while crying.

"Grandmother... the marquess hit me because I wouldn't clean her bathroom..." the girl sobbed bitterly.

"What? Clean her bathroom? Explain yourself," she demanded of the marquess.

"I-I didn't... it's not what you think... she's lying..."

"Is it also a lie that you struck her?" the elder asked sternly.

"I'm sorry, mother... she was misbehaving, and I was punishing her..."

"Your children misbehave, and I don't see them cleaning bathrooms. Why must my granddaughter?"

"I apologize, mother. It won't happen again."

The elder woman stroked the child's head and smiled.

"Charlotte, dear, go change out of that dirty dress; we'll have tea."

"Yes, grandmother... but... my dresses..."

"Your dresses are freshly laundered. I'll bring you a clean one," the marquess cut in quickly.

The marquess scrambled upstairs to her younger daughter's room, where the girl immediately complained about giving her dress to Charlotte.

"Shut it. The Marquis's mother is here..."

"The grandmother? Then I must greet her," the 11-year-old mentioned.

The marquess retrieved an old dress from her daughter's wardrobe, one her daughter wore when she was Charlotte's age, and upon exiting the room, handed it to Charlotte.

"Better not talk too much, or you know what will happen," she scolded.

Charlotte said nothing and went to her room to change. The marquess's daughter, Rogelia, descended, dressed as elegantly as possible, and upon approaching the elderly woman, she curtsied.

"Greetings, grandmother, welcome to our home. I hope you'll allow me the pleasure of joining you," she said with a smile.

"For you, madam. My granddaughter is Charlotte; you are merely daughters of that concubine," the woman replied.

"I-I'm sorry, madam..." Rogelia clenched her hands in her dress.

"Grandmother, I'm here," called Charlotte cheerfully.

Charlotte joined her grandmother at the table, and the woman had her take a seat while the maids brought tea and pastries.

"And you, go away. I don't want my time with my granddaughter spoiled by your presence," she snubbed Rogelia.

Rogelia curtsied again and withdrew, going to the lounge where her mother was.

"That wretch... why does she favor her? I'm the legitimate daughter," she yelled.

"Calm down, dear. What happened?"

Rogelia recounted what Valentina had said, infuriating the marquess as well, but she couldn't do much. If she confronted Valentina, her husband would likely scold her for going against his mother. In the garden, Charlotte savored pastries with her grandmother.

"Darling, about what happened earlier, does it occur often?" Valentina inquired.

The maids nearby tensed up upon hearing the question. Charlotte looked at her and then feigned sorrow.

"Yes, the marquess often punishes me, and father doesn't believe me."

"And you who witness it, don't you tell your lord? Remember, you serve the Marquis, not that upstart," Valentina scolded them.

The maids apologized, claiming they had never seen the marquess punish the child while Charlotte simply listened, finding them pathetic; they, too, would end up like the others.

"It seems I'll have to ask my son to replace all the staff," Valentina remarked.

The maids bowed their heads, not daring to speak further. After spending the day with Charlotte, Valentina had to leave, unable to stay away from her home for too long.

"Dear, when your father returns, I'll come to speak with him. For now, keep your distance from that woman."

"Yes, grandmother, I'll be fine." Charlotte smiled sweetly.

Valentina boarded her carriage and left, while Charlotte began to ascend the stairs, but the marquess, accompanied by the maids present during Valentina's visit, grabbed her arm.

"What in the world do you think you're saying? You damn bratty chatterbox, I ought to cut out your tongue."

"You'd better watch your own tongue, marquess. My grandmother is coming to talk to the Marquis. I wonder, how much longer do you have in this mansion?" Charlotte grinned wickedly.

The marquess released her hand, a shiver running down her spine at the child's look; something was different about her—she never dared to speak or respond that way before. Charlotte climbed the stairs without looking back.

In Mariam's chamber, she had since calmed down, but as night fell, she began to dream of the incident again, glimpsing the vision of the hanged maid, but this time, the maid's eyes opened.

"You're next," said the maid, and began to laugh while her face seemed to melt.

Awakening with a scream, Mariam was in despair, but immediately her mother, the marchioness, entered her room to comfort her. Meanwhile, concealed on the room's balcony, Charlotte hid with a smile, observing her hands as a sort of black mist emanated from them.

"Magic is incredible," she whispered.

*********

The following day, Charlotte went down to the kitchen to ask the cooks for something to eat, but they left her only a fried egg and stale bread. In frustration, Charlotte threw the plate at one of the cooks, drawing the attention of everyone there.

"Just wait until I tell my grandmother, she'll have the Marquis throw you out," she threatened.

The cooks exchanged glances and laughed among themselves.

"No one believes a liar, child. We all know the Marquis punished you for lying about the young master," they retorted.

"Lying? How vile of you to side with that sick man," she retorted.

Charlotte tried to help herself to something else, but she was stopped as a maid grabbed her hand forcefully to drag her from the kitchen.

"You ill-mannered brat, we'll see what the lady does with you now!"

"If you don't let go, you'll end up worse than Doroti..." she warned.

Hearing this, the maid halted, eyeing Charlotte with intrigue.

"What nonsense are you spouting? You are nothing but a liar; respect Doroti's memory," she chastised.

But as the maid tried to pull Charlotte away, she felt a shiver run down her spine and saw a black mist wrapping around her. Terrified, the maid ran off, leaving Charlotte behind, who let the mist envelop the entire kitchen. The cooks stood in fear and confusion while Charlotte seized enough food, needing to nourish her body as she had done in her past life.

Elsewhere, the doctor had arrived at the mansion to examine Mariam. The marchioness explained that her daughter had been having recurring nightmares since witnessing the maid’s suicide, but all the doctor could offer was medicine to help her sleep, with no guarantee that it would stop the nightmares.

"No mother, I don't want to sleep... If I do, it will come for me..." Mariam was huddled in her bed’s corner, clinging to her mother's legs.

"But if you don't sleep, you'll look dreadful, those dark circles make you seem like an old woman," her mother chided.

"Madame..."

The doctor requested a private word, proposing that during dinner, she could add two drops of the medicine to the child's food to ensure a good night's sleep. However, if the same dream kept recurring, it might be advisable to summon a magician, as it could be a result of a spell.

The marchioness found it hard to believe her daughter might be under a spell, but after the doctor left, she hastily sent a messenger to the palace asking for a court mage.

"If it is indeed a spell, we must find the perpetrator, or I could be the next victim," the marchioness stated.

"Or me! Mother, you have to request an amulet; there are those out there who envy us, surely one of them is behind this," Rogelia suggested.

The marchioness wondered if it could be one of the Marquis's two mistresses. After all, if she lost her children, she could also lose her standing. Fortunately, her son was safe at the academy, unreachable and the future heir. She needed Mariam to recover soon; there would be a ball at the palace, and she wanted her daughter to be the most beautiful to catch the prince's eye, who was the same age.

The maid and cooks from earlier sought out the marchioness to report that Charlotte had entered the kitchen and stolen food.

"As if I didn't have enough problems, the bastard causes me more," the lady sighed.

Accompanied by the servants, the woman went to Charlotte's room and found the girl sitting on her bed. Upon seeing the marchioness, Charlotte stood up and greeted her.

"I have been informed you stole food. You know you are not allowed to take anything," the marchioness said sternly.

"I know, my lady. I have not left my room the entire day," Charlotte lied smoothly.

"She lies, madam; she stole meat," insisted a maid.

The marchioness ordered a search of the room, but nothing was found, making the maids appear deceitful.

"I don't have time for this. Listen to me, bastard, stop causing me problems!" she declared, slapping the child and ordering that her room be locked. The maids mocked Charlotte and did not hesitate to follow the marchioness’s command.

"It seems everyone in this house is begging to be sent to hell..." Charlotte smirked malevolently.

She had to plan who would be next after she dealt with Mariam, whom she intended to visit that night.