CHAPTER 2.

In this story, all I am meant to be, is someone that deserves to have love taken away from them.

I start quietly stirring my tea, recalling the countless hours I debated on what to do, and whether there was any way of the current situation.

However, as though to force the situation, around a decade ago an epidemic swept through the main lands neighboring our island kingdom at a furious pace. It's considered lucky, that only children and the elderly died from it, in the years it was active, but it left a deep generation gap. Since our kingdom is on an island, we were almost magically spared the plague , after closing all ports, but as a result, we are forced to only marry inside the country, if we want partners of our own age. Even prince Clovis, who would usually have married a princess was engaged to me, daughter of a Duke, partly to recover the waning power of royalty in the country, but also because no deals could be made with the royalty from other countries, as they had neither children, nor extra power to deal with anything else, than their own national crisis.

Despite that, I tried. I tried just about every single way those reincarnated villainess get a happy ending, and soon I came to the conclusion that it was useless. I can't count how many times I got spanked trying to avoid the ending of this story by acting sweet and nice. It all ended up with a semi-promise from my parents that if I didn't get married to Clovis and act properly they'd make my life hell, after all, there's no eligible bachelors of my rank or higher in this.

Becoming a commoner isn't a good solution either. A single bitter, or greedy person and I'm dead or the main attraction of a brothel.

That said, even if my family and society won't allow me to change to his preferences or to find someone that appreciate me the way I am, it's not like I have no options left.

After agonizing my failures to fix or get out of the marriage, I realized something. Even if I thought of Clovis' actions as cheating, that isn't quite correct. If you switch the genders, you'll understand what I mean:

A kind, skilled girl is forcefully engaged to a man of lower rank, so that her family can stay in power. As they grow older, the man becomes cold and vicious to his opponents, humiliating them if they cross him. When she asks, he explains that it was necessary, and when she asks him to stop, he responds that he cannot. That it is how the world works. She hates it, and find herself disgusted and betrayed that he wouldn't listen to her words. Then she meets a young man, far lower ranked than the man she is engaged with, but he is kind, and makes her feel happy, healing her troubled heart that despises the world of cruelty.

Usually, this story ends with the two eloping, but there is more dramatic ending, you see. The betrothed finds out, and in a rage challenges the young man to a duel. The young man wins, and gets renown as a master swordsman and gets permitted to marry the girl. Happy ending.

Why wouldn't a reader want the young man to win? And the young lady there would not be considered cheating, because it's an arranged marriage, right? She can just go 'sorry' and then run away to her happy ending.

To be honest, I felt rather dejected after thinking about the situation like that. After all, the right choice, and the possibility of not retaliating, being nice and kind, and everything that the lover represents, were never things in was allowed. How can I blame Clovis for wanting to look for freedom, kindness and love, although his choice is naive for his station?

So I thought for a long time about what should I do..... What I could do, and how I should feel..and I decided:

I am going to turn this story on its head, and make the villainess win. It's time for you to grow up a bit, Clovis, and be the one to have your heart broken.

"In the end, he will return to me while asking for forgiveness without me really lifting a finger against Delia."

My lips curl into a smile, and that one little smile, turns the worry in the eyes of my ladies, to conviction that things will be alright.

The villainess isn't the only one with weaknesses. Once the happy ending has been reached, the perfect heroine will begin to fall apart, and that's where I'll strike, after having waited for 11 years for this day.

So prepare yourselves, you two little lovebirds, I've let you taste the intoxication of love. Now it's time for both of you to wake up.

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