Chapter 1

“Get lost.”

The child who was endlessly fuming and struggling, let out a curse as soon as she got down from my arms.

Rebecca Petri. That was the name of the child who was cursing flawlessly at me. For that reason, it would make one wonder if this is really coming out from a 5-year-old girl’s mouth.

This young girl is an outstanding prospective villainess. She would poison the woman who persistently thrives to become the Crown Princess. And I’m the third stepmother of that child, Leona Selen.

“I said get lost!”

“Yes, Rere, but you should eat first. I’ll get lost after you eat, so let’s just eat this, okay?”

I wanted to clean up the meal because the child said she doesn’t want to eat. But this child is a powerful young noble, and I had to pacify such a difficult child because I’m her stepmother.

Thanks to her, it feels like I’m at war every day.

Who said that a child’s very existence itself is wonderful? To some extent, I could agree, but Rere is an exception.

While I swallowed my pent-up anger inside, Rere couldn’t withstand her temper and began to throw things.

‘That’s a relief, there’s nothing dangerous here.’

I was relieved for a moment because I thought I wouldn’t be in a dangerous situation enough to get hurt, but…

One of them hit me right in the face.

Tak-!

“Ah.”

I spouted a single groan at the unexpected pain. A wooden block bounced under my feet and then rolled around. I cleared out all the dangerous stuff away, but it was still there somehow. I can’t even feel the pain due to my perplexity.

At first, I thought I was okay. But the next moment, something trickled down as my forehead got hot.

‘It’s not blood, is it?’

When I wiped my forehead with my hands, warm blood was smeared all over my hand.

“…”

It’s red blood. For a moment, I was wondering if this was a dream. At that time, the startled Rere ran to me belatedly.

“Blo-Blood…! Th-That’s why I told you to get lost!”

She’s not even apologizing. Damn it.

Stepmother or whatever, should I just give up on it and smack her harshly before running away?

I wiped my forehead with my hands without even thinking about taking out my handkerchief because I was dazed. There is so much blood leaking out that even if I wiped it off, the blood kept getting on my hands. It was so dreadful.

Then, Rere came close to me.

“Won’t you…get angry?”

“…What?”

“Why are you not angry!”

It’s me who should be angry, but why are you getting annoyed?

Don’t worry about it, Rere. I was about to get angry.

What should I do with you? Would it make you feel better if I took you somewhere and smacked your buttocks?

“…Why are you not angry. Why!”

“That’s…”

I want to hit you. I have been thinking about this more than a hundred times. I think the people in this family have spoiled you too much. If I hit your butt 100 times, will you wake up?

As I was immersed in my thoughts, along with the sound of the door opening, there was an unfamiliar voice.

“…It’s the first time. You are the first person who did not get angry at the child’s behavior.”

“Pardon?”

At the stern voice of the man, I raised my head hurriedly. He was Rere’s father, the owner of the irrevocable black market, and the Duke, Ian Petri.

“No matter what she does, are you trying to raise her with love?”

My body flinched at the stern man’s words.

“Your Grace, that’s not what I mean…”

The moment I was stiffened by his taciturn gaze, Rebecca approached me.

“Hey, you…”

“Huh…?”

Just you wait, Rere. I’ll give you a little bit of spanking later.

But Rere pulled the hem of my clothing towards her.

“…I didn’t mean it. Sorry…”

Huh? This is not right.

Unlike my expectation that she would utter profanity and scream, Rere rushed to me with tears flowing down from her beady pair of eyes.

What’s wrong with you?

“You’re acting a little bit different…”

The Duke is strange, too.

Hey, that’s not it!

Things are starting to turn strangely.

Can you not be sorry…?

The beginning of the whole story started 15 days ago.

***

*Gallop* *Gallop*

I woke up from my sleep at the sound of the horse’s movement.

“Wh-Where is this?!”

“…What are you talking about?”

I hurriedly raised my head to the voice of an unfamiliar man. The man who narrowed his eyes was unbearably handsome, enough to left me speechless at the moment. His appearance was so remarkable that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he was carved by God. As if a halo was shining behind him. His hair parallels the clearest night sky and his eyes look like the finest ruby. Even his expressionless face was perfect.

“Ah…”

“You don’t have to be nervous. Anyway, can you sign your transfer document?”

After hearing the unfamiliar voice once more, my head was cleared up.

‘I…am already dead.’

It was because of a car accident. Living in the modern age, I pursued a little child as if I was possessed by something and got run over by a car. And when I opened my eyes, I was already here. Even worse, this place is not of the modern age. Suddenly, I found myself riding the carriage and became a woman named Leona Selen who lived in this era.

“What are you looking at?”

The pair of red pupils were focused on me.

“…It’s nothing.”

“…Leona Selen. From now on, you have one task to do. Keep yourself in line.”

All my positive opinions about him evaporated instantly. I’m only possessing this body, you know?

‘You’re Leona’, as soon as I unfolded my eyes, I remembered Leona’s memories. I can remember all the memories throughout her entire life, not even missing the smallest details.

I remembered perfectly the part where Leona’s father sold her as a courtesan at the highest price as well. Not caring even if he had to sell her to the Duke. The materialistic family sold Leona, and Leona also agreed. That is because living in that house was a misfortune for her anyway.

Rather, Leona’s life might get better now that she was sold to entertain the Duke at night.

But Leona, I’m not going to the Duchy to do that kind of work.

I’m walking straight into hell.

I’m inside a book, and the family of Duke Ian Petri, who bought me, is an irrevocable dark family, where a monster resides within.

***

There was no further explanation. As soon as the carriage stopped, the Duke took me inside. Then, he took me into a room that seemed to be the living room and called his daughter. Soon after, a child came into the living room and did not deviate an inch from my expectation.

Black hair and red eyes. Her cheek puffed grumpily as if she found everything annoying.

‘Rebecca Petri. She’s the villainess of this novel.’

As soon as I was thinking about it, the child’s mouth opened.

“What is ‘that’?”

The child, who was clinging at the Duke’s waist, scowled at me.

“Won’t you greet her?”

As I was gazing at the child, the Duke’s uncomfortable voice rang in my ears again.

Right, I must greet her. I battled with my shivering body and waved my hand at the child.

“…Hi.”

“Did you say, ‘hi’? Get lost.”

The first thing I heard from the monster not long after we met was ‘Get lost’. I suddenly imagined that it might be better to entertain the Duke at night, just as what the original Leona was thinking.

I know this novel well. Not to mention, the ending of the two people in front of me. Whether he assumed that the greeting was over, the Duke caressed the child’s head once and looked at me.

“What you’re going to do now is to become this child’s stepmother.”

At the Duke’s words, I opened my mouth carefully.

“By any chance…you know…I want to ask…”

“What is it?”

“As her stepmother, what number am I?”

Perhaps it was an unexpected question, but even if so, the Duke only slightly opened his eyes without altering his expression.

But for me, it was quite an important question. Rebecca’s third stepmother was crippled because of her.

‘Please don’t let me be the third one.’

“That’s unusual. Are you curious about that? You must have noticed that you aren’t the first one.”

“Yes. So… what number am I?”

His forehead became crumpled at my query.

“You are the third.”

For a moment, my eyes became clouded. Is this what it feels like when the sky collapses? I’m the third one. God was too cruel to Leona and I.

Then Rebecca, who was sticking on the duke like a cicada, sulked.

“What? Did you call me for this?”

“I thought you’d have to say hello.”

“It’s annoying! It’s not fun at all. I’m leaving.”

“Sure, you said hello today, so you can go.”

“I’m not going because dad allowed me to go! I’m going because I want to!”

Rebecca, who was abruptly throwing a tantrum and screamed her lungs out, glared at me.

“Alright.”

Rebecca went outside with a loud bang, clearly expressing her resentment towards me.

I don’t really like you either. I hate you enough to the point I want to run away.

‘As expected from the irrevocable dark family’s villainess. Yes, I certainly want to run away.’

The atmosphere in the room was cold as if it was filled with cold water. I just need to evade the Duke’s gaze. But then,

“Let’s go.”

“Wh-Where?”

“What’s with your response? Did you think I would take you to a strange place?”

Yes. Exactly.

I only knew the future of this family, but I didn’t know what was going on inside this mansion. Rebecca was particularly described in detail because she was in the same generation as the main characters, but there is not much description of the other generations.

There was no description of the Duke, so I was worried about that.

‘Are you going to kill me just because the child despises me?’

I became even more afraid because I didn’t hear anything about the first and second stepmother. Even the rumors about the Duke in Leona’s memories were gruesome.

-The Dukedom was experimenting with people

-There are many cases where the maids and servants abruptly went missing.

‘You don’t know how precious my life is…..’

In the modern age, I died absurdly, but I don’t want to die hopelessly here. So, I hesitated to move and distanced myself as much as I could from him.

“I have no intention of taking you to a strange place, or hitting you, so follow me.”

“Ah. You’re saying that again.”

“Did you still think that I might do something like that?”

“Yes.”

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