Chapter 1

This is a new series.

Please look forward to it.

◇

――For some reason, my body feels unusually light. When I opened my eyes, dazed by an unfamiliar sensation of comfort, I saw a ceiling I didn't recognize.

“…? Where am I…?”

I was supposed to have been sleeping on the floor, wrapped in a blanket in a cold room, but when I woke up, I was in a very warm, soft bed, as if in a dream.

“You’re awake.”

As I was confused, a low, sharp voice suddenly rang out. Startled by the presence of someone, I looked at the source of the voice and saw a knight with an incredibly beautiful face.

His lustrous black hair, his long, double-lidded eyes were a vivid blue. His furrowed brows were dignified, and his nose was straight.

He looked like the knight from the picture book I used to have read to me until it was worn out. His beauty was so captivating that I couldn’t help but gasp, thinking he might have escaped from the book.

But… it seems the knight knows about the rumors of me, the "shameless one of the Orcott family." The look he gave me was one of disdain, as if he were looking at mold on the last piece of bread.

“Um, what is the situation here…?”

As I asked, feeling a bit scared, his blue eyes turned even more menacing. He sighed and glared at me sharply.

“Duchess Violet Elford. Your crimes are unforgivable, and even His Majesty has given up on you. To assault the prince’s fiancée is a foolish act.”

“Violet Elford? The prince?”

“I know you’re aware, but I’m not the kind of person to be fooled by your cheap act.”

The knight said this with a look of contempt. I think he must be mistaking me for someone else, but I can’t grasp the situation.

Even I, who have never stepped outside the house, know about Duchess Violet Elford. She is rumored to be more beautiful than anyone and, more than I, the "shameless one of the Orcott family," far more corrupt.

“I have watched your wickedness for years as the leading candidate for your fiancé. Therefore, I was directly ordered by the Crown Prince to monitor you.”

“Fiancé? Monitor?”

Even though I am rumored to be a beautiful but wicked woman, to mistake me for a recluse and an ugly woman… perhaps he has very poor eyesight and should be given some eye drops… I thought as I hurriedly denied it.

“Um, you must be mistaken. I’m just a recluse, not your fiancée. I am—”

“…So you are that despicable a person.”

The knight, looking displeased, sighed deeply and glanced at me.

“No matter how skilled you are in magic, this tower has been sealed by the Grand Duke himself. Don’t think you can escape.”

With that, the knight left the room, and I heard the lock click shut.

“What should I do…?”

It seems I’m being completely misunderstood. I have no idea how this situation came to be. In my confusion, I reached out to touch my cheek and, feeling a sense of wrongness, looked at my palm.

My hands, which have never been touched by labor, were beautiful. My nails had grown and were painted a bright red, adorned with glittering jewels.

I looked down at my body. I was wearing a bright red dress I had never seen before. Through the gaudy dress, which was not even my stepsister’s taste, my good figure was clearly visible.

Sadly, it was certain that this was not my body, and I couldn’t help but be speechless.

Looking around the room, I saw a built-in vanity. I hurriedly ran over and peered into it, only to see a completely unfamiliar beautiful woman.

Her pale golden hair and gem-like beautiful purple eyes. The seductive beauty, reminiscent of a kitten, was really not me.

“What’s going on…?”

I tilted my head in confusion. Could I still be dreaming? When I tried to pinch my cheek, my long nails pierced it. It hurt. The fact that it hurt means that this is not—

“A dream…?”

I watched the seductive beauty in the mirror, who looked lost, with a sense of disbelief.