The villainess is still bothered by the male leads - Chapter 1

It’s a warm, sunny afternoon.

It’s relaxing to walk along the side of the park, looking out over the quiet road.

The nameless wild flowers blooming on one side of the road are so pretty.

Why are healthy Korean people in their 20s at this hour at the park not at work or school?

“I’ve been fired all my life. What a life….”

As the company’s situation became difficult, one or two employees were recommended to resign. I hoped that this day would never come, but in the end, I was also abandoned by the company that I devoted my passion to.

I felt so miserable that I was almost in tears as I staggered out the door without saying a word, wondering if they would call me back later when things got better.

Would things have been a little different if I had had a family I could rely on at times like this?

I couldn’t figure it out.

From the moment I decided to live as an orphan, I was determined that I could overcome this situation on my own.

“After all, reality is a gutter.”

I laughed bitterly.

“I don’t need it all, I wish I had more money. I’m confident that I can have fun, eat well, and live well without working for that crappy company.”

I could see the redness in his eyes even without looking.

“Oh, this sucks. I just want to give up.”

I strained my eyes and tried to hold back the tears.

It was a weird look, but I didn’t want to be seen as a woman with a story crying on the sidewalk, so I kept walking.

But as I walked, I suddenly felt uncomfortable.

“Huh? That’s strange.”

Why are there so few people on the street?

I slowly stopped walking.

The street that I thought was so busy just a few moments ago was now surrounded by nothing, or rather, a silence that seemed to be devoid of life.

There were no cars on the road, no people in sight.

Not a single ant was to be found, which is a perfect description of the situation.

The situation was so unrealistic that I cried.

A strangely quiet moment with no people, no cars, and no sound of insects in the midday.

Knock knock-

Someone touched my sleeve.

“OMG! who are you?”

I flinched, but took a moment to swipe at my chest, relieved to see a human.

When I looked back, I couldn’t help but be surprised once more.

The man who had touched me was a dazzlingly handsome man.

His pale blond hair hung down to his waist, and his eyes were blue as the sky.

He was staring at me.

Now it was just him and me on the sidewalk.

“What’s wrong?”

He looked good, but you couldn’t tell a person by appearance alone. As a Korean who goes through a lot of hardships and hears bad news from time to time, I looked at him with wariness in my eyes.

And I took a step back from him.

The man’s mouth opened as he watched the whole process with a gentle smile.

“Don’t be scared. I’m just here to hear your thoughts and suggest something.”

It sounded like a new religion. I looked him up and down with even more suspicion. His attire caught my eye.

He was wearing a white robe, like the robes of the gods in mythology.

In other words, he didn’t look normal.

For a moment, I considered turning around and running away.

But the aura he gave off was strange.

The silence around me was also strange, and more than anything, the appearance of a man who seemed to be not from this world and the desperation of the day I was fired soared so much that I stopped answering.

“An offer?”

“You said you wanted to never work and live the rest of your life as a bum.”

Huh? I guessed.

“Well?”

“I’ll make it happen, but you have to do me a favor.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s not hard, just take this.”

He handed me a book that seemed to have come out of nowhere.

“You know it’s kind of weird, too, right?”

He smiled slightly.

“I know. I want you to read it and think about it slowly.”

“Okay.”

“Where can I contact you when I’m done?”

I looked at the book in my hand for a moment, and when I looked up, he was already gone.

It was an ordinary day, I finally heard ordinary roadside noises, and cars and people that I had not seen before passed by me.

I walked home without knowing what was going on, threw the book away and sat down with Chim.

He raised his hand and hit me on the head.

“Okay, painful, realistic, not crazy.”

The more I thought about it, the weirder it was: the silent street, the weird suggestion, the fact that the whole way home I thought about him before I thought about my job loss today.

It was as if someone had planted him in my head.

“Am I crazy from the shock of being fired?”

Suddenly, a book that had been thrown carelessly on the bed caught my eye.

I picked it up, placed it on my lap, and ran my hand over the old, untitled hardcover.

A scratchy sensation at the fingertips.

It was a moment when I blinked once, savoring that sensation.

Hwaaah-

A golden light spread throughout the room, accompanied by a heavy rumble in the air.

Saaaa-

And the lights came together in one strand and shot towards me.

I couldn’t even blink, let alone scream, at the suddenness of the situation.

‘I’m going to die from this,’ I thought.

I clenched my fists, thinking that this was the last thing I wanted to do in this life.

The light suddenly changed direction.

On top of the book in my hand.

Lines of light drifted across the cover, scrawling letters.

Saaaa-

“What is this…?”

Something like an invitation to a magic school.

In the midst of my crazy thoughts, a title appeared on the cover, and the lights disappeared into it.

I was dazed for a while after that.

When I came to my senses and stared down at it, I saw words.

It was in a language I couldn’t read.

I felt drained, as if something extraordinary had just happened.

“First of all, it is certain that it is a character that does not exist on Earth.”

After looking down at the unreadable title for a while, I carefully turned to the next page.

Sarah-

Fortunately, nothing happened.

There was only one line.

Turn to the next chapter and the contract is irrevocable.

There was a sentence written that felt like a scam.

“This is readable. Do you want to hand this over or not?”

After thinking for a moment while crumpling the paper in my hands, I closed my eyes tightly.

Sarah-

Paaaa-

“Ah, my eyes, my curiosity!

As soon as I turned the page, a bright cluster of light burst out from within the book again and engulfed me.

Immediately, memories began to play like a movie in my head.

It was the memory of a noble young lady named Lorazie.

She was born into an aristocratic family, abandoned in the slums, until one day her father suddenly showed up and took her by the hand to join the count’s family.

The family was reluctant to accept her. They didn’t overtly belittle her or abuse her, but they did nudge and subtly push her away. Sensitive to this, the surrounding nobles secretly bullied or belittled her, and she grew increasingly sulky as she grew older.

Covert bullying is often more painful than overt bullying. Especially in childhood.

As she became increasingly sulky, her family’s attitude changed from reluctance to disgust. Unwisely, Laura made things worse by lashing out at those around her.

Later, her jealousy of her first brother’s commoner wife led her to dabble in taboo witchcraft, and she was killed by the Northern Archduke for attempting to destroy the world.

“Ah…..”

Tuk-

I found myself crying after I finished watching the memories.

I cried because I understood her life more fully than anyone else.

The bitterness she felt when everyone blamed her.

I wondered why I was born an illegitimate child.

Tired of the stares that never changed over time, she fought to defend her pride.

And the misery of the day I heard that my eldest brother’s wife was from a commoner background.

It must have been a shock to find out that the reason he was looked down upon was not solely because of his origins, as his entire life was denied.

“Why did you show me this?”

I wiped the tears from my eyes with my sleeve and called out to him.

Somehow, I was sure he was watching.

“Phew, phew…… So why did you show me this memory? How are you going to make my dreams come true? What do I have to do? I know you’re watching, come out.”

Then the surroundings became quiet, just like that moment during the day.

Suddenly, the man was standing in front of me. Smiling with a look of helplessness.

“You really didn’t disappoint me, do you mind looking at the cover of the book?”

“You didn’t read it before, did you? The Chronicles of the Asmodean Empire?”

It was definitely the same letter as before, but I could read it this time.

“That’s right, the Chronicles of the Asmodean Empire, specifically Lorazie’s memories.”

“Why did you show me her life?”

He gave me another of his trademark slight smiles.

“Because you will be her if you do me a favor: fill Lorazier’s place.”

Ah, I knew what he was asking me to do.

“Okay. I know what you’re asking.”

“You knew what I was going to ask you to do?”

Me and her were in a similar situation, but we made different choices.

I compromised with reality, and she tried to break it. No, she tried to break it.

So maybe I need to compromise.

“Isn’t it like being her and preventing incidents like this from happening?”

He continued speaking with an even more strange expression.

“It’s something like that, but I can’t give you the details right now. When you’re Lorazie and you’re living the life you want, I’ll tell you when the time comes, and that’s what you’ll have to do.”

“Okay.”

I answered willingly. There were no regrets here.

“Really?”

“Really. Then my wish will be granted if I become Lorazie, for her family has great wealth and she is a maiden and does not work.”

“True, but are you sure you’re okay without the affection of your family?”

“I think they picked me because I’m like her.”

He smiled mischievously.

“That’s right.”

“Can I ask you one question?”

“What is it?”

“Who are you?”

“Hahaha- I didn’t tell you that before. I’m Asmodeia.”

In fact, the words about his identity went in one ear and out the other.

His beaming smile and innocent laugh were dazzling.

“Then please take care of me.”

While I was lost in his laughter and couldn’t come to my senses, I heard his last greeting.

I closed my eyes once, then opened them, and found myself in a bed in a quaint medieval room.

I was in Laura’s room.