Chloe von Rosenberg, a daughter of a military noble family, suddenly realizes she's become the villainess from a game she played in her past life. Her fate is to be condemned and exiled. But Chloe, who was a salaryman in her previous life, decides to use her strategic mind to change her destiny.
She aims to become a perfect lady to improve her relationship with Crown Prince Alexis. However, her inner self is still male, causing her to act too familiarly with men and fluster Alexis constantly. Y
The Villainess with a Bewitching Face - The Shadow of a Nemesis, Words That Reached Me
Several weeks had passed since the bombing that disrupted the peace negotiations. And several more days had passed since the night she confronted Sergio Vasqueri at the evening party. The Rosenberg estate's drawing room was wrapped in a heavy silence.
Chloe sat before her desk, staring at the sealed letter placed in front of her. The wax seal bore the mark of the National Army's Intelligence Division.
"Here are the investigation results."
The young officer spoke in a hushed voice.
"Regarding the mastermind behind the bombing... we have found evidence pointing to the involvement of the Grand Duchy of Grünford's Chancellor, Sergio Vasqueri."
Chloe nodded silently.
The officer continued.
"Grünford operatives were hiding in a villa near the border city of Brückenhafen. The written orders we seized from there bore the Chancellor's cipher."
"I understand. Thank you for your hard work."
The officer bowed and left the room.
Chloe broke the seal and pulled out the documents inside. The letters, the diagrams, the way the instructions were written—
Her fingers stopped.
(*This pattern...*)
The placement of the explosives. The timing of the detonation. They all fit together perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle. Reading the opponent's moves one step ahead, guiding them. Making it look advantageous, when in reality, it was the entrance to a trap.
She had seen it countless times in the game from her past life.
It was the signature strategy of her nemesis, Sergio.
"...At that evening party, it wasn't just that our eyes met."
Chloe placed the documents face down on the desk. The burn scar on her left cheek throbbed faintly.
(*So that terrorist attack was something he orchestrated to test me.*)
The air in the room grew cold and tense.
That was when it happened.
A quiet, reserved knock echoed through the room.
"My lady."
The person who entered was a maid who had served her for many years. In her hand, she held a single sealed letter.
"I received this from someone outside. The sender's name is..."
"It's fine. Just leave it."
After the maid left, Chloe picked up the letter. There was no sender's name. The pattern on the wax seal wasn't an official one from Grünford either.
She broke the seal.
Inside was a single sheet of paper. Written in a neat hand, there was only one line.
*'You are someone who should belong to me. You know that.'*
Chloe read the sentence.
Once.
The meaning didn't register.
Twice.
Memories of her past life flooded her mind. In that game, the player named Sergio would always corner his opponents completely before saying something just like that. As if it were his catchphrase.
Three times.
She realized her hands were trembling.
(*I don't know if I'm scared or angry.*)
Chloe shoved the letter into her desk drawer. Her palms were damp with sweat.
"...That bastard."
Her voice dropped low. She almost slipped into masculine speech but held it back.
The door burst open.
"Chloe!"
Alexis rushed in. His platinum blond hair was disheveled, and his sky-blue eyes glinted sharply. He had received an urgent report from the guards that someone who appeared to be Sergio's messenger had approached the mansion, and he had rushed over.
"What happened?"
He looked at Chloe's face and caught his breath. Her usual composed expression was gone. The scar on her left cheek stood out starkly against her pale face. The color had drained from her.
Without a word, Chloe took the letter and the top-secret documents from the drawer. She thrust them into Alexis's hands.
While he read the documents, Chloe stood facing the window. Her left shoulder trembled slightly.
Having finished reading, Alexis walked around the desk. He stood directly in front of her.
She flinched and looked up. Alexis wrapped both of his hands around hers.
They were warm.
He said nothing, just held her hands. Chloe's trembling subsided a little.
"...Thank you."
Her voice was hoarse.
"But, I need to clear my head right now."
She quietly pulled her hands back. She took a step back.
Alexis silently took a step back as well. His eyes gently gazed at the scar on Chloe's left cheek.
(*A wound I should have protected her from.*)
He couldn't say anything. He just stood there.
Chloe took a deep breath. She returned to the front of her desk. Strategic thinking gradually returned to her mind.
"Let's sort this out."
She turned back to face Alexis.
"Sergio orchestrated the terrorist attack. It was to test me. That contact at the evening party was to gauge my reaction. And this letter—"
Chloe paused for a moment.
"It's a warning that his next move will shift to threats."
Alexis listened quietly. Then, he asked.
"Are you... scared?"
Chloe was silent for a moment.
"...I am."
It was an honest answer.
"But, he's an opponent I never lost to in my past life."
Alexis's eyebrows twitched slightly. A past life—he couldn't quite grasp the meaning of those words. But for the first time, he clearly sensed that Chloe carried a significant burden he knew nothing about.
(*I shouldn't ask. Not now.*)
He didn't press further.
"I will stand by your side."
He stated it simply and firmly.
Chloe looked at Alexis's face for just a second. Then, she muttered quietly.
"...You're quite useful, aren't you?"
Alexis made a complicated expression. But seeing the corners of her mouth turn up ever so slightly, he nodded silently.
They decided that starting the next day, they would gather information and try to predict Sergio's next move.
That night.
Alone in her room, Chloe stared into the darkness. She traced back the memories of her past life. The move Sergio used at the very, very end in the game—
(*Do nothing until the opponent moves... a waiting trap.*)
Don't make a move. If you do, that very action springs the trap. But if you don't move, you're slowly cornered anyway.
(*We might be standing right at the entrance to that trap right now.*)
Outside the window, the white towers of Weisskrone Castle were sinking into the darkness.
Chloe let out a deep sigh.
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