I was reincarnated into the world of the otome game 'Rosalian Chronicle' as Mia Rosalian, the villainess. In the game, she's executed after being condemned—an utterly garbage role. But I know this world's rules, the love interests' weaknesses, everything. If I use my head, I can avoid the bad end.
At first, I planned to live quietly. But wait, as a commoner I couldn't do anything. So I used my past-life knowledge and schemes to take the top spot at the Royal Academy, crush the nobles, and climb
The Villainess's Rise to Power. - The Truth Beneath the Ruins ~When the Black Magic Eye Awakens, the Resolve of the Master, the Butler, and the Prince~
The cold north wind blew through the ruins of the burned-out castle.
Rosalian Castle had lost most of itself to the flames of that night. The massive stone structure that had once towered in the northeastern sky as the frontier lord's keep now stood as nothing but a charred, soot-blackened skeleton. Broken beams pointed at the heavens, and shattered glass glinted dully among the rubble.
Half a month had passed since that tragedy.
Remilia Rosalian stood before the collapsed main gate. Her black hair, reaching to her waist, was tousled by the wind and clung to her face. Her right eye was a deep crimson like blood, her left a purple that seemed to dissolve the darkness of night. Those mismatched eyes gazed quietly up at her castle, now reduced to ruins.
(Here was everything I had.)
She pressed a hand to her chest. The silver butterfly necklace that should have been there was still absent. Her grandmother's keepsake. Taken from her through Mia Celestia's accusation, and lost in the chaos of that night.
Her fingertips grasped at empty air.
"My lady. The wind is strong. Please, take this."
From behind her, a deep, composed voice. When she turned, the butler Cyan Crawford—his deep violet-blue hair swept to one side—was holding out a black overcoat. His deep emerald eyes looked straight at Remilia. A small old scar above his left eyebrow was faintly visible beneath the overcast sky.
His fingertips, wrapped in white gloves, were as immaculately kept as ever.
"Thank you. But I'm fine."
Remilia shook her head slightly.
(I don't have the luxury of feeling cold.)
Her heart had been cold ever since that night half a month ago, as if she had swallowed a block of ice. The magic rampage at the academy festival. The banishment decree at the emergency trial. The annulment of her engagement. And then, the burning of Vernheim. Fifteen intelligence agents dead. Over thirty missing.
She had lost everything.
But even so.
"Cyan. How far has the underground investigation progressed?"
"Yes. We discovered traces of what appears to be a hidden door in the basement storage of the east wing that survived the fire. There's still a risk of collapse, but I believe we can reach it if we proceed carefully."
"I see."
Remilia passed through the charred castle gate.
Beneath her feet, carbonized fragments of wood crunched. The smell of scorching still stung her nose. Every wall had crumbled, the ceilings had fallen, and all the once-luxurious furnishings had been reduced to ash.
(This castle must still hold secrets I don't know about.)
Remilia was certain of it.
The words her grandmother had left behind—"Beware the Black Evil Eye." That dying wish could not have been a mere warning. Her grandmother had known something. About the Black Evil Eye. And about something sleeping beneath this castle.
The two of them walked through the crumbling corridor.
Part of the ceiling had caved in, and a mountain of rubble blocked the way. Cyan took the lead, checking the dangerous spots as he guided Remilia. There was no hesitation in his steps. He had a perfect grasp of the castle's structure.
(He's always like this.)
Remilia thought as she watched Cyan's back.
(Even when I say nothing, he anticipates, clears the path. Eliminates danger. As if he were my very shadow.)
They arrived at the basement storage of the east wing.
It was a place that had suffered relatively little damage. The stone walls were soot-stained but had not collapsed. When Cyan pressed a section of the wall, a hidden door opened with a low sound.
"This is..."
Beyond the door, a pitch-black passage stretched onward. Cold air flowed out from below.
"I will go first. My lady, please stay behind me."
Cyan produced a magelight from his breast pocket. A pale blue glow illuminated the darkness of the passage.
The two stepped into the underground corridor.
The stone steps, worn by long years, were chipped in places. Carved into the walls were patterns believed to belong to the ancient magical civilization. Remilia traced them with her fingertip.
(This is... the sealing script of the ancient Astellian Magical Kingdom. What is something like this doing beneath our castle?)
Her knowledge from her previous life's game sounded an alarm within her.
The passage continued deep underground.
How long had they walked? The air grew colder and heavier. The magelight's glow brought the patterns on the walls into relief. As they advanced, the patterns became more complex, more dense.
Eventually, an old wooden door appeared at the end of the passage.
"My lady. Beyond this door, there is... a strong magical presence."
Cyan's voice was low and tense.
Remilia stood before the door.
(Beyond this door lies Grandmother's secret.)
With trembling fingers, she pushed the door open.
—It was a small study.
The ceiling was low, and old bookshelves lined the walls. In the center of the room was a desk. On the desk lay a thick volume and several sheets of parchment.
The air smelled musty, yet somehow nostalgic.
"Grandmother's... room."
Remilia approached the desk.
She picked up one of the parchment sheets. On it, in elegant handwriting, was written:
"To my beloved Remilia. The fact that you have found this room means you have already drawn close to the truth of the Black Evil Eye. Please, read this journal. It is my final gift, to protect your future."
Remilia's fingers clenched around the parchment.
"Grandmother... for me."
She opened the volume on the desk.
It was a research text on ancient magic. Her grandmother had spent years writing it. With every page she turned, her grandmother's writing appeared. Research on the ancient Astellian Magical Kingdom. The founding of the Star-Reading Tower. And—
"...A founding member of the Star-Reading Tower."
Remilia's hand stopped.
A passage in the research text read:
"We founded the Star-Reading Tower. To advance the study of ancient magic. But I noticed that one of my colleagues was attempting to appropriate the research for himself. His name was Orvan Seigrid. He intends to use the Black Evil Eye to remake the world as he desires."
"Orvan Seigrid..."
That name was etched into her memory.
The highest-ranking mage of the Star-Reading Tower. One of the five most powerful on the continent. And—
(The mastermind. The man who covets my Evil Eye and seeks to have me executed.)
Remilia turned the page.
"The Black Evil Eye possesses the power to rewrite the laws of the world. It is the key to activating the ancient Astellian Magical Kingdom's legacy, the 'Heart of Astellia.' Orvan is after you in order to obtain that key. That you would be condemned and executed at eighteen—that is no mere game scenario. Orvan is orchestrating it to happen that way."
Remilia's breathing grew ragged.
(Just as I thought. The condemnation ending from the original work was the mastermind's scheme.)
She read on.
"But the Black Evil Eye has another power. It is the power to rewrite the laws of the world, and at the same time, the power to restore rewritten laws to their original state. The power to reverse Orvan's magic. If you read this journal and master the art of controlling the Evil Eye, you can shatter Orvan's ambition."
In the latter half of the research text, the method for fully controlling the Black Evil Eye was recorded in meticulous detail.
It was the magic her grandmother had spent her entire life devising—for Remilia's sake.
"Grandmother... you did this for me..."
Tears spilled from Remilia's eyes.
(Grandmother knew. How much I would suffer in this world. And so that I could carve open my own fate with my own power, she left me this journal.)
She wiped her tears and raised her head.
"Cyan. I'm going to do it. I'll decipher this research text and make the Black Evil Eye my own power."
"Understood, my lady. I will assist you as well."
Cyan bowed deeply.
Remilia sat at the desk and began reading the research text.
Her grandmother's research was abstruse. Without specialized knowledge of ancient magic, it would be impossible to decipher. But Remilia had the game knowledge from her previous life. The knowledge of ancient magic from the setting materials of "Rosalian Chronicle" connected within her to her grandmother's research.
(I see. The Evil Eye's rampage occurs when the flow of magical energy reverses. Then I simply need to control that flow myself.)
She assembled the magical formulas recorded in the research text in her mind.
"Cyan. Erect a barrier around me. I'm going to test the magic for controlling the Evil Eye now."
"Understood."
Cyan deployed green magical energy, wrapping the entire room in a barrier.
Remilia closed her eyes.
(The Black Evil Eye. My greatest secret. The power that has eroded my mind every time I've used it.)
Her left eye—the purple one that dissolved the darkness of night—slowly opened.
—In that instant, the purple eye was dyed a deep, dark hue.
"Ah...!"
Pain shot through her. Before, she could not endure this pain, and her magic would rampage.
But now it was different.
(The flow of my magical energy. I control it by my own will.)
Remilia manipulated her magic exactly as recorded in the research text.
The raging dark power changed shape according to her will. The pain receded. In its place, she felt power surging up from the depths of her body.
(This is... the true power of the Black Evil Eye.)
Her left eye emitted purple and black light.
A wave of darkness spread through the room. Cyan's barrier creaked and groaned.
"My lady! Are you all right!?"
"Yes. I'm fine. ...Just now, for the first time, I was able to fully control this power."
Remilia slowly opened her eyes.
The color of her left eye had returned to its usual purple that dissolved the darkness of night. But deep within it dwelled a profound power that had not been there before.
(With this, I can reverse Orvan's magic. The power to shatter the mastermind's ambition is now in my hands.)
A quiet smile rose to her lips.
"Orvan Seigrid. If you intend to make my life follow a game's scenario, then I will shatter that scenario to pieces before your very eyes."
That was when it happened.
From the depths of the underground passage, multiple footsteps could be heard.
"My lady. Please step back."
Cyan stood in front of Remilia and removed his white gloves. His bare hands were wreathed in green magical energy.
"Enemies, I wonder. Or..."
The footsteps drew closer.
And then, emerging from the darkness of the passage—
"My lady. You are safe."
Men clad in soot-stained black garments appeared one after another.
"You lot... you're alive."
"Yes. Upon receiving word of Vernheim's burning, we returned from various regions. Thanks to the deputy commander's secondary communication network functioning."
Remilia looked at Cyan.
"A secondary network? You had something like that?"
"I thought it would be too late if something happened to you, my lady. So I secretly established a backup communication network."
Cyan smiled gently.
(How far ahead does this man read?)
Remilia was half exasperated, half impressed.
"Currently, fifteen have gathered. More than half of those who were missing have rejoined us. The rest are scheduled to return in turn."
"I see. You've all come back to me well. I will now challenge the mastermind to a final battle. I want your strength."
"For you, my lady, we would gladly give our lives."
The men dropped to one knee in unison.
(My comrades have returned. It's not over yet. I still have the strength to fight.)
A hot surge welled up in Remilia's chest.
At that moment, another report arrived from above ground.
"My lady! It's terrible! From the royal capital, First Prince Ren Alventia has ridden alone to Vernheim!"
"Ren?"
Her heart leaped.
(Why would that man come to such a remote frontier?)
Remilia hurried above ground with Cyan.
In the front courtyard of the ruined castle, a single horse stood.
Beside it stood a golden-haired
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