Reborn as the Villianess .....Yet the Male lead Refused to Let Me Go. ( Part-1)

The first thing I remember was dying.

Not dramatically.

No truck, no explosion, no heroic rescue.

Just exhaustion from months of preparing for exams. My last thought had been ,I wish, I could rest.

Darkness embraced me.

Then someone slapped me.

Hard.

"My lady, wake up. The Duke is waiting."

I shot upright, clutching my burning cheek.

A girl standing in a black and white maid uniform stared at me with watery eyes.

"My lady, please don't scare me like that."

I blinked.

The room looked like something from a historical fantasy novel. Crystal chandeliers hung from a painted ceiling. Silk curtains fluttered beside enormous windows. A polished vanity reflected a beautiful young woman with silver hair, crimson eyes and porcelain skin.

I froze.

"That's....me??"

No.

Not me.

Her.

Lady Evelina Ashcroft.

The Villianess from my favorite fantasy novel

**The Crown of Eternal Roses**.

The Very woman which readers Love to Hate.

She was arrogant.

Cruel, jealous, and destined to die.

I remember every chapter with painful clarity.

Evelina bullied the kind heroine .

She tried to force the male lead into marriage.

She framed innocent nobles.

Finally during the rebellion, the male lead executed her before the Imperial Palace while the heroine watched with a tear in her eyes.

It had been one of the most satisfying endings.

Now....

I was here.

"..You have got to be kidding me."

The maid looked confused.

"My Lady"

"Nothing".

No panic.

Think.

If I simply avoided the heroine, apologized to everyone, and lived quietly, Maybe I can survive.

Yes.

That was my plan.

A Peaceful Retirement.

No drama.

No romance.

Definitely no male lead.

......................

Three months later.

Everything was going perfectly.

I cancelled unnecessary parties.

Stopped insulting servants.

Returned unfairly collected taxes.

Opened a free school for orphaned children .

Every noble in the capital whispered that lady Evelina has become strangely kind.

Perfect.

If the original story was based on me acting like a monster, I simply wouldn't.

Problem solved or so I believed.

......................

"Lady Evelina"

I slowly turn around.

Standing behind the marble archway was the empire's greatest war hero.

Duke Adrian Revenshade.

The main lead.

Tall.

Dark hair.

Golden eyes that seem capable of seeing through lies.

Every woman in the empire admired him.

Every enemy feared him.

In the novel, he despised Evelina from their very first meeting.

But now....

He was looking directly at me.

Without hostility.

Without disgust.

"Congratulations on your charity work" he said.

I smiled politely.

"Thank you, Your Grace".

"I have been watching you".

My smile froze.

Watching?

Why?

"I'm glad empire has gained someone worthy of respect".

Excuse me?

That line wasn't in the novel.

Not even close.

I quickly bowed.

"I am honored"

Then I escaped, Literally.

I walked away so fast that my maid had to ran behind me.

"No, Absolutely not".

That conversation never happened in the original story.

From then on, strange things started happening.

Whenever I attend banquets....

Adrian was already there.

Wherever I visited the library.....

He somehow appeared at that same time.

Wherever I rode through the city....

His carriage conveniently passed mine.

Coincidence?

Maybe.

After the 15th coincidence...

Definitely not.

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