Villainess, Give Me Back My Son

Chapter 1

The Crystal Crown

Lady Vivienne Ashcroft was one of the most famous names in the Kingdom of Arcelia.

Any player of the game knew who she was before she even appeared on screen. She was the daughter of one of the kingdom's most powerful families, owner of vast tracts of land, mines, vineyards, trading ports, and a fortune that seemed impossible to spend. Beautiful, intelligent, and proud, she was also the story's main antagonist.

Her obsession with the crown prince led her to one mistake after another. She humiliated the heroine, bought loyalties, threatened nobles, and orchestrated conspiracies, convinced the throne was hers by right. In the end, everything came to light.

The public execution was one of the game's most iconic scenes.

Vivienne held her head high until the very last second while the prince watched without the slightest trace of compassion. The crowd celebrated the villainess's fall, and the story continued with the expected happy ending between the protagonists.

Thousands of players cheered at that scene.

One woman, named Ceci, always closed the game before watching it.

Because she couldn't be bothered.

"Same ending again..."

She was an office worker who barely had time to live. She went to work before the sun came up and came home when it was already dark. Her apartment was small, always messy, and the fridge held nothing but water, coffee, and the occasional instant meal.

She slept four hours on a good night.

She ate in front of the computer.

She answered emails even on weekends.

When she downloaded The Crystal Crown, she thought it would be a nice distraction.

She never managed to finish it.

She was always too tired.

One night, while reviewing a report due the next morning, she felt a sharp pain in her chest.

She tried to stand up.

She couldn't.

The computer kept illuminating the room while her phone buzzed over and over with work messages.

The last thought that crossed her mind was very simple.

"At least I won't have to go to the office tomorrow."

Then came the darkness.

When she opened her eyes again, the first thing she felt was a mattress that was far too comfortable.

Then an enormous pillow.

Then the pleasant scent of fresh flowers.

She lay still for several seconds.

"That's strange... Does the hospital smell this nice?"

She slowly opened one eye.

The ceiling was enormous.

White.

Decorated with gilded molding.

She blinked.

"No..."

She turned her head.

A room fit for a palace stretched out before her. Silk curtains, thick carpets, hand-carved furniture, and a fireplace that kept the temperature pleasant.

She sat up with a jolt.

"No..."

She looked at her hands.

Slender.

Soft.

Perfectly manicured.

"No, no, no..."

She leaped out of bed and ran to the enormous mirror that took up an entire wall.

A woman with short purple hair, amethyst eyes, and a nightgown that probably cost more than her entire old apartment stared back at her with a horrified expression.

She froze.

Then she pressed both hands against the mirror's frame.

"This is a joke..."

Nobody answered.

She brought a hand to her face.

The skin was different.

The hair too.

Even the voice. She stood completely still for several minutes.

Then she remembered.

That face. That name.

Lady Vivienne Ashcroft.

The villainess. The future executee. Her expression slowly changed.

"..."

She looked at the mirror again.

"I died just to become her."

She sank into a chair.

It took her nearly half an hour to sort through her thoughts.

Finally she found a calendar on the desk.

She picked it up.

Read the date.

And felt a chill run down her spine.

"One month..."

Exactly one month before the story began.

She hadn't officially met the heroine yet.

She hadn't started any conspiracies yet.

There was still time.

She took a deep breath.

She remembered absolutely everything.

She knew exactly what was going to happen. She also knew something far more important.

The crown prince wasn't worth the trouble.

He was attractive. Charismatic. Competent. But he was also a walking disaster.

Everyone ended up tangled in wars, conspiracies, assassination attempts, or throne struggles because of him.

She stared at the ceiling for a few seconds.

"I've got a second life..."

She looked at the calendar again.

"And an obscene amount of money."

She opened a massive ledger listing the Ashcroft family's assets.

Her expression changed with every page she turned.

"All of this is mine?"

Farmland.

Forests.

Three mansions.

Five urban residences.

Shares in trading companies.

Two mines.

Port investments.

Jewelry collections.

Works of art.

Enough income to maintain small private armies.

She closed the book slowly. Her parents had died when she was a child. Everything had passed to her. And through her own efforts, she'd earned even more.

"..."

Then she smiled.

It was the most sincere smile she'd had in years.

"So why would I want a prince?"

The answer came almost instantly.

"I don't."

She stood up with an energy she'd never felt before.

"I don't want the kingdom either."

She opened another map.

The continent took up nearly the entire table.

She began tracing it with her finger.

The capital.

Too dangerous.

Nearby territories.

Too many nobles.

The northern frontier.

Monsters.

The east.

Political conflicts.

Until she reached the far south. A small coastal region. Remote.

Temperate climate. Fishing villages. Vineyards. Beaches. Cliffs.

Very little noble presence.

Her eyes began to shine.

"Here."

It was perfect.

Nobody important went there. No game events occurred anywhere nearby.

No wars. No princes. No heroines.

Just the sea.

Food.

Peace.

She tapped the table lightly.

"That's going to be my home."

A servant knocked on the door.

"My lady?"

"Come in."

The girl entered cautiously.

"Are you all right? You seem to be in a very good mood today."

Vivienne smiled.

"Wonderful."

The maid blinked in surprise.

It was the first time she'd ever seen her mistress smile like that.

"I need to gather the head steward and the family accountant."

"Right now?"

"Right now."

Less than an hour later, both men arrived convinced there'd been an emergency.

Vivienne received them while sipping tea.

"Good morning."

The two exchanged a confused look.

"Good morning, my lady."

She set the cup on the table.

"I'd like to sell approximately half of my properties."

The silence was absolute.

The steward thought he'd misheard.

"I'm sorry?"

"Half."

"H-half?"

"Yes."

The accountant nearly dropped his documents.

"My lady... does the family need money?"

"Quite the opposite."

"Then...?"

"I want to simplify my life."

The two men stood perfectly still.

"I'd also like to sell every residence I don't use."

"But—"

"The unnecessary jewelry too."

"My lady—"

"And any business that requires frequent oversight."

The steward took a deep breath.

"With all due respect... why?"

Vivienne rested her chin on one hand.

"Because I don't feel like working."

The two men were completely dumbfounded.

She continued with perfect nonchalance.

"I've spent an entire lifetime working."

Technically, that was true.

"And I've discovered that I don't enjoy living to work."

The accountant cleared his throat.

"Noble families typically seek to grow their wealth."

"What for?"

"Well..."

"If I already have enough money to live several lifetimes, what's the point of piling up more?"

Neither of them found an answer.

Vivienne smiled with satisfaction.

"Besides, I want to move south."

"South?"

"To a house by the sea."

The steward's eyes went wide.

"Will you be staying for a few weeks?"

"No."

"A few months?"

"No."

"Then...?"

"Forever."

The man felt a headache coming on.

"And politics?"

"No."

"Court meetings?"

"No."

"Parties?"

"Even less."

"Marriage alliances?"

Vivienne let out a small laugh.

"Much, much less."

The accountant studied her carefully.

This woman spoke with an entirely different kind of serenity.

She didn't seem ill.

She didn't seem confused.

She had simply... made a decision.

"Are you certain?"

She nodded.

"I've never been more certain of anything."

She stood.

Looked out the window.

The mansion's enormous garden stretched as far as the eye could see.

It was beautiful.

It was also an enormous responsibility.

And she was tired of responsibilities.

"I want to wake up when I feel like it. I want to have breakfast watching the sea. I want to walk without bodyguards. Read novels. Take naps. Eat fresh fish. Listen to the waves. And spend entire days doing absolutely nothing."

She turned to face the two men.

"That will be my new purpose in life."

The steward ended up letting out a nervous laugh.

"My lady... I've never heard such a... peculiar plan."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Peculiar?"

"Most nobles dream of more power."

"I dream of a hammock."

The accountant couldn't help laughing too.

Vivienne felt an enormous sense of peace.

For years she'd lived following schedules, orders, and obligations until she collapsed from exhaustion.

Now she had an impossible opportunity.