C2
After that long and dark battle with the old lady and the accident that happened afterward, I regained consciousness and looked around without understanding the unfamiliar landscape that came into view.
I was lying in a bed with a white canopy and canopy curtains.
The size of the bed could accommodate seven adults in total.
Where the hell am I?
I stared at the curtains delicately embroidered with threads of gold snakes and roses. Then, after a while, I jumped up remembering the motorcycle accident that had occurred.
I felt as if my bones were crushed and my muscles torn. However, as I observed it closely at this moment, it seemed to be fine. Besides that, I didn't even feel any kind of muscle pain.
However, as soon as I got a clear view of my body, my suddenly large chest made me nervous.
"What is this...?"
Feeling confused, I alternately looked at my chest and away from it. Then, I got out of bed and went to look at myself in the mirror.
"Wow."
I suddenly gasped.
The reason for this was that instead of the face I normally saw every day, the face reflected in the mirror was that of a beautiful woman with a naturally sharp expression.
She was a stunning woman with bright purple hair and ruby-red eyes.
"Impressive...."
After a while, I slapped myself twice to wake up.
Slap! Slap!
The pale cheeks of the beautiful woman reflected in the mirror puffed up a lot.
However, I couldn't help it as I had to wake up from my silly dream.
"Oh... it hurts."
But, why haven't I woken up yet?
I was in a dream that was too vivid to not be reality.
Then, suddenly, a sharp sound pierced my eardrum.
When I inadvertently turned my eyes in the direction of the sound, a bowl of oatmeal was rolling on the floor, and a woman dressed in a Western-style maid outfit sat with a terrified expression.
As soon as our gazes met, the woman lowered her head and said,
"I'm so sorry! I must have been blind! I am guilty of committing a sin that cannot be forgiven with my life alone! Please have mercy on me, Princess Deborah."
Deborah? That name sounds quite familiar.
Suddenly, the answer penetrated my mind.
Soon, I remembered where I had encountered the name, Deborah. It was the name of the villainess in an unpopular novel for adults titled "Swallow the Black Thorn." I would always buy its new chapters until the series abruptly stopped.
Deborah was an unrelenting villainess created by the author to use petty tricks against the heroine. In addition to that, her inappropriate language had always been the subject of top comments in "Swallow the Black Thorn."
Her current situation made no sense unless she possessed the novel's villainess. It also couldn't be perceived as a dream since she felt a sharp pain when she slapped her cheeks twice. Apart from that, she had clear vision and eyes and hair of the same color as Deborah's as shown in the novel.
While slowly trying to understand what had happened to me, a middle-aged man with fierce silver-gray eyes entered the room.
"What is this commotion about?"
As soon as his icy silver-gray eyes met mine, fragments of Deborah's memories began to appear in my mind.
The man in front of me was George Seymour, Deborah's father. He is a high-ranking magician and is considered one of the top five geniuses in the long history of the Seymour family.
Duke Seymour, who had a slender body that was not like that of a middle-aged man, had a heart as cold as it looked on the outside.
The only person he had opened his heart to was his wife, Marien Seymour. After she died giving birth to their younger son, Henry Seymour, he returned to his cold nature.
"Pitiful."
Duke Seymour looked at me with a look of contempt as if he were looking at trash.
He valued his family's honor and hated Deborah for her constant evil deeds.
"Ah, is a hunger strike not enough that you even decided to self-harm?" He tightly squeezed my reddened cheeks.
"It's only worth looking at your face because it resembles your mother's."
"......"
"I can't believe you're doing this over a jewel. You are a disgrace to the Seymour family."
According to the fragments of memories floating in his mind, Deborah had gone on a hunger strike a few days ago because she wanted to acquire the Empire's only pink diamond necklace.
The Duke of Seymour seemed to have misunderstood that after going on a hunger strike, I had even decided to harm myself.
"There is a limit to what you can do as my daughter. This is my last warning. Don't get into trouble for now and stay here to reflect on your actions until you realize your mistakes so that such things can be avoided!"
The Duke scolded me through clenched teeth and eyes as cold as ice.
From then on, I stopped squeezing my cheeks tightly and left the room. I stared without understanding at the back of Duke Seymour until I could no longer see him and took a deep breath.
There's no way, how can a father be so handsome...?
No, more than that, how could he be so ruthless?
The chills that ran down my spine made my body unable to move.
However, what bothered me at this moment, so much that I almost screamed, was that I could barely move my legs to the bed.
This was because the maid, who was lying face down in a desperate posture, was continuously begging for forgiveness.
"I'm so sorry! I made a mistake! Please forgive me just once!"
Suddenly, the maid began to hit her head against the floor until it bled.
It was painful for her to realize that she had possessed the body of a villainess in an unpopular novel.
"Oh, well, just go away."
His voice was tense.
The maid, who kept saying "Thank you" repeatedly, quickly picked up the oatmeal bowl from the floor and fled. As soon as she disappeared from my sight, I slowly sat down on the floor.
"Ah. I'm going crazy."
I had worked hard all my life, but I died at the age of 24, and I even possessed the body of such a character.
"Why the hell?"
There are many other characters in the novel, why did it have to be her?
I swallowed my despair and buried my trembling face in my hands. Then, I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes, hoping that when I woke up, it would all be just a dream.
-----------
When I opened my eyes in the morning, I was still the villainess, Deborah.
"...But isn't it going better than I thought?"
It has been ten days since I reincarnated as Deborah, and unexpectedly, I have been adapting well.
I thought it would be difficult to live as a character whose reputation was the worst in society, but that didn't seem to be the case at all.
There is nothing I need to adapt to. Everything is perfectly set up.
While sleeping on a soft and spacious bed, I woke up late and felt hungry.
As soon as the bell in my room rang, the servants served me breakfast immediately.
"It's delicious..."
I casually murmured as I ate the delicious cake that melted in my mouth. When the servants heard me, they immediately left the room and brought baskets of various types of bread in an instant.
"Incredible. Look how disciplined they are."
Even if I speak to myself in a low voice, everything I want will be heard and provided immediately.
The way they moved was like that of a well-trained army, as they did not want to trigger Deborah's landmine-like temper.
Well, compared to them not listening, this is a hundred times better.
I shook my head, took a piece of bread, and a heap of raspberry jam, spreading it on the bread.
The food served here is quite appetizing.
"Princess, would you like more?"
"No, go away."
I felt uncomfortable being watched by the servants while eating, so I imitated Deborah's way of speaking following the fragments of memories floating in my head.
The figs on the plate were fresh, and the mushroom soup was very tasty.
After I finished eating the delicious meal, the servants brought fragrant tea and poured it into the cup.
I've never been to a five-star hotel, but if I were to go to such a place, room service would probably be quite similar to this.
I lifted the elegant and antique teacup and gazed in the direction where the birds were singing.
It was such a relaxing and comfortable morning...
Throughout my entire life, this was the first time I enjoyed such luxurious peace.
It was like a battlefield every morning in my home.
Every morning was very busy because we had a cramped house for three siblings.
My younger brother had his own room, while I shared a room with my older sister, who always turned on all the lights in the room as soon as she woke up. Furthermore, she even blow-dried her hair with a hairdryer while I was still asleep.
Every morning, I went crazy because of that loud and fierce sound. It was even more unbearable for me, who always stayed up very late at night.
"Yoon Dohee, can I use this?"
My sister used to wear the clothes she had recently bought online with the money she had worked hard for.
She also often wore my clothes.
My sister would always discard clothes that had become too small for her or if the neckline area was stretched. She would always say it was no big deal for her to do these things and boast in front of other people every time she wore new clothes. However, as I was an easy target, I couldn't even get mad at her, so I would always allow her to borrow my clothes.
"Noona, I'll use the bathroom first because I'm in a hurry."
After forcibly getting out of bed because of her older sister, when she was about to enter the only available bathroom in the house, her younger brother suddenly appeared out of nowhere like a ghost and went to the bathroom first.
I had to clean it early in the morning after he used it because every time that jerk used the bathroom, the whole bathroom turned into a mess.
After getting used to such hectic mornings, I felt like I had gone on vacation to a five-star hotel.
"Don't get into trouble for now and stay here to reflect on your actions until you realize your mistakes so that such things can be avoided!"
I chuckled at the Duke's words.
If this is how it feels to be punished, then I'd rather be punished for life.
"I feel relaxed because my body feels very comfortable."
I set aside my worries about the future for a moment and looked at the snow falling outside the window.
When the food I ate was almost digested, the servants, who brought water with them, began to get ready. After putting on petticoats and dresses, people in elegant dresses filed into the room.
Oh, come to think of it, Deborah ordered a collection of dresses a month ago.
Based on the fragments of memories floating in my head, Deborah loved shopping so much that she often went out to buy expensive clothes and jewelry. One of her hobbies was wearing elegant jewelry and dresses to display her wealth and beauty.
But I can't go out because I'm currently being punished. However, the servants naturally turned the room into a VIP section of a department store.
Deborah's class itself was on a different level.