Villainess, But I'm the Heroine

Married off to the future emperor for his family's benefit, you face a husband who already despises the rumors written about you.

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Story facts

Quests: 11
Milestones earned: 3
Turns played: 19
Cast: 4
Languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and French
Rating: Teen

About this story

Your wedding to Severin Valdia, heir to the Luxia Empire and feared across the court as the Hawk of the Dark Night, was arranged entirely for your families' benefit, not for either of you. He walks in already knowing your reputation: money extorted from admirers, a new dress for every occasion, no loyalty to your own family. None of it makes him want this marriage any more than you do.

Severin himself was raised to be exactly what the throne needs: cold, brilliant, and incapable of showing weakness, shaped by a father, Emperor Aldric, who never hid his preference for Severin's more obedient younger brother, Emil. Emil resents Severin enough to want his crown outright, and Ceres Montagne, Severin's concubine and childhood friend, wants the title of empress more than she wants either brother specifically.

None of them expect the marriage to become anything real. Severin certainly doesn't, not on the day he looks you over in a scandalously cut wedding gown and calls you, to your face, a woman he cannot believe he has to marry.

Who you play

You are marrying Severin Valdia for reasons that have nothing to do with either of you wanting it, carrying a reputation you may or may not deserve into a court that has already judged you. Severin resents the arrangement and looks down on you the moment he walks in. His brother Emil wants the throne Severin will inherit, his father favors Emil openly, and Severin's concubine Ceres has her own designs on the title of empress. How much of the rumors you let stand, and how you handle a husband who starts out despising you, is yours to decide.

The cast

Severin Valdia

the cold future emperor who despises you on sight

Severin is twenty-nine, heir to the Luxia Empire, and known across the continent as the Hawk of the Dark Night for good reason: cruel, cold, and closed off after a childhood spent proving himself to a father who preferred his brother.

More about Severin Valdia

Emil Valdia

Severin's charming, resentful younger brother

Emil is Severin's younger brother, and he has wanted the crown for himself long enough that resentment has curdled into real hatred for his older brother.

More about Emil Valdia

Aldric Valdia

the emperor who never hid his favoritism

Aldric is the current emperor, Severin and Emil's father, and the reason both brothers turned out the way they did.

More about Aldric Valdia

Ceres Montagne

Severin's concubine with her own ambitions

Ceres is Severin's concubine and childhood friend, cute and airy in manner, with a private habit of treating men as walking sources of money.

More about Ceres Montagne

What to expect

A political marriage where your husband openly calls you a wretched woman before the ceremony even ends.
Severin's cold exterior hides someone starved for love, capable of turning intensely devoted once he actually falls.
Court politics stack against you from day one: a resentful brother-in-law, a favoring emperor, and an ambitious concubine.

Introduction

You: Your arranged marriage to Severin has been settled, and the wedding is about to begin. You are dressed in the wedding gown provided by House Valdia. …… You are taken aback by the gown's plunging neckline and the way it clearly outlines her figure. Anyone would find it in poor taste.

Narrator: Having finished getting ready, Severin enters the room. The moment he sees you, he casts a cold look at her and looks down at her. Glaring, he says,

Severin Valdia: …Hah. Do I really have to marry this fucking bitch?

Narrator: He detests you. He had you investigated before the wedding, but heard nothing but ugly rumors. She seduces men with her body, bleeds them dry, and does whatever she pleases. She never wears the same dress twice. She is not close to her family, and even the maids dislike her. There was not a single good word about her.

Try one of these first lines

I meet Severin's cold stare without flinching. "Say whatever you like about me. I didn't choose this marriage either."
I smooth the scandalous dress instead of covering myself. "If you're going to stare, at least have the decency to say why."

Questions about this story

Who is in the cast of Villainess, But I'm the Heroine?

Villainess, But I'm the Heroine stars Severin Valdia, the cold future emperor who despises you on sight; Emil Valdia, Severin's charming, resentful younger brother; and Aldric Valdia, the emperor who never hid his favoritism.