🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 1
I became the villainess’s sister-in-law.
I tried to deny it for a week, but in the end, I had to admit it.
This dream wasn’t ending — no matter how much I wanted to wake up.
“Duchess of Cloud.”
That’s what they called me here. They used the proper title, but there wasn’t a shred of affection in it.
No one called me by my actual name, Jemma.
I had possessed the body of the wife of Martin Cloud, the older brother of Erica — the infamous villainess in Please Let Me Marry the Prince.
At first, I’d been thrilled to suddenly have a gorgeous husband, unlike my old life as a lifelong single… but that didn’t last long.
So… I’m going to die, right?
It was bad enough to end up in a side character with barely a line or two, but in the story, my husband’s rebellion fails and the entire family is executed by the royal family.
I tried to meet him at first, to get some answers — but he didn’t care.
“Did he say he didn’t have time again today?”
“Yes.”
I hadn’t even seen his face or shadow.
No one here even smiles at me.
They only treated me politely because I was the duchess — there was no real warmth. And if my own husband couldn’t make time for me, why would anyone else?
Still, this lack of affection had a silver lining: if I disappeared one day, it wouldn’t affect this family at all. No one would bother to look for me.
A week passed and nothing changed, so I decided — I had to run away if I wanted to survive. If I stayed, I’d be killed with the rest of them.
“Your meal has arrived.”
“Leave it there and go.”
I’d been dismissing the maids most days, except for the first two.
Once I was alone, I pulled a folded newspaper from under the thick blankets. Strangely, I could read it easily, but the contents didn’t overlap with what I remembered from the original story.
So the plot hasn’t started yet?
Good. That meant I still had time to prepare. I just had to pack and escape.
But then I remembered — the royal family wouldn’t let anyone from a rebel family live. They’d want to wipe out every last relative.
Maybe running away won’t be enough…
I was thinking about this when the door opened.
“Today, you’ll have to eat with me, Sister-in-law.”
The villainess herself, Erica, suddenly appeared without warning.
She was just coming out of her girlhood — long black hair down to her waist, striking red eyes, delicate features, and lively lips. The sharp, cat-like eyes fit her villainess image perfectly.
What’s this about? Eating together?
Erica sat and stared straight at me.
She’s not supposed to act like this…
In the original, she once grabbed a young lady by the hair just because she met the male lead, Prince Oscar’s eyes. She even told the female lead — who always smiled innocently —
[Don’t smile in front of me. You ruin my appetite.]
She was picky, temperamental, and cruel. So why was she suddenly inviting me to eat?
Keeping my composure, I spoke like a duchess.
“Why eat with me? What’s going on?”
“I decided it’s better to keep a close eye on you.”
She crossed her arms and looked me up and down.
“What do you mean, ‘keep an eye’?”
“You’ve been sending away the maids for days, haven’t you?”
“I just prefer eating alone.”
That was my standard, but apparently, in the old Jemma’s case, it was suspicious.
“You used to have Mari do everything — feed you soup, help you brush your teeth, even… help in the bathroom.”
“…Me?”
She nodded seriously. No wonder the maid had been worried when I dismissed her on the third day.
I replied calmly,
“People’s habits can change anytime.”
“And what’s with that newspaper you’re hiding?”
She’d noticed the paper behind me.
“You don’t even know the names of the other servants except Mari. You don’t know anything about what’s going on in this household.”
Apparently, the original Jemma was incredibly indifferent.
“That’s something I can start learning from now on,” I said with a tight smile.
Erica, ignoring my answer, picked up her fork and knife without waiting for my permission to eat. I stuffed some bread in my mouth, uncomfortable under her watchful eyes.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“Not sure yet. This is the first time we’ve ever eaten face-to-face.”
What kind of treatment did Jemma get in this house?
That thought made me more curious about my new family.
But I also remembered — in the future, Erica and I were both going to die because of the failed rebellion.
The rebellion happens after Erica gets dumped by Prince Oscar, I recalled. If I can figure out when that is, I can predict the timing and prepare.
So I casually asked,
“Do you have anyone you’re interested in these days?”
“…No.”
“What about Prince Oscar?”
Her face immediately darkened — and then she started choking.
I froze for a second, then rushed to help her breathe.
She clutched her throat, unable to cough. I stood behind her and performed the Heimlich maneuver, hoping to dislodge whatever was stuck.
“Someone get a doctor!” I shouted. “And tell my husband his sister is sick!”
The maids ran off, and I kept working until a small piece of bread finally popped out of her throat.
Her breathing slowly returned, and I laid her on my bed, covering her with a blanket.
She looked pale but peaceful with her eyes closed — like an angel. Hard to imagine she’d be the ruthless villainess from the novel.
Well… I just saved the villainess.
