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Chapter 1
There is a rumor circulating among the young, hot-blooded men of Midtown these days.
It is said that if you visit the terrace of Monteo Garden at sunset, you will meet a breathtaking beauty.
A seductive woman with red eyes and hair reminiscent of a blazing sun—fantasies of a night with her swelled like a massive bubble of desire.
As with all rumors, the story varied slightly depending on who told it.
Some said she was actually an ugly woman, while others claimed she was a noble young lady who enjoyed scandalous indulgence. To some, it was just the kind of illusion young men tend to fabricate.
And yet, every version of the rumor ended with the same line.
That after a dreamlike night, one’s deepest desire would be fulfilled. That was why young men continued to visit Monteo Garden every single day.
“Lately, things have been rather quiet without much disturbance.”
At the man’s words, I smiled as calmly as I could.
“Well, has there ever really been anything you’d call a disturbance?”
Across the round table sat a man with drooping eyes. Around his neck were excessive accessories that did not suit him.
They only served to flaunt his wealth, nothing more.
Yet no one commented on it. Because he was the owner of Monteo Garden, the largest lodging establishment in Midtown, a place that never lacked seasonal tourists.
With his sharp business sense and growing arrogance, he rarely showed himself unless dealing with high-ranking nobles.
And yet here he was, sitting upright, personally pouring tea into my cup.
Everyone on the terrace of Monteo Garden watched in silence.
“If I have offended you, I apologize. I meant no harm. Since the Great Mage has continued to use our garden for so long, our revenue over the past few months has reached its peak.”
At his flattery, I casually lifted the teacup he had poured and replied,
“You’re saying something obvious in a very complicated way.”
At my sharp reply, his brow twitched for a moment—but only for a moment. He quickly masked his expression.
“It is flower tea made from winter blossoms said to grow only in the Mahoronto Mountains. I hope it suits your taste.”
At his question, I crossed one leg and took a sip of tea exactly as I had mentally rehearsed.
Despite my anxiety that I might look awkward, my movements were surprisingly convincing.
I hadn’t seen my own reflection, but the man sitting opposite me had his mouth hanging open in admiration just from watching me drink tea.
Setting the cup back down on the saucer, I already knew what I was going to say next—like the cliché lines of a villainess I had read countless times.
“The fragrance of this tea is absolutely terrible.”
I smiled as I finished speaking.
“…Hey, Hokens! Bring another tea!”
At my words, the manager deliberately shouted at an employee cleaning a nearby table. I simply watched as if I were used to this entire situation.
At times like this, I almost understood why protagonists in novels often end up reincarnating not as heroines, but as villainesses.
At first, behaving like this reminded me of the troublesome customers who used to come to my part-time job, and it made me feel guilty. But as time went on, it strangely became stress-relieving.
Besides, even if she was a villainess, she was a beauty—and a Great Mage at that. If this was the body I woke up in after dying, wasn’t that a total life upgrade?
With that thought, I lifted my cup again to take another sip of the unexpectedly decent flower tea.
The manager, who had just been scolding the staff, glanced at me before cautiously speaking.
“Great Mage… I hesitate to say this, but…”
“……”
He looked around nervously, then raised a hand beside his mouth and whispered.
“When will you be able to settle three months of overdue lodging fees?”
I nearly spat out my tea.
I forced the hot liquid down my throat without even letting it cool, and immediately felt like I was about to cough.
If I did something so ungraceful, the image I had carefully maintained would collapse.
I tensed my brow tightly to hold back the cough. Seeing this, the manager panicked and quickly added a few words.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Great Mage. It’s just that the room you are currently staying in is the finest in all of Monteo Garden…”
He cautiously took out a small note and began reading it line by line.
“For three months of lodging, daily meals, laundry, item rental services, and…”
As he listed everything I had used, his voice gradually weakened. Then, with a strange expression, he finished.
“We did not even include the lodging fees of the men you brought into the room almost every other day.”
“……”
“Even without that, the amount you owe already exceeds five million gold.”
He spread his fingers wide in front of my eyes.
Five million gold was enough for a commoner to live idly for nearly a year.
I cleared my throat and quickly searched for words.
I needed to respond—but nothing came to mind.
Asking for one more month didn’t feel like something the villainess would say, and threatening him as usual would only be a temporary fix.
“Great Mage?”
At his urging, I answered without thinking.
“Yes—no… what is it?”
“Your leg is shaking so much that the tea is spilling.”
Only then did I realize I had been trembling out of nervousness. The table shook, spilling tea.
Seeing the embarrassment flash across my face, he carefully added,
“It may be a trivial amount to someone as noble as the Great Mage, but for people like us, five million gold is a tremendous sum.”
He spoke in a self-deprecating tone, though he clearly did not truly believe it.
“So please settle at least half of it within three days.”
This old raccoon… so the expensive flower tea was just a pretext to bring up the debt.
‘Should I have run away no matter what?’
As I massaged my temples in growing anxiety, the manager narrowed his eyes. Soon, he began to openly scan me up and down with a lewd gaze.
A bad feeling crept in. I had been too absorbed in acting like a reckless villainess and overlooked something important.
“……”
The title of the novel I had been reincarnated into was <Desire Not>.
Despite its name, it was a 19+ reverse harem fantasy novel.
True to the genre, it followed a heroine named Yurie, who initially had no interest in desire but gradually awakens to it through overwhelming men.
Then what was my role as the villainess?
The manager leaned closer and whispered softly.
“If you are currently in a difficult situation, I wouldn’t mind accepting something else instead.”
“……”
“I’ve heard the rumors circulating in Midtown for the past three months.”
“What are you talking about…”
“You don’t need to pretend. I’m more confident in nighttime matters than I look.”
His gaze slowly drifted downward with a sticky intent.
The expression I had carefully maintained began to crumble.
Yes. The role of a villainess in this kind of story was obvious. Unlike the heroine, she was a depraved woman who indulged in desire and slept with any man she pleased.
And what this manager wanted from me… was likely exactly that.
Only then did I fully realize I had reincarnated into this insane novel—as Isabella, the villainess.
<Desire Not>, a 19+ reverse harem fantasy novel.
Although it was erotic in nature, it had an interesting setting.
The source of mana used by mages in this world came from desire.
A blazing red desire in one’s heart became the origin of magical power.
Because of that, colors like passionate red or the blazing sun came to symbolize mana. And in such a world, Isabella—with her red hair and red eyes—was literally blessed by mana itself.
While hurriedly packing my things, I paused for a moment at the woman reflected in the mirror.
I should have gotten used to it by now, but every now and then, the face I saw still didn’t feel like mine.
I brushed my hair behind my ear. A stunning appearance and the title of being blessed by mana—there was nothing lacking.
I traced my face and let out a deep sigh.
“Honestly, this is the best spec anyone could ask for… if only I wasn’t destined to die.”
