Chapter 1

The Mad Rosetta

Rosetta Coco Benetra (1)

A noble lady must keep her back straight and her posture perfect, even if her toes are being crushed inside the pointed tips of her shoes.

No matter how much she dislikes someone, she must never openly slander them. Instead, she should know how to deliver an elegant insult as gracefully as one would circle around the vast Priscan Mountains.

“Damn that bitch Odette! And that cursed Chesia…!”

My name is Rosetta Coco Benetra.

Known throughout high society as the Mad Villainess, I was currently busy hurling every curse word imaginable at my only younger sister and my husband.

At the same time, I was desperately crawling across the backyard using only my elbows.

If someone were to ask why the sole direct heir of the Duke of Benetra was suffering such humiliation…

The answer would be simple.

My sister Odette and my husband Chesia—the future Marquis—had not only committed adultery, but had also shoved poison down my throat.

And now, through sheer determination, I was trying to escape through the back gate of the Montague estate.

“Cough… Ughhh…!”

My heart pounded violently.

A burning pain twisted through my chest as though someone had poured molten lava into my stomach.

Unable to endure it, I vomited. Bloody clots mixed with bile splattered onto the grass.

It was infuriating.

At some point, while I had become known as a reckless and troublesome noblewoman, my younger sister Bonita Odette had earned praise as a beautiful and compassionate lady.

Until yesterday, even I believed she deserved that reputation.

She was so lovely, like a blooming spring flower, that it was impossible not to admire her.

Though she was technically my stepsister, brought into the family through our parents’ remarriage, how could I have abandoned her when she tearfully begged to stay by my side?

As soon as I married, I brought her with me into the Montague Marquisate.

“If I don’t take care of my sister, who will?”

She had looked so adorable.

Had I not witnessed her naked in bed with my husband, she might still have been.

“You filthy scum… Just wait until I get out of here…!”

The moment I escaped, I planned to report everything to the authorities.

I dragged myself forward with my elbows, determined to expose every one of their crimes.

Yet somehow the back gate seemed farther away with every crawl.

My head throbbed.

My jaw trembled uncontrollably.

I couldn’t tell whether the liquid dripping from my lips was saliva or blood.

Honestly, I hoped it was blood.

Watching a nineteen-year-old noblewoman drool while crawling through the dirt was far too pathetic.

【And what exactly will you do if you make it out?】

“Tell my father, of course. They’ll be executed by beheading—”

Right.

Father died recently.

Wait.

Who just spoke?

Forcing my ragged breathing under control, I turned toward the voice.

There were only a handful of people in the Arcanis Empire whom I would bother looking up to.

Expecting some rude noble, I raised my head—

And immediately froze.

【Ah, beheading. That’s a good one. I’ve watched plenty of those.】

The speaker had…

No face.

Literally no face.

Where eyes, nose, and mouth should have been, there was only smooth pale skin.

The figure resembled a man, yet lacked any facial features.

His cheerful voice rang out again.

【Though honestly, darling, you look more likely to die before reaching the gate. Want me to help?】

“G-G-Ghost?!”

【Yep. First time seeing one?】

“Yes, and—ugh! Blegh…!”

I vomited again.

This time there were more bloody fragments, though smaller than before.

The pain had nearly disappeared.

Which somehow frightened me even more.

After all, wasn’t seeing ghosts a sign that death was near?

Clutching the bloodstained grass, I considered the ghost’s words.

I had no idea how a spirit could possibly help me.

But one thing was absolutely certain.

I want revenge.

I wanted to destroy the honor of those shameless bastards.

I wanted to torture them.

And then kill them.

Having reached a clear conclusion, I collapsed completely onto the ground and asked:

“Why help me?”

【Your tone’s awfully casual.】

“Yours is too… sir.”

Not because I was scared.

I simply recognized that, under the circumstances, I was in the weaker position.

The ghost folded his arms.

Though his face remained blank, I somehow felt as though he was smiling.

【Good question. I wasn’t expecting much from the Duke of Benetra’s daughter, but you’re sharper than I thought.】

“Don’t insult my father. That’s disrespectful to the dead.”

Apparently ghosts knew everything.

Even my father, who had passed away only days ago.

I disliked how casually he spoke of him, but that wasn’t important right now.

The ghost crouched beside me.

At close range, his facelessness became even more unsettling.

【You want revenge on them, don’t you? I can help. But only if you help me with my revenge as well.】

“Do you have unfinished business?”

【Something like that. Trust me, darling. It’s a fair deal.】

Why he kept calling me “darling” like some flirtatious tavern rogue, I had no idea.

Still, that could wait.

Before agreeing, I should have asked questions.

Who was his target?

What exactly was his plan?

How would he help me?

Unfortunately, I suddenly heard voices.

“They couldn’t have gone far!”

“Search this area!”

Lantern lights flickered through the darkness.

Knights.

They had found me.

So I immediately shouted:

“Fine! Let’s do it! Revenge is always better with two people!”

【You’re not going to think it over first?】

“Help me. Right now. Immediately.”

“Found her!”

A knight’s voice echoed through the air.

At that exact moment, I vomited once more.

Green bile spilled onto the ground.

Apparently there was nothing left inside me.

【Wow. First time I’ve seen bile.】

The ghost sounded genuinely fascinated.

Then he placed a large hand over my eyes.

A blinding light flashed before me—

And everything went dark.

I should have known better than to rely on luck.

A ghost who found bile interesting probably wasn’t the most trustworthy ally.

Father.

Your little Coco is coming to see you.

That was the final thought that crossed my mind.

Thus ended the life of Rosetta Coco Benetra.

A hopelessly pathetic end for a nineteen-year-old girl.

<Observation Journal of the Eldest Daughter of Benetra>

She was irritable.

Merciless.

Cruel.

These were the words most commonly used to describe Lady Rosetta, eldest daughter of the Duke of Benetra.

For a girl who had only just turned sixteen, such descriptions might seem harsh.

Unfortunately, they were completely accurate.

“You thought I wouldn’t notice you planned to stab me with a broken teacup?”

A maid who had served her faithfully for years was expelled from the estate over a broken teacup.

“So that’s your plan? Presenting me with a dress that has loose threads so I can embarrass myself?”

Even perfectly tailored dresses were often ripped apart in fits of rage.

Servants left her room in tears almost daily.

One evening, while on guard duty, I comforted a crying maid.

We eventually fell in love.

I suppose I should thank Lady Rosetta for introducing me to my sweetheart.

Of course, she hadn’t always been like this.

If memory serves, everything changed when she was fourteen.

That was when the Duke remarried and brought Lady Bonita into the household.

The sisters seemed close at first.

But every time no one was looking, Lady Bonita would end up crying and apologizing.

Then Lady Rosetta would scream for her to leave.

Though they weren’t related by blood, the difference between them seemed astonishing.

“Until Rosetta recovers, she is confined to her room.”

As Lady Rosetta’s behavior worsened, the Duke finally ordered her confined.

He even stationed knights outside her door.

Thus, one of the empire’s most noble young ladies spent the latter part of her fourteenth year imprisoned in her own room.

“Yawn… It’s so quiet…”

One and a half years had passed.

During another dawn shift, I sat lazily outside her room.

Everyone had become careless.

Including me.

Deep down, I believed she didn’t deserve proper treatment.

Then suddenly—

The door opened.

A cascade of vivid crimson hair appeared.

“Hey.”

I nearly screamed.

Straightening up in panic, I wondered whether it would be better to sacrifice my left cheek or my right shin for neglecting my duties.

Then I got a good look at her.

It was the first time I’d seen her in ages.

Her hair was tangled and unwashed.

Her body was so thin she looked like a starving child from the slums.

“Where is Father?”

I was still deciding which body part would hurt less.

Yet instead of striking me, she asked a question.

“Probably… in his office, my lady.”

“I see.”

I should have stopped her.

Her confinement order was still active.

But I couldn’t.

Her exhausted eyes looked the same as always.

Yet the light within them was completely different.

I remembered the first day I met her.

“You’re new. You’ll protect me from now on, won’t you?”

Back then, young Lady Rosetta’s violet eyes sparkled like amethysts.

And now, after all this time, they shone exactly the same way.

In the quiet hours before dawn, she walked away.

Her dress was incomplete.

Her appearance was utterly improper for a noble lady.

Yet somehow…

She looked more alive than ever.

—Excerpt from the diary of Knight A, House Benetra.