🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 1.
The Fallen Villainess Becomes a Slave (Part 1)
“Ah!”
Her once-proud, long fingernail, now stained with dirt, bent and finally snapped.
Her pale hands were covered in scratches, and her lips, white from stress, were tightly pressed together—so tightly that they bled.
Caught off guard by the sharp pain, the black-haired woman brought her dirty hand to her mouth without thinking, then quickly spat out the dirt in surprise.
And then, she smiled.
The fact that her nail broke meant she had scratched something hard.
“…Found it.”
She hurriedly brushed the dirt away with her hand, revealing what had broken her nail.
It was an old stone door, engraved with records from centuries ago.
“Tomb of the House of Duke Outbayan”
Bellaxina Outbayan de Audiverti.
That was the woman’s name.
In other words, the eerie tomb she had come to, carrying only a small lantern in the dead of night, was the ancestral resting place of her family line.
Though the place was buried under dirt and left neglected, it made sense.
All the servants had long since left the mansion—no one remained to take care of the tomb.
So there was no point in blaming anyone for its poor condition.
“Please… I hope there are lots of valuable things in here.”
Bellaxina held her pounding heart and slowly walked into the tomb.
Even though she was entering a grave alone in the middle of the night, she wasn’t afraid.
What truly scared her wasn’t ghosts or spirits, but the possibility that the items buried with the bodies wouldn’t be worth much.
“If I’m even one gold short, I’ll be sold off to a brothel.”
She shut her eyes tightly.
It was a future she didn’t want to imagine. If she had known things would turn out like this, she never would’ve borrowed money from those lowlifes in the first place.
But at the time, she had been blinded by anger.
She never imagined that not having 4,000 gold—a sum barely enough to buy a decent pair of gloves or a hat—would end with her being hunted by the crime organization she used to control like her own servants.
“Nothing… There’s nothing… Why?”
But when things are meant to go wrong, nothing ever goes right.
She opened every stone coffin in the tomb and searched them all thoroughly,
but the only things she found were rotting silk clothes and moth-eaten lace hats.
There were no gold pieces or jeweled accessories—nothing of real value to be found.
Bellaxina collapsed to the ground in despair.
Had grave robbers already cleaned it out?
Thinking about it logically, it made sense. The tomb belonged to the famous and wealthy House of Duke Outbayan, so it was a perfect target.
But when the last bit of hope you’re clinging to disappears, it’s hard to stay calm and rational.
“This is all because of that Iristil girl!”
Bellaxina ground her teeth in anger.
Always pretending to be kind, fragile, and pure—
Her childhood friend Irisril had fooled everyone with her act and stolen everything from Bellaxina.
If it hadn’t been for that wretched girl, Bellaxina would never have ended up digging through dirt with her bare hands.
She wouldn’t have lost the Odiberti estate that had been hers since birth, or the position of Empress of the Kalhorn Empire that had been promised to her long ago.
“Damn it! Curse it! Damn everything!”
Unable to control her rage, Bellaxina screamed every curse she knew and slammed her fists down on a stone coffin with all her strength.
Psshhh—
Suddenly, a sound came from the wall nearby—something collapsing.
It sounded like leaves, sand, or stone dust falling all at once.
Bellaxina went quiet.
She knew it instinctively.
Something had changed.
Click. Clack. The sound of heels echoed in the silence as she stepped forward.
As if drawn by some invisible force, she walked toward the crumbling wall.
What had looked like a normal wall just moments ago was now clearly a closed door.
The fallen dust and debris must have been covering up the edges, hiding it from view.
“There’s definitely something behind this.”
Convinced, Bellaxina pushed on the door.
At first, she used her hands. When that didn’t work, she leaned her whole body into it, pushing with her shoulder.
Finally, the heavy stone door creaked open, leaving deep grooves in the damp ground as it slid aside.
“Haah… Hahaha… Hahaha!”
Bellaxina burst out laughing loudly.
There had been no lie in the wealth of the Outbayan dukedom, owners of countless gold mines.
Beyond the opened door was nothing short of a treasure trove.
From floor to ceiling, everything shimmered with gold.
And in the center, on a golden altar, lay a pair of glowing, golden coffins.
“Duke Magnachron Outbayan von Odiberti”
“Duchess Mirline Outbayan de Odiberti”
“Hero Magnachron… and the Star Maiden, Mirline…”
These were legendary names that even appeared in the founding myths of the empire.
This dazzling chamber was the tomb of the very first Duke and Duchess of House Outbayan.
Even Bellaxina—infamous throughout the empire as the worst villainess—couldn’t help but feel humbled in front of her noble ancestors.
“I’m sorry for disturbing your rest. I am your descendant, Bellaxina Outbayan de Odiberti.”
Strictly speaking, she wasn’t allowed to use “de Odiberti” anymore.
But there was no need to tell the dead that the Odiberti estate had been taken from her.
“There are… certain circumstances, so I’ve come to ask for your help. Once things get better, I swear I’ll return everything just as it was. I promise on the honor of House Outbayan.”
After bowing politely, Bellaxina opened the golden coffins and examined the burial items inside.
As expected, the coffins were filled with treasures so luxurious, it was hard to believe they didn’t belong to a king.
“I don’t need to take everything,” she thought.
Her enemy was a crime group known as The Blood-Bonded Shadow Brothers.
If the Shadow Brothers ever found out that Bellaxina still had this much gold and treasure, even after losing her land and power, there’s no telling what they might do.
“I’ll take just enough to slightly go over 4,000 gold, and let them think there’s more hidden somewhere. That way, they won’t try to kill me right away.”
The fact that she had to use this much strategy just to deal with a lowly gang was ridiculous—but she had no choice.
Now that her father, the Duke of Outbayan, had passed away, there wasn’t a single person left in the world who would stand up for her if she were to die.
With that in mind, Bellaxina carefully examined the Duchess’s burial items, looking for something valuable but not too flashy.
A five-strand diamond necklace with pearl-sized gems seemed way too expensive.
Earrings with blue diamonds the size of her fingernail and rings with amber and rubies as big as a baby’s fist were also out of the question.
“I guess jewelry is a no-go… huh?”
Just then, she noticed a book resting on the Duchess’s chest.
Has that always been there?
It was strange she hadn’t seen it earlier, especially since it was right in plain view the moment the coffin opened—but in any case, it was a lucky find.
It was bigger than a notebook, smaller than a Bible, and thicker than a children’s storybook.
Its cover was covered with gold and tiny jewels.
“This looks like it’s worth at least 6,000 gold.”
Considering the amount, quality, and craftsmanship of the materials used to decorate it, Bellaxina figured she had even undervalued the book.
Still, she thought it was the perfect item—valuable enough to cover her debt, but not so extravagant it would draw too much attention.
When dealing with criminals, she figured it was normal to get ripped off a little.
With a satisfied smile, Bellaxina tucked the book into the inner pocket of her robe and left the room.
Before leaving, she carefully stuffed the cracks of the opened stone door with dirt to hide it again and prevent grave robbers from finding it.
“From now on, this will be my lifeline.”
She meant it.
With the treasure in the first Duke and Duchess’s tomb, she would rebuild her power.
She would get her revenge on that hateful Irisril.
She could finally see a glimmer of hope.
“Heh. I knew you’d be here.”
That is, until the moment she stepped out of the tomb—
and came face to face with two men waiting for her in the early morning mist that curled around her ankles.
“Thought you might come poking around for grave goods. Smart girl. I figured you’d try to run off instead.”
The one-eyed man laughed with a phlegmy voice, then spat on the ground.
He pulled the dagger from his thigh and spun it in his hand threateningly.
“Too bad. Looks like you’ll have to pay with your body.”
It was the kind of situation that would make anyone’s knees go weak,
but Bellaxina let out a small, mocking laugh.
“Impatient, aren’t you? What was it—4,000 gold? Do you really think that kind of pocket change is enough to buy the daughter of Duke Outbayan?”
“…Are you saying you can pay?”
At her words, the one-eyed man’s tone changed.
The bald man beside him looked uncertain, shifting his eyes back and forth nervously.
“Of course I can. In fact, I’ll even pay with interest.”
Bellaxina slipped her hand into the inner pocket of her robe.
She reached for the jeweled book made of gold and precious stones…
“Huh?”
In an instant, the color drained from her face.
All her fingers could feel was the soft fabric lining the bottom of the pocket—no book.
“W-Wait a second.”
“…?”
“Just give me five minutes. I’ll go grab the treasure from the tomb real quick. You’re in luck, really! What’s inside is worth way more than that book!”
Panicking, Bellaxina tried to rush back toward the tomb—
but a hand grabbed her shoulder, stopping her in place.
“Nice try. We already know there’s nothing in there.”
“That’s not true! You just didn’t search properly! There’s a secret room deeper inside with the coffins of the first Duke and Duchess—”
“Hah! Listen to this girl! What a comedian!”
Bellaxina’s face turned ghostly pale.
These men had no intention of believing her.
“Brace yourself, lady. Paying off 4,000 gold with your body isn’t going to be easy.”
****
Was this the road to hell?
Avalkin’s brow furrowed slightly as he walked down a stairway that seemed to descend endlessly.
Beneath an abandoned fortress on the outskirts of the capital—
A place that was once a dungeon was now overcrowded with people.
And not just any people—
They were all the kind of shady, dangerous types you’d want to avoid at all costs.
“I doubt a friend of the noble Countess Castiglione would be found in a place like this.”
That was probably why.
Even the usually patient Avalkin couldn’t help but voice a rare complaint to his female companion.
“The Marquess really has no patience, does he?”
The brown-haired woman walking ahead turned around, her emerald earrings swaying.
Marlenne Castiglione.
A wealthy widow with high status but a terrible reputation in high society due to her behavior and the rumors surrounding her.
Still, considering she was the last eligible bride Avalkin could realistically hope for, he had no choice but to be patient a little longer.
‘To be honest, she’s not exactly my ideal match.’
But then again, what man would be thrilled about a first date at a slave market?
Unfortunately, Avalkin wasn’t in a position to be picky.
The northern territory he governed, Yeshken, was far too harsh and barren for delicate noble ladies to endure.
A few years ago, plenty of girls had been attracted to his flawless face—sharp and sculpted like marble—and his mysterious hair that shimmered like the northern lights.
But those youthful crushes didn’t last long in Yeshken’s brutal winters.
As a result, Avalkin had become a sort of “cursed bachelor” in the noble scene—his marriage talks had fallen through seven times, and he had been rejected by three fiancées.
So what choice did he have?
Even if the woman he’d finally managed to meet suggested discussing marriage in the middle of a slave auction, all he could do was grit his teeth and endure.
“I’m telling you, my friend really is here,”
the Countess said with a sultry smile that hinted she was up to something.
She pointed to a hall at the end of the corridor and cheerfully called out:
“Look! There she is now!”
Avalkin followed the direction of her long, elegant finger.
A round stage, surrounded by a noisy crowd—
And stepping into the center of it all was a black-haired woman.
