Anyway, Odelia must have been the character I disliked in the original story, so I rationalized my situation that way after receiving my death sentence the moment I died.

If I die again this time, won’t I reincarnate somewhere else? Maybe I’ve entered Odelia’s body, which has a one-year expiration date, as a waiting period for my next reincarnation.

‘Besides, with this much money and people to command, enduring a year should be easy.’

Having grown up in an orphanage after being shuffled around relatives’ homes following my grandmother’s passing, adapting to a new environment was nothing new to me.

Regardless of my musings, the nanny looked worried.

“My lady, are you truly okay with this? Even now, you could call back the maids…”

“They need to find new masters quickly.”

“My lady, you have such a generous heart…”

Uh, no.

Despite appearances, this body belonged to someone who poisoned the protagonist’s tea, spread nasty rumors through her followers, whipped the maids, and committed all sorts of atrocities.

Of course, looking at this delicate beauty, it’s hard to imagine…

The Marchioness of Lure had died in childbirth, and the nanny had practically raised Odelia like a daughter, so she was incredibly soft on her.

However, when the maids heard of Odelia’s exile, their faces unmistakably lit up with satisfaction.

‘Odelia was known to have a cruel hand.’

If I were Odelia, I might have mistaken their reactions for concern. But as a former commoner in my past life, I could see everything clearly.

Since I only had a year to live, I had no reason to deal with unnecessary noise. After dismissing all the servants, I headed down to Meldorf.

“Lady Odelia, are you feeling a little better? The teleportation spell must have been hard on your heart.”

“Ugh, yeah, cough, cough, I’m fine.”

And so, I met Dame Gwendolyn, my new resident physician as of today.

At our first meeting, she had quite professionally declared my impending death. She wasn’t a medical slave—she was a slave to capitalism.

“I’ll pay you five times what you’d earn in the capital in a year. Room and board included, severance pay guaranteed, and the contract lasts until I die.”

“Shall I go pack my bags right away?”

“…A-are you serious? If you leave, won’t the entire noble society of the Imperial City lose their physician?”

“If they can’t reach me when they’re sick, they’ll find someone else. My livelihood is now tied to you, my lady.”

Going without servants would be inconvenient, but having a doctor to make my remaining days less painful was essential—everything was perfect.

And so, the peaceful exile of a terminally ill villainess began.

“My lady, but what about meals…?”

“Cough.”

That peaceful life hit a snag on the very first day.

‘In my past life, everything was delivered…’

The nanny, born a noble as the wife of Baron Allen, a vassal of Lure, and Dame Gwendolyn, a lifelong scholar, were both completely useless in the kitchen.

Ironically, I was the only one who knew how to cook.

“Nanny, we need to hire someone… Ugh!”

Hack, cough, cough! A violent fit of coughing erupted.

Dame Gwendolyn moved quickly as blood soaked my handkerchief.

“My lady’s arrival was no secret… Mathias, you heard, didn’t you?”

“Yes, Mother.”

A gentle-looking young boy with curly, light brown hair responded obediently.

Mathias, the nanny’s son and the youngest knight of Lure, had managed to escape ruin due to his underage status.

“My lady, don’t worry, and rest. I’ll be back.”

Mathias smiled brightly, bowed politely, and left the mansion.

Ah, this is nice. Eye candy, too. What a great possession.

‘Yes, I should enjoy this year to the fullest. There are even people to manage the household…’

I had spent my life following orders.

The moment I accepted my fate as a terminally ill villainess, I made a decision: I would make use of my employment history and be a kind, reasonable employer.

If some god of possession exists, maybe they’ll be moved by my virtue and grant me a better role next time.

‘Think of it as an internship. Heh…’

Imagining a future where I possessed a character I actually liked, I closed my eyes for a moment.

Mathias returned about an hour later, just before we became truly hungry.

Following behind him were what appeared to be hired workers.

“After all the years they’ve enjoyed Lure’s favor, they have the audacity to send workers instead of coming themselves?”

The nanny fumed as she watched the scene unfold.

“Is there someone else who still needs to come?”

“Baron Alterman!”

That must be Meldorf’s acting lord.

Since this land had been designated as Odelia’s place of exile, he had likely avoided ruin.

“My lady’s arrival should have had him running here barefoot, yet when Mathias went to see him, all he did was send over some workers? And now he’s still nowhere to be seen!”

The nanny kept grumbling, seemingly venting her anger on my behalf.

‘I mean, Lure collapsed, so it’s unsurprising he’d ignore me…’

It would have been upsetting for Odelia herself, but I wasn’t Odelia.

“I’m back, my lady! The baron personally selected the best workers for you!”

Mathias sounded cheerful, as if he, too, was trying to reassure me.

One woman and two men.

Even to my untrained eye, the number of workers sent seemed too few to manage this mansion.

‘They must have assumed Lure’s fortune was confiscated and that I was truly penniless. If the baron had to pay their wages himself, he probably found it a waste…’

Still… was it ignorance on his part, or did he simply not understand the difference in social standing between nobles?

Even when a wealthy family goes bankrupt, their wealth lasts for three generations…?

I gazed at the workers with Odelia’s dazzling smile, the most beautiful in the kingdom.

“Introduce yourselves.”

Ah, so dazzling…!

The workers, wearing expressions of awe, stared blankly at my face for a long time.

It was understandable that Odelia’s beauty left them in shock.

Even while coughing to the point of nearly throwing up, I couldn’t take my eyes off the mirror.

“Uh… I-I’m the third son, Paul, from the tavern Fairy’s Spoon in town. They say I inherited my mother’s cooking skills!”

“I’m Mila, and I’ve been working at the lord’s manor since I was in my mother’s womb!”

“I’m Hans, from the eastern village, known for my strength. Fixing, breaking—those are my specialties!”

Their eyes sparkled with determination.

Yes, this was it.

As someone who had been at the bottom in my past life, I could tell—the warmth in their eyes was genuine.

Feeling pleased, I smiled gently.

“I look forward to working with you. Your wages will come from the lord’s manor, but I’d like to compensate you separately… How about a bonus of one gold coin per week?”

“…What?”

Every single person’s face froze in shock.

“A-a-a week, not a month…?”

“Even the Grand Duke’s castle doesn’t pay that much…”

“I have to brag about this to the lord’s household!”

One gold coin per person meant three gold coins a week in total.

‘This earring? It’s solid gold with top-grade sapphires, so it must be worth at least 30 gold coins…’

I had seen dozens of similar earrings while packing, so even selling just those would cover my wages until I died.

I had earned their loyalty with money that wasn’t even worth a single earring!

‘And I had so many dresses, too. They’ll all be useless in a year anyway.’

Despite the confiscation of Lure’s wealth and my family’s downfall, clothing and accessories seemed not to be considered part of the estate.

Only documented assets—like the Belvoir mansion in the royal capital, land deeds, investment certificates, and heirlooms stored in the treasury—had been seized.

It was a rather sloppy confiscation, but as a traveler with only a year to live, I wasn’t in a position to question its logic. Thanks to that, I could afford to offer Gwendolyn five times her annual salary as a one-year payment.

“I thought the baron was punishing us by sending us here…”

“Right? When they said I’d be working with Paul… Paul, you’re the worst cook at Fairy’s Spoon!”

“Hey! I was worried when I heard I’d be working with you! You’re the one who sews buttons on backwards!”

Drunk on Odelia’s beauty and the shocking salary, the new workers kept blurting out their true thoughts…

“A-ah! My lady!”

“We’ll do our best!”

“Leave everything to us!”

With determined faces, they bowed and hurried off to their tasks.

‘Good, good. This is a perfect setup.’

Gwendolyn was a skilled doctor, and her son were utterly devoted.

This remote countryside meant there was no need to play the villainess, no exhausting power struggles in high society.

I could enjoy wealth and peace for the next year, living out my final days in comfort.

To the real Odelia, this would be a life of hardship, but for me… it was paradise.

‘Maybe this is just the tutorial level.’

Smiling in satisfaction, I melted into the warm sunlight.

***

“Lady, how are you feeling today?”

“Hmm… My breathing is a little heavy, but I’m fine. Not much coughing, either.”

“It seems the Blue Butterfly Root herb is effective for coughs.”

As always, Gwendolyn checked my condition with a mix of herbal medicine, modern medicine, and magic.

“How is your mood?”

“Just so-so. Why?”

“Well, in situations like yours, people often become depressed.”

Right, they say terminally ill patients are prone to depression.

“Maybe you could try finding things that bring you joy?”

Something enjoyable. But what could I even do with this frail body that spat up blood at the slightest strain?

As I pondered, my gaze landed on the neglected garden.

‘Back in my past life, I dreamed of moving to an apartment with a rooftop to grow a small vegetable garden.’

Rural living had been a huge trend in movies and variety shows at the time.

I never had the leisure to watch them properly, but even just looking at still images made me feel warm inside. That’s how the idea of a countryside life became my dream.

I could barely afford to keep a tiny cactus alive in my semi-basement apartment.

“What about gardening?”

“Light exercise would be good for you. And plants can be soothing.”

Hehe, I knew it!

***

“From here to there. Give me everything.”

Ahhh, how long have I dreamed of saying those words?

‘The true essence of a villainess story is flexing wealth.’

I thought I had lost my chance after leaving the royal capital so soon after transmigrating, but opportunities were there to be made.

“An excellent choice, my lady! Buying all these seeds in variety—you have quite the eye! I’ll even throw in some fertilizer for free—”

“No, charge me for the fertilizer too. In fact, give me all the kinds you have.”

“My lady…”

The gardener’s eyes sparkled with emotion.

The only issue with this extravagant spending was that it all went toward seeds and seedlings for a vegetable garden…

Buoyed by my generous purchases, the gardener cautiously inquired,

“Would you happen to need any gardening tools as well?”

“Oh, of course I do.”

“Well, since I was called to the Blue Roof Manor, I brought some along just in case.”

He presented a selection of watering cans, hoes, and pruning shears.

Each bronze tool had elegant engravings on its surface, and its handles were adorned with gemstones.

‘Look at that watering can—it must be worth quite a bit.’

Beautiful things were expensive things.

Finding yet another opportunity to spend money filled me with satisfaction.

“They’ve been enchanted with a lightening spell, so you won’t have any trouble using them, my lady.”

“Good. I’ll take them all.”

“Ahh… That swindler tricked me into buying these… Ahem, but I knew someone with a discerning eye would eventually come. Who would’ve thought these would sell in Meldorf, not even in Norhart…?”

Having just been on the receiving end of a full-scale shopping spree, the gardener kept slipping out his true thoughts.

But what did it matter?

I had plenty of money and time, and now, I even had a hobby.

‘I’ll be a generous customer and accumulate as much good karma as possible in this lifetime.’

However uncertain, my plans for a future reincarnation were growing more detailed by the day.