A small, largely unknown village lay a short distance from the capital, hidden even from the knowledge of most city folk. Just beyond this village, a carriage slowly came to a stop outside a modest house on its outskirts. The house, with its lights glowing warmly even during the day, seemed to welcome Ciela as she stepped out of the carriage.

‘I need to hurry.’

As she entered the house, thoughts of the one she had longed for filled her mind.

“Meow!”

Hop! A fluffy yellow cat leaped into her arms.

“Titi!”

Ciela caught the cat safely, cradling it close.

“Were you good while I was gone? I’m sorry for coming back so late.”

Titi tilted its head from side to side as if to say, No need to apologize, before nuzzling its cheek against hers. Purr, purr. The soothing sound of Titi’s contented purring filled the air, and the faint, sunlit scent unique to the cat lingered at the tip of her nose.

“Titi…”

The sharp tension in her chest melted away, dissolving like snow under a warm sun.

‘To be disarmed by sheer adorableness.’

She was sure her face looked as foolishly soft as old Ken had once teased, but she didn’t care.

‘How could anyone not smile at Titi?’

What did it even mean? How was that even possible? It was out of the question. Stroking the cat in her arms, she finally spoke with a heavy heart.

“Titi, I’m sorry.”

“Meow?”

“Traveling long distances must be stressful, but… we have to return to the Marquisate.”

“Meeow?”

Titi’s round eyes widened as she suddenly sat up and patted her hand with her fluffy paw, as if to urge her to explain further.

“I think it’s better to stay at the Marquisate if I want to take my revenge.”

“Meowww?”

When Titi looked up at her insistently, as if the explanation hadn’t been enough, Ciela sighed and told her briefly what had happened earlier.

“They said I’m not their real daughter.”

“Meow?”

“Lilia is their real daughter. I’m just a fake.”

“Meowww?”

“And apparently, the reason I’m sick is because I took on the fairy’s curse in Lilia’s place.”

“…”

Titi remained silent, its purring momentarily stopping as it stared at her, almost as if trying to understand her words.

“I’m dying because of them, so isn’t it only fair that I take my revenge before I go quietly?”

To an outsider, the sight of someone earnestly talking to a cat might seem laughable, but Ciela wholeheartedly believed she could communicate with Titi.

‘Look, even Titi’s angry for me.’

With its fur bristling and tail lashing furiously, Titi radiated pure outrage. Its sharp yellow eyes gleamed with an intense, predatory menace. Yet even in that state, Titi was so adorable that a faint smile found its way to Ciela’s lips.

‘Meeting Titi really was a blessing.’

Her thoughts drifting to her last birthday.

On that day, Ciela had reluctantly joined her family for breakfast for the first time in a while.

“Lilia, what would you like for your birthday?”
“How about making this year’s party a little grander?”

But, as always, her family ignored her completely, their excitement focused solely on planning for Lilia’s birthday—which wasn’t for several more months. Not a single glance was spared in Ciela’s direction.

She finished her meal quietly, her stomach churning under the weight of unspoken emotions. Needing to clear her head, she wandered out into the garden. It was also the day she received confirmation that her fifth fiancé had been meeting with Lilia frequently.

“Huh? That cat…”

That’s when she saw it—a yellow cat, bloodied and barely clinging to life.

“If I’d found you any later, I wouldn’t have been able to save you.”

Thankfully, she had managed to rescue Titi. Now, she couldn’t imagine life without the little cat by her side. Looking down at Titi, who had become so precious to her, Ciela’s gaze softened.

“Meow.”

Even with just a meow, she felt like she could understand what it was saying.

“Hungry?”

Titi, titi. Titi shook its head.

“Want me to play with you?”

Titi, titi. Another shake of its head.

As Titi repeatedly shook its head, Ciela reflected on the conversation they had just had. Could it be…?

“Are you asking how I plan to get my revenge?”

Nod! Titi enthusiastically bobbed its head, puffing out its tiny chest as if to proudly declare its readiness to help with whatever was needed.

“Hoo…”

Clutching her chest, Ciela took a long moment to steady her breathing. Once she calmed down, she rolled her tongue carefully over the answer to Titi’s question.

“I plan to play the role I liked least – but to play it well.”

The kind of character who exists solely as an obstacle, fading away as the heroine smiles triumphantly. But.

Not all villains have to end that way, do they?

‘Even a villain can be the one laughing in the end.’

Her pale lips curved upwards in a gentle smile. Ciela knew she would be the one smiling in the end. Knowing the original story was a powerful weapon, but it wasn’t her only one.

‘Because I’ve been close to them, I know better than anyone what they want, what they love, and what they despise.’

They had always underestimated her, and as a result she had often seen her ugliest side. It wasn’t something to be taken lightly. Who would have thought that what she endured back then would now become her greatest weapon?

“First of all, I think I’ll ruin what the Marquis and Marchioness cherish most.”

Lilia. That child.

‘No parent can smile in the face of their child’s misfortune.’

Having witnessed firsthand how much the Marquis and Marchioness adored Lilia, Ciela knew it better than anyone. They had disguised Ciela as their legitimate daughter in order to protect Lilia from the curse.

‘So, I’ll make them see.’

The cost of sacrificing someone else’s life for their own convenience.

“There’s one thing Lilia has long desired but still hasn’t obtained.”

She knew Lilia would eventually have it, of course.

“But what if I take it first?”

A smirk spread across Ciela’s face, one corner of her mouth lifting in a crooked grin as she locked eyes with Titi.

“Calix Icarus, the Duke.”

At the mention of the name, Titi’s ears twitched.

“I’m going to make him mine.”

Lilia’s long unrequited love and the male protagonist of this story. To steal him would be the greatest blow to Lilia – the heartbreak of a love she has cherished and nurtured for more than ten years.

‘I know exactly how to catch his attention. I even know what he needs right now.’

But there was just one problem.

“I’ve heard that the Duke hasn’t been meeting with people lately…”

How could she involve Calix, who only appeared when summoned by the Emperor? She was deep in thought, considering various options, when it happened.

“Meow!”

Titi suddenly let out a clear cry and pounded its fluffy paws against its chest.

“You’re telling me not to worry?”

“Meow!”

As if to say “Exactly!” Titi cried out again with all its might.

In that moment, Ciela had no idea—no idea at all—that there was no need for her to rack her brain so hard.

***

In the still darkness, moonlight filtered through the window, illuminating Titi’s eyes. In the dim light, those eyes glowed a striking red.

‘Finally.’

An opportunity had finally arrived.

***

As soon as Ciela woke up in the morning, she wrote two letters. One, of course, was addressed to the male lead, Calix Icarus.

‘If the Duke replies, my family might snatch the letter away before I even get a chance to read it.’

Just as she was about to put her pen down, Ciela picked it back up and added one final sentence:

[P.S. When you reply, please address it to ‘Rix.]

“All done.”

She reviewed the contents of the letter while the ink dried.

‘I’ve included terms that make it hard for Calix to refuse my request for a meeting…’

It wasn’t bad. Not bad at all.

“Titi, do you think this is good enough?”

“Meow!”

Titi, sitting nearby, raised its tail high as if fully satisfied.

‘Then, it’s time to start on the next letter.’

Ciela carefully set aside the letter for Calix, ensuring it wouldn’t get damaged, and pulled out another sheet of paper.

‘This one is just as important as, no, even more important than the one to the male lead.’

It was a matter of survival, after all.

The fairy’s curse.

Ciela recalled a time when she had helped Lilia research various folktales, sparked by Lilia’s interest in superstitions. Among those tales, there were stories related to fairies.

“Once upon a time, fairies and humans lived side by side. Initially, they coexisted peacefully, but over time, humans, blinded by greed, began to oppress the fairies. Outnumbered and unable to resist, the fairies gradually vanished, and it is said that they can no longer be found.”

“Before their departure, the fairies left humanity with two parting gifts. These were known as the Blessing and the Curse.”

Recalling a passage from an old book, Ciela pressed her fingers against her temples. Despite the oppression, the humans who had stood by the fairies were rewarded with the Blessing. Those who received it enjoyed a lifetime of health and the power to grant one heartfelt wish. In contrast, those who had been especially cruel to the fairies were cursed, doomed to a life of relentless misfortune as retribution.

“The curse takes different forms, varying based on the circumstances.”

Her gaze dropping to her frail arms. With a heavy sigh, she let her thoughts linger on the weight of it all.

‘As for my symptoms…’

Every three days a fever would break out, leaving her exhausted. She could barely digest anything, vomiting up any food that wasn’t thin soup. Her body had wasted away, leaving her little more than skin and bones.

‘And the chronic headaches… I’m used to those by now.’

Hah.

‘Why do I have to bear this curse instead of Lilia?’

If there was a way to transfer the curse in the first place, surely there had to be a way to reverse it. However, the book contained no information about transferring the curse, let alone undoing it.

‘It would have been better if it at least mentioned how to break the curse, but even that isn’t there.’

If there was any small consolation, it was this:

At least there was a way to ease the curse.

Her grip on the pen tightened unconsciously.

[To Mr. Ken.]

Ciela began scribbling the second letter rapidly. Unlike the formal letter addressed to the Duke, this one started with a casual tone and included only one request:

[Please secure as much of the fairy’s apple tree as possible. I don’t care how much it costs.]

After finishing the letter, Ciela leaned back, letting the ink dry, and fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

‘If I return to the mansion, the Marquis will undoubtedly try to prevent my engagement from being annulled.’

When Lilia had confessed that she had been approached, Ciela should have left behind evidence. But at the time, her mind had been consumed with thoughts of escaping, and she hadn’t considered it. Now, that oversight weighed heavily on her, gnawing at her thoughts. As she clicked her tongue in frustration, Titi suddenly appeared, tapping a paw against the words “fairy’s apple tree” in the letter.

“Meow?”

“Oh, are you asking why I’m trying to get it?”

Nod!

“It is the only tree that bears fruit that can alleviate the curse.”

The fruit, resembling an apple and glowing with a mysterious blue light, was known as the fairy’s apple. It was the only remedy capable of alleviating the effects of the curse.

“It’s an incredibly rare tree, though.”

The issue wasn’t money—it was scarcity. Even the Imperial Palace or the gardens of a prominent duchy might only have one or two of these trees, if they had any at all.

‘For now, I have no choice but to trust Mr. Ken.’

Familiar with the workings of the underworld, he would surely find a way, no matter the cost. If even he couldn’t manage it, then…

“Meow!”

Titi’s stiffened ears and tail, along with its unusually bright, gleaming eyes, seemed to say it all.

“You’re going to find it for me?”

Just like the day before, Titi tapped its fluffy paw confidently against its chest.

“Meowww!”

Its assured tone, as if this was only natural, made Ciela’s lips twitch upward in amusement. Unable to resist Titi’s overwhelming cuteness, she gave its bottom a playful pat.

“Hiss!”

“Oh, right. You hate that. Sorry, sorry.”

Most cats enjoyed having their bottoms patted, but Titi was an exception and strongly disliked it. Instead, Ciela gently stroked Titi’s head.

“I’ll be more careful from now on.”

Only then did Titi lean into her touch, pressing its head against her hand in contentment.