Part 1

Where Did It All Go Wrong?

It was ten years ago, during her second year of middle school, that Haena transmigrated into Erika, the villainess from a novel she enjoyed reading.

Haena didn’t take long to realize she had transmigrated. This was because Erika’s family members had been Haena’s obsession all along.

While reading the novel, Haena had no interest in either the male or female leads—she was too busy fangirling over this villainess’s family.

The only downside was that, not being the protagonist, Erika appeared very rarely in the story.

From the first day as ten-year-old Erika, they exceeded Haena’s wildest imagination.

“Erikaaaa! My daaaarling— Daddy, huk.”

The well-built, handsome man with glistening blond hair was the Duke of Sparta, an even more extreme daughter-obsessed father than her father in her previous life.

“Erika, why did you climb that tree? If you wanted to check a bird’s nest, you should have told your brother. Why do such dangerous things yourself?”

The cute boy with an angelic face and fair skin was Hermes, Erika’s brother.

They were Erika’s upgraded family—just like her real family but without her mother.

‘Have I finally escaped Mother’s tyranny and gained a family that will only shower me with affection? Muhahaha.’

The immature Haena was so satisfied with her current situation that she wanted to jump on the bed and cheer.

How beautiful was this world without a mother who delivered flying kicks at the slightest provocation?

Erika was surrounded by allies who would call her pretty no matter what foolish thing she did.

“Mirror, please……”

“Bring a mirror! What are you doing?! The most beautiful Erika in the world wants to look in a mirror!”

“Here you are, Miss.”

With both father and son being so extreme, and even the maids trembling in fear, it was clear that this was Erika’s domain.

“Erika, don’t worry. I’ve called for the High Priest.”

The Duke of Sparta’s doting was sweet.

“Our Erika, don’t be shocked when you look in the mirror, okay? Here, here, you’re slightly injured, huk…… Your brother is sorry.”

Hermes’s doting was thrilling, incomparable to her ill-mannered real brother.

Haena checked Erika’s face in the mirror.

Erika’s beauty was truly fantastic, a whole different dimension from the real Haena who had her mother’s angular face.

It was a bit annoying that her sharp eyes were portrayed as disadvantageous compared to the female lead’s kind eyes, but she was genuinely pretty.

In the novel, Erika was a villainess who grew up fearless under the love of her invincible father and brother, with nothing to fear in the world.

‘Well, I understand, but that still wasn’t right.’

What Haena couldn’t understand was Erika’s blind love for the male lead.

Even if material things could be bought with money, you can’t force someone’s heart—she should have known when to give up.

Erika became obsessed with the male lead, severely bullied the female lead, and ended up dying.

Was she the only one who died? No, her family died too.

The setting was that they committed treason by offending the imperial family, but the ending still didn’t make much sense to Haena.

She had cursed while closing the novel that everyone else claimed had a happy ending.

‘That bastard. How dare he betray his fiancée?’

After all, he fell for the female lead while still engaged to Erika.

Looking in the mirror, Erika’s brow furrowed in thought.

“Erika…… Are you very upset?”

“……When is the High Priest coming? Did you contact the temple?”

“Yes, yes. He said he’s on his way.”

Erika looked at her forehead, where her father and brother’s gazes were fixed.

There was a barely visible red scratch, about 1cm long.

“There’s really no need to call the High Priest……”

In her previous life, after enduring her mother’s judo, kung fu, taekwondo, kendo, and all sorts of martial arts, this kind of injury was nothing.

“What are you saying? If even one scar remains on your body, I’ll die.”

“Father, I’ll be the one to die. You must protect Erika.”

“No, I……”

“No, I will……”

Erika watched the two bickering with great satisfaction.

In her previous life, under her mother’s favoritism, Haena had given up becoming a national representative despite having superior talent to her brother’s. She didn’t want to be compared.

It was incomprehensible to be beaten for not winning medals, but even more so for winning better medals than her brother.

Since she was intelligent, studying wasn’t difficult, so she didn’t regret leaving the athlete’s village.

The coaches and directors camped outside their door for days, but no one could break Haena’s stubbornness.

“Your Grace, High Priest Joseph has arrived.”

“Is that so? Show him in.”

High Priest Joseph couldn’t hide his irritation upon seeing Erika’s face.

This wasn’t the first time—he seemed resentful at having rushed over at the Duke’s insistence for what was clearly a minor issue.

“Don’t look at her like that. She fell from that big tree, so there must be injuries we can’t see.”

“……Yes. I’ll begin.”

In the end, High Priest Joseph poured in enough holy power suitable for a dying patient, then staggered away.

“Erika, go to sleep now. You need to rest.”

Erika smiled prettily and slipped into the fluffy blankets.

How wonderfully sweet this life was.

But Erika would soon realize that she was the type who got restless when staying still.

***

People are truly fickle.

While she had been dying of happiness from the Duke of Sparta and Hermes’s devoted care, now she was dying of boredom.

Erika got up and rummaged around her room until she found a diary.

She could immediately tell who had written it.

「Erika de Sparta.

Future goal: Become a Sword Master and marry His Highness Gerick.」

‘Huh? What’s the connection between Sword Master and marriage…… Well, that won’t happen now anyway.’

Erika was interpreting the diary like a workbook out of habit when she suddenly realized something surprising.

‘I can read and write this language? As expected of someone with a top grade in language arts……’

Erika felt proud that her middle school first-year studies, which had already covered the high school curriculum, hadn’t gone to waste.

Though her expression soon soured as she read the next page.

「Father won’t let me learn swordsmanship again. Why wasn’t I born a man?」

‘Hmm…… She abandoned her body and soul just because they wouldn’t teach her swordsmanship? How immature.’

Erika, generous only to herself, promptly closed the diary.

‘If you want to learn, just learn. If they won’t teach you, can’t you learn anyway? Fool.’

Erika headed straight for the training ground where Hermes was practicing.

Sweating profusely during training, Hermes noticed Erika’s arrival and rushed over as if by instinct.

“Erika, did you come to see your brother?”

“Yes. I’m bored.”

“Poor thing, our dear Erika. Your brother will wash up and be right back.”

“No. I want to watch you train.”

Hermes asked Erika cautiously with a troubled expression.

“Erika…… Do you still want to learn the sword?”

Do I really need to learn? I was an Olympic prospect, you know.

I could probably pick up swordsmanship here quickly after watching a few times. My dynamic vision is amazing.

Erika had much to say but felt it unnecessary to cause confusion, so she simply nodded.

She hadn’t exercised in a while, and her body felt stiff.

“Okay…… Then, shall we start with physical training after you change clothes?”

Erika tilted her head briefly before nodding.

It seemed right to build basic physical strength first, since she didn’t know this body’s condition.

Shortly after, Erika realized why the real Erika hadn’t been able to learn swordsmanship.

Her body was at the level of a blobfish…… damn it.

Even considering her young age of ten, this was too much.

From the next day, Erika began physical training, eating five meals a day, three portions per meal.

‘I never thought I’d be doing this basic physical training even after coming all the way here……’

Everyone watched anxiously as Erika ran around the training ground wearing clothes that supposedly belonged to Hermes when he was younger.

What she hadn’t known was that the real Erika wasn’t just a blobfish—she had almost zero athletic ability.

What was running? She would occasionally lose balance and fall even while walking.

Anyway, Erika built up her strength through consistent exercise during her breaks.

And she closely observed Hermes infusing his sword with aura.

‘Is it similar to the principle of gathering energy?’

Erika practiced infusing aura into a sword without being noticed by others.

She figured that if Erika, who was just starting physical training, started swinging a sword, people would be shocked enough—but if she tried to infuse aura, the consequences would be too much to handle.

“Oh? It works?”

***

A month later, Erika returned to the academy.

The term “return” was amusing since the academy only required coming and going twice a week from home.

“Erika, if anything happens, you see that? Come to that red building over there, okay?”

Looking at the five buildings, Erika was reminded of Power Rangers.

The five buildings were colored red, pink, yellow, blue, and black.

‘The colors…… Then is Hermes Red? Hehe.’

Red was where combat skills like swordsmanship were taught, Pink was for theology and philosophy, Yellow for politics and diplomacy, and Black for magic.

Erika’s Blue was…… very boring. It was where children just over ten years old pretended to be elegant while learning aristocratic culture and etiquette.

Erika quickly left Blue and headed for Red.

Yap!

Clang clang clang.

As the shouts and sounds of clashing blades grew closer, her hands began to tingle with excitement.

‘This is it, this is it.’

When Erika arrived, students were sparring in pairs.

She sat in the audience and watched the sparring intently. It didn’t look too difficult, and she thought she could probably beat most of the kids.

That’s when a boy caught Erika’s eye.

He had the looks of a male lead, but his skills were quite poor.

‘Tsk tsk tsk, how does he expect to become a knight like that? Hopeless, absolutely hopeless.’

As Erika was clicking her tongue and shaking her head, Hermes ran up to her happily.

He had just come out to train, it seemed.

“Erika, did you come to see your brother?”

That sunshine smile—truly a blessing.

Erika felt her heart warming and smiled broadly.

Hermes, neatly dressed in training clothes, was the object of everyone’s admiration.

“Isn’t it unfair for someone with your skill level to spar with students?”

“Yes. That’s why I mainly focus on instructional sparring.”

“At least you have a conscience.”

Hermes couldn’t help feeling sad seeing Erika unable to take her eyes off Third Prince Gerick.

Erika had tried to learn swordsmanship several times because she wanted to get close to Gerick. Unfortunately, despite being a child of Sparta, Erika had absolutely no talent for the sword.

Her father had strongly opposed it because she might die just trying to imitate the basics, let alone actually learn.

Now she only visited Red to catch a glimpse of Gerick’s face from afar.

‘His Highness Gerick is busy trying to survive right now……’

While Hermes was upset that Gerick completely ignored Erika, he also accepted that given the circumstances, it couldn’t be helped.

In fact, he was somewhat grateful that Gerick continued to ignore Erika, as he didn’t want her involved in political struggles.

That’s when it happened.

“The black-haired one will win.”

Huh?