Knowing that he wasn’t as irrational a monster as the rumors suggested, the first step was to befriend him.

If the crown prince were threatened by the emperor, then he would have much to gain from the treasured jewel of the Greuga Ducal House.

Just as Raylin was wrapping up her thoughts—

“But, my lady, you always cried after meeting him, saying he was terrifying!”

The maid spoke in a sulky tone.

“I haven’t done that lately.”

That was something the previous Raylin had done. Since she had possessed this body, not once had she run away from him in fear or cried because of him.

Besides, now wasn’t the time to be picky about warm meals, cold meals, or even stale ones.

Just as the maid opened her mouth to say something more—

“My lady, we’ve arrived.”

Raylin conveyed a silent message with a glance—no more talking—and took a deep breath.

It was time to meet Catherine, the male lead, Theron, who had suffered from her delusions, and Aiger, the villain who would become her ally.

This was the true beginning of Re.Vil.Bre.

****

A two-story café stood in the prime location at the heart of the empire’s capital.

Nobles enjoying various teas, coffee, and desserts adorned their faces with elegant smiles as they waged war on the social battlefield—one fought without swords.

Among them, three young noblewomen seated in a coveted spot within the highly sought-after café were no exception.

“Oh my, that happened?”

The count’s daughter, from a family with considerable influence in the central politics of the Reinhardt Empire, widened her eyes, making her already blank expression look even more vacant.

“Yes. You should have seen it yourself. But, alas, I missed it too. Ugh, I should’ve delayed my trip south. Honestly, what’s so great about a new vacation home?”

The daughter of a viscount from a family whose wealth rivaled that of a marquisate lifted her teacup with a slight air of superiority.

“Oh… hohohoho. I happened to see it! Completely by chance!”

The third young lady, a viscount’s daughter whose family was neither powerful nor particularly wealthy but maintained ties with the imperial family, suddenly fluttered her hand as if fanning herself, forcing an awkward smile.

The count’s daughter gasped, noticing the bracelet swaying on her wrist.

“Oh? My lady, that bracelet is beautiful!”

“Oh my, hohohohoho. You have quite the refined eye, as expected from a family with such a long history. Just between us, this bracelet was gifted to my family by the late imperial princess herself in recognition of my sister’s hard work. It’s far more valuable than any mere vacation home.”

Her words, openly flaunting her wealth, were meant to provoke the viscount’s daughter.

“Hmph, no wonder it doesn’t quite suit you.”

The viscount’s daughter, having been targeted, immediately lifted a corner of her lips in a smirk while the other girl’s gaze sharpened as she shook her dazzling bracelet.

“What did you just say?”

The sudden, sharp tone made the count’s daughter shrink her shoulders.

Here we go again…

Separately, they were both admirable and respectable in their ways, but whenever they were together, they resorted to childish power struggles.

Her family had encouraged her to build friendships with them, so she couldn’t just leave out of discomfort.

However, she also knew now wasn’t the time to step in and mediate.

Even someone as clueless as she had learned multiple times from being in this situation.

She had to find a new topic—quickly.

Desperately, the count’s daughter rolled her eyes around the room, scanning for something to divert the conversation.

But given the venue, she only saw the same familiar faces she always encountered.

After all, troublemakers couldn’t even set foot in this members-only café.

As her eyebrows drooped in disappointment and the voices of the two viscount’s daughters grew sharper like sandpaper grating against wood—

The café door opened, and a man and a woman walked in.

“…Are you listening to me?”

“No, wait—just look over there.”

Irritated by the interruption, one turned her gaze toward her companion’s astonished expression.

“What? What is—”

Her mild annoyance melted away when she saw what had caused such a reaction.

Surprise. Shock. Astonishment. Unexpected delight. Curiosity. Fascination.

Raylin discreetly glanced at the words hovering around the people nearby and clenched her teacup tightly.

From her prime seating position in the café, she had a perfect view of the entire establishment, yet she remained hidden from others’ attention.

Even so, the fear that Catherine might notice her made her stomach churn with nerves, her palms dampening with sweat.

It was the morning of the third day after her regression.

In the same place, at the same time as her previous life, she saw Catherine again.

According to Re.Vil.Bre., Raylin was supposed to witness Catherine Sillion and Theron Lucart’s engagement breaking apart by chance.

That day, the only daughter of the Greuga Ducal House—frail and rarely allowed outside, unfamiliar with the rumors circulating in high society—would become captivated by Catherine’s confidence and boldness.

Before the regression, it might have been as the original setting described.

It was a long-ago event, making it impossible to recall the emotions precisely, but perhaps that was the case.

Before the possession, Raylin had been a reader of Re.Vil.Bre, readers naturally tended to love the protagonist unless it was a special case.

Of course, that was no longer true. Love? What a laughable notion.

After giving everything and even acting as an emotional dumping ground, only to be murdered in the end, even a thousand years of love would wither away.

The only reason her throat felt tight and tension was that she knew just how dangerous and insane Catherine indeed was.

As she took short, shallow breaths, fixing her gaze on the table where Catherine and Theron sat—

“So this is where you were.”

Like metal scraping against metal, a rough, low voice rang in her ears.

Before Raylin could even flinch at the proximity of the voice, the seat across from her was filled.

His hair, dark as the melted night, fell slightly askew over his smooth forehead. Beneath it, well-shaped brows framed sunken eyes the color of deep, stormy seas. His half-lidded gaze and straight nose led down to lips that curled ever so slightly at the corners as if amused.

Was it because she was seeing him up close for the first time in a while? Or was it because he had yet to step into his role as a villain fully?

The air around him was sharp, brimming with danger, yet somehow…

“Lady Greuga.”

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

Momentarily dazed, Raylin barely suppressed the instinct to elicit a loud response.

As she offered him a curt, formal greeting, Aiger observed her calmly before nonchalantly scanning the surroundings and speaking.

“It’s been a month, hasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“We can spend the time as before, then.”

By “before,” Aiger meant sitting silently across from each other, wordlessly letting time pass.

Raylin, who had been about to answer yes again, hesitated.

If she wanted to win him over—or, at the very least, strike a deal—she needed to find out what he wanted.

Wasting time in silence wouldn’t do.

For an engaged couple who had met multiple times, she knew astonishingly little about him. It would be best to start with something neutral.

“The weather is lovely today, so I thought an outdoor setting would be nice.”

“I see.”

At least he wasn’t ignoring her outright.

For now, that was enough.

The worry that he might not even acknowledge her as a person faded, and Raylin subtly lowered her gaze, taking in Aiger from head to toe.

In the standard pattern of awkward conversations, small talk about the weather was usually followed by a comment on clothing, hair, or accessories.

A tiny red dot was visible on his earlobe.

Since it didn’t catch the sunlight, it didn’t seem to be a gemstone. It looked more like a roughly cut stone set into an earring.

Not decorative, then—perhaps a protective magical artifact?

Aiger had been threatened multiple times by a certain someone, otherwise known as the Emperor, but given his immense natural strength, she had never heard of him relying on magical tools.

Still, there wasn’t much else to comment on, so…

Raylin forced herself not to notice the loosened cravat or the glimpse of his straight collarbone as she spoke.

“Your earring is unique. A gemstone that doesn’t shine?”

“Earring?”

“Yes. Over here…”

As she absentmindedly touched her left earlobe, Aiger’s lips curled slightly.

He ran his fingers over his left earlobe, and the red dot she had mistaken for an earring stretched out in a thin streak.

“I thought I’d wiped it off, but I must’ve missed a spot. A butterfly got a little too close just before I came here.”

Hearing this, Raylin immediately shut her mouth.

The best she could do was refrain from asking something foolish like, Huh? Wiped off what?

A disappearing red mark. A butterfly.

He had been attacked by an assassin.

What she had mistaken for an earring was actually a bloodstain.

So much for trying to ease the awkward tension.

For a brief moment, despair crept in, but it was too soon to give up.

Because beside Aiger, there was no displeasure, anger, or irritation.

From the moment he arrived, only two words had consistently surrounded him—boredom and tedium.

There was still a chance, though not much time.

Glancing briefly at Catherine and Theron, whose conversation was practically a ticking time bomb, Raylin parted her lips.

If subtlety didn’t work, she’d go for a direct approach.

“Is there anything you’ve been interested in lately? Or something you want?”

It was an abrupt and overly broad question, but she couldn’t exactly ask; so, you want to get rid of the Emperor? Need my help?

But life rarely unfolds as planned.

“Not sure.”

His indifferent response made her mouth go dry.

Though he answered her questions, Aiger remained utterly bored and detached.

Is this the end? If Aiger isn’t the right ally, then who else could be a candidate…?

Raylin was racking her brain so intensely that she missed the fleeting appearance of the word “interest” in his expression before it disappeared.