Chapter 0: The Marquis Becomes a Cute Villainess

"Don't understand? Kneel down and clean up the cup you broke, or get out, disgusting illegitimate child."

The twelve-year-old young master of the Langwendi family trembled in fear, crying and wailing as he ran out of his sister's room.

That evening, the Langwendi young miss was summoned for questioning.

The Langwendi ancestors had established the family hundreds of years ago, originally possessing endless wealth and lofty status. But through the passage of time and the incompetence of previous family heads, the family gradually declined. 

Now, the family's primary heir - the sweet, lovely Miss Liang Lin Langwendi - stood behind the long table, chin held high, eyes filled with contempt. Dressed in wine-red court attire, holding a feather fan, she embodied the taste and heritage of a noble young lady.

"Liang Lin, why did you bully your brother?" 

The current family head, Liang Lin's father, Auston Langwendi, asked with a worried expression. 

"The illegitimate child born of a lowly maid doesn't deserve to enter my room. If you called me here not for dinner but for questioning, then I'll return to my room." 

Liang Lin turned around, ignoring the calls behind her, and returned to her room as if she hadn't heard. 

Auston massaged his temples while leaning on the chair back.

"What's happened to her recently? Six months ago she was so well-behaved... How did she become..."

The change in Liang Lin's personality traces back to six months ago, when the Soteland Empire suffered defeat in battle.

On the battlefield, the youngest, bravest, and most noble Marquis died in combat, his eyes stubbornly open as he stared at the blue sky stained red by the blood in his eyes. A gleaming longsword was embedded in his chest.

But in the blink of an eye, the scene changed. The blood-red sky transformed into an ornate ceiling, and even his body felt lighter.

"Haha, did sister fall and hit her head?"

A burst of boisterous noise made the Marquis's head ache.

Irritated, he sat up and turned his head, catching sight of a sweet-looking girl with disheveled long hair and skin as smooth as white jade in the full-length mirror in the hallway.

The girl was sprawled awkwardly on the floor. 

Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, flowing softly across the floor. Her crimson eyes looked pitiful, with tears glistening at the corners. Her lips, like budding flowers, were naturally red without a hint of makeup.

She should have appeared sweet, but the moment the she lifted her gaze with a murderous aura, the girl's demeanor shifted abruptly, as if Snow White had suddenly transformed into the Evil Queen. 

Who... is this?

A flood of memories that weren't his own surged into his mind, finally settling on the moment this girl younger brother had pushed her down the stairs.

The surrounding laughter and noise grew louder. 

"Sister is so dumb, hahaha–" 

Though he didn't fully understand the situation, he realized he could indeed control this body. The Marquis had always been highly adaptable, and he thought this must be God's reward to him, the valiant one, granting him a chance at rebirth to fulfill his unfinished desires. 

The jeers and mocking laughter around the girl intensified, even escalating to insulting words. 

In her memories, Liang Lin was an obedient and well-mannered noble girl, always bullied by the illegitimate children and her other younger siblings. 

Ah... the young lady of the fallen Langwendi family. 

Ah... the pitiful and timid noble lady. 

For now, her priority was to shut those nasty brats up.

Liang Lin staggered to her feet, looking down at the child before her, a strange smile curling at the corners of her lips.

"Edwin Langwendi, this is your sister's gift to you."

Smack! 

A sharp slap landed heavily on Edwin's tender cheek. The poor child stumbled backward, falling hard onto the floor. He stopped laughing but couldn't even cry, utterly shocked.

The surrounding laughter abruptly ceased, replaced by expressions of shock and fear on everyone's face.

Liang Lin strode forward, grabbed Edwin by the collar, and lifted him as if he were a chick. Then, she delivered another hard slap.

"Since father and your lowly mother refuse to discipline you, I'll take care of it. You bastard."

"....."

"Waaah-"

The sound of crying echoed throughout the mansion.

The poor youngest son of the Langwendi family had suffered a humiliating defeat in his first attempt to bully his elder sister.

The clueless servants, believing the words of the family's most favored youngest son, assumed that the young lady had bullied Edwin.

Liang Lin, however, disdained to explain herself.

After this incident, the title of "Villainous Noble Lady" began to take root.

As Liang Lin repeatedly mocked and sneered at noble ladies' tea parties, and rumors spread within the mansion that the young lady forced servants to crawl on the floor like dogs, the title of "Villainous Noble Lady" became firmly established in aristocratic circles.

Until – Liang Di Langwendi appeared.