ɪ'ʟʟ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴍʏ ᴅɪsᴛᴀɴᴄᴇ, ғᴀʀ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ᴀs ɪ ᴄᴀɴ

The hushed whispers of the maids echoed through the opulent halls of the Blacker Dukedom, a familiar lament for Aliciel.

"What a poor young lady... the Duchess of Blacker Dukedom passed away recently, but... the Duke remarried to another woman."

"And it appears that commoner woman has a son."

Thirteen years old, a year younger than her own fourteen, the news still grated. Aliciel sighed, staring at the ornate ceiling of her room. Reincarnated as the villainess of an otome game she once played, she had regained her past life’s memories just in time to comprehend the full scope of her impending doom. She, Aliciel, the girl everyone pitied, whose father neglected her and her late mother, was now trapped in a narrative where every path led to her tragic demise.

A soft knock broke her reverie. "Come in," she called, sitting up as her personal maid, Lula, entered with a cheerful smile. "Lady Aliciel, would you like some sweets? They're delicious." Lula offered, her kindness a rare comfort in this gilded cage.

"Yes, I would like to, please bring them to me," Aliciel replied, a small, tired smile gracing her lips. Lula's eager departure left her alone once more. "Perhaps Lula is the kindest soul here," she thought, the weight of her predicament pressing down.