Reborn in Another World: Villainess by Mistake

The grand halls of the duke’s mansion, usually bustling with quiet elegance, now felt heavy with a suffocating silence. It had been days since the Duchess passed, leaving behind a newborn daughter and a palpable grief that clung to every shadow.

Outside the nursery, hushed voices turned sharp, their accusations slicing through the stillness like daggers. “The child is cursed!” Lady Eleanor, a distant relative, hissed, her voice laced with venom. “From the moment she was born, she brought nothing but tragedy! How else do you explain what happened to Her Grace?”

Duke Henry’s voice thundered, cutting through the whispers. “Enough, Eleanor! You will not speak of my daughter in such a way.” He stepped into the nursery, his towering frame radiating authority, his eyes fixed on the ornate crib where his daughter lay.

Cordelia, a tiny infant with impossibly pink hair and eyes the color of the deepest ocean, lay oblivious to the storm brewing around her. Yet, even as an infant, a strange unease stirred within her. The coldness in the looks not directed at her father or the loyal maid, Elara, pierced her tiny, reborn consciousness. They blame me, she realized, her memories of a past life stirring with unsettling clarity. Even though I had no control over any of this…

Her father’s warm blue eyes, filled with an aching love, met her gaze. I’ll make it up to you, Mother, she vowed silently, a profound resolve hardening in her tiny, fragile heart. Somehow, I’ll prove I was worth your sacrifice. Little did she know, this was only the beginning of the burdens she would carry as Cordelia, the Duke’s daughter.