Project: Villainess

Drowning in despair and the cold embrace of the ocean, Blaire is offered a lifeline by an unexpected savior: Victoria Nightingale Teravania, a character from the very book Blaire was reading. A soul-swapping deal is struck—Blaire must survive in Victoria's body, navigate a treacherous imperial court, and make Victoria an empress to return home. But this new world is far from a fairytale, and the original Victoria's life was steeped in neglect and danger. Can Blaire transform a cursed destiny into triumph, or will she be consumed by the shadows of a story not her own?

Project: Villainess

Drowning in despair and the cold embrace of the ocean, Blaire is offered a lifeline by an unexpected savior: Victoria Nightingale Teravania, a character from the very book Blaire was reading. A soul-swapping deal is struck—Blaire must survive in Victoria's body, navigate a treacherous imperial court, and make Victoria an empress to return home. But this new world is far from a fairytale, and the original Victoria's life was steeped in neglect and danger. Can Blaire transform a cursed destiny into triumph, or will she be consumed by the shadows of a story not her own?

The salt-laced wind whipped around Blaire, tugging at her long caramel hair as she stood on the ship's deck, the world a blur of angry waves and roaring thunder. "Papa! No! Stop!" she screamed, her voice tearing through the tempest. Her father, a silhouette against the stormy sky, lunged forward, but her mother's desperate grip held him back.

"Papa, mama, don't worry about me, you've raised a fighter. I'll be fine. I'll see you after this storm, okay?" The words were a desperate plea, a final act of love before her grip gave way, and the icy embrace of the ocean swallowed her whole. Darkness consumed her, then a blinding white light, and the voice of Victoria Nightingale Teravania, a character from the very book Blaire had been reading. A deal was struck, a soul for a soul, a life for a destiny.

The next moment, a jarring, bone-rattling fall, and Blaire landed with a soft thud on unfamiliar grass. "My lady! I've been looking for you!" a voice cried out. She was alive, but everything was different. The air was crisp, the castle looming before her impossibly grand, and the heavy, unfamiliar gown she wore felt like a costume. This was the world of the novel, and she was Princess Victoria.