To be the Villainess

O35.

Chapter 35

══ ◈ ══

I SQUEEZED my eyes shut, gritting my teeth as sharp pain stabbed through my hands. I tried to move, but icy metal shackles bit into my wrists and ankles, holding me in place. Slowly, I opened my eyes, blinking against the dim, hazy light that barely revealed the cold stone walls around me. Chains wrapped tightly around me, glinting faintly in the gloom, and the air was thick and frigid, biting into my skin.

“Mmph!” A muffled cry escaped me as I realized something rough was pressed against my mouth, preventing me from speaking. I struggled, my breaths coming fast and shallow. Shadows loomed in the dim light, casting eerie shapes over my confined form. I could barely make out the edges of the room.

I looked around, my eyes darting across the familiar yet nightmarish surroundings. This place… I know this place. I’ve been here before, but how? Where am I? Panic crept in, twisting my thoughts. How did I end up back here?

A faint memory flickered, a name—the Emperor. Rage flared within me. He did this. He used that cursed ability.

My mind raced, piecing together fragments of the Emperor’s sickening plans. He’s done this countless times, his obsession with reviving someone twisting him into a madman. Every time Sebastian regressed, it was all to bring her back—using my body as some twisted vessel. My stomach churned as I remembered reading that book Arthemice had left unfinished, a book that hinted at a fate far worse than death.

Then it clicked—the prophecy about the eclipse, the monstrous breach of the kingdom walls. But the book had never mentioned those monsters—creatures that originated from the grotesque tree hidden beneath the Imperial Palace. That tree fed on souls, and its roots stretched into a darkness even I couldn’t comprehend.

The Emperor is making his move to capture me. But why? I thought back to the original storyline. The villainess, Arthemice, was meant to be banished after the otherworldly monster’s defeat. That should have been the end, the final chapter of this twisted game. Yet here I was, trapped and helpless. The script had been rewritten, and I’d been taken far sooner than I could have anticipated.

I stared up at the cracked ceiling, my heart pounding as I whispered inwardly, ‘Arthemice… why is your fate so cruel?’ Confusion clouded my mind. What did they want with me? Why this body—her body?

A thought flickered to life, something the Emperor had said about Arthemice being the daughter of the High Priestess. I shuddered, my breathing shallow as dread began to seep into my bones.

Suddenly, a gust of icy air burst into the room as a window shattered, flooding the space with the pale glow of the moon. My eyes widened, taking in the nightmarish sight illuminated before me.

“Mmph!” I screamed against the gag, my heart racing. I was in the Heirloom Chamber of the Ducal Palace, and there—right in the center—stood a glass coffin. Inside lay a figure, eerily still and frozen, her features identical to Arthemice’s. The woman’s skin was as pale as death, her expression peaceful, as if she’d been waiting in silent torment all these years.

A chill gripped me, colder than any chain or shackle.

Revive... She’s the one he’s trying to revive?! No… wait, why does she look so much like Arthemice? My heart pounded. Don’t tell me… she’s the High Priestess?! I blinked, the weight of realization crashing over me.

The orb—it all connects. I remember now. To make every monster hatch, the orb needs to be destroyed. But only its creator has the power to break it. I thought back to what the Grand Duke had told me: the High Priestess was the one who sealed away the monsters, containing their strength. Without her, the monsters lingered, weaker but still threatening. And the Emperor... he wants to shatter this realm. To do that, he needs the High Priestess alive to bring down her barrier. He wants her back… so he can force her to destroy everything she protected.