Back on Earth, I was a broke college student struggling to make ends meet. I died from overwork and stress before I could realize my dreams of being an engineer. During my time there, I once read a web novel about a rags to riches story set in a fantasy world. Of the characters in the novel, there was a particular cruel villainess at the beginning of the story who was later hung for attempted murder.

Now, in Kingdom Valus, that girl was me. Everything was red. Antagonistic red hair and red eyes stared back at me in my reflection, a prominent trait for House Villin. It’s been three days since I’ve remembered my past life and it’s been three days since I have holed myself up in the library of Villin Manor.

The maids and servants have become anxious at my radio silence. I can’t even look anyone in the eye. One swift glance in one direction and they cower in fear. I can hear them whispering in the corridors antsy that this is my calm before the storm.

That is the least of my concerns right now. Coming to terms with the realities of the two lives I lived made me want to pull all my hair out. In this world, I grew up with a silver spoon in my mouth, everything handed to me without even lifting a finger. I have more money than I could ever dream of and an entire world of magical possibilities. Yet, I’ve been playing dress up and pining over a boy for 19 years!

I have learnt a considerable amount of things after spending the past three days in the library. The first thing I read up on was that potion I drank. For one, the Featherbee’s Love Potion is actually a love potion. It is taken from the talons of lovebirds known to mate once in a century. They are an extremely rare species marked by their yellow and black striped feathers making them prone to hunting. Feather Bees are a symbolism of undying love for which they have become almost extinct on the hunt for their talons. It is said that drinking this potion will make you desirable to the person you find most attractive at that point in time. Clearly, it did not mention anything about gaining memories from another world and waking up in a novel. I was most definitely scammed. The potion is so rare that there are hardly any accounts of people drinking the potion to actually test if it works. Either way, if the potion is a sham, there is a concoction out there that lets you regain past memories. I can not, however, find anything in this library about any of those sorts.

In the novel, when the Villainess drinks the love potion, Alexandar was actually affected and started paying more attention to her for a few days. However, his love for Lucy was so strong that it was able to break the spell he was under. The author was big on the love conquers all part. After that, the Villaness was charged guilty of treason to House Starling for drugging their heir and was executed on the spot. This freed Alexandar from his engagements and allowed for me to ask for Lucy’s hand in marriage and they lived happily ever after. That is, until readers of the novel dropped the story because it became boring with the Villainess gone. So, the author changed the genre to a full blown fantasy war but then discontinued the novel after they wrote themselves into a rabbit hole of complications that were too big to solve.

I have about three years before all that happens and that is if I don’t die in the name of love first. What was my past Villainess self even thinking before? I lived in a world with freaking magic and I’ve spent all of it pining over some boy who I was already engaged to might I add.

Speaking of betrothals or more like breaking betrothals. The engagement between Alexandar and I was made when we were five years old by my father, Blake Villin and the late Helon Starling. Alexandar won’t be able to break off the engagement by himself without the reputation of both Houses suffering, especially with all the gossip of him and Lucy going around the Academy. If we were to both break the betrothal by citing we grew out of the childhood puppy love, then it may work.

Except, there is only one problem here. I would need my father’s approval. This is the same man who engaged his daughter’s hand when she was merely five years old to expand our family’s power. He knows he can leverage our marriage using the reputation of House Starling to secure our seats as House Villin. After my mother passed away, he diverted his attention to climbing the political ladder and using his kids as pawns. He would definitely be against the annulment and would definitely have me banished. He’s been preparing my dear brother, Kalen, to become a Royal Knight while he marries his daughter off.

“Lady Isla, Lord Alexandar has requested your audience in the guest room today once again. I have told him that you are still bedridden but he refuses to leave until he sees you this time.” Rosie spoke shakily through the locked doors on the other side of the library entrance.

I guess I can’t avoid him forever. No time like the present to tackle your problems. I put away all the books I had taken out and unlocked the entrance to the library. Rosie was stunned at my presence and bowed her head still shaking underneath me. I ignored her and made my way to the guest room which was at the opposite end of the hallway to the Library.

Alexandar was already seated at one end of the table that was already decorated with tea and sweets. I must admit he was a handsome fellow. He was tall, had curly blond hair, of athletic build and an immaculate jawline. He fit the beauty standards of both worlds I’ve lived. It must be great to be the hero of a novel. It’s no wonder my past self was so obsessed but I can’t say the same now. The past Villainess feels like a stranger to me.

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He stood up acknowledging my presence with a nod as I returned a curtsy and made my way to the empty seat across from him.

“I heard you fell ill, are you feeling better now?” he asked. His words were forced pleasantries. Alexandar was a noble gentleman with high moral grounds. We used to get along when we were younger but he grew tired of me always having my way. I was just a nuisance in his path. It wasn’t until I started messing with Lucy did he start resenting me. However, he still chose to honor his late father’s promise that is until I slip up. I can’t exactly fault him for that.

“Yes, much better with rest. You rarely visit the Villin Manor anymore, to what do I owe your presence?” I replied straight to the point. The small talk won’t do.

Alexandar flinched a little not expecting the Villainess to speak coldly towards him. No, he was much more used to her overly fake sweetness and short temper.

“Have you read the latest edition of Omniscience News?” Alexandar asked, handing me a sheet of parchment.

Omniscience was a secret student society operating in Solaris Academy, the top school of magic in the whole kingdom. We were both due to attend the start of the second year in a few days except I got executed before the term started, not that I wasn’t failing graciously anyways . I guess I had that in common in both worlds.

Omniscience has eyes around the school spreading what they find in gossip columns. Nobody knows who runs it or how members are recruited but they’ve been operating seamlessly for years.

In bold letters at the very top of the parchment, the title read:

Lucy Bloomington, hidden talent of Solaris’s first year in troubles with the Nobles?

The exposé describes how the commoner Lucy has an emerging talent in magic over all her peers in nobility and they aren’t very happy about it. It went on to mention one particularly jealous student targeting Lucy. Although they kept the identity anonymous, it was obvious it was about me.

“Do you have any idea who might be troubling Lucy? Those allegations can get someone expelled, rightfully so.” he said, staring directly at me trying to read my reactions.

He knows it’s me. He just doesn’t have direct evidence to link it to me. I can’t get expelled from Solaris Academy. Not only would it ruin my family’s reputation, the Academy is a big factor in preventing the war. Plus, I get to study the art of magic!

“You’ve been hanging around Lucy a lot. Be careful, allegations can be made about the Starling heir and his mistress, rightfully so.” I said unnerved.

“ISLA! Do not speak-”

“-Oh hush. Let’s call the engagement off. It's what you wanted right?”

I caught Alexandar by surprise. I watched his expression change from embarrassment to rage to pure surprise.

“What are you talking about? Clearly, you are still very ill. I will visit you another time.”

“Sit down.” I commanded before he could lift himself up. “You do want to break off the engagement don’t you? I’m giving you an out.”

“But why? Aren’t you…” he trailed off flushing red.

“Obsessed with you?” I snickered, also embarrassed at my past. “Yeah well, let’s just say being being deathly sick helped me see everything for what it truly was.”

Alexandar stared in disbelief for a few seconds then narrowed his eyes at me.

“What’s in it for you?”

Ah, finally the real talk.

“If we both agree to break off the engagements together, neither of our reputations would suffer. You, as the heir of Starling, would be free to sign off on it but my father on the other hand would not heed lightly to this. If however, a substantial amount were to be paid to the Villin for irrefutable damages, then he might just concede-”

“-That is enough Isla” a voice boomed from the entrance.

Both Alexandar and I stood up at once greeting the man.

“Lord Villin!”

“Father!”

Blake Villin was a tall man with a large build that towered the both of us.. His red hair and beard were military styled cut, neat and short. He had a commandeering presence of the knight he was.

“Alexandar, my daughter and I have business to talk about. Will you give us some time alone?”

Alexandar gave me a look before replying, “Yes, sir” as he awkwardly left the room.

My father waited a few moments in silence before speaking. It was unnerving to say the least.

“What is this preposterous deal you struck with the heir of Starling? How dare you beg for money. Have you no pride left in yourself, in House Villin?”

A deep rage brewed inside of me.

“You promised to marry me off when I was five. I grew up and found better things to do than to sit still and be pretty for you or Alexandar. Also, don’t talk to me about pride and money. You think I don’t know that you’ve been siphoning money out from the manor after Mother passed-”

“-ENOUGH!” Father shouted. His face was red either from embarrassment or anger. He sighed and spoke softly this time, “I only wanted what was best for you. I thought Alexander was what you wanted. If you break off the engagements, it won’t only be our House that suffers, it will be you that will take the most damage. People will talk about your incompetency to lock down the heir of Starling. You no longer have House Starling backing you up. You know our house’s reputation is dwindling and the Starlings were supposed to help us. You will become a target to all the nobilities once under you, how will you deal with this?”

I smiled at him, “By becoming a Grand Magus”

...And that is the story of how I got disowned, broke my betrothal and lost my reputation and money. On the upside, I get to attend an elite magic school and practice the art of magic and put my engineering skills to the test. Time for a training arc!