Chapter 1

Everyone in the Realm cursed me.

They said I was dirty, ruthless, crazy, and shameless.

But I was the most loyal, the most obedient, the most submissive to my master.

I was his most convenient and devoted simp.

Whoever he told me to kill, I killed.

Even if it cost me my own life, I never hesitated.

All I wanted was to see him flash that drop-dead gorgeous smile and call me his good Scarlett after the job was done.

But after I awakened as the villainess, I finally realized this whole world was just a story spun from a parchment-bound tale.

My master was the male lead, Jerod Blackthorn, and the miracle healer, Elara Hartwell, was the female lead.

Elara eventually cured Jerod's leg, and the two of them fell in love during the process, becoming the fairy-tale couple everyone envied.

As for me, I was consumed by jealousy of Elara, lost myself to obsession, and ended up dying at my master's hands.

I wasn't afraid of dying, but what truly terrified me was ending up like the villainess in that parchment-bound tale, never even getting to touch my master before my death.

So, on the night I awakened, I drugged him with nightshade dust.

Then I climbed into his bed.

*****

His leg condition made him look a bit fragile, almost vulnerable. But his face, strikingly beautiful, almost ethereal, was impossible to ignore.

I climbed onto him, my fingers tracing every line of his face with obsessive care.

From his brows, down his lashes, over the sculpted bridge of his nose, finally pausing at those pale lips.

I leaned in and gently bit his lower lip, not letting go until it glistened with moisture and a soft flush of red.

By the end, his whole body was glowing with desire.

But I made sure not a single mark was left behind.

I tucked him in and quietly backed out of the room, showing him the respect he deserved.

The next day, my master looked a bit worn out.

He propped his head up with his hand, barely flipping through a couple pages of the book on the table all morning.

I stayed obediently behind him, sword in hand, watching as he nodded off.

Seeing his head tilt further and further, I called out softly,

"Master," I said.

"Hmm?" he murmured, still half-asleep.

He lifted his eyelids, still a little dazed.

"You should go back to your room and get some rest," I suggested.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a sip of water to clear his head.

"It's nothing. I probably just didn't sleep well last night.

"By the way, has Elara agreed to treat me yet?" he asked.

I pressed my lips together, not daring to tell him that Elara, our prisoner, had actually been stirring things up in the Cult these past few days.

She was always dropping by the various halls, chatting with people about cultivation, wellness, and poisons.

She even gave everyone in the Cult a body check and cured the cook's back pain with sylvan therapy.

But she just wouldn't treat my master or me.

Because I was the one who captured her, and my master was the one who gave the order.

She hated both of us, no exceptions.

So now, I couldn't even talk to Elara.

"Elara still won't budge," I said.

My master's lips curled into a barely-there smile, a trace of amusement flickering in his eyes.

"Stubborn girl. Toss her into Serpent's Maw Cavern to give her a scare.

"But make sure nothing happens to her. If anything goes wrong, you're the one I'll come after," my master ordered.

When I got to Elara's courtyard, she was humming a tune, tying little braids in her hair.

I deliberately made some noise with my footsteps, making sure she knew I was coming.

Elara turned around with a bright smile, but as soon as she saw me, her face darkened.

She let out a cold snort and turned away again.

I didn't care. I walked up behind her, met her gaze in the bronze mirror, and, using my height and strength, lifted her by the back of her collar and marched her out.

Elara went ballistic, lashing out at me like a wildcat, trying to claw and kick.

"What are you doing?! You wicked woman!

"How can you be so rough with a pretty girl like me?" she fumed.

"Rough?" I teased.

"If I'm being rough, my master will blame me," I said.

I then paused, considering.

I slipped my hand under Elara's knees and scooped her up, holding her securely in my arms.

The sudden lift made Elara gasp, her arms instinctively wrapping around my neck.

Once Elara was in my arms, she stopped wriggling like a slippery eel, so I quickened my pace.

"You seem...different today," Elara said, sounding a bit unsure.

I lowered my gaze to look at her in my arms.

Elara bit her lip, her face flushing a strange shade of red.

Different? In what way? I wondered, but my hands kept moving.

Without pausing, I tossed Elara straight into Serpent's Maw Cavern.

The snakes inside caught the scent of fresh meat and instantly went wild, swarming densely to cover Elara.

In no time, she was buried beneath a sea of snakes, her terrified screams and furious curses at me echoing through the cavern.

"Scarlett! This isn't over! You haven't changed one bit, you're still... Wait, is that a red-banded adder? And a silver viper?" she cried out.

Elara pushed her way out of the writhing snake pile, clutching a snake in each hand, her eyes practically glowing with excitement.

"Scarlett, can you let me have these two snakes?" she asked.