I Became the Villain's Sister (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
“I won’t love you, nor will I crave love. And I certainly won’t beg you for an heir.”
I sensed his expression shift strangely. The furrow between his brows, which had been creased like a medal all day, now lay as stiff and smooth as if pressed by an iron, and his already striking red eyes had grown even redder.
‘He really is handsome, I’ll give him that.’
But since ancient times, they’ve said good looks don’t put food on the table. No matter how handsome someone is, life only grows harder. That’s why I prefer a husband who’s dependable.
“I understand.”
“You really don’t need to worry at all. It’s simply not my preference.”
I spoke with the biggest smile I could muster, hoping to reassure him.
“I understand. You don’t need to keep saying that.”
“Yes.”
That was the end of it.
There was no promise to think it over and contact me later, nor any hint that my words had convinced him or that he’d consider it positively. The Emperor merely gazed at me in silence.
‘This is precisely the perfect moment—when he has no Empress.’
It wasn’t that the Emperor, known for his deep disdain toward women, had never had a wife. In the original novel, several women had indeed become Empress Consorts.
Because the Empress’s seat remained vacant, ministers had repeatedly submitted memorials urging him to remarry, insisting the Empire couldn’t be without a mistress of the palace. They even forced their own daughters into the Imperial Palace against the Emperor’s wishes.
Eventually, he reluctantly granted the title of Empress Consort, but most of those women couldn’t hold the position for even a year before leaving the palace of their own accord.
At first, these women had acted as though they desired no affection, yet inevitably, each one ended up yearning for love and longing for an heir. None had been brought in by his own desire—they had all entered the palace willingly.
The Emperor, for his part, had granted them a palace and the title of Empress Consort, but nothing more. Faced with his utter indifference, they all voiced their discontent, and their fathers frequently confronted the Emperor.
Each time this happened, his misogyny intensified, until finally, he expelled the ministers who insisted he must take another Empress, declaring there would be no more women in the palace.
Frequent changes in stepmothers had also made the Crown Prince’s personality increasingly eccentric.
“Your name?”
“Oh! I’m Isabella Belochi.”
“Belochi? That’s a noble house I’ve heard of before.”
He made a peculiar expression, then nodded.
“I see.”
That was it. As expected, there was no mention of thinking it over or contacting me later. True to his straightforward nature, the Emperor simply said his piece and vanished.
Only then did my legs start trembling like an aspen leaf.
‘Is it… over?’
What had just happened felt like a dream. Had I really just proposed marriage to the Emperor? And had he actually agreed?
I wondered if I’d imagined it all, but the handkerchief stained with drops of red wine proved I’d truly done something.
After the party ended and I returned home, I lacked even the strength to move a finger.
Back in my room, I collapsed onto the bed without even changing my clothes.
“Miss, are you alright?”
“Yes. I’m fine, so please leave.”
“Should I at least help you out of your dress…?”
“No. I don’t even have the energy to roll over.”
At my words, the maids nodded and glanced around.
“Miss…”
“Yes?”
“Do you still think Miss Shasha is pretty?”
“Why bring that up all of a sudden?”
“You seem to be worrying about it a lot…”
Seeing them trail off awkwardly, I gave them a small glare.
“Has something happened to Shasha?”
“Not yet!”
“‘Not yet’? So something is going to happen.”
“We didn’t say anything!”
But without another word, the maids quickly scurried out. After all, they belonged to the Countess. No matter how rudely they behaved toward me, they’d never be dismissed.
On the contrary, the Countess used them to keep watch over me. The original Isabella had seemed oblivious to this.
But now that I inhabited this body, I could clearly sense it—they were spying on me. If they monitored me this closely, Shasha’s maids must be even worse.
Anxiety began to creep over me.
‘What are they planning to do?’
This household was utterly disagreeable.
If the maids had something to say, they should just say it outright instead of leaving me wondering.
“Ah… I’ll just sleep for now.”
Exhausted from all the tension, I fell asleep as if knocked unconscious. I didn’t wake again until the next day.
When I opened my eyes, I nearly thought I’d died all over again.
The entire room was overflowing with an enormous quantity of flowers, and I lay right in the center of them, as though placed inside a coffin.
“Am I dead?!”
“Did you die, older sister?!”
Startled, I shouted—and Shasha’s voice immediately followed.
“Huh…?”
“Are you dead, older sister?”
Only then did I lift my head and look toward the sound. From amidst the sea of flowers, a single head suddenly popped up.
“Shasha?”
“Yes! Are you alive, older sister?”
“Yes. I think so…? But what is all this?”
“Well…!”
Shasha scratched her head awkwardly, then broke into a sheepish grin.
“They said you’re supposed to bring flowers when visiting someone who’s unwell, but I’d never seen real flowers before… So I thought about it, and this happened! But I’m making a bouquet just like in the books!”
Beaming brightly, Shasha held out a clumsily gathered bouquet toward me.
After a full night’s rest, I felt slightly better and rose from the bed to approach her.
“Did you prepare this for me?”
“Yes! I hope you’re not sick anymore! I love you so much, older sister! You’re the only one who hugs me and says I’m pretty. Of course… you might feel differently… but I still love you, older sister.”
Because of the Countess’s words, traces of melancholy still seeped unpredictably from Shasha’s heart, and I could feel it all too clearly.
One moment she’d laugh carefree while with me, the next she’d sink into sadness—seeming fine yet clearly not.
I knew emotional abuse ingrained since birth couldn’t be healed by mere days of affection, so instead of saying countless things, I resolved simply to listen to Shasha.
“Do you really like me that much?”
“You’re just like fire, older sister.”
Did that mean I had a fiery temper? I might have thought so in the past, but not anymore.
“Why?”
“You’re warm. And when I look at you, you’re so pretty. Your face is really big, older sister.”
“Huh…?”
“Your nose is big, your eyes are big—everything’s big! That’s why you’re super pretty.”
Shasha was a child, and I was an adult—of course I was big. After all, we were thirteen years apart. Her childish, nonsensical comment left me slightly flustered.
‘Is my face really that big?’
I rubbed my face with a serious expression, but Shasha, seemingly misunderstanding, cupped her cheeks with both hands and beamed.
“You’re pretty. So, so…”
I tilted my head toward the puzzled-looking Shasha and asked,
“If I’m so pretty, can you even tell me apart from the flowers?”
“No! I can tell. You’re a person, older sister. You’re different from flowers.”
“Oh… r-right.”
“You’re incomparably prettier! Why compare? You’re way prettier! You’re the prettiest of all the flowers here!”
“Shasha…!”
Emotion surged through me.
Such a lovable child—why couldn’t her family see this beauty?
‘They must have been afraid.’
Afraid of her brilliance, her perfection—an ability unseen in their lineage.
When Shasha was younger, they must have been even more terrified, calling her a monster without hesitation. Parents who, instead of giving her a name, labeled a speechless child “monster.”
People instinctively fear those superior to them and try to fabricate flaws to place them beneath themselves.
Especially when that person is the youngest in the family—with the vulnerability of youth making it even worse. To a child, family is their entire world. And so, they began molding the “monster” child to their will.
Though they withheld affection, deeming her different, once Shasha started earning money, they suddenly saw her as useful.
They never inflicted physical abuse, yet never offered love—claiming they raised her well while freely committing emotional cruelty.
Because of this, Shasha grew up slightly differently from other children.
Even I, when first becoming Isabella and meeting Shasha, hadn’t loved her right away.
The pressure of her immense power, her unrefined speech from lack of proper education, her strangely gloomy demeanor—
All of it had felt uncomfortable and unpleasant. But as I watched quietly, I realized Shasha was the most lovable child of all.
“Shasha.”
She simply didn’t know how to express herself. She was the warmest child of all.
Just then—
“What in the world is this disgraceful sight?!”
The door burst open, and an uninvited guest stormed in, shouting in apparent horror.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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I mean, for starters. Why is she being so reckless? She doesn’t have anything, and being realistic, her parents don’t need to even ask her. They can just use force and take the child themselves