"You piece of rotten child! If you keep on stealing everything from me, I'll have you be eaten by my beasts! Where are you?!" a deep rough voice echoed within the four corners of a small alley where I am. My whole body shivered, but still, I managed to hear the man's footsteps away from it. I sighed, but my hands wouldn't stop from trembling. As if some kind of lightning went through my chest and all I could do was let it pass by.

The man had this temper, with his uncombed messy hair, eyes that seemed like a century, mustache like a piece of rag, and tainted teeth with some hint of smoke from the cigarette he had.

I could still remember how wrinkled his face and hands were when he almost grabbed my clothes.

I hugged my body, having to crowd myself to the sides of many torn brown paper boxes, with some unusable containers below them. The only thing that kept me sane at the moment was the apple I managed to snatch away from the stool of the man.

It had been dirtied for the times I got it almost lost from my grasp but in the end, it's still a meal for me for the day.

I can't even remember where and when I was born, but the moment I had consciousness, I can only remember a man smiling at me in the middle of a snow one night.

He had this face where his smile could never reach his ears. I could even see his eyes that looked like they could blur at any moment when I looked at my reflection.

But the name he gave me, Sern, was enough to identify myself as a human being as well. From then on, I didn't know how I survived the world without anyone taking care of me.

All I did was to feed myself. No matter what the means was. I could only have one fruit within a day by stealing or even pickpocketing the people around the market and yet I felt like it was wrong.

But if I don't do those kinds of things I wouldn't be able to survive in this world. In my eyes, the world was cruel and there wasn't anyone who could help oneself than their selves. That had been stuck in my mind until the time that I grew up.

Ten years had passed. I am no longer a thief or a pickpocket, I was able to work a part-time job at a convenience store by befriending the owner's child. By day I would check the inventories and count the money as a cashier and by night, I would do the same thing and lock the convenience store.

Ever since I met Matthew, my life has changed. He made me see the brighter things in life, but that doesn't mean that I believe that there's hope. I just believe that it's pure coincidence.

In this world, it's cruel as if hope is like a fading light from a candle.

 Still, he never failed to make me realize a lot of things, especially by making me throw away the old habits I once had to survive.

He taught me the value of hard work and I was very thankful for him.

As I finished locking the store, I headed back to my rented apartment just beside the highway where Matthew lives.

However, I never thought that Matthew was indeed a very kind human being because right now, I'm already running for my life to save the man.

He was in the middle of the road, trying to save a kitten that was lost, but when I looked from the right side, a huge truck was about to hit him and I didn't even think twice to run after him.

I don't know why I had that kind of action.

Was it because I felt like it was my obligation since he made me realize that I could live without stealing, or was it because he was just this kind of a person that I couldn't let him lose sight of a world that he wanted to change or was it because it was way more than that.

But then when my thoughts got jumbled, that's when I realized that I had finally thrown my hands from his back when the light blinded my while sight.

The crash was severe, I don't know what happened earlier, but right now, it was as if my whole world had crashed when I saw Matthew crying over the useless person that I was. I can't even feel his hands over my head.

But I knew his hands and face was already bloodied.

I wanted to apologize for that but it seemed that there were no words left in my mouth. Instead, I lifted the corners of my lips and touched his cheeks which overflowed like an oven.

I wiped those tears that seemed endless.

If I regret something it was I couldn't even properly thank him for making me realize that the world is still changing for the better.

I couldn't properly say the words I wanted him to hear and that I wanted him to be happy and always kind, I don't want someone to lose that kindness and I also don't want someone who had been in the darkness to lose sight of those people who had those kindness from someone.

"M-Mathew…." Thank you for saving my life from hell. Now even if I saved you, I have no regrets even if I die.

I wanted to say those words, but it seemed that my consciousness was fading away even though the kitten he had saved kept on ticking my cheeks until I could no longer feel them.

"S-Sern? Please tell me you're still alive, Sern! Please! I still have many things I want to do with you. Please don't leave me like this, Sern!!!"

The last words I could hear from his aiding voice before everything went vague.

***

"Milady? Milady are you all right?" My consciousness seemed to be working. Did I get saved?

But it's impossible since I knew that the collision I had was pretty hard.

When I finally opened my eyes, the first person I saw was a maid. She wore the uniform of a maid white upper clothes and black clothing for the skirt with black long socks and black shoes.

I don't understand what is a maid doing here.

"Milady are you all right?"

"Milady?" I asked the maid and the person herself had these wide eyes and mouth like she had seen a ghost.

Shouldn't I be the one in shock since she kept on saying the word milady but then I wasn't even a noble or rich, to begin with, perhaps she got me wrong?

When I started looking outside, that's when I knew I must be dreaming or this must be heaven or this must be something after my death.

Since I could only have this kind of scenario in my dreams.

From the place where my foot had stepped in, I saw these huge hallways made of marble with some pillars on the side. On the outside of this hallway, I could see some trees with their leaves dancing along the wind. I could hear some birds singing while landing on some branches. The grasses were green and clean, and there was this fountain in the middle. It's clean, and the water keeps on flowing with some rippling sounds that get me at ease.

Then I looked at myself to be even more shocked since my hands felt small. I tried to move it and it corresponds to the same directions. I touched my dress and it was a dress that I felt like I couldn't afford in my lifetime.

It's soft like linen and flowery with the summer vibes of my yellow dress.

Please tell me that I'm dreaming…

"Please don't tell me Milady had lost her memories just because she keeps on banging her head on the wall!!! My lord will fire me!" the maid cried over her hands and kept on looking at me like pleading that I was just joking.

I am not and what is she talking about, my lord? Milady? Didn't I know these words? Matthew always had me read the books that he liked even though it should have only been read for girls.

"Tasha, there you are! Now bring Lady Femy to her room to prepare for lunch and her following lessons with Sir Fergiltz," a maid who had wrinkles on her forehead but eyes and lips that are sturdy spoke.

From the entire conversation she had with the maid, the maid shivers. I could even see that the one who spoke the name of the made had her hands over her waist like a chain, not even moving when she talked earlier.

"B-But M-Miss M-Monica----"

"No buts if you still want to work in this manor, Tasha…"

I saw Tasha, the maid who asked me earlier, shivered again while biting her lower lips. When the maid named Miss Monica walked away, I saw Tasha looking at me like a lost puppy.

"You're name is Tasha right?"

"Yes Milady," the maid nodded still there were tears from her eyes.

I sighed.

I thought I wouldn't resort to this but this time, I must know what kind of situation and life am I living right now since I have a clue that I must have been reborn or reincarnated somewhere.

"Tell me, who I am and what kind of life is this?"

"Milady???" were the words the maid said before fainting. I must have intimidated her too much.

Still, I made her lean on the wall beside me and tour the house until I found a mirror and that's when I realized that I, Sern, a nobody in my past life, was now reincarnated as the villainess in the storybook that Matthew made me read. The storybook is "My Lovely Rose," the only thing was, that I have become Lady Femy Argold, a famous villainess who will stop at nothing to capture the crown prince's attention.

Now I wanted that to avoid.

Having to see myself in front of this glass, made me pissed off. The lady I'm seeing now had curly brown hair, and eyes that looked ordinary but when light struck her figure, the hair became like honey and her eyes became like gold.

I despise this villainess not because of her attitude but because she couldn't see the small things before her. In her eyes, there's only Arcien the crown prince. But anyone or even a commoner would die to have this kind of wealth.

She wasn't even keen on loving her parents even though they loved her as their daughter.

Now that I have this kind of life, I must avoid my death the second time around. But first things first, I needed to plan.

Since the appearance, I'm still ten years old so I still have a lot of time before the main event of the story, the story where Arcien will finally meet Seviana at Femy Argolds coming of age.

"There you are, Femy!" A voice deep like thunder spoke from behind and I saw a young boy who had blonde hair and red eyes looking at me.

A boy that Femy despises and bullies in the story because he's not her real brother but an adopted one.

Femy's family wanted to adopt a boy to protect Femy when she grew up but right now, that wasn't the case since this boy is a masochist.

At first, Femy would always ignore him even though he is silly like this but the moment that Femy met the crown prince, she began bullying this boy.

Right now, I have to make the first move to avoid the plot.

"Lucas, can you spare a moment, I have something I want to tell you," I said.

And this time is the moment where I Sern, became the Lady of the Argold duchy, Lady Femy Argold, a reincarnated villainess who will avoid this plot by living peacefully.