Chapter 0 - 1

Chapter 1

01. I turned my life around, but poof! It disappeared!

My DoXX coin hit the jackpot.

It skyrocketed. Truly, it was a massive success.

Because I suddenly had billions of won, close to ten billion, in my hands.

'Wow, me. How many zeros is this...?'

Amazingly, I became an instant billionaire.

I recalled the past.

The coin I had bought on a whim after being persuaded by a senior in university and then forgotten... Who knew it would turn out like this.

A year ago, my parents and brother died in an accident while on a trip without me, leaving me alone.

Since my parents had cut ties with the family while alive, thankfully, no relatives came to the funeral.

Sorry to my parents, but life was hard, so I invested the little inheritance they left me in stocks.

Since I probably couldn't even buy a house in this one life, I thought this was better than the lottery.

And only after losing it all did I realize that stocks just weren't for me.

Then, while struggling at a so-called 'small and medium-sized enterprise' and debating whether to quit, people around me kept talking about coins, which reminded me of the DoXX coin I had bought long ago.

"Tsk tsk, this is why you shouldn't hire people from provincial universities."

My superior was busy belittling people every time he opened his mouth, and I dreamed of escaping the company under him.

In this world where the chance of moving to a better company was slim, the only thing I could trust was a stroke of luck!

'But who knew it would succeed beyond my wildest dreams, and in such a big way?'

Father, Mother in heaven, are you doing well? Mom, Dad, your daughter's life has been reversed.

'Section Chief Kim, you bastard! Goodbye! Hahahaha!'

Goodbye, everyone!

I'm throwing off all the shackles and restraints of this world and leaving to find my happiness.

That very day, I couldn't exactly slap Section Chief Kim's cheek with my resignation letter...

But I quit the company.

'First, I'll enjoy an overseas trip!'

I booked a first-class ticket to an island I'd always wanted to visit with the money I'd saved.

That was fine. It was really fine, but...

The plane crashed.

A plane crash, which is said to be rarer than winning the lottery!

And I died on the spot.

'Damn it, what kind of bolt from the blue is this?! Oh dear, thinking about it again makes me so angry, boohoo, my coin! My money!'

Truly, I died without even getting to properly use those billions.

I wouldn't mind if I had spent it all frivolously in Las Vegas before dying.

In first class! Before I even got to eat the in-flight meal!

'I can't die like this!!'

Waaaaah.

If I'd known this would happen, I would have lived a little less pathetically!

My money! My overseas trip! Waaaaah!

I should have at least slapped that bastard Section Chief Kim once!

* * *

When I opened my eyes as if waking from a long sleep after crying my heart out, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

What is this, do I even dream when I'm dead?

"Y-y-you're awake! Countess Charlize!"

As I opened my eyes and sat up, I saw a startled person.

They immediately ran off, so I didn't see their face.

'Where is this? Why are the furniture like this?'

I stood there blankly, looking at the scenery.

There happened to be a mirror nearby, so I looked at my reflection.

As soon as I saw the mirror, I opened my mouth slightly.

"Wow, insane."

An incredibly beautiful woman was blinking back at me in the mirror.

Slightly dull but long, flowing pink hair, haughty red eyes.

A slender but elegantly shaped figure.

Her complexion was a bit pale and haggard, as if she hadn't slept, which was a pity, but she was still beautiful enough that it wasn't a flaw.

Looking at her enchanting eye corners, I thought that if this person seduced someone, they'd be driven crazy saying 'Unnie! I love you!'.

I was happily looking at the mirror for a while when I paused.

'Wait, didn't the person who just left definitely call me 'Charlize'? It's a familiar name...'

Why is it familiar? As I was thinking, I looked around the room and flinched.

"Wine bottles?"

Oh my god, what is all this...

The room was a complete mess.

Scattered wine bottles, the bed and decorative fabrics soaked as if wine had been spilled.

Seeing the neatly stacked bottles, it seemed the person who just left had been cleaning up.

I tried to take a step, but my foot caught on something.

A scroll? It was a rolled-up parchment like you'd see in a Western movie.

Miraculously, it floated up and then unrolled itself.

"W-what is it?"

[I am God.

I'm sorry, but I called you here to fix an error in my world.

You have 1 year. Maintain your engagement with 'Askin Lemut' as a villainess.

However, you must never be discovered as a fake soul.

If you succeed, I will return your DoXX coin.]

"...Voice phishing?"

This was my honest reaction.

I mean, I know it sounds ridiculous, but I had nothing else to say.

'Wait a minute, with this appearance, villainess, and Charlize...'

As the keywords combined, something flashed through my mind like lightning.

And I remembered where I had seen all of this.

This was all a description of the villainess from the R-rated, angsty novel I had read, 'Surviving as the Tyrant's Empress'!

Charlize was a villainess who, until the female lead appeared, received abundant love from the male protagonist and her maternal grandfather and committed all sorts of atrocities. The story involved the female lead consoling the victims of this villainess one by one, turning the male characters into obsessive men who fought each other.

To describe the villainess in one word, she was a 'complete tyrant'.

Not only did she love alcohol, but she was also horribly addicted to handsome men, having supposedly hit on every handsome man in the novel at least once...

Or she used her power to incite violence.

Or when drunk, she'd personally beat people up. Listing her evil deeds would be endless.

My head throbbed a little.

'What the, where did the parchment go?'

The parchment that had been floating in the air had disappeared at some point.

No matter how much I looked around, there wasn't even a trace left.

Does that mean the contents were real?

'Can I go back and touch my money?'

I gulped.

Of course, the process didn't seem easy.

'Askin Lemut' is the character who helped the female lead kill the villainess in the book...

He's the villainess's fiance, but the one who was treated most harshly by her and ended up hating her.

But they say I just need to maintain the engagement for a year?

Then I can go back and get my money? That sounds great?

As I felt confused, the door quietly opened. Then two people hurried in.

It was an elderly lady. As soon as she saw me, she stuttered.

"Cha, Charlize, my lady... The Duke is looking for you."

"..."

If it's the Duke, that's Charlize's maternal grandfather, right?

At that moment, a vague image of a handsome old man floated up in my mind.

Then some memories surfaced, and I knew they belonged to the villainess 'Charlize'.

Through this, I could see how Charlize usually treated her grandfather.

'I'm not supposed to let them know I'm not the real villainess, right?'

Then I guess I should behave for now.

"Alright."

As I roughly got up, a nearby maid scurried over and draped a shawl over me.

But this maid, for some reason, when I looked at her, she was busy adjusting the shawl with a teary face.

"I-I-I'll escort you."

This R-rated novel, 'Surviving as the Tyrant's Empress', abbreviated as 'Surviving Tyrant', wasn't called that for nothing.

The male protagonist was a tyrant, and along with him, several crazy sub-male characters appeared, making it famous for its obsessive confinement.

'Among them, the most insane one they somehow made the protagonist is the tyrant Roxidian. He was the older brother of this villainess, Charlize, right?'

Charlize, as the female lead's sister-in-law, not only tormented her in various ways, but also showed jealousy when a handsome man she had her eye on only showed interest in the female lead.

In short, she was a character who acted viciously towards the female lead in many aspects.

"Uh, C-C-Countess?"

Because I had stopped walking while thinking, the maid was looking at me before I knew it.

When I stared blankly, for some reason, the maid trembled and bowed her head.

I carefully opened my mouth, trying not to be awkward.

"Where am I going?"

"The, the, yesterday you had a g-good time drinking in the private reception room... so the Duke wishes to see you this morning..."

An answer flowed from the bowed maid, as if my question or expression wasn't strange.

Then, as I walked, I heard that originally, Charlize had been effectively exiled on a trip after causing a huge scandal. That period ended, and she had just returned home yesterday and thrown a drunken party.

'Ah, no wonder the room was a mess with wine bottles.'

I guess her haggard face was because of the alcohol...

The lady walking with me now was Lady Larvil, the nanny who had raised Charlize since childhood.

"The Duke... I have brought the Countess."

Upon entering the room, I was faced with Charlize's maternal grandfather from my memories, the Duke of Altsbeit.

He was a handsome old man, but his gaze was chilling and incredibly scary.

"Sit down."

Lady Larvil bowed her head. I rolled my eyes and decided to watch the situation.

'Let's see how things are for a bit.'

As soon as I sat down, Lady Larvil went out, and I heard the door close.

"Heh, so you couldn't resist your habits and threw a drinking party."

The elderly Duke rubbed his chin.

Only one person stood beside the Duke, and their gaze towards me wasn't exactly kind.

"I told you yesterday to behave moderately upon returning. Not even a single day has passed... tsk, why do you keep showing such unsightly behavior?"

Tsk tsk, the Duke's expression as he clicked his tongue was cold.

But strangely, his eyes were slightly softer than when I first saw him. If I had to interpret it, it was like looking at a somewhat immature granddaughter?

"One fact came to light while you were away."

However, it was brief, and his face returned to an even colder one.

"Your fiance, the Duke of Lemut, has demanded to break off the engagement."