BVAL 02

Even better!

I was an office worker. More precisely, an office worker drowned in overtime.

AM 01:40

My eyes were dry and aching as I stared at the red numbers glowing on the office digital clock.

“…The coffee… is gone…”

I tried to get up to brew more in the pantry, but staggered and collapsed back into my chair.

I had already been pulling all-nighters for three days.

On the first day, there had still been people around until about 8 PM.

Now, I was the only one left in the office.

— “Sua, I have to attend my younger sibling’s wedding. Please cover for me.”

— “I’ve got a reunion tonight. Guess you’re the only one left, Assistant Manager Han!”

— “It’s my 100th day with my girlfriend today… I’m sorry. I’m counting on you, Assistant Manager.”

What were they doing now?

Probably eating something nice, going home, resting, or enjoying themselves.

I skipped dinner to avoid getting sleepy, so my stomach—filled with nothing but coffee—felt nauseous and burned.

But even if I went back to that moment, I’d still end up working overtime.

I had already tried to speak up.

— “Um, I’m also a bit…”

— “Oh? Do you have plans, Sua?”

— “…”

I didn’t.

No family, no close friends, no lover.

My coworkers knew that too.

My parents had died in a traffic accident when I was in middle school.

After that, I moved from one relative’s house to another until I left as soon as I became an adult.

I managed to attend university on scholarships, but I was too busy earning living expenses to make any real friends.

As for a boyfriend… better not think about it.

“Let me wake myself up a bit.”

I tapped my phone and opened a web novel app.

Reading a chapter or two usually helped clear my mind.

Soon, the cover of a romance fantasy novel titled <Contract Saintess> appeared.

The silver-haired heroine on the cover always looked beautiful.

I randomly clicked a chapter somewhere in the middle.

“‘Is it true that Your Majesty executed the Lady of Lavius for blasphemy?’

‘Who told you that?’

Friedrich tilted his head slightly as he asked.

From his reaction, Anael realized the information she received was true. She sighed silently.

‘So… the Lady of Lavius was really executed…?’

Kalia Lavius had tormented her relentlessly and even tried to kill her.

Yet Anael felt no satisfaction or relief at her death.

Instead, she only felt that something was wrong.

‘She shouldn’t have been killed like that. If she had lived, perhaps something might have changed…’

‘If she had, she would have tormented you even more.’

Friedrich stood up, walked toward the table, and pulled Anael into his arms.

But she did not return the embrace as she usually did.

His jaw tightened.

Holding the unmoving saintess closer, he muttered:

‘You’re right. She shouldn’t have died like that. She should have died more painfully.’

‘Your Majesty.’

Anael pulled away from him.

At the Grand Temple of Harnellia where she was raised, she had been taught to value human life.

Friedrich, on the other hand, held the opposite values.

‘I cannot understand you, Your Majesty.’

Anael turned her back on him and left the office.

…”

‘Oh, this is the chapter after the villainess dies.’

Normally, people would cheer when a villain is removed, but because of the heroine’s reaction, the comments were mostly negative.

— “Feels like I had a good dump but didn’t wipe.”

— “Thought she was a girl crush heroine, but she’s just frustrating and dumb. I’m dropping this.”

— “Sweet at first, but turns into sweet potato frustration later?”

…

Some comments said they were looking forward to the scheming Emperor male lead suffering, but most criticized the heroine.

‘If you’re going to love Anael, you should love even her frustrating side.’

Her charm was being a saint who embraced even villains with generosity.

I smacked my lips and put down my phone. At least I felt a bit more awake.

Though my body still felt like a lump of stone…

“I have a day off tomorrow, so let’s just finish this quickly.”

A day off I barely managed to get after asking for two months.

But I’d probably sleep in, do chores, and the day would be over before I knew it.

I swallowed a sigh and turned back to the bright monitor.

Then suddenly, my vision blurred.

“Ah…”

Something dripped from my nose.

Bright red blood.

I covered my nose with one hand and fumbled for tissues, but my head spun.

My neck wouldn’t hold.

My head hit the desk.

The bleeding wouldn’t stop.

I couldn’t breathe.

A terrifying thought struck me.

I desperately tapped my phone to call an ambulance.

But that was it.

I couldn’t move my fingers anymore.

[“P-Please, spare me!”]

Maybe I had pressed the previous chapter button—Kalia, the villainess, was begging the male lead right before her execution.

In my fading consciousness, I thought:

‘She had money and status… why did she live like that? If it were me, I’d never…’

If I wake up safely, I’ll never overwork again.

I’ll sleep properly.

And maybe… try dating at least once…

That was my last thought.

When I opened my eyes again, I had become that very villainess—

Kalia Lavius.

How did I know?

“Kalia! You will reflect in your room for a month! If you step out even once, you’ll be thrown out!”

Because the Duke of Lavius—Kalia’s father—stormed in and yelled at me like that.

At first, I thought it was a dream.

But when I tried to go back to sleep, the bedding felt so luxurious that it woke me up instead.

‘This is way too realistic for a dream…’

Thankfully, my web novel experience helped me grasp the situation quickly.

‘I transmigrated into a villainess… and it’s before her death?’

Acceptance came quickly too.

“…Jackpot?”

Was this what “imperial confinement” felt like?

A luxury suite-level room, full room service, meals included—for a whole month?

For a homebody, this was a reward. A deluxe staycation!

I slept in every day. Took naps. Ate full-course meals brought to my bed.

Just the fact that someone else cooked for me was already amazing—but the food was Michelin-level.

When I wanted to bathe, maids prepared a rose-petal bath, washed my hair, and even gave me oil massages.

The chronic fatigue engraved into my soul from office work melted away.

It was perfect. Amazing. Thrilling.

“You’ve been so quiet in your room… have you truly reflected?”

I was just resting, but they were impressed?

Was it really okay for life to be this easy?

As the confinement period neared its end, I thought seriously:

“How do I avoid the execution ending and keep living this sweet life?”

From what I overheard, my reputation in the capital, Reinfield, was already ruined.

‘The villainess who bullied the saintess.’

Even if I tried hard to fix my image, I’d only get a lukewarm “she improved” at best.

‘But do I really need to bother?’

I was tired of struggling to present myself well to people I didn’t care about.

If I were still Han Sua, I’d endure it to survive.

But now? I was a rich villainess.

And honestly, having a bad reputation wasn’t all bad.

Think about possessing Anael—the hardworking saintess who wakes early, prays devoutly, and trains in swordsmanship daily.

‘99.9% chance I’d be exorcised as possessed by a demon.’

Meanwhile, as Kalia, I was praised just for being lazy and quiet.

Conclusion: being a delinquent villainess is way better than being a saintly heroine.

Sure, in high society I was basically treated like a criminal.

Maybe if I attended parties, I’d change my mind…

‘Or I could just leave.’

<Contract Saintess> is set in the imperial palace.

Even when the story expands later, it wouldn’t matter.

‘Hmm. North and central are out… guess I’ll go south!’

So, on the last day of my confinement, I attended the May Festival, held my own retirement ceremony—

—and left.

I headed to a rural territory in the southeastern part of the Lavius duchy, called Basium.

The fantastic healing life of a rich, unemployed person—

Let’s go!