I became the villainess and married the cold duke

“My patience is a very expensive commodity, little bird, and you are currently burning through the budget.” The deep, layered baritone vibrated right through the stone floorboards, carrying a low, demonic rumble that turned the air to pure ice. Draven leaned back against the royal headboard, his bare torso glistening with sweat, while pitch-black obsidian scales lazily receded down his muscular arms. His dual-colored eyes—one a predatory, glowing crimson, the other a fractured, stormy silver—tracked my trembling form with absolute, dangerous boredom. "I... I was just looking at the window," I stammered, clutching the bedsheets to my chest. Draven let out a soft, insufferable sigh, a dangerous smirk playing at the edge of his lips as a giant, dark-feathered raven materialized out of the shadows and settled heavily onto his scaled shoulder. "Then look somewhere else before I decide your neck looks better in a noose. Go to sleep, Seraphina. Or don't. Personally, I find the prospect of your execution rather entertaining." --- ### **** **"So naive, Melanie. So stupid."** Those were the last words I heard before a bullet ended my life. Betrayed by my best friend and murdered by the man she loved, I thought the darkness of death was final. Instead, I woke up inside a web novel. Not as the beloved heroine. Not even as a lucky side character. I opened my eyes as **Seraphina Helene Valemont**—the spoiled, doomed villainess destined to be brutally executed for treason by her own husband, the notoriously cold and terrifying Duke Draven Everfrost. Armed with complete knowledge of the original plot, my survival strategy was simple: 1. Avoid making fatal mistakes. 2. Avoid the high-society enemies. 3. Above all else, **AVOID THE DUKE.** Except, the story refuses to follow the script. The monstrous Duke who was supposed to despise me is suddenly dragging me out of blood wars, tossing me swords to fight my own battles, and lazily controlling my limbs with dark magic just to mock my executioners. The events I memorized by heart are fracturing. Deeply buried political secrets are clawing their way to the surface, and the future I relied on changes with every passing sunrise. As deadly conspiracies threaten the empire and old legends refuse to stay buried, I am caught between a fate I desperately need to escape… and a demon masquerading as a man whom I was never supposed to trust. But the deeper I dig into the dark history of the North, the more terrifying one question becomes: *What if the most dangerous thing in this story was never the villainess?* Because some monsters are not born. Some monsters choose to chain themselves. And some names should have remained forgotten. **[MISSION UPDATE: SURVIVE.]** **[WARNING: ORIGINAL STORYLINE HAS DEVIATED.]** **[WARNING: UNKNOWN ENTITY DETECTED.]** **[CURRENT RISK LEVEL: CRITICAL.]** --- **~Author's Note:~** *First time writing a long, serialized story! Thank you so much for your patience, support, and love while I learn, improve, and build this world!* **THE READER'S PACT ** * **35 FREE CHAPTERS.** 0 excuses. Jump straight into the chaos! * **Kindly add this book to your Library** and Draven will personally protect you from Stephen's schemes. * Refuse... and Malaki wins. The choice is yours. ** THE VOTE REWARDS ** * **Power Stones** = Extra bonus chapters unlocked! * **Golden Tickets** = Mass chapter drops to satisfy your binge-reading! This is my official **WSA 2026** entry. Vote for the Everfrosts today... or watch Stephen try his luck again. **[Daily Chapter Releases — Never Miss a Beat]** **Connect with the Lore:** Instagram: **@merah_writes** TikTok: **@merah_writes**