Seven years ago, I opened my eyes to a ceiling I did not recognize, in a body that was not my own. I had become Aurelia Aurelius, the eldest daughter of a Duke—and the villainess of a story I had once read. In that book, my fate was written in ink: I was destined to be a stepping stone for the protagonist, a villainess doomed to a tragic death.
But I refused to play by the rules.
Armed with a Red Book that detailed the future, I decided to tear the script apart. However, the cost of defying fate was high. I didn't hide in my room to pretend; I was imprisoned there by the Dianoia, a "gift" from the Goddess Gennaia intended to restore my memories. The process ravaged my body, causing me to cough up blood and suffer terrifying hallucinations as my brain struggled to accept the foreign memories.
For seven years, I fought this silent war within my own four walls. I learned the way of the sword from my tutor, Lady Octavi, and was guarded by my loyal maid, Adel, a former assassin hidden in plain sight. Even from my cage, I changed the world. I saved four street children—Felix, Aelia, Alicia, and Alecia—who were destined to suffer until the "Paragon" arrived years later. I took them in, giving them a home and altering the flow of fate.
This rebellion did not go unnoticed. In my dreams, I was pulled into the void between worlds where I met Goddesses—Gennaia and Delios—and learned of Nona, the Goddess of Fate, who sought to punish me for my defiance.
I watched my younger siblings, Aurelio and Ophelia, grow up from the safety of my balcony, loving them from a distance to keep them safe. But the story would not let me hide forever.
A letter arrived from the Royal Family. A decree ordering me to the Capital to serve as a Courtier and fulfill my betrothal to Crown Prince Fabian Julius—a man who hadn't visited me once in seven years.
The time for hiding was over. I packed my Red Book, bid farewell to the sanctuary of my room, and stepped into the carriage. I was leaving the safety of Florence to walk into the lion's den.
My story had truly begun.