The Villainess' Husband For Hire

Selena didn't intend to be too chummy. She was afraid to be taken advantage of after the last time, she didn't want friends. She didn't need them. What she needed was respect. That's all she asked for.

The silence that followed was palpable. Selena picked up her fork and began eating as though nothing had happened, savouring the fluffy scrambled eggs and buttery toast.

Lucien's voice broke the tension, dripping with sarcasm. "How gracious of you, dear sister. Are we witnessing a newfound sense of maturity? Or is this just another one of your games?"

Selena glanced at him briefly before returning to her food. She wasn't going to talk to him or make him believe that she changed. She didn't care. If there was anything she realised, it was that life was too short. 

She wasn't going to waste her time on people who don't like her... And there were many people who didn't like her.

Lucien's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He wasn't used to his sister responding with such calm silence. 

Their mother interjected, trying to ease the tension. With a warm and reassuring voice, she spoke. "I think it's a wonderful change. Kindness is never misplaced, Selena."

Lucien, however, wasn't ready to let it go. "Kindness? From her? Forgive me if I don't start applauding just yet," He said, his tone sharp. "This is the same girl who made a maid cry because her tea wasn't the perfect temperature last week."

"Lucien," their mother said firmly, she would not let anyone insult her daughter.

Selena watched how their mother defended her. Some of the fault lies in the Duchess too. She never put an end to her daughter's behaviour. Maybe if she nipped it in the bud when she was younger... Things wouldn't have turned out this way.

Selena sighed. In a way, she would rather be an insufferable, arrogant prick than the doormat. She shook her head. What was she saying? Both of them weren't ideal situations. There needed to be a balance.

Selena set down her fork and met her brother's gaze with an even stare. "You're right," She said, surprising him. "The old me was petty and cruel. But people can change, Lucien. Whether you choose to believe that is up to you."

Lucien scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "We'll see how long this 'change' of yours lasts."

"Lucien," their mother chided again, her tone more stern this time.

The rest of the meal passed in relative silence, though Selena could feel her brother's suspicious gaze on her the entire time. She didn't let it bother her. She had no intention of proving herself to him- or to anyone else, for that matter.

When breakfast was over, Selena dabbed her lips with a napkin and stood. "Thank you for the meal," She said politely, inclining her head toward her mother.

Evelyn smiled warmly. "Of course, dear. I hope you have a pleasant day."

Lucien said nothing, his icy eyes following her as she left the room.

As Selena walked down the corridor, she allowed herself a small smile. Lucien's mistrust didn't faze her. She knew that rebuilding her reputation would take time, and she was willing to be patient.

For now, she was content to focus on her own growth. The only person she had to prove herself to was to herself and no one else. This will be the start of her new life.

Selena stood in her room, an ornate space with high ceilings, delicate pastel wallpaper, and a massive bookshelf that spanned the wall beside her bed. Her fingers traced the spines of the books, her eyes scanning the titles in curiosity.

It was an odd collection for someone like Selena- romance novels, poetry anthologies, and books of fairy tales. She did know that the heroines of these novels were kind people, right? Then why did she act this way?

If she didn't resonate with the heroine of these stories and instead... With the villains... That would be an interesting choice.

She pulled one of the books from the shelf, a thick volume bound in deep blue leather. The gilded title read Lovestruck Amidst the Snowfields. It sounded like one of those clichéd romance stories she used to read in her previous life when she wanted to escape reality.

Ming Yue- or rather, the new Selena- flipped through the pages, but her interest waned. She was searching for something else, anything that could provide clues about this world and the life of the body she now inhabited.

As her fingers grazed the edges of the books, she noticed a smaller, less conspicuous volume tucked in the corner. It didn't match the others. She pulled it free and examined it. The cover was plain and unmarked, and when she opened it, she realized it was a diary.

Her eyes widened with excitement.

Finally, she thought. Maybe I'll find something useful here.

She flipped to the first page and froze. The writing was intricate, with looping, elegant characters, but the language was completely unfamiliar to her.

It didn't look like any language she'd ever seen- not from Earth, and not from the glimpses of this world she'd managed to piece together so far.

"Did she make up her own language?" Selena muttered under her breath, flipping through the pages. The entire diary was filled with the same cryptic script. She sighed in frustration, slumping onto the bed. What use was this diary if she couldn't read it?

A knock at the door startled her. Selena's heart leapt into her throat, and she quickly shoved the diary under her pillow.

"Come in," She called, her voice steadier than she felt.

The door opened to reveal the Duchess, her mother. Her stormy grey eyes softened when they met Selena's, but there was a glimmer of something else there- curiosity, perhaps even concern.

"Selena," Evelyn said warmly as she entered the room.