The Villainous Noble Lady Turned Into a Child, and Her Cold Duke Husband Became Kind - 1 - White Wedding (1)

“On this day, Leonhardt Alvis and Elicia Vander stand here to become husband and wife. May they cherish, support, understand, and accept each other—as good partners, and as family…”

—

Before I knew it, I was standing there.

In front of me was a priest. When I glanced to the side, I saw a man so handsome it took my breath away.

I was wearing a white wedding dress. The handsome man beside me wore something like a tuxedo. No matter how I looked at it, this was a wedding ceremony.

…Wait, what is going on!?

Just before I fell asleep, I was lying in bed in my room, reading a book like always.

So how did I suddenly end up in the middle of a wedding?

Before I could make sense of it, a sharp pain shot through my head, and memories that weren’t mine started flowing in.

My name is Elicia Vander. I’m the eldest daughter of the Count Vander family.

I seduce many men, always keep them around me, and bully my younger sister when I’m in a bad mood.

Because our family is unusually wealthy for a count’s household, there are rumors that we might be involved in shady dealings… I was known in high society as the “poisonous woman”—Elicia Vander.

And now I remembered the face of the handsome man beside me.

Leonhardt Alvis, Duke Alvis. One of the four major dukes of the Kingdom of Louvenis and a close friend of the Crown Prince. He belongs to the royalist faction, while my family—the Vander family—is a powerful voice in the noble faction. This marriage was political.

Duke Alvis had a son with his late wife, who died during childbirth.

…No. No no no.

Wait—just a second!

Duke Alvis’s son… Julius Alvis.

That name sounded way too familiar. I was shocked.

…Could this be the world of Where Love Goes?

Where Love Goes is a romance novel for women. The heroine is a noble lady named Lilliet.

Lilliet is the daughter of a viscount and a rare white magic user. The story begins with her debut into high society at sixteen.

She meets attractive boys like the Crown Prince and a duke’s son, gets caught up in incidents, and slowly falls in love with the Crown Prince, Camilo.

But the prince’s friend, Julius—the duke’s son—also falls in love with her.

Lilliet wavers between the two. Who will she choose?

It’s a cliché love triangle, but that made it easy to read. I read it before bed and must’ve fallen asleep while reading.

…So is this a dream?

Even if it was, it felt way too real.

Worst of all, Elicia Vander is just a side character in that novel. She tries to ruin Lilliet’s rise in high society and eventually gets killed by her stepson Julius.

Even if this is a dream, I don’t want that ending.

“…And so, the marriage is hereby confirmed.”

The priest’s voice snapped me back to reality.

The handsome man beside me—Duke Alvis—turned to face me, so I turned to him too.

Without a word, he took my hand and slipped a ring onto the ring finger of my left hand.

Then he put the matching ring on his own left hand.

Applause erupted. In a daze, I realized I had just married Duke Alvis.

After the ceremony, we returned to the duke’s mansion for a formal reception. I finally had a moment to breathe late at night.

The duke’s maids bathed and dressed me, but they all treated me like a chore. I could barely breathe under their cold, professional manners.

Even the maid who came from the Vander house wasn’t on my side. She was just following orders to spy on me for my father.

Apparently, I at least had the bedroom to myself.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I sighed again.

…So Elicia wasn’t really a villain, huh?

In the original novel, she was called a “poisonous woman.” Even after marrying into the duke’s family, she flaunted other men, spent lavishly, and was seen as wild and selfish.

But now that Elicia’s memories are in my head, I know that’s all wrong.

Elicia was a flashy beauty on the outside, but quiet on the inside. She had no choice but to obey her father’s orders. She seduced men and brought in money—not for herself, but because her father used her as a tool to make the family rich.

Her real mother had died of illness. Her father then married his former mistress, who became the current countess.

They had a daughter together—Natalia, who became Elicia’s younger sister.

“Big Sister, be the villain for my sake, okay?”

The more Elicia acted like a “poisonous woman,” the more Natalia played the opposite—pure, cute, and graceful. Society praised her as “nothing like her older sister.”

But if Elicia ever went against Natalia, she and the countess would beat her.

If she defied her father, he would strike her with his cane and scream at her.

Elicia lived like a slave in the Vander household.

…It seems Father wasn’t happy about this marriage.

But he couldn’t go against the royal family’s wishes.

Lying in the large bed, I stared up at the luxurious canopy.

…Well, whatever.

This is just a dream anyway.

But the next morning, I was stunned when I woke up.

I thought this was a dream—but it’s not.

I was still Elicia Vander, and I really had become the Duchess of Alvis.

The servants were still cold. The maid from my family kept watching me closely. I couldn’t relax at all.

At breakfast, Duke Alvis sat with me—but not once did he look my way.

“This marriage is nothing but politics. I don’t plan to love you or grow close to you. You may not interfere with the affairs of this house. And you have no obligations toward the family—so long as you don’t bear a child with another man, do as you please.”

He said that flatly, then finished his meal and left.

…Well, he thinks I’m the poisonous woman, after all.

Left alone, I quietly finished my meal and returned to the room assigned to me.

There, I found a mountain of gifts.

The duke’s steward said, “These are wedding gifts,” in a monotone voice.

Apparently, I had to check every item and write thank-you notes for each.

It felt exhausting, but I had no choice. That was the job of the duchess.

The maids didn’t help at all. No servants came unless I called. It was obvious they didn’t welcome me.

…No wonder the real Elicia despaired.

During the ceremony, my own consciousness awakened—and the real Elicia’s vanished.

In modern stories, they’d probably say our souls switched places. But I had no way to know if that was true.

…Anyway, I’ll just live quietly.

At the very least, I want to avoid being killed by Julius after tormenting Lilliet.

If I stay away from high society and keep a low profile here in the mansion, maybe the duke and his son will leave me alone.

Actually, living quietly in this gorgeous mansion doesn’t sound too bad.

I don’t have to work like crazy every day like I did in the modern world. Here, I have food, shelter, and clothes.

…Yes. The duke told me to “do nothing.”

So I’ll just relax and live in peace.

In fact, he should be the one writing all these thank-you letters.

With that thought, I untied the ribbon on one box and opened the lid.

Suddenly, everything turned black, like I was swallowed by darkness.