7:30 AM.
Along with the cheerful sound of birdsong, I, Melissa Podebrat, opened my eyes in a bed as large as a sports field. I told the lady-in-waiting knocking on the door asking if I was awake, to come in. Once she entered, I was naturally attended to while luxuriously washing myself in the large bathroom attached to my room.
8:00 AM.
I came out of the bathroom, dried my hair, and tidied up a bit before leaving the room for breakfast. The Duke of Podébrat always has breakfast together with his family. This is not because they are close-knit, but because neither parents nor children ever stay at home, so they do it to let each other know they are alive, whenever they are together.
As I elegantly went down to the dining room, I saw a meal laid out on a fancy long table—warm soup, crispy scones, salad, scrambled eggs, and other dishes that looked hearty yet not excessive.
"You're late, Melissa."
"I'm always late, you know."
The middle-aged man who glares at me fiercely from morning itself is my father, the current Duke of Podebrat. I inherited his face exactly which resembles a fierce lion.
I gave a gentle smile and naturally sat down in the seat furthest from the Duke. Looking around, I saw that it was just the Duke and me at Podebrat.
“Where did my white-haired friend go, the one who coincidentally shares the same gene donors as me? I thought he had just returned yesterday, but did he finally die?”
"If you mean Jake, he's gone again. I heard he has someone to protect."
“Hoho, what a brilliant child. He must have completely forgotten where his house is. Tell him to give up his Podébrat ticket.”
Jake Podebrat. He is the most troublesome younger brother in the world.
I picked up a white loaf with my hand and stuffed it into my mouth. Even so, I was elegant—such is the Duke's daughter.
"He is the sole successor."
As if emphasising the answer, the bread was deliberately cut into small pieces.
Watching the Duke's demure appearance as he cut with a knife and ate with a fork, I also answered demurely.
"Am I not a Podebrat? I even eat meals with you, Duke, just in case you feel lonely."
"Because you're a woman………………."
“If both the Duke and that bastard Jake disappear, I, a woman, could become the Duke as well. You don't seem very lonely, so I will take my leave.”
I smiled sweetly, elegantly expressed my complete loss of appetite by gently setting down the bread and bowing my head, and left the place just like that. I could imagine the Duke’s face behind me, looking elegantly shocked, but I didn’t care.
'Hoho, instead I'll go raid the kitchen later.'
10 AM.
I sat down at a luxurious mahogany desk. I also choose a high-end fountain pen and some stationery with a subtle fragrance. Today, I must write a love letter filled with a girl's heartfelt sincerity.
<To His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, whom I always cherish...>
Scratch, scratch, the fountain pen made a pleasant sound as it wrote down in stylish cursive letters.
The recipient of my letter is none other than the Crown Prince of this Empire, Ian Basilios, a boy with a beautiful appearance, black hair, and golden eyes. We were engaged when we were young, and he has remained single ever since. Of course, it was a strategic engagement for political reasons.
"How are you? I am always worried about whether Your Majesty is doing well. Even now, as we are nearing the end of summer, the flowers are blooming beautifully and the birds are chirping happily..."
But well, Melissa had once truly loved him.
Therefore, for old times' sake, I would like to speak to him with all my heart today as well.
With genuine sincerity, I wrote down the familiar sentence, which I had already repeated dozens of times, pressing down firmly word by word.
"Please break off the engagement."
'Hmm, my politeness was particularly good today.'
"Please break off this engagement. I am writing this one more time because it is important. Please break off this engagement. I tried to hold back, but I couldn't stand seeing another woman's name plastered in huge letters on that trashy bouquet you sent last time. Please, at least be careful with delivery mistakes. And I no longer want to know what kind of passionate night Your Highness spent with some woman. Please break off this engagement. Honestly, you don't like me, do you? Why are you being so stubborn? Just break off this engagement amicably. If you covet the prestige of our Ducal family so much, get engaged to Jake. I will actively push for it for you."
Oh my, I got a little excited at the end without realizing it and just scribbled it down.
'Even so, your handwriting is still neat; you truly are the daughter of a Duke.'
With a slightly proud smile, I neatly folded the letter and handed it to my maid, Yona. Yona's face was strangely stiff.
No, why the look on your face? Is it that surprising to you that I'm writing a letter?
"I thought you would storm into the palace in person and demand the annulment of the engagement, as usual."
I pretended not to hear the arrogant maid.
He is the Crown Prince and I am a daughter of the Ducal family, and since breaking off the engagement requires the consent of both parties, I have no choice but to try various methods to convince him.
Eventually, the lady-in-waiting went out to mail the letter.
'Keep up the good work.' I smiled to myself.
1 PM.
I went for a walk with the only person I love.
"Lief, the weather is nice, isn't it?"
"Woof!"
Hoho, our Lief is such a sweet boy.
Lief, a massive, muscular, ferocious black dog who rivals an adult male when standing on his hind legs, is my cute son. His only downside is that he is dumber than expected and loves people too much.
"Our Lief, he's so gentle, I wonder how he'll survive in this harsh world………………."
I shook my head and stroked Lief's head, who was panting with his tongue stuck out. His huge tail was swaying back and forth.
"So, keep doing special training with me again today."
I spun the disc in my hand two and a half times elegantly and threw it far away. It made a whooshing sound.
In my previous life, I held the unofficial record for shot put at 20 meters.
"Go fetch it."
As soon as I spoke, Lief darted out like a bullet. The servants screamed and fled at the sight of Lief, his golden eyes gleaming as he ran through the garden like a wild beast. One gardener, startled, ended up cutting the Duke's cherished pine bonsai in half.
'My baby certainly looks scary, but… … … … .'
Not long after, Lief returned panting with a disc in his mouth.
"Oh, you did a great job."
I scratched under his chin and took the disc from his mouth. The disc, a mess of Lief's saliva and teeth marks, was densely covered with writing:
<Ian Basilios, the worthless womanizer
Jake Podebrat, the stalker
Jack Forton, the absolutely brainless idiot
Peacock Melody, the two-faced bastard>
I laughed with satisfaction. "Get it, Lief? When you see these guys, bite their asses hard."
At my incredibly soft voice, Lief barked "Woof!" and panted happily. Nine, the butler standing beside me, looked back and forth between me and Lief with wide eyes, but I tried my best to ignore him.
3 PM.
Now the time has come.
I changed into pants that were comfortable to move around in. Although it is not common for a Duke's daughter to wear pants, I need to go in the most comfortable attire possible right now.
Because from now on, I have to mingle among the enemies.
"Yona."
“Yes, miss.”
"Prepare the carriage. I am going to Baroness Elizabeth's mansion."
"All right."
After giving instructions to the maid, I strapped my sword to my waist and tied my hair into a single bun.
I now have to go to a tea party hosted by the 'female protagonist,' Yuri Elizabeth.
That means I have to grab Jake by the hair, who has been chasing her since dawn; slap Crown Prince Ian with a bouquet of flowers, who has abandoned his palace duties to rush over; smack Jack on the back of the head, who will foam at the mouth and lunge at me the moment he sees me; and finally, give Peacock the middle finger while laughing at his annoying smile.
And above all, I must protect my angel, my friend Yuri, from those four wolves. That is the destiny and duty of a devoted reader who has possessed the villainess 'Melissa Podebrat' of the romance fantasy novel 'All the Men That Loved Her'.
I put my hands on my hips in front of the mirror and flashed a wicked smile.
'Wow, that's really threatening.'
But now I know the truth; Melissa isn't a villainess. Now that I look closer, the four male leads with absolutely messed-up personalities were the real villains all along!
"Miss, the carriage is ready."
At the maid's words, I elegantly curved the corners of my upturned eyes and walked forward with a solemn expression.
The elegant villainess's true day begins now.
"It's showtime, Melissa!"