Tree shadows danced beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, and gentle morning light spilled into the room.
A woman’s eyelashes fluttered slightly before she opened a pair of slightly upturned peach blossom eyes, though her expression was far from pleasant.
The clamorous, chaotic sound of music mixed with the mingled voices of men and women reached her ears, making her frown involuntarily.
It was as if she were surfacing from the deep sea. The bizarre, memory-filled dream rapidly faded away. Gadelia Roderigus rubbed her throbbing temples and sat up in bed. Sunlight filled the exquisitely decorated European-style room.
‘Only a few hours of sleep, and I have to wake up already? Tch…’
Gadelia rose on her tiptoes and slowly walked to the bathroom, enduring the cacophony of sounds in her mind as she began her morning routine.
After finishing, she reached out to wipe the water droplets from her face, her peripheral gaze catching her reflection in the mirror.
Standing at five foot seven, with slightly wavy light chestnut hair, her features naturally carried a soft, alluring charm. Her skin was like fine jade and ice, her lips a pale pink, her face gentle and refined.
By any measure, she was a complete beauty. However, her figure was a bit too slender, even frail, as if she had suffered long-term torment.
“Tch.”
Gadelia paused for a moment, then pulled her nightgown back up over her shoulders, gazing at the unmistakable exhaustion in the mirror.
‘I forgot. I’m already used to it.’
Gadelia was originally an ordinary office worker who, after dying from overwork, was unexpectedly reincarnated into the world of a shonen anime she had watched in her previous life.
The anime’s plot roughly followed a young man named Zhou Ming, who embarked on a journey to save the world in a world filled with supernatural abilities and despair, ultimately defeating the villains.
And the identity she was reborn into? The powerful BOSS of the villainous faction.
It was a rather classic villain setup: born into an Ancient Noble Family from 4,560 years ago, she died and was resurrected after the country was struck by the Supernatural Catastrophe, gaining immense power.
With no one to guide her, she gradually strayed onto a misguided path, her personality becoming extreme and radical, until she was finally defeated by the explosively maturing Zhou Ming.
However, the plot hadn’t started yet.
In theory, she could plan ahead, redeem herself, or simply nip the protagonist in the bud.
Unfortunately, her memory of the plot was extremely fuzzy. While she remembered some parts, most of the information was irretrievable. Even using her supernatural abilities couldn’t fully restore it, costing her many advantages.
Moreover, acting recklessly would be tantamount to suicide. And according to her vague memories, Zhou Ming’s later abilities seemed particularly effective against her.
Even so, it didn’t mean Gadelia would give up.
As long as she stayed by Zhou Ming’s side, she would have a chance to figure out how to “turn” him.
As the original villain, Gadelia’s supernatural ability, “Psychological Manipulation,” allowed her to perform operations such as reading, modifying, extracting, transferring, and deleting memories.
Not only that, she could also enhance her own physical attributes. It was just that, in her human form, her constitution was even weaker than an average person’s.
More troublesome was that her ability passively read the minds of people around her, within a range of about 500 meters. It wasn’t just their current thoughts; even past memories would surface.
This tormented her day and night, leaving her thoughts chaotic, her sleep schedule disrupted, her eating habits unbalanced, pushing her almost to the brink of collapse.
And Zhou Ming, as the protagonist, possessed a certain uniqueness that caused this passive ability to only affect him.
Therefore, even if just for a moment’s peace, Gadelia had to get close to Zhou Ming.
As the protagonist, Zhou Ming’s personality destined him not to easily join any organization with obvious conflicting interests.
So, what she needed to do was gradually change Zhou Ming’s impression of the villainous organization in his heart, making it so he at least wouldn’t feel compelled to eradicate them completely.
‘Turning someone… has to be done step by step.’
Gadelia smiled self-deprecatingly.
She couldn’t start with forceful methods; that would only lead to her own destruction. She’d probably lose her head before she could even finish a few sentences.
In the end, she decided to stake out the Newbie Village, waiting for Zhou Ming and participating in his journey of growth.
As for why not start cultivating him from infancy?
Because this damned anime never revealed the protagonist’s birthplace.
She had no idea where to even look for him.
Furthermore, she didn’t have the time for long-term cultivation. As a high-ranking member of the villainous faction, she had to handle a massive amount of affairs every day—making money, internal power struggles, external threats…
Being able to carve out an entire year now was the result of her fighting tooth and nail.
So, she could only wait by the tree stump for the rabbit.
And what to do after she waited?
Of course, first learn to live a normal life properly.
Ahem. And incidentally, subtly influence Zhou Ming, making him gradually accept her.
If that really didn’t work… she could also eliminate his future enemies ahead of time.
As for Zhou Ming himself, she never considered using her supernatural ability on him directly.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, but that she couldn’t.
In the original work, Zhou Ming had a degree of immunity to her ability. While he couldn’t completely ignore it, at the very least, he couldn’t be easily manipulated.
Taking off her nightgown and removing her undergarments, Gadelia turned on the shower, letting the warm water cascade over her body, slightly invigorating her spirits.
The noise in her ears, however, still hadn’t dissipated.
She patted her head, trying to drive away the chaotic sounds and reorganize her thoughts.
‘Today… is the day the war begins. Everything is ready, just waiting for Zhou Ming to appear.’
After rinsing off, she dried herself, picked up the hairdryer to slowly dry her hair, then stepped out of the bathroom, her bare feet sinking into the soft carpet.
She selected a set of fresh yet elegant clothing from the wardrobe, changed into high-heeled sandals, and after confirming her appearance was flawless in the mirror, gave a slight nod.
As a descendant of nobility and a high-ranking member of the villainous organization, her image could not afford the slightest carelessness.
The war would begin this afternoon, and Zhou Ming would also reveal his first glimmer of brilliance during a crisis, embarking on his destined journey.
Although she couldn’t grasp the entire plot, she had still formulated countermeasures based on her remaining memories.
As early as a week ago, she had shed most of her organizational duties and come to the Newbie Village specifically to wait for Zhou Ming. She had also made some necessary preparations, just in case.
Leaning against the wall, she gently adjusted the strap of her sandal, confirming the fit was right before feeling assured enough to leave.
In the year 4,560, when her reincarnation began, she was subjected to the strict education of a noble’s child.
She had tried to resist but was “corrected” in an extremely brutal manner.
Since then, she could only silently accept everything. Because of her past resistance, she was even often forced into additional training.
Even after all these years, that habit hadn’t changed.
It was both a shackle and a certain obsession regarding her family.
Pushing open the door and retrieving her keys, Gadelia took a deep breath.