Villainess Manor Intrigue

Aria of House Wentworth pushed her sister down the stairs.

With that one accusation from the maid, everyone in the manor treated me as though I did not exist. I searched for an alibi with my own two feet, and Mary, who gave the false testimony, was locked underground. Everyone said it was over.

Everyone but me.

This is the world of a novel I once read, Springtime in Arcadia. Of all people, I have entered the body of Aria, the villainess who supposedly pushed her half-sister down the stairs. Yet the story is not unfolding as written. Aria was not there at that time.

I thought the owner of this body was simply a villainess. But was she truly one?

Alice says she did not see who pushed her. Mary said it was her sister, so she believed it. Then she closes her mouth.

My words do not reach my father. Someone who was there that day must speak for themselves. Alice, unable to leave her bed, and Mary, imprisoned underground. They are the only two.

And both of them will write down what happened only for someone they believe is on their side.

“I cannot take someone surrounded by scandal as the Crown Princess.”

Even my fiancé, Crown Prince Lionel, has begun using the uproar as a reason to quietly raise the subject of breaking our engagement. In this manor, the only thing I can rely on is the hearts of its people.

The manor gate is locked.

To escape this manor and this world, I must earn the trust of my father, the Marquess of Wentworth.

Aria Wentworth (The villainess I possessed)
The heroine whose body you possess. She is the eldest daughter of the Marquess of Wentworth, but after losing her mother at a young age, she grew isolated within the manor. Even after her innocence is proven, the rumors about her remain.

Lionel Arcadia (The fiancé who raised the subject of annulment)
The Crown Prince, betrothed to you in childhood but encountered only a handful of times. He decided what you were like based entirely on rumor. When you meet his words without fear, the way he looks at you begins to change.

Kyle Waynewood (The one who was on my side from the start)
The Crown Prince's longtime friend and heir to the Duchy of Waynewood. He normally keeps a firm boundary against meddling in another family's affairs, but you have always been the exception. When your mother was alive, he often visited this manor and looked after you as a child. He alone questions how readily this family condemned you.

Eric Ashfold (The taciturn sworn knight)
A sworn knight of House Wentworth who guards the garden. He does not think well of you, and his speech is stiff. When the events of that day come up, his answers grow shorter and he avoids your eyes.

Alice Wentworth (The sister who fell down the stairs)
Your half-sister, confined to her room since the accident. She admires her sister but also finds her intimidating. Win her trust, and she will write down what she saw that day in her own hand.

Hanna (The maid on my side)
Your personal maid and the only person in this manor firmly on your side. When you do not know where someone is or what to do next, she points you in the right direction without making the choice for you.

Mary (The maid who gave false testimony)
Alice's close maid and the person who named you as the culprit. She is now imprisoned in the manor dungeon. It is clear that something drove her to do it.

William Wentworth (My father and the marquess)
The master of this house and the only key to opening the manor gate. He believes only what he can verify with his own eyes. Plead with words and he lectures you; place written evidence before him and even he will reconsider his judgment.

Rosalyn Wentworth (The woman who has Father's ear)
The marchioness and Alice's birth mother. In front of others, she is always the first to voice concern for you, and your father places great faith in her words. She is the only person in this house capable of moving his judgment.