Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!

"So when she wakes up," Sylviana began, her voice growing steadier with every sentence, "she inherits all the memories of the girl whose body she reincarnated into. At first she’s overwhelmed because everything feels unfamiliar, but as those memories settle, she begins seeing the world through the original girl’s eyes."

"That’s when she discovers everyone around her is preparing for her wedding with the son of Duke Julius. At first she thinks it’s fortunate because she’ll be close enough to take revenge on the duke without raising suspicion, but after sorting through the previous owner’s memories, she makes a shocking discovery. The original girl... wasn’t in love with the duke’s son at all. She had secretly fallen in love with Duke Julius himself."

Sylviana paused briefly before continuing, while Rosalina listened without interrupting.

Originally, she had only intended to let the princess talk long enough for the atmosphere between them to become more natural before bringing up the topic she truly wished to discuss.

Instead, she found herself genuinely drawn into the story. Strange as it sounded, she couldn’t deny that her curiosity had been thoroughly awakened.

"The protagonist herself is also a very cold person," Sylviana continued.

"After deciding revenge is more important than anything else, she suppresses every emotion that belonged to the original owner of the body."

"She refuses to acknowledge those lingering feelings and begins carefully planning how to kill the Cold Duke. That’s when she finally meets... the duke’s son."

Rosalina frowned slightly while absentmindedly brushing wet strands of hair behind her ear.

"Wait."

Sylviana stopped.

"If Julius has a son..." Rosalina said thoughtfully, "...then why is the book called Seducing the Cold Duke? Shouldn’t it be Seducing the Cold Duke’s Son instead? And..." She tilted her head in confusion. "Where is his wife?"

"Oh?"

Sylviana looked pleasantly surprised by the question before answering almost immediately.

"She’s dead."

Rosalina blinked.

"According to the story, Duke Julius was originally a kind and respected man," Sylviana explained.

"Everything changed after his wife died because of the schemes of the villainess, who hated him for reasons that aren’t revealed until much later."

Rosalina slowly washed her long black hair while considering those words.

"...Who was his wife?"

This time Sylviana smiled brightly. The hesitation and nervousness from earlier had almost completely disappeared.

Now that the conversation had shifted toward one of her favorite novels, she spoke with remarkable confidence, sounding every bit like someone eager to recommend a masterpiece.

"She was his personal maid," Sylviana replied.

"She had served him ever since they were children. As they grew older, the duke gradually fell in love with her and eventually married her once he became an adult."

"They were supposed to live happily together..." She sighed dramatically before lowering her head. "But then the villainess murdered her. It was one of the saddest moments in the entire series."

Rosalina quietly continued washing her hair, but beneath the calm expression she wore, a vein almost bulged on her forehead.

’A maid...? Not me...?’

She bit the inside of her cheek before silently forcing herself to remain composed.

’It’s only a story. Just... keep listening.’

Thankfully, Sylviana had already become completely absorbed in recounting the plot and failed to notice the subtle twitch at the corner of Rosalina’s eye.

"So that’s only the beginning," Sylviana said enthusiastically.

"Volume One mostly focuses on the female protagonist adapting to her new life. Since she never used a sword in her previous life, she’s incredibly clumsy despite possessing the body’s memories."

"She trains every day, embarrassing herself over and over again while secretly preparing for revenge. Near the very end of the volume, she finally encounters the Cold Duke face to face."

Sylviana clasped her hands together excitedly.

"That’s where Volume One ends! It became such a huge success that every copy sold out within ten minutes of release. Even I had to stand in line despite being a princess." She puffed her cheeks slightly before sighing. "It was completely unfair."

Rosalina found herself becoming increasingly invested despite herself.

Under ordinary circumstances, hearing another woman constantly talking about Julius—even if it was merely a fictional version—would have irritated her endlessly.

Surprisingly, that feeling remained relatively faint. Instead, she subconsciously imagined herself standing in the protagonist’s place throughout the story, making it strangely easy to continue listening.

Even so, she reminded herself not to become too invested. After all, she had only just begun feeling comfortable around Sylviana.

"The second volume is even better," Sylviana continued with sparkling eyes.

"The Cold Duke personally agrees to teach the protagonist swordsmanship. She tries her hardest, but something strange keeps happening"

"Every time she’s close to him, her body refuses to obey her. She stumbles during training, loses her balance, and one day she accidentally falls directly into his arms."

Sylviana covered her mouth, smiling as though she could still vividly remember reading the scene.

"Her heart starts pounding uncontrollably, and she can’t understand why. She keeps trying to pull away, but those feelings only become stronger."

"Eventually she realizes the emotions of the body’s original owner never truly disappeared. They interfere whenever she’s near the duke. No matter how much she suppresses them, they continue resurfacing."

Rosalina quietly listened while gently scooping water over her shoulders.

"So..." Sylviana continued, "...the protagonist comes up with another plan. Since she can’t stop those feelings anyway, she’ll simply use them. She decides to seduce the Cold Duke, make him fall in love with her, and then kill him once his guard is lowered."

She sighed dramatically.

"But it doesn’t work."

Rosalina raised an eyebrow.

"The duke is simply too cold. No matter what she does—whether she flirts, teases him, smiles at him, or deliberately tries to make him jealous—he never reacts the way she expects."

Sylviana suddenly leaned forward, unable to contain her excitement.

"But..."

She paused for dramatic effect.

"Everything changed that day."

Rosalina unconsciously swallowed.

Without realizing it, she had become completely immersed in the story.

"That happens during the final arc of Volume Three," Sylviana said in a quieter voice.

"The duke reaches the peak of the Lower Realm of the marital peak of the God Emperor peak realm and encounters a bottleneck he cannot overcome. During his heavenly trial, he’s given an impossible condition."

Rosalina tilted her head curiously.

"What condition?"

"He has to dual cultivate."

Rosalina blinked.

"...What?"

"It was impossible for him," Sylviana replied seriously.

"His personality simply wouldn’t allow it. Meanwhile, the villainess had already passed her own heavenly trial by accomplishing something equally impossible. After completing it, she immediately set her sights on the duke."

The princess paused briefly before continuing.

"Then one night, the duke’s entire family goes hiking through the mountains. The female protagonist accidentally becomes separated from everyone else."

"The duke searches for her himself and eventually finds her, but before they can return, a violent storm suddenly sweeps across the mountains. With no other shelter nearby, he hurriedly takes her into an abandoned wooden cabin hidden deep within the forest."

Sylviana suddenly fell silent.

Rosalina waited.

Several seconds passed.

"...And?"

Sylviana’s cheeks slowly turned bright red.

"A-And..."

She looked away in embarrassment before hurriedly shaking her head.

"You should read the rest yourself."

Rosalina stared at her.

"What happened inside the cabin?"

"I-I can’t say!"

"You’ve already told me three volumes."

"B-But that’s the newest volume!"

Sylviana covered her burning face with both hands.

"If I tell you, it’ll completely spoil it! You have to experience it yourself."

Rosalina narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"...Was it really that shocking?"

Sylviana nodded so vigorously that droplets of water scattered from her damp silver hair.

"I couldn’t sleep after reading it."

Rosalina’s curiosity only deepened.

Unfortunately, no matter how many questioning looks she sent toward the blushing princess, Sylviana stubbornly refused to reveal another single word about what had happened inside that lonely cabin during the storm.