The True Villainess Lady Was My Niece
There are no villains without a backstory.
Anyone who's devoured their fair share of web novels might hear that as a compliment or dismiss it as trite, depending on their mood.
Villain backstories are always so convoluted.
They make readers sigh and mutter about needing to run the laundry cycle again.
But for those who connect with it, that backstory becomes a tool to evoke pity—wondering what might have happened if the villain had walked a righteous path.
And I was usually one of the latter.
"...Huh?"
I realized one such villain was right by my side on the day I reached the 7th Circle at the age of twenty-two.
The Beloved Lady.
The name of this world where I'd been reborn—and once my favorite romance fantasy novel.
And anyone who's read that romance fantasy would know.
This world had what you'd call a classic villainess lady.
'Liriet Argent.'
My niece, as Baal Argent.
In the original story, she was the first villain to appear.
Liriet tormented the heroine, Tiana Delphin, blocking her path while simultaneously serving as the stepping stone that deepened the bond between her and the male lead, Leon Cardia.
'She was my absolute favorite character.'
Even as a villain, she was the one I loved most.
Because Liriet had such a heartbreaking backstory.
To explain her background first.
Liriet was born the youngest daughter of the Argent Ducal family, one of the empire's premier swordsmanship houses.
Tragically, her mother passed away during her birth.
Plunged into grief over losing his beloved wife, her father, Edmund Argent, grew distant, and that's when her life began to unravel.
After that, due to various political entanglements, her father remarried a stepmother who began tormenting her from the shadows.
Even her brother Abel, just two years older, excelled at swordsmanship but had a rotten personality.
Far from protecting his little sister, he joined in the abuse.
With affection starvation setting in.
Right after entering the academy, she met the protagonist Leon and confessed her feelings.
But Leon already had Tiana as his lover and rejected her.
In the end, the blackened Liriet tried to tear the two apart and even dragged her own family down with her, meeting her death. That was the original plot.
'I really cried when she died.'
They say there are no villains without reason.
Even accounting for that, Liriet's story was utterly heartbreaking.
Just looking at the glimpses she showed the male lead she loved, Leon Cardia—it was clear she wasn't a bad kid at heart.
She just didn't know how to express love because she'd never received it.
And her clumsiness stemmed from meeting someone who treated her normally for the first time.
What if she'd grown up under proper parents?
What if there'd been someone to protect her?
What if even one person had stood by her, believed in her to the end?
She was the first character to make me think like that.
So what I chose was.
"Shall I go meet her?"
To guide Liriet—now my niece—down the right path.
The ducal mansion of my home family felt as ridiculously vast as ever after so long away.
It made me think back to how I'd gotten lost here as a kid for no good reason.
"Young master! You've returned. I heard the news. Congratulations!"
"Thanks, Derek. How's your son doing?"
I casually asked about his family, and the guard's face twisted in a bizarre way.
Oh right.
I wasn't originally this kind of person.
I'd unconsciously acted like Yoo Sin-woo from my past life, not Baal Argent.
But whatever, what can you do?
From today, I was saying goodbye to the gloomy second son of the ducal house who cared zilch about others and only buried his nose in books.
"Y-yes! He's growing healthy. Starting to talk a bit now, even."
"Good to hear. Mind showing me in, then?"
I avoided his odd scrutinizing gaze, skipped further chit-chat, and headed inside.
It'd been about two years since I last returned home.
I'd left right after coming of age.
Nothing much had changed in that time.
Even I had to admit my patience was paper-thin.
The moment I recalled this was the world of The Beloved Lady, I'd rushed off to meet Liriet.
It was action on the level of toasting beans in a lightning fire.
Maybe that's why protagonists in web novels always felt so frustratingly slow to me?
Anxious about uncertain futures.
Spouting nonsense about not wanting to get tangled in the main characters' stories when it was never gonna happen anyway—I'd itched to punch them more than once.
'I'm just not the type for that.'
Of course, I had no desire to meddle in the epic tales of the main characters unfolding in the future.
I'd probably stay a bystander myself.
But I wasn't the type to sit idly by with a heavy ass through the distasteful developments along the way.
"Long time no see, Baal. You returning home? The sun'll rise in the west tomorrow."
In the drawing room, my brother Edmund Argent greeted me with a mild smile.
Ten years older than me, our relationship had always felt strangely distant yet close since childhood.
His hollow eyes suggested the depression and insomnia were still going strong.
It's been years since my sister-in-law passed.
Easily over ten, and at this point, it felt less like love and more like illness.
Of course, the grief of losing a loved one is beyond measuring.
In a way, it was romantic.
But wasn't this crossing the line?
The dead should be let go, and the living should live.
He'd already inherited the family— what was he planning to do like this?
"Yes, long time no see, brother. How have you been?"
"Same as always. But I heard. Already at the 7th Circle? Father must be rejoicing in the heavens."
"I hope so."
My father, Victor Argent, was the typical martial fanatic and loyalist.
He'd lived obsessed with the sword and loyal to the empire above all.
So he hadn't exactly welcomed my existence.
I was the black sheep of the Argent Ducal family, called the empire's sword.
I had zero talent for swordsmanship, not even an ant's tear worth.
Nor had I shown much loyalty to the empire.
I'd just lived obsessed with magic.
Yeah.
If Father lived mad for the sword and brother for love.
I was the one mad for magic.
Three generations of lunatics in a row—the ducal house must be on its last legs.
"So, what's the occasion today?"
"Just wanted to see your face after so long, and meet my niece while at it."
"Niece? You mean Abel?"
Abel was the name of his firstborn son.
A total scumbag personality, but he knew well enough where to shit and where not to.
At twelve, he always grinned like a good kid around me.
If my past life memories hadn't returned, I'd probably still see him as a sociable little boy.
His tact was that good.
And swordsmanship? No need to mention.
In the original, he'd even been called the next empire's greatest sword for a time.
Probably the one ray of joy for Edmund lost in despair.
"No, not Abel. There's another child, isn't there?"
"Another child? You mean Liriet?"
"Yes."
"What business do you have with that girl?"
"Does an uncle need a reason to see his niece's face? So, where is she now?"
"In her room, I suppose."
Not even a speculative tone.
He didn't even care to know where she was.
Yeah, that's the kind of guy he was.
My brother, that bastard.
He didn't hate Liriet or anything.
He was just indifferent.
Gave her no attention.
The moment he started blaming his own flesh and blood for his beloved wife's death.
Edmund Argent had fallen.
Anyway, her room it was.
Time to go meet her myself.
"I see. Excuse me, then."
I stood before the tea had even cooled.
Felt like Guan Yu crossing the battlefield or something.
"Long time, old timer."
"My word, young master. What brings you?"
Crossing the hallway, I cheerfully raised a hand to the middle-aged man who appeared.
Gilbert.
The family butler who'd served since my father Victor's time—a loyal retainer.
But he wasn't some pure saint.
Because this guy was one of the bystanders who'd let Liriet sink into that state.
Tsk, thinking that soured my mood.
He used to be the one I'd chat most warmly with upon returning home.
Today, I just didn't want to look at his face long.
"Here to see my niece for a bit. Is Liriet in her room?"
"You mean Lady Liriet?"
"Yeah."
Gilbert's eyes narrowed thinly.
Then he stepped aside and bowed.
"She's studying in her room. Allow me to escort you."
"Appreciate it."
"Yes, sir."
I quietly followed Gilbert, walking quite a distance.
A room on the second floor, in a pretty remote corner.
As if deliberately isolated to keep her away from the outside world.
That was Liriet's room.
Come to think of it, I'd met Liriet a few times before.
But coming to her room was a first.
Did she always spend her days alone in a place like this?
"Here we are."
"It's pretty far out."
"......"
Gilbert averted his eyes, realizing the implication, saying nothing.
Then he approached the door and knocked carefully.
"Lady Liriet. Young Master Baal is here to see you."
- Uncle...?
"Yes."
- Uh, y-yes. That's fine. Tell him to come in.
Shocked that her uncle—who never visited her or even the family—suddenly showed up?
The voice from beyond carried clear bewilderment.
Creeeak.
Soon the door opened with a grating sound.
Not even properly oiled—truly unpleasant.
The room's interior came into view, and my first thought was succinct.
'What a barren place.'
Was this really a room fit for a girl in her early teens?
No decorations whatsoever.
Maybe to avoid seeming neglectful.
Or because it was the Argent family, the wooden furniture like the bed and wardrobe was high-end.
Which only heightened the dissonance.
"U-Uncle. Long time no see."
From the desolate room, a girl quietly rose and approached, bowing gracefully in greeting.
Lustrous silver hair that gleamed brightly, unlike my own awkward ash-gray locks.
Lake-blue eyes like her mother's.
Her precociously mature, polite demeanor didn't quite hide the faint ripples in those eyes.
She must have found this long-absent uncle intimidating.
Her tiny hands clenched tight, desperately holding back her emotions—it was precarious to watch.
"Yes, long time no see, my niece. Have you been well?"
To reassure her, I mustered the warmest smile I could manage.