The Villainess Lives Twice: Butterfly's Dream (IF Story) - Chapter 1

One morning, Cedric Evron woke up with an uneasy feeling.

This discomfort wasn’t due to his wife not being by his side or it wasn’t the Empress’s bedroom that he had gotten used to.

With his heightened senses, he realized something was different about his body—specifically, from the length of his limbs to the weight of his head. His joints ached, and his body felt unusually light.

‘What’s going on?’

Feeling somewhat unsettled, he pulled one hand out from under the covers and looked at it. The size of his hand had changed.

‘Is this a child’s hand?’

Though calloused from martial arts training, there were no scars or marks. His hands were smooth and soft, without the burns from fighting monsters or the frostbite from spending Northern winters on the battlefield.

Cedric blinked a few times and sat up. His legs seemed shorter, or rather, his entire body had shrunk.

The balance of his body felt different, making him wobble slightly. The reason he didn’t think this was a dream was that he couldn’t experience such detailed changes in his body in a dream.

He quietly got out of bed. Since he had woken up in a strange bedroom with a strange body, he needed to be cautious.

He decided not to think of it as something impossible. After all, he was someone who had already experienced time travel. He told himself not to be surprised by anything.

“Please wait! The cough is not yet……”

Bang!

There was some commotion outside the door, and it swung open without a knock. A boy, appearing to be around thirteen or fourteen, burst in and shouted.

“Get up, Ced! We’re going to ride!”

“Ah.”

Cedric, who had been testing the state of his body by clenching and relaxing his fists and moving his legs, turned toward the boy and widened his eyes. Though he was unsure of the incredible situation, he called out the familiar name but half-doubtingly.

“Pavel…?”

“What? Are you sick or something?”

Prince Pavel grumbled, and Cedric’s mind went blank as he realized that it was indeed him.

He didn’t know what Pavel looked like as a teenager, since Pavel had died before he was even six years old. The fact that he hadn’t forgotten Pavel’s face was due to the shock and trauma Pavel’s death had left on him during his childhood days.

Now, that face, which had grown up, was right in front of him. Although Pavel’s body had matured, his face still resembled Empress Catherine’s a lot, and even his chubby cheeks remained unchanged.

As Cedric stood there, dazed and staring at himself, Pavel looked even worried as he came closer.

“Hey, are you really sick? I was surprised to see you sleeping in…. Someone!”

“No, no.”

“Lie back down. Is anyone outside?”

Pavel grabbed Cedric’s shoulder and pushed him back toward the bed, then called out towards the door. A servant entered and bowed.

“Get Ansgar! The palace doctor! Ced seems to be ill!”

“Yes.”

The servant hurried out, and Cedric finally gathered his senses and grabbed Pavel’s wrist.

“Are you really Pavel? Pavel Irkin?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? And you’re Cedric Evron, right?”

“You’re … alive?”

“It seems you’re really sick.”

Just then, Ansgar, who had been summoned, entered the room. Seeing the much younger version of Ansgar compared to Cedric’s memories from yesterday, Cedric felt an indescribable surge of emotion rising in his chest.

Ansgar, noticing the unusual expression on Cedric’s face, hurried over. Pavel also dropped his brusque attitude and spoke with concern.

“Rest well. I can’t believe you’re actually sick too.”

“That’s enough.”

Cedric managed to smile. He only realized how happy it made him to see a living Pavel.

Pavel insisted that he lie back down. Cedric listened obediently in his dazed state.

“You broke your promise. You’ll owe me later.”

Pavel grumbled, and Cedric, half-convinced this was a dream, closed his eyes again. It was hard to accept.

But even after falling asleep and waking up again, his shrunken body and the changed world remained as they were. After a bit more sleep, he was able to adjust to the balance and sensations of his new body more easily.

In the end, Cedric accepted the reality of the situation.

And after a series of questions, trying not to seem odd to the concerned Ansgar, Cedric learned that it was now the spring of the 472nd year of the Empire, and he was thirteen years old. He also found out that while his parents had passed away in the same way as before, it was not due to purging but rather an accident.

Additionally, all three imperial princes and princesses were alive and well.

This change in the Evron situation was likely because Empress Catherine, instead of retreating, was keeping a vigilant watch. Emperor Gregor, preoccupied with monitoring Duchy Riagan, had no time to interfere with Evron.

With Cedric under the Empress’s protection, Evron felt secure as well.

“Are you alright, Lord Ced?”

“Ha, haha.”

Cedric laughed. A mix of relief and a sense of emptiness spread through him, almost numbing his limbs.

If Princess Eloise was still alive, she would be an adult by now. Unless Emperor Gregor saw his own daughter as a rival and had her removed, the line of succession in the Empire would be secure. Even if something were to happen to Eloise, there were still two or more legitimate princes, with the Empress firmly supporting them.

There was no room for Grand Duke Roygar or Lawrence to interfere, and the same went for him.

Thus, his concerns should be solely about himself and Evron.

It was then that he could confirm what had first come to his mind: Was Artizea still in this world? In such a changed world?

When he asked about Milaira’s current situation, Ansgar looked quite flustered. It seemed he considered it inappropriate to discuss the Emperor’s mistress with a thirteen-year-old boy.

Cedric asked with a composed face.

“I’m not asking out of any lewd curiosity. I know there’s a son and a daughter…”

“Oh, you mean Sir Lawrence. You saw him recently. He doesn’t visit the palace much. There’s nothing to worry about. He’s charming, and His Majesty is quite fond of him, but he’s not in a position to boldly show himself at the court.”

“And the daughter?”

“You mean the daughter of Marquis Rosan?”

Ansgar responded with a puzzled expression. While Lawrence was a member of the Emperor’s bloodline and had been seen at the palace, there seemed to be no particular reason Cedric would be curious about Milaira’s daughter.

There was only one reason he could think of Cedric asking.

“Is it because you’re wondering if she’s pretty?”

“Pff.”

Cedric, who was sipping the strong tea that Ansgar had brought, ended up spitting it out.

Well, yes, she’s pretty. She is beautiful. But that wasn’t the kind of curiosity he had. There was no need to ask others about Artizea’s appearance.

Despite Cedric’s embarrassment, Ansgar was able to smile.

‘Lord Ced is already at that age, huh?’

It’s natural for a teenage boy to be curious about a pretty girl. Though the daughter of Marquis Rosan is still very young, her mother is Milaira.

And this was almost the only rumor Ansgar knew about the daughter of Marquis Rosan.

“They say she doesn’t resemble her mother at all. There are rumors that she’s not very pretty, but even if she is, she probably isn’t extremely unattractive.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

Cedric sighed. What he was truly curious about was whether Artizea was doing well.

Since the Empress’s situation had changed, Milaira’s position would also have changed. It was possible that Artizea was living a different life from what Cedric knew.

He really hoped that. At least in this dream, she was living a happy life without needing forgiveness or having to forgive anyone.