Prologue: Touch Her, Then Hang in Front of Her
Children, I’ve crashed.
With a piercing sound of a gavel and an eruption of gasps in the public trial hall of the Holy Church, the woman who had been keeping her eyes tightly shut slowly opened her captivating eyes.
Those fiery red pupils were strikingly unique, like flames burning, beautiful as a blazing red rose, capable of igniting emotions with just one glance.
But at this moment, her beauty was imprisoned by the holy light, like a raging flame trapped in amber.
A few hours earlier, she was the glorious Cardinal Deacon of the Church, but now she was condemned as an unrepentant witch.
There was much discussion in the courtroom, while in a position on the other side sat a cold-faced girl, holding her notebook, looking sternly at her, with the notebook filled to the brim with the woman’s crimes as a witch.
The current situation felt familiar, and by the time the woman regained her senses, the high-ranking presiding judge had already pronounced her death sentence.
“Yifu Lawrence, as a witch, you infiltrated the Church under a false identity, intending to sow chaos. Now, according to the law, you are sentenced to hanging. Do you have any arguments against this verdict?”
“I… really crossed over?”
Ignoring the piercing voice on stage, Yifu glanced at her slender arms bound tightly, then followed the line of her arms down to her chest. Unfortunately… too ample, and nothing else was visible.
As the saying goes, a woman whose gaze cannot meet her toes is a supreme beauty, so with her figure and body, she was undoubtedly something that heightens desire.
Yifu remembered clearly that she intended to use a gummy substance to help her sleep before going to bed, utilizing the plane-sleep method to smoothly enter dreamland.
However, when she was looking for a romance novel for inspiration, she accidentally discovered an extremely enticing masterpiece.
Without realizing it, she had stayed up all night to finish reading it. Staying up was nothing new for her, but this time was clearly different.
Because she had finally worked herself to death…
Before she could lament the botched ending of the romance novel or regret that she could no longer indulge, darkness suddenly enveloped her, and when she opened her eyes again, she found herself here.
Countless memories flooded her mind, and Yifu understood the situation before her—this was the site of the witch trial, and also the prologue of the romance novel she read last night…
A witch hidden among humans, who did all kinds of good deeds, even adopted a talented human girl, raising her with great care and thrift.
In the end, this girl sold her witch adoptive mother out to run for the title of Holy Maiden.
The witch had done no evil, merely a law-abiding citizen, but her bloodline was that of a witch, and that was her only fault.
But since she had been reported, the Church must investigate, and once confirmed, execution was certain. After all, humans in this world could not tolerate witches, just as sand cannot exist in the eye.
To encounter such a cunning little wolf—who knows which witch was so unfortunate…
Oh…
How unfortunate this witch is…
“Me?”
Sorting through the situation before her, Yifu suddenly felt cold sweat cover her forehead regarding this crossing-over business, which she grasped only vaguely.
With her hands bound tightly, she couldn’t even wipe the cold sweat from her forehead.
After all, it was the Church’s doing, not only binding her tightly but also continuously suppressing her powers as a witch.
However, this suppression was indeed redundant; although Yifu was a witch, she was the weakest of witches.
With her witch bloodline, she lacked any formidable power because she loathed her witch blood and wished to be an ordinary human, living an ordinary life.
Abandoning her absolute talent, she mingled with humans, sought friendly relations with them, defying her identity as a witch, and even worked at a human Church.
Frustratingly, due to her exceptional performance, she was promoted this year to a governing cardinal of a certain Empire’s Church.
Everything was going well until all of it was shattered by a girl not yet ten years old.
“Presiding judge, Yifu Lawrence is an unrepentant witch, lurking in the Church for years like a ticking time bomb. I suggest immediate execution to avoid further complications.”
As Yifu was reminiscing about her current predicament, that little girl on the judgment seat spoke, like a knife stabbing deeply into Yifu’s heart.
Yifu didn’t understand why she felt that sting, especially when her gaze met the girl’s; an indescribable foreign emotion surged from her heart.
It was like despair, but looking at the slightly thin little girl, Yifu felt more heartache and worry?
No need to think too much; this seemingly righteous little girl was Yifu’s adopted daughter, the cunning little wolf who reported her.
The reason she reported Yifu was simple; after all, this was the world of the romance novel. Why did she do it? For the protagonist, of course…
As for the protagonist…
Yifu scanned the room and did not see the author’s golden child, the true Long Aotian, gifted beyond compare.
His success could not be without Yifu’s adopted daughter’s assistance; after the girl successfully reported Yifu, Yifu was executed, and she was smoothly selected as the Holy Maiden.
Her goal in becoming the Holy Maiden was to extract endless benefits and resources from the Church, ultimately feeding them all to this little Long Aotian.
What one would originally think would be a harmonious, flourishing relationship ended up being a cruel training plot; the Yifu who had read the entire original text knew all too well…
How could the childhood friend compete with the sudden arrival? Yifu was merely a tool for the opening act, and so was her adopted daughter.
They were always tools, only realizing it at the moment of being discarded… but it was already too late.
As a secondary character in the romance novel, Yifu felt this little girl was a failure because until she died with guilt and regret at her adoptive mother’s grave, she hadn’t even been touched by Long Aotian…
How pitiful, yet there must be detestable flaws.
Yifu grasped her current circumstances but felt no panic at all.
Because she knew that since she had the chance to be reborn, facing death also meant she had the possibility of rebirth.
To be honest, she didn’t want to fight for survival in this world because she still had many sticky substances to indulge in, and it was clear that the current situation had no conditions for that.
With no opportunity left for her indulgence, what was there worth fighting for?
She hoped that if she were reborn, it would be in a better world, as there was nothing here, not even a system.
If there were levels among crossers, Yifu was definitely at the level of needing to sit at the children’s table for meals.
So disappointing…
However, before she left, Yifu still had a little malicious intention.
Death would not come without a price. Facing this little cunning wolf who reported her, Yifu felt that even if she had to die, she would leave a significant scar in the little wolf’s heart.
According to the plot, it would not be long before her value was fully exploited, and she would be abandoned by Long Aotian.
By then, this little girl would gradually realize Yifu’s kindness, slowly discovering that she had buried the only person in the world who truly loved her.
In the end, she would become despondent, running to Yifu’s grave one rainy night, sobbing, and ultimately dying of depression.
This punishment seemed too lenient for her, not enough to vent her anger.
Since points should be tallied against the pathetic group, they must reach their peak.
This female-oriented trope was not unknown to Yifu; it was just about being wholeheartedly good to the other party, then dying in front of them, leading to their regret, right?
Yifu was well-versed in this idea; at present, escaping seemed impossible as she was bound tightly, resembling a character from a small film. Unable to run, the mere thought of being in the world of the romance novel sent chills up her skirt.
So since she was destined to be regretted, she would go to the extreme.
With a mischievous glint in her eyes, Yifu blinked, expressing a mix of grievances and reluctance, which was tinged with despair and a trace of loving care.
She turned her gaze to the girl standing on the high platform, solemnly judging her.
Yifu’s acting skill was astounding, paired with her stunning beauty; the complex emotions surfaced vividly against her attractive face.
“Darling, Mama doesn’t blame you. You’ve grown up and have your independent thoughts now.”
When Yifu spoke, her voice was melodious, akin to a lark, warm and moving as a gentle winter breeze that could melt the hardest ice.
“As a member of the Church, what you’re doing is right. Witches are indeed unrepentant beings; according to human law, they must be eliminated once discovered.”
“What you did is right… It’s just a pity that Mama will never see you grow up.”
Yifu smiled, her expression filled with reluctance.
“Mama is at fault; Mama is an unrepentant witch. I’m the one who wronged you… I don’t deserve to be in your life, yet your presence has always been one of the few lights in my dim life.”
“Take care of yourself; without Mama to cover you at night, be cautious and don’t catch a cold.”
“The road ahead is still long. I’ve left you a small sum of money, not much, earned through saving and working hard, hidden in your favorite jewelry box.”
“You said you liked new dresses, but Mama couldn’t afford them. Mama has no skills… But I’ve made you many dresses, sewn stitch by stitch. They may not be as pretty as those in store windows, but you can wear them until you’re sixteen.”
“Oh, how beautiful you will be at sixteen, but it’s a pity… Mama will never see it.”
“Mama is not afraid of death; she is only afraid of closing her eyes and never seeing you again.”
Yifu spoke, tears streaming down her face; even though she was confirmed as a witch, she evoked sympathy from many in the jury.
What witch was this? This was a caring mother!
The girl standing on the high platform, struck by this sudden warmth, froze, her hands holding the notebook trembling slightly.
Seeing the girl’s expression, Yifu’s lips curled into a slight smile—a smile of victory. She knew she had hammered a nail deep into this girl’s heart. This nail would dig deeper with time, eventually leading her to regret for a lifetime.
The hanging of the witch Yifu was inevitable, but that didn’t matter. What she wanted was to leave an indelible mark in the heart of this cunning little wolf.
“Just wait and see, darling,” Yifu coldly laughed in her heart. “You’ll understand—who is the only one in this world that truly loves you.”
I truly am a villain. Well, now it’s time to face death calmly and be reborn in another world.
But…
