Prologue

I had always been sickly. For  as long as I can remember, I spent most of my time in a hospital room  until my doctor delivered the grim news when I turned sixteen. I had no  friends, never played outside, never had boyfriends, and now, I had only  a few months left to live; the cancer had become too advanced for  medical technology to control.

"Please, Sana, stay strong no matter what," my parents implored. "We will always be here for you."

"Why should I stay strong? I only have a few  months left, anyway..." My harsh response silenced them, and they left  the hospital with downcast expressions. Alone in my room, I quickly  grabbed my smartphone and began searching for web novels. Tears streamed  down my face as I stared blankly at the screen. I wouldn't live to see  the ending of these novels anyway. Why should I bother?

As I gazed out from my hospital bed, I closed  my eyes while the setting sun cast its warm glow upon me. I longed to  apologize for being such a burden to my family, to my friends for  abandoning our school projects and exams we had worked so hard on, and  to my brother and sister. Most of all, I wanted to apologize to my  parents for the enormous cost of my medical care.

"Mom, I'm sorry for everything I've put you  through," I whispered to no one in particular. "I'm sorry for being such  a useless daughter, and I'll never be able to repay you for all you've  done. All I've done is lie in this hospital bed. I wish I could go to  school and see everyone one last time. At the very least, please  consider donating my organs so that I can help someone. Thank you."

As I finished typing, my vision grew dim, and  the world around me began to spin. A trickle of liquid grazed my  cheeks, and my vision turned red as my heart sank. An unreal sensation  washed over me, a mix of passion, excitement, grief, and despair.

A crimson streak of light passed me by like a  comet in the dark sky. Though there was nothing to see, I felt as  though I was being watched. I spun around, but no one was there. A red  liquid poured out in front of me, forming a puddle that continued to  grow until it reached me. Hands emerged from the pool, pulling me down.

I screamed.

"AAHHH!!!" I woke up in a bed, screaming.  Glancing around, I realized I was in an unfamiliar room, far removed  from the 21st-century hospital I knew.

"Ah! She's finally awake," a girl in a French  maid uniform said as she opened the door in response to my scream. She  was accompanied by several other men and women. The man among them  seemed oddly familiar, though I was certain I had never met him before  in my entire life.

"So, how is she?" he inquired.

"She's fine, just a little scratched up. I was surprised she survived that monster's attack," the doctor replied with a smile.

"Could it be... this is the reincarnation  thing I read about in popular web novels?" I wondered. My heart raced at  the possibility of reincarnation. I looked at my hands; they were  small, but when I grasped them, there was no pain or sluggishness. I was  healthy!

I felt confident that I could fulfill my  dreams of making friends and being cared for like a proper child with a  loving family. I could play outside like a normal kid. I could have a  sleepover with friends, I could attend birthday parties! The  possibilities were endless.

"Thank the Goddess. Our Elidranthia is safe," he said, proceeding to hug me.

Wait, what did he say? Elidranthia? Wasn't  that the name of a villain in a recently read novel that was on hiatus?  The name was so unique that it immediately raised my suspicions. Could  this not be a typical isekai story, but the one where I was reincarnated  as some random villain?

Little did I know that achieving my wish for a  loving family and leading a normal, happy life outdoors was easier said  than done. After all, I had been reincarnated as a bloodthirsty  villainess from a book, "The Assassinated Princess: Returning Back in  Time to Live a Happy Life"