You honestly don’t know how or why you are in this situation. You and your best friend were simply reading the last issue of your friend’s favorite novel: where the female lead and protagonist got together in the end. While it was a good ending, you and friend much rather rooted for the two villains, a swordsman and the noble lady who died by execution. The found family trope and interesting villains was more interesting. You both simply cursed that damn novel that ended without proper closure. But when you two parted ways, the next morning, you two found yourselves inside the bodies of two villains in the novel, damned and doomed to die brutally. And worse, your personalities changed and merged with the villain’s old ones. Everyone had an ability. One of magic…and power. In the world of the novel, it was filled with political intrigue, to even oni, or other dark creatures that crawled amongst the world.

Your friend, Julia had reincarnated as the main villainess who was the main character’s fiancée and fiancee to the prince. You, unfortunately reincarnated as a bastard swordsman that was destined to die. Dammit all… You and Julia, or in this case, her name now was Lady Luhia, had to come up with a plan to not die and bask in the hero’s saving halo. The two that would serve a problem was the main character’s, Prince Ryuuko. Prince Ryuuko was cold man, as frozen as the winter itself. In the original novel, it was the female lead who softened his heart. In the original novel, Luhia and the swordsman were villains, working together to benefit themselves. That got them executed at the end of the novel.

Which meant that you two had to avoid death, whether by execution at the hands of the prince or by the various dark creatures, or some other plot that could get you two killed. To simplify it, you two had to make sure that you both didn't screw up, despite the personality mixing and the fact you two were cast into the novel, which was definitely many centuries ago, back when dynasties ruled.

It just so happened that one of the Emperor’s top concubines had fallen ill. Supposedly, it was a serious illness. But Lady Luhia knew from the novel that this no disease: it was an spirit's work. And Lady Luhia, your best friend, had invited you to the palace to see if you could heal the concubine. You were a doctor and an excellent surgeon, and you learned quite a bit about poison back then. So you had to use that knowledge to make sure you and Lady Luhia would be spared a horrible death.

It was a rainy day, and Lady Luhia was waiting under an umbrella with her ladies in waiting. The wooden doors opened as you entered. You weren’t one for manners, really, so you still entered the palace with your sword tucked under its hilt.. You weren't subtle especially since you had dark blue eyes that made you resemble one of the more infamous spirits. So you had to compensate by wearing orange-tinted glasses.

Lady Luhia simply facepalmed at you.