Sword Emperor, Becoming the Young Lady of a Viscount House

Chapter 1

“Why not be born in the slums instead?”

She muttered while sitting cross-legged.

Her brows furrowed.

A pink room.

A princess bed.

Brilliant decorations caught her eyes.

It looked like they might trigger an allergy.

She stood up from her seat.

It had been a week since her possession.

What she had discovered was that the owner of this body was the daughter of a noble family.

And she was rumored to be the most beautiful woman in the kingdom.

Her nickname was said to be the “Reincarnation of a Goddess.”

…None of it pleased her.

“Or perhaps, why not be born into the royal family? A viscount is too ambiguous.”

Her brows wrinkled like earthworms.

If it had been her previous body, the aura of a tiger would have naturally emanated from her.

But now, it only appeared cute.

She almost smashed the mirror but managed to hold herself back.

-Knock knock.

“My lady, this is Heinrich. May I come in?”

“Enter.”

-Ahem.

Beatrice folded her arms behind her back and stared at the door with an arrogant expression.

The door opened, and a man appeared.

He was Heinrich, the butler of the Viscount’s family.

“My apologies for disturbing you in the morning.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“…The Viscount has summoned you. He asks that you dress up and come to his study.”

Beatrice frowned slightly, looking troubled.

Her biological father.

As someone who had been possessed, she could not accept him as her parent.

Yet, severing ties was not an option.

She simply felt stifled.

“Why would I need to dress up to meet my father? I won’t.”

“…Are you sure? The Viscount may not take it well.”

‘Annoying.’

There was another reason she found him distasteful.

‘No matter how you look at it, he’s an irredeemable human.’

A week wasn’t a long time.

But it was enough to gauge the character of someone you met every day.

Beatrice, who had encountered countless types of people, instinctively knew he was trash.

A vague, uneasy feeling.

It was mere suspicion without evidence, but Beatrice knew.

Her intuition had never been wrong.

“…I’ll go as I am. I won’t dress up.”

“As you wish.”

* * *

The Cenci Viscountcy had been wealthy.

Until they faced a series of events.

In fact, they hadn’t originally been viscounts.

Their original status was that of counts, particularly prosperous in trade.

The reason the Cenci County was demoted to a viscounty was simple.

Treason.

A cardinal sin in any nation and the main cause of a noble family’s downfall.

The Cenci County had secretly funded rebel forces. However, concrete evidence was never found.

One could not topple an established count’s family based on circumstantial evidence alone.

Moreover, the kingdom of Krapos was not a particularly strong nation.

It was far from flourishing.

Among the fourteen families involved in the rebellion, about half remained.

Retaliating against all of them would have been impossible.

Thus, the Cenci family managed to maintain their standing.

Though they were stripped of vast compensations, rights, and their title as counts, falling to the rank of viscounts.

“That’s the situation. So, what is the point of telling me this?”

Beatrice Cenci, now living a new life as the Viscount’s daughter, asked.

Although her father, Francesco Cenci, had provided a long explanation, she still couldn’t grasp his intent.

“It means you are now of age. Fifteen years old. It’s time for you to practice leading the family.”

“…There are two people above me. What do you mean by that?”

“They’re hopeless. They lack both ambition and ability. I’ve decided to choose you.”

“Are you telling me to become the head of the family?”

Beatrice, being straightforward by nature, couldn’t hold back.

“Yes.”

Hearing his response left her even more bewildered.

‘It’s only been a week.’

It had been just a week since her possession.

Hearing such talk before fully understanding this world left her perplexed.

She knew nothing about the life of this body.

How it had lived or been treated.

Most importantly.

…She wasn’t even sure if the words of the man claiming to be her father were true.

Thus, as she was about to refuse.

“Our family has a long history.”

“I’ve heard as much.”

“While not founding contributors, we’re on a comparable level.”

“…I see.”

“We’ve spared no effort in making this kingdom prosperous. Whenever money was needed, we provided it without hesitation, and we still do. However.”

Beatrice listened quietly.

He gestured dramatically as though speaking of something crucial.

“His Majesty has abandoned us. Our honor is in the dirt, and now demands are made of us beyond our capability. Our arms and legs have been broken. I’ve led this family for 30 years, but I can’t go on any longer. We’ve been stripped of so much that there’s nothing left for us to do. In short, we’ve reached a turning point. Do you understand?”

“I understand. You’re saying the situation is hopeless.”

“Exactly. Especially.”

He rose from his seat and emphasized again.

“When the pen-wielding families are now being ordered to take up swords.”

“…Pardon?”

Beatrice questioned.

Though she didn’t understand at first, she quickly caught on from the look in his eyes.

This seemed to be the medieval era.

Before a definitive mediator like ‘nukes’ existed, human life had been a series of struggles.

‘Come to think of it, this is during a time of constant… war.’

However.

Beatrice couldn’t quite understand why he was telling her all this.

“Why are you asking me to do this?”

“…You’re the one who must go.”

“…….”

‘I see.’

Beatrice’s eyes darkened.

Now she understood.

“It’s a royal command. The Cenci family is to send one person to participate in the war, representing the family, to the capital.”

“And that person is me?”

“Yes. Consider it an honor. You will represent the Cenci family.”

‘As expected, my intuition wasn’t wrong.’

Bluntly put, he was trash.

That’s what Beatrice thought.

Sending a girl—just a 15-year-old noble’s daughter—to the battlefield.

It was essentially a death sentence.

Even in the world she came from, it was rare for women to be told to wield a sword.

But here, in a medieval setting?

The meaning was clear.

‘A disposable piece. I don’t even need to see it to know. If this were a winnable war, they wouldn’t have sent me.’

War was both a crisis and an opportunity.

If one accumulated achievements there, they could easily rise to great heights.

Yet, sending her meant…

The situation on the battlefield wasn’t favorable.

The family’s circumstances were desperate enough that even sending an heir was unthinkable.

“So, you’re telling me to go die.”

“Well, isn’t that the least you can do? You were born into this family and have refused every marriage proposal. This is the only option I can offer. I know it’s dangerous. That’s why I’m giving you an incentive. Didn’t you always say you wanted to become the head of the family? If you’re truly determined, seize this chance.”

“Ha.”

At his words, spoken as though he were being generous, Beatrice let out a bitter laugh.

‘Well, I suppose that would be easier to deal with.’

It was better than wearing a frigid dress and engaging in mindless chatter.

After all, she wasn’t the type for diplomacy or politics.

…The thought of pushing a pen or leading a dull life of endless chatter was not appealing.

“You look terrified. I didn’t know you could even make such a face.”

Of course, she wasn’t making any expression at all.

As she began to feel incredulous, he stared at her closely and spoke.

“There is another option.”

“…Another option?”

“A suitable marriage proposal has arrived. Marry.”

‘I see. This man doesn’t just want to send me to the battlefield; he wants to toss me to some lustful noble instead.’

He wasn’t sending his daughter to war after all.

But the problem was…

‘I’d rather die.’

The issue was that she wasn’t an ordinary noble’s daughter.

A week since her possession, and now a marriage.

A week since her possession, and now a war.

If she were a typical noble’s daughter, she’d undoubtedly choose the former.

In this era, noblewomen had no other choice. It was easier and more natural.

But Beatrice was different.

“I’ll just go to the battlefield.”

War.

It had already been a part of Beatrice’s life.

But being possessed into a woman’s body and being told to marry…

It was no different from a death sentence.

Marrying a man?

While Beatrice valued equality and protecting the weak, there were exactly two things she despised.

Political correctness and gay marriage.

Why? Because it disgusted her.

And Beatrice had no intention of making herself disgusted.

“I’ll leave immediately.”

“Ha… Do you think war is some sort of tea party?”

Francesco muttered as though dumbfounded.

Beatrice replied.

“I know war better than anyone. It’s a place where people kill and are killed.”

“…And yet, you choose war over marriage?”

“Yes, because I’m confident I’ll manage.”

– Smirk.

Beatrice raised the corners of her mouth haughtily.

It was the first smile she had shown since her possession.

Francesco’s face trembled, and he visibly shuddered as though deeply insulted.

Beatrice thought he looked amusing.

“So, you still think this is a joke.”

“…….”

“Fine. If that’s what you want, then I’ll send you. To the battlefield.”

“But you must promise me one thing.”

“‘If you come back alive.’”

Francesco emphasized each word with venom in his tone, as if he wished for her death.

‘He truly seems to hope I’ll die.’

Even though she was his child, he genuinely seemed to wish for her death just because she had vexed him a little.

What an exceptional piece of trash.

Well, it wasn’t too bad.

…After all, she had no intention of dying as he hoped.

The title of Sword Emperor wasn’t earned lightly.

Furthermore.

‘If I’ve been given a new life, I might as well aim for the top.’

She didn’t intend to live this life half-heartedly.

Whether it was possession or reincarnation, she didn’t know the details.

What mattered was that she had gained a new life.

And, just as in her previous life, she would become the best.

“It seems our conversation is over. I’ll take my leave now.”

“Get out. I don’t want to see your face.”

“Yes.”

Beatrice let Francesco’s words go in one ear and out the other as she continued to think.

‘What should I do?’

She had carried the title of Sword Emperor.

She had been called a hero.

She had lived for others, believing it was the highest value in life.

So, this time, she would live differently.

‘If I’m going to aim for something… Yes, becoming an emperor sounds good.’

An emperor.

In modern times, it was a title one couldn’t achieve by sheer strength alone.

The pinnacle of power.

The symbol of ambition.

She found it tempting.

Her first task for that would be…

‘To become the head of the family.’

She would return from the battlefield with achievements.

And she would seize the position of family head.

Everything would begin from there.

With a faint smile, Beatrice turned the doorknob.