ushernet Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Three months ago, the Emperor died. His head was severed cleanly by the hand of the Third Prince, an illegitimate child.
The original story had gone completely off the rails, but Penelope didn’t pay much attention to it.
She was too busy trying to survive.
When you’re in a situation where you have to worry about food for the next week, things like "romance" and "fantasy" are luxuries you simply can’t afford.
“The price of turnips has dropped again,” the steward of the lord’s castle reported in a trembling voice.
“Again?”
Hearing that the value of "turnip coin" had crashed once more, Penelope felt her vision go dark.
“What about herbs?”
“The farmers harvested the last of the green herbs yesterday. Selling those might get us enough emergency food for three days.”
“Only three days?”
The fact that green herbs, the main ingredient in basic healing potions, were now practically worthless made Penelope’s hands tremble with frustration.
The steward, oblivious to her burning anxiety, added fuel to the fire.
“At this rate, we might not survive the winter this year.”
“This can’t be happening...”
“What should we do?”
The retainers sighed, their faces heavy with worry.
Penelope buried her face in her hands.
“Damn that heroine...”
It was a wretched and cursed connection she couldn’t shake off.
Calling it merely unpleasant didn’t do it justice—it was enough to drive her mad.
Unfortunately, the world Penelope found herself in was from the romance fantasy novel I’ll Choose the Second Male Lead in This Life!
Keywords: regression, revenge, and catharsis.
The plot revolved around a regressed heroine who, after being used and brutally killed by the Emperor, sought revenge by seducing the second male lead and destroying everything in her path.
While the heroine was busy taking down the Emperor, the final villain, and placing the Third Prince, an illegitimate child, on the throne, Penelope had married a rural lord in the northern provinces.
One month after their wedding, her husband died, and the shock of it caused her to recall memories of her past life in South Korea.
“How traumatic must it have been to become a widow right after the wedding for my past life to come flooding back?”@@@@
Penelope could still vividly recall that day.
It had been late at night, and under the dim candlelight, she was mending her husband’s clothes.
The lord’s castle was so impoverished that they couldn’t even afford a single magical orb. Squinting her strained eyes, she threaded the needle.
Suddenly, the commotion outside the castle grew louder, and a knight burst into the room. His armor, illuminated by the pale moonlight, was dripping with bright red blood.
“Baroness, please, don’t be alarmed by what I’m about to say...”
Of course, Penelope was utterly alarmed.
When you hear that your husband has been half-devoured by a monster, who wouldn’t be? She wanted to meet anyone who could stay calm in such a situation.
A sharp sting brought her attention to her hands—her finger, pricked by the needle, was bleeding.
“Should I just die like this?”
That was the thought that crossed her mind at that moment.
She set survival as her primary goal. With that clear and simple objective, her mind began to focus.
“Use whatever you can to live like a proper human being.”
Her knowledge of the original story was an enormous stroke of luck. Add to that her modern mindset, and she had a strong foundation to build on.
In other words, it was a winnable fight.
If she could achieve her goal, becoming wealthy in the process would be even better. After all, being rich was never a bad thing.
She had already experienced a life of struggle and poverty in her previous life, growing up as the eldest of three siblings under a single mother. That pain had followed her throughout her entire life.
“I’ll revive this territory, leave behind a prosperous estate, and retire while I’m still young.”
Adopting one of Baron Halo’s distant relatives would make the inheritance process smoother.
“This time, I’ll finally live my dream of being young, rich, and carefree.”
In an instant, her life plan was complete.
Penelope realized for the first time just how ambitious she truly was.
And so, at this moment, Penelope had a perfectly valid reason to resent the heroine, who stood in the way of her life plan.
The impatient steward abruptly shouted.
“I told you we needed to find alternative sources of income beyond herbs long ago!”
“And how is that my fault? How was I supposed to know trade with the Eastern Continent would suddenly open up?” the treasurer retorted, veins bulging in his neck.
“Ah, yes... Life could never be simple, could it?”
According to the original story, it was the heroine who had established a new trade alliance with the Eastern Continent.
Merchant ships from the East brought in massive quantities of cheap, high-quality herbs, causing the price of northern herbs to plummet overnight.
The citizens of the empire praised the heroine for making potions more affordable, but small northern estates that relied on selling herbs were pushed to the brink of bankruptcy.
Just like now.
“How long are we going to waste time blaming each other? We need to focus on how we’re going to survive!”
“Did you just call me disgraceful? Then why don’t you share your brilliant solution?”
“Oh, you want to keep talking?”
“Yes, I do!”
The increasingly desperate retainers began barking at each other like rabid dogs, tearing into one another in their panic.
Penelope, her head throbbing, raised her hand to massage her temples.
The steward, veins bulging in his forehead, shouted.
“Enough! How dare you act so disgracefully in front of the acting lord?”
“Well, I wasn’t trying to...”
“Show some decorum! Watch your tongues!”
“Ahem!”
The retainers, now thoroughly chastised, exchanged embarrassed glances and turned their eyes to Penelope.
To the people of the estate, Penelope was a composed and pragmatic woman.
Even after losing her husband in a monster attack two months ago, she hadn’t returned to her family but had instead taken it upon herself to manage the estate. Her sense of duty and dedication was beyond question.
Embarrassed by their behavior in front of their new mistress, the retainers grew visibly subdued.
At last, Penelope opened her mouth to speak.