Death Is The Only Ending For The Villain

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I’ve reincarnated as the reverse harem game’s villainess, the one and only adopted daughter of the ducal Eckart family.

But the difficulty just has to be the worst!

Everything I do will only lead me to death.

I must be paired with one of the main male characters from the heroine’s harem before the ‘real daughter’ of the duke family appears!

Two older brothers who always pick a fight with me on every little thing.

The insane crown prince whose route will always lead to my death.

‘I only see the heroine and no one else’s wizard, and also her loyal s*ave knight, too!

‘First, let’s take some of them which I see no hope in, out of the list!’

“I didn’t know my place up until now. From now on, I’ll live as quiet as a mouse so you wouldn’t care the slightest bit!

But why do their interests in me keep on rising every time I draw the line?!

Associated Names
One entry per line
Death Is the Only Ending for the Villainess
DOEV
Villains Are Destined To Die
เป็นตัวร้ายก็ต้องตายเท่านั้น
恶役只有死亡结局
악역의 엔딩은 죽음뿐
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
I Don’t Want to Be Loved (10)
The Duke’s Imposter Sister (9)
Under the Oak Tree (9)
Living As the Villainess Queen (8)
Predatory Marriage (8)
It Seems Like I Fell into a Reverse Harem Game (8)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Me like
  2. Fav romance novel
  3. MY favorite reads
  4. FEMALE LEADS I LOVE
  5. Villains

Latest Release

Date Group Release
04/23/20 Towel City extra 8
04/23/20 Towel City extra 7
04/23/20 Towel City extra 6
04/23/20 Towel City extra 5
04/23/20 Towel City extra 4
04/23/20 Towel City extra 3
04/23/20 Towel City extra 2
04/17/20 Towel City extra 1
04/16/20 Towel City ss 40
04/16/20 Towel City ss 39
04/16/20 Towel City ss 38
04/16/20 Towel City ss 37
04/16/20 Towel City ss 36
04/16/20 Towel City ss 35
04/16/20 Towel City ss 34
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Nanya
Nanya rated it
June 6, 2021
Status: Completed
Before reading this novel, you should keep in mind the workings of our MC Penelope.

She's a very tragic character who's been through a lot of trauma and neglect. She's had hard circumstances and the only thing that pushes her forward is survival; the hope that things will be better on the other side.

Now I'm telling you to keep that in mind since there's a lot of things that Penelope will do for survival; swallow her pride, suffer, do less than moral actions, etc.

Because once she thinks her hope of survival... more>> is gone she acts in an irrational manner such as

Spoiler

spouting really hurtful things to characters that she has helped corrupt on her way to leaving the game (Ecklis... although he had some issues too) and even going as far as to poison herself because she doesn't want to be played around by circumstances beyond her control.

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It really makes such a fascinating and complex story. With that in mind it was a ride seeing where this went. I didn't always agree with Penelope's actions but I understood why she thought it was correct. It's also pretty unique in that sense for the Villainess genre. I recommend giving it a shot but keep an open mind for our protag. <<less
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LalalalandxD
LalalalandxD rated it
April 15, 2021
Status: --
She tends to overlap her real life to the game girl's life. It's quite different in my opinion. Her family is actually horrible while these people/characters in the game now her real reality are not bad, just misunderstood her. I don't know why she can't see that people can't read mind. You gotta tell them why you're acting the way you do and what you're unhappy about. She just either endures it apologizes or lashes out? Unlike what she thinks, they're actually rational people unlike what portrayed in the game.... more>> Love is not given but earned in my opinion. She can't expects people to just love you or like you, you have to make an effort as well. She never really try to like them. She also sees them just as tools. <<less
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applefish
applefish rated it
February 28, 2021
Status: Completed
This story is so disappointing. The way she treated Eclis and her character by the end of the novel is enough for the one star, but I did genuinely enjoy the beginning and the manwha's very good so far.

Spoiler

In the manwha, she even early on calls one instance of helping Eclis a "Who Killed My Baby" mission and it's like !!! Who killed your baby?? You killed your baby! Really deserving of the name villain.

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MilkTEA
MilkTEA rated it
February 24, 2021
Status: --
Like all the other reviews, the main issue of this story is the MC herself. I actually came from the manhwa and the manhwa made her character better than it actually is.
As I continued off the comic to the novel, it was instant disappointment. The MC is very unwhelming. The first like maybe 60-80 chapters were great but afterwards it was just meh. It’s still an ok read but the potential this novel had wasn’t done justice. I’d go into greater depth on why, but a lot of the... more>> other reviews have already pointed it out so I’ll just leave my two cents instead. <<less
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mizutsuki.sakura
mizutsuki.sakura rated it
August 17, 2020
Status: Completed
Hmm even though is already completely translated, there's still no update huh...

Well~ I already read it though~

Aaaanddd this is my own preference, this novel story is more amazing than lucia~

Before read this, lucia is like my favorite complete translated novel, but after read this... Fufufu (ꈍᴗꈍ)

Even though it have genre "tragedy", the comedy is strong too~ and anyway the FL and ML is reaally great and crazy hahaha ???

For u guys who don't know where to read the complete translate, try to search in the forum or wattpad~
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Bluepanda800
Bluepanda800 rated it
June 29, 2020
Status: c107
I really like this one so far but I do admit there's a certain level of suspension of disbelief needed to enjoy it because it's pretty melodramatic. In my experience thus far I think you are supposed to dislike/be suspicious of all of the male leads and secondary characters because ultimately Penelope is experiencing this game on hard mode and the perpetual threat that the affection level of the leads can rapidly drop to 0 if she does/says the wrong thing keeps the tension and her decisions believable for me... more>> at least.

I've not read too many isekai's with a game system but of the handful I've read this is by far the most complementary to what Penelope is going through at any given time. For me it fits for a game world because if the game existed I'd definitely play it.

As for Penelope I like her character so far she is trying to game the system for her survival primarily and for where I'm up to she's not really fallen for any of the male leads despite her raising their affection levels and having some moments. She's still deeply suspicious (for good reason both the original Penelope and her have experienced abuse) and as nice as her family and capture targets are behaving now we are constantly reminded how fragile the goodwill she's earned by behaving better than Penelope is as well as reminded that Penelope began suffering when she was still a child and didn't have the opportunity to learn how to be a proper lady so everything was stacked against her and the family she wanted to have would never be experienced by her. Spoiler summary

Spoiler

The MC was a neglected illegitimate child who was taken in to the main household much to the displeasure of her older brothers who proceeded to take out their frustrations on her (sometimes through harmless pranks sometimes through hiring people to beat her up) whilst her father turned a blind eye. Eventually she is able to go to university far from her family and move out of the house to live her own life and whilst she is in uni like many of us she gets invested in otome games. The game she plays follows Yvonne Eckart the missing daughter of a ducal family. Yvonne starts the game with 30% affection for all targets and in typical otome game fashion she does events with the guy she wants to get closer to go on his dating sim route. The villain of Yvonne's story is Penelope the orphaned child that the Eckart's picked up when Yvonne went missing because she looked like her. Penelope is not very nice to Yvonne and no matter what route the player picks Penelope will harass Yvonne and at the end of the route die for various reasons.

MC finishes the game in its entirety and is prompted by the game's system to play the hard mode: playing as Penelope a few months prior to Yvonne being found this time all the leads start with 0% or negative affection (negative affection will quickly lead to Penelope dying). MC is able to get a little way into the game on hard mode before she finds herself in the game having become Penelope. At the beginning she is only able to pick from 3 dialogue options to proceed forward but raising her affection level with the capture targets and her overall reputation unlocks the ability to freely interact with the world.

So MC as Penelope has to navigate the world were everything wants to kill her by raising one target to 100% before Yvonne comes back and the main game starts.

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Onto my opinions of the leads:

Derrick

Spoiler

Derrick is the eldest brother of the Eckart family he's prim, proper and never on Penelope's side even when she's not at fault for a lot of incidents. The original Penelope used to call him older brother which he hated because he didn't want her to replace his missing sister, the new Penelope has adjusted and now calls him Young Master (which bugs him for reasons he's not figured out yet) and vows to stay out of his way so he can forget she exists.

Of the male leads he's by far my least favourite but as a trope (he's a kuudere type) I'm expecting when he finally figures out he's attracted to Penelope (preferably suffering a mini-mental breakdown at the revelation) his sweet side will come out and change my opinion of him

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Rennald/Leonard

Spoiler

Rennald is the second older brother of the Eckart family: he's brash, impulsive and a tsundere (I have a soft spot for male tsundere's so he's endearing to me despite him being far more egregious initially). He was the instigator for a lot of pranks and further punishments towards Penelope and in the original game responsible for a lot of heat of the moment bad ending deaths. At the point where I'm up to he's become a lot softer to Penelope and more protective of her. Thanks to a misunderstanding he's aware that Penelope truly hates him and has reflected a bit on his actions and is more actively trying to take care of her to make up for his past behaviour. They are somewhat falling into a sibling dynamic which is cute but understandably Penelope is far from forgiving him outright but of the two brothers she is closer to this one.

I hope to see this sibling dynamic continue and finally have him apologise for his previous abuse.

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Vinter

Spoiler

He's a marquis and wizard and despite being courteous and sweet to Penelope in canon he's the reason Yvonne was found again and definitely has a few dangerous secrets. At the part were I'm up to he's definitely turned up the charm but his motivations are still unclear.

I'm not sure where his character is going but I do hope the wariness that has been building has some kind of pay off.

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Eclipse

Spoiler

He's a s*ave bought by Penelope to become her personal escort/knight. At first he was definitely not happy about it but as Penelope has been spoiling him (because he's the easiest capture target to reach 100% with) he's become unwaveringly loyal to her.

As a character he's nice enough and I see the appeal but this relationship is clearly unhealthy. It's being demonstrated that Penelope doesn't like him romantically but she is in effect manipulating him for her own survival and on his part he's got an unhealthy attachment to being owned by her- refusing to let her take his collar off.

His leaps and bounds in affection far surpassing the rest of the cast has me worried because I have a feeling he's a true yandere and something is going to set him off. That might be wishful thinking though.

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Callisto*

Spoiler

He's the crown prince and the true ML for this story. He's also a yandere so if you don't like that type of male lead then this is your warning to leave. He starts the story by killing a servant and bringing the corpse to his younger half-brother's birthday party because he wasn't invited and Penelope wanting to test out the save/reset mechanics of the game decides to try dying to him- it doesn't work and so she is forced to find an excuse to not get beheaded on the spot. She lies and says she is in love with him and because he doesn't really believe her he asks her to better explain herself when they meet next.

The next meet at the annual hunt where she tries to say she had a small crush because of his looks but has gotten over him attempting to stay away from the violent man however due to a sequence of events he ends up helping her with a bear who attacked her. This means when he is attacked by assassins she is right next to him and able to fire back at them and be with him after they fall off a cliff into a river and hide out in a cave until the threat passes.

We discover that assassins have been trying to kill him for years (obviously with his death the second crown prince his half brother would be next in line and a lot of nobles want that). Also he was hit by a poisoned dagger in the attack but he attempts to hide this from Penelope, they make their way back to the rest of the nobles at the hunt but he collapses from the poison.

Later after Penelope is able to convince the court she didn't attempt to kill the crown prince she is able to visit his sickbed and begs him to not die (he falls for her at this point)

As the male lead he's so-so the author is attempting to distinguish her beginning affection for him as of all the targets he's one of the ones she immediately dismissed and isn't trying to raise his affection above the critical level to avoid death, the whole plot with the assassins did show some good banter between the two but as of where I'm up to he's still far from genuinely appealing to the MC and I hope the author takes this slow and spends longer developing why he is the ML

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byunnie
byunnie rated it
June 1, 2022
Status: --
Soo many people crying about the MC not forgiving the side characters like its obvious she got transmigrated into a book and she heavily projects her own experience with a cold family on the current family+ we know since the beginning she hasnt really opened her heart to anyone why tf would she waste her time making the effort to forgive everyone when shes perfectly okay living the way she is. The MLs dissapointed her once or twice I dont get why she has to be a holy saint and... more>> extend grace to everyone around her. She already knew how the actual penelope was treated by these folks so she knew that if they lost their goodwill towards her could mean the death route is in action why would anyone in their right mind especially someone with low self esteem like Penelope believe shes some outherworldly saint who can change people and besides with yvonnes appearance she was proven right anyway.

no sh*t she will project her previous family to the current one??? Ogpenelope and her lived very similar lives and to an extent she knew how ogpenelope mustve felt all those times so why on earth will she go around forgiving this family, that forgiveness is only for ogpenelope to give. And if she never forgave her own og family its even more reason for her to never trust and forgive the current family. Imagine being rejected and outcasted all your life and the people who did that doing a 180 and treating you well, any person with the right mind will not immediatly think "wow theyve changed let me trust them completely and be family " their goodwill will only be disgusting at that time.

The fact that she knew the plot is all the more reason for her to always be on guard bc she wasnt the main character she was the villainesss who could die any moment. She could spend so much time on the raising their opinion of her but if it goes down she would die. Anyway what happened to the eclise was sad but it is what it is.

Spoiler

Callisto main ML bc he was the only one genuine to her like yea he tried to kill her but he wouldve killed anyone at that moment. Also f off with people saying she shouldnt be a hypocrite bc she was using people to not die??? And I dont think she really expected to be forgiven or even liked if they ever found out she was using them. She was just doing what she could to survive.

callisto a ML the other MLs dead or crying and remising about the days she was acting in front them like There are LEWZARS and WINNERS accept it and move on

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Brasdf
Brasdf
January 19, 2022
Status: c30
This is a good series, but the translation is pretty bad. I switched to the manhwa, which is well translated and has great art, though not finished yet.
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DOHere
DOHere rated it
November 7, 2021
Status: Completed
The "translation" is abt 70-80% understandable, I think it's mtl with a bit of editing.

Tbh, I can't stand how cruel the MC is with the main leads as they repent on their behavior and ... more>>
Spoiler

She makes them all love her (except Renold, who loves her like a sister, and the father, obviously) and then she abandons them after they're no longer useful and even tries to find the worst ways and words to crush some of them.

[collapse]

I was on her side at the beginning. The roles really get reversed in the later half of the story and you can't help feeling sorry for her family and the target characters. They all start caring for her and help her, yet her attitude to them only becomes worse and worse, even as they forgive her every time. She's basically really selfish and only cares abt herself even tho many ppl come to care for her, not sure why they like her tho. Tbh, she's not a good person. She keeps manipulating people, using them, then throwing them away when she doesn't need them anymore. <<less
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Shootingstar
Shootingstar rated it
August 2, 2021
Status: Completed
So I have to firstly say that I just finished marathoning this whole novel in an span of 2 days, which also included me finishing this at 10 a in the morning and only having 3 hours of sleep and not regretting it too deeply.

I really liked this story and would give it an solid 4.5-4.8 just because I would have wanted even more chapters at the end and a few actions in the plot which could have been handled differently.

If you like stories about transmigrated villainess stories where the... more>> MC has also an actually mentioned bad past and is interesting and calculating yet emotional, this story is definitely for you. with many psychological elements as well as morally questioning, matters which are mentioned under lyingly it's a quite hooking story !

I found the story through the manwha which was at chapter 12 at that time and searched the internet for the novel to find this site,... now my dumb younger self didn't understand how this site worked and thought it was really weird with all these blue links but I got to understand them and find that out with time.

The whole premise of the novel being an MC who was abused and neglected in her past life and transmigrated/ reincarnated into a game she used to play as a villainess, already made me extremely interested in the story but only after I read a few chapters in did I realize how much I was immersed and could identify and also understand her thoughts. With Penelope (Si yeon) being in hard mode especially. I have to admit that only because I shipped her with Callisto since the garden and found out through comments who she'd end up with and what shocking betrayal (or better said who) was I sure would, I read the novel.

The novel does a great job of describing the situations and Penelope's thoughts and reasoning, which would make her actions even more reasonable. It as well gave us sometimes brief chapters or scenes from the POV from other characters which made the reader also understand the other characters even more deeply.

I have to say that contrary to an other review I completely stand behind Penelope and her actions and, sure sometimes I do think she goes a tad bit over the top or over does it, but I think if she didn't then it would definitely not fit her character and her background as it is obvious that she went through hardships. this is not used a an excuse but more as an explanation as to where her mindset comes from, which I think gives the novel even more of an character. As well as the fact that Pennelope herself admitted that she was emotional and let her emotions lead her actions.

Every ML is given at some point of the story an background story scene/chapter, which explains their behaviour /mannerism/ feelings, which gives the characters even more depth as well as the reader to feel with or for the characters and suddenly awaken a sudden urge of protecting all of them and giving them an hug.

As to the ML in more detail:

Eclise:

He is from an defeated enemy country and is a s*ave who ends up being bought by Penelope: he is her plan at winning/surviving this game. He is an emotionally hard to read character for Penelope and seems to distrust Penelope for a ling time. Yet how the story handled his character I seriously don't know how to feel about it: we all know that she was planning to use tricks and use any of the ML's for her gain which was made clear from the beginning. I considered eclise to be my second ship with penelope after callisto, so I was not really surprised at the end as it was made quite obvious over the chapters, eventhough the last few gave it even more of an actual kind of an ending.

Spoiler

so as soon as I read the comment that he betrayed Penelope I had no idea how to take it, the comment was under the webnovel and I was ontemlating on wether to read this or not so that came as an surprise. The comment though did not specify how he would betray her and I imagined he would like thrust an knif and try to kill her but,.. OH BOY, was I wrong. I had no idea that he would bring Yvonne, especially after he was only 2% away and lied about wanting to be there for her. Eventhoug it was revealed that and was obvious that Penelopes behaviour had to do with it, it could not justify his unhealthy obsession with her and wanting her and going as far as wanting to kinda destroy her for not wanting to be with him and "playing" with him, although he was aware of it since day one.

as the ending was nearing I was surprised to read the last appearance of him as it was quite frankly not only concerning but as well as making the reader question what would have happened between P and him if the circumstances had been a bit different.

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Marquis Vincent Vernadi (? lol forgot his last name)

He is an powerful mage who is also an seclusive Marquis who ends up being involved with Penelope and according to the original game line would have bought Yvonne back to the Dukedom. He is a pretty interesting character as he was quite calculative with P, as well as the kinda endearing and funny exchanges between them.

Spoiler

I actually shipped them tied in 4 place with Leonard, but as I continued to read it I was actually pretty satisfied with the ending where he ended up being exposed but also an magic teacher to Judith, who we all obviously love ("Servant King" I still crack up as soon as I think about it). Yet I was kinda saddened with the lack of his presence in the extras which could be explained by the ML winning ending's jealousy. as soon as vin made us all aware that even though his affection for pen grew that he couldn't trust her and continuously doubted her, showed how much afraid he was of being betrayed and also being exposed in danger of the kids. The moment where he gave p the rose was somehow a decisive sign/factor that there would be no ending where they'd end up together, yet when he confessed the "unconscious mind thing" I was real sad for him. it showed how he had developed feelings he wasn't even aware of just to be not even given an direct rejection, just to get it much later on after being rescued.

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Leonard Eckhart :

Leonard is the 2nd son of the duke and does not like pen, he detests her along with his family and completely detests her as he thinks she wants to take his sister's (Yvonne) place. 'Over the story he was actually the only family relation who i'd thought she should have an positive relationship with at the end as they came to a somehow underlying agreement and their interactions were never directed in the direction of romance and more in family which I wholeheartedly support. He also made pen look as if she stole a necklace from Yvonne by smuggling it to her, and she was punished from it, which was an decisive moment for her character, as it was also seen not only from her memories but also her surroundings.

Spoiler

now he obviously is a tsundere character here, who however grows increasingly more and was the first to even make other also responsible for how pen was treated (e.g. food). as soon an he gave her the neck ointment I made up my mind and said

[collapse]

"ok this baby is to precious"

Spoiler

over time it was obvious how he had no idea how to interact or react to pen but he always showed some sign of will to try. I think the main objective as to why they're relationship as siblings grew so slowly was mainly bc. of pen's trust justified trust issues, and even if they seem a little over the top or "come o really" he always showed that he believed and had her best interest in mind. not forgetting how he obviously is the cool uncle who teacher his niece bad things, which we fully support x)

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Derrick Eckhart:

Derrick is the oldest son and heir to duke who is cold hearted an calculative, as well as pretty hard to believe in the "new version" of pen. he was one of the characters which were really late to come around and be able to talk to pen.

Spoiler

he is never one to openly show his emotions and when he didn't even try to believe pen and already made up his mind at the hunt, drastically changed pen's mind in maybe finding a bit of an trusting home as it made her think that she would never be actually one of them even if things would go to the right direction. now their interactions were mostly mirroring that kind of relationship (see what I did there? mirroring...i think it's funny), as it was mostly pen still holding grudges for him never taking a step towards her or relenting and thinking back. when we as the readers found out that he had feelings of love towards our pen, I actually kind of felt sorry but also was like

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"i totally understand where you come from being confused as sh*t but that is no excuse"

Spoiler

however, I was immediately hoping that if he finds another love he can still be happy and like overcome this traumatizing experience of being brainwashed against the person he had loving feeling for. When I read that he could slightly smile when Judith was around made me involuntarily smile and hope for better days for him.

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Callisto Regulus:

Callisto is the crown prince who had been to wars and my number one ship, even though is first meeting with Pen was not as expected after an fake confession, an wound and an promise and demand for an reaoning for her love later, which by the way was the one of the most iconic chapters in the whole novel as it at the same time traumatized pen and awoke callistos interest.

Spoiler

you guys have no idea how happy I was as soon as I always read an scene where they both interated together and ads soon as it was revealed that he started taking an liking to her was when she was traumatized was so funny and yet a tad bit concerning. their relationship obviously isn't full of smooth sailings as they are admittedly new to that and never had an person they loved like that or wanted to be in that kind of relationships with. bu canwe take a minute to gush over how adorably cute he is when he is around her like giving her kisses always cutely flirting and being so freakinf adorable and yet so innocent and patient and, GOSH he is just so different with her which I really like.

i loved how the novel showed several fights they had and how things are not all rosee coloired in relationships even if they love each other really much. it gave us the eaders an even more understanding of the characters and didn't betray the original characters background and morals and ethics. so it wasn't like ther were suddenly 2 completly reformed people, but more like people who tried to find ways to be happy together and yet still be loyal to themselved and trying to make it work. I found it especially cute how he is being trated by Judith as it could have been predicted by how he treats pen. All I have to say is I worry and feel about the men or women or person she is going to want to marry X)

I found it intersting how he was the 'saviour I shining armour' yet he never made pen the character of the damsel in distress rather went rationally about it and never looked at her as weaker. the fact that he believed her story about transmigrating was along with that kiss the cherry on top. you guys have no idea how happy I was.

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I think the only critic point I would was that when she was shown
Spoiler

the truth of the truth or however it was called in the tomb

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, eventhough it prob wasn't that importnat to the story it was something I would have loved to explored, as I was already speculating it had something to with penelope's birth mother. <<less
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Xiliqs
Xiliqs rated it
August 22, 2020
Status: Completed
This novel is great, it is fully translated in wattpad, but there were a few gaps so I had to read some chapters in Spanish, and you need to go by different accounts, because there are a few individuals and groups translating each part (and there were translations better than others, so I was always looking for the best option)

It is kinda strange, because I read a few chapters of the manwha and didn't like it a lot (I am not really into otome game stuff), but a few... more>> months later I came here and saw a review saying this story was super sad, a tragedy and a lot of suffering, so the person didn't manage to read everything and decided to only read the spoilers. Yeah, the tragedy part convinced me that I should try this one more time. I really love suffering MCs.

I am so glad I was convinced to read this, because the novel is great. Her suffering feels real and you get really attached with the characters (the Duke, Callisto, Renald, Emily even Vinter, and Penny of course). The romance is great, really well built and not very slow-burn...

In summary, this story is really hard to read in the beginning (a lot of hardships), then things start to get kinda okay and later on sh*t hits the fan, and you are like OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! When I got in this part, I cried, it was so sad... I was desperate... This made me feel so down... I will be sincere NEVER a book or a novel made me feel so much despair.

It is crazy how well things were thought out in this story - the author really worked hard to make all that payoff later on - it was great. When we get explanations, I was like "WOW, the author thought about everything beforehand" - and this feeling is not really common while reading webnovels.

And another really strong point of this novel is that the story is good from beginning to end. I mean a few novels I have read, when we approach the end, the story gets boring and drags out a lot. But this doesn't happen here. It has surprises and really good moments until the last minute. <<less
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Booked_x
Booked_x
July 16, 2020
Status: --
I love this story, the character building is pretty good (jc they’re all so damaged!) and believable from what they all go through. It makes me feel anxious the whole way through but I also can’t get over my feeling of the MC having plot armor. I quite like the interactions between Callisto and MC so far :)
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adhocdown
adhocdown rated it
July 1, 2020
Status: c95
This story keeps me on my toes!! I am usually not a fan of the system administrator genre. But the constant threat of death and the unique, dark character interactions are giving me life. The system's influence is also not overtly bothersome. It generally only appears to progress that plot further after the first 10 chapters or so.
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HoloSol
HoloSol rated it
May 3, 2020
Status: c33
A weird start, but it really does shine later on. There’s actually an underlying plot and explanation behind the goings-on. It’s definitely one of the better Otome villainess novels.
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potatochips
potatochips rated it
May 2, 2020
Status: c33
This novel is really interesting!Unlike the other isekai novels, this one is more like a struggle to survive, not only that, normally other villainess just want to avoid and cheer on the female and male lead or something like that. Also, this novel makes me realize that my family is much, much better so, thank you for that.I hope our MC here finds her happy ending and just live her life instead of riding on a roller coaster, struggling to survive.I hope this updates soon!
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Alina AquaRegilia
Alina AquaRegilia rated it
September 7, 2022
Status: --
It's an amazing novel for sure. The translation is bad but plot makes you keep going forward. The manhwa is better cause better translation and also amazing art.

Yet I can't help but give it 3 stars and here are the reasons for doing so.

One, the bad translation is a serious demerit to the story. Manhwa updates are slow, not complaining, consistent artstyle but for those who want to know what's gonna happen spoiling themselves is the only way.

... more>>
Spoiler

Two, the magic system in the story makes little to know sense and plot holes are never addressed. Magicians are oppressed, okay then why the hell are thier imperial magicians? Are they being ens*aved and treated badly because they sure as hell seem to be important even the MC being one later on.

The game world is a real world with real consequences so how the hell did the game system actually work. Like is this a real world or is it derived from a game or is this some lucid dreaming. I don't get it and most stories from this genre don't explain this but the magic system does leave a lot to be desired.

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Warning - long ass rang about the treatment of the real Penelope.

Lastly, the treatment of og Penelope. I see here people complaining about eckles and yes, understandable but why are we sleeping on the real Penelope. That girl has it the worst, okay?

She was abused, tortured and killed multiple times while the MC who possessed her body got the love and admiration of the family she yearned for. She got the respect and recognition that she always craved.

Again a staple of the genre but I have never seen a story make such a pitiful, tragic and compelling character for the MC to possess and completely destroy then in such a cruel way.

Like no one even seem to realise she turned into a different person even though she was acting fundamentally wierd and the only times such behaviour is commented upon is when the MC is praised for being more mature and clear headed or in suprise and shock that she isn't being outrageously expensive.

As if one can expect mature and clear headedness from a traumatized teenager. Girl was abused in thousand different ways and of course she turned out to be like that.

I don't care if it "rude" or "against noble etiquette" if any bit*h gonna come up to me and say that I am unworthy of love and respect because I was born a poor commoner, if they starve me and prick me with needles, of they pick fights with me and badmouth me, if they try to make me lose my cool on purpose so they can have a sadistic fun time then I sure as hell am gonna throw hands.

Like yes! I would throw things. I would cause a scene. I would create ruckus. If that's the only way people might even look at what is happening to me, if that's the only way people are going to stop hurting me, if that's the only way the pain is going to stop at that instant then I will do it. Reputation be damned. They want drama, they are gonna get drama!

And how in the first scene we see the options given and that there are no dialogue options given for the times out girl was poked with needles and served cold water. How she only burst out when she was served rotten food. Shows that she did try to keep her head down and take the abuse but these people kept pushing her buttons.

And you know what I understand why the real Penelope never called that man "father". Like if my "father" believed me capable of stealing a necklace I wouldn't want anything to do with and f*ck you Reynold. Hope you die. No amount of cute apologizing is gonna let you off the hook.

Same with the duchy. They should never be forgiven for thier half assed apology for literal child abuse and torturing.

Like what was the real Penelope even to these people. A scapegoat they can lash out one. A board to project their issues onto. A diy craft for their sadistic experiments. Let's all see who can cause most psychological damage to this little girl the most. Let not!?

And then they turn around and apologise to the MC. What the actual f*ck. Come one guys. Let's have consistentcy. If you're gonna hate and neglect someone just do it, don't turn around and change your mind because they act like a different person. It's really disrespectful. Not that they have many morals anyway.

Spoiler

And the plot twist with the MC and the real Penelope being one person in the end. God! That was so s*upid. Like the entire plot is that the MC is better than the real Penelope. She knows more. She is a survivor. She is smart and cunning and willing to bend and compromise to save herself.

She is totally different from Penelope which is the main cast decide to like her and cherish her. Like she is different.

And if you are going to make them the same person atleast make it a plot point. Like have the MC remember something from the previous time loops about the lelia and have her remember some of her past gruesome deaths. Don't make it a lazy crop out given by a monologuing piece of magical sh*t that tells us how "you are a piece of the real Penelope". From all the things, a soul piece really.

Even the MC in the end admits it's wierd to think of herself as the real Penelope.

And God! The mc! She is so snappy and critical of the real Penelope. She pities and dismisses her at the same time.

Like I am sorry you happen to be a genius who's smart and secretly loved by everyone but maybe sometimes don't.

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And what the f*ck is with Derrick. Like don't get me writing I hate the entirety of the duchy, especially the Duke and his sons. Both Reynold and this guy. But what is exactly Derrick's problem.

Spoiler

He loves her but doesn't. He is hiding his list for her. Don't they have like a 6 year age gap. Isn't she just seventeen. What is this guy smoking.

And if he is so in love and obsessed with her how come he doesn't realise she is a different person. Why does no one realise this. Why? She can't genuinely be this hated that people would rather forget about her original personality in favour for this new one and don't tell me about some curse stuff. Thanks to this novel I have had enough of magical stuff for now.

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Darkwoodlands
Darkwoodlands rated it
December 29, 2021
Status: Completed
Without giving any major spoilers out I'll just say that I enjoyed this novel even through some of the poor translations of a few chapters and I liked how real the characters felt.

Penelope is a character that is solely focusing on surviving, as she was for her entire life. She was transported into a game world where her situation was the exact same as in her real life. Probably even worse in some ways.

As she struggles to find ways to insure her survival with her prior knowledge of the game... more>> she makes mistakes, miscalculates, and takes risks. She isn't strong or powerful but she's quick and decisive. She isn't a saint nor is she a villain, she's simply human to put.

The other characters, despite the fact that some were against her, some helped her, and some betrayed her, they all had depth to them. The characters acted shallow, arrogant, self centered and self serving throughout and yet it was to a strangely understandable degree.

Even though, while reading I hated a certain characters, after I thought back to it, I could find myself understanding their motivations. That isn't saying that I like them now, I'm simply saying I hate them less.

The plot was very character driven with a lot of unexpected (and by unexpected I mean foreshadowed) twists and turns here and there. It was certainly an enjoyable ride and it's something I'd read again. <<less
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Ludoret
Ludoret rated it
August 1, 2021
Status: Completed
First, I have to say that after reading the manhwa's available chapters I was hooked so I decided to try reading the novel. The MTL surprised me at first but fine, I've read mtls of the novels I love before so I thought I could survive. Boy, I regretted reading the novel so much.

It was because of the MC, Penelope. She had no character growth throughout the whole novel and the side stories made her worse to the point I had to stop reading them. Her manhwa... more>> version was more likeable, but in the novel her actions can no longer be excused because of her dumb decisions and s*upid plans that ended up backfiring to her face. And yet she never learned one bit. You've thought she would grow smarter as she learned more about the world of the game she found herself in but no, she remained the static character that was introduced in the first chapter. Aside from her tragic past, she had no character at all. Even after she fell in love with the ML, she never shown any changes in her core.

Speaking of the ML, he was an absolute delightful character in the main novel but in the side stories, the author ruined him and turned him into a stereotypical Yandere character. A shame because he is my favorite character in this novel and the reason why I kept reading till the end of the main story, aside from the Original FL, who was leagues more interesting and engaging than our typical annoying 'victim' MC.

Penelope is never a strong female character at all. <<less
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Ichigoeater
Ichigoeater rated it
July 3, 2021
Status: Completed
Hah, what to say? I have a lot of mixed feelings, but I can tell the author put a lot of work into the story, no matter what others say, so I can't help but give it 5 stars for their efforts.

There are good things and bad things, but it all boils down to the characters, their actions, and the consequences they reap. The worldbuilding is good, not very unique but not a copy either. The 'game system' she has comes from an unexpected source explained later. Action scenes are... more>> written pretty decently. Romance, when it happens for real, is fluffy and sweet, I guess. Some of the events in the extra chapters bugged me a little, but no big deal.

Ah, I'll just go into the flaws by listing the characters, as that's where it lies.

Really, though. I don't control myself with spoilers, so only read if you don't mind big things being known early.

Penelope Eckhart: A decent MC who, though it seems like she just bows meekly in order to survive, grows stronger after raising the favorability enough that she doesn't have to worry about being killed, which is pretty early in the story. She starts to defend herself, scold who should be scolded, and cuts the abusers out of her life when the opportunity presents herself.
Spoiler

She does forgive the Eckhart family after severe apologies from all three... and a five year lull of not contacting them. I like that, as it's realistic. They have to show that they truly regret their actions first, and that they genuinely care about her, before she accepts them back into her life. As far as her original family back home... heheh. While it was revealed that they didn't hate her and did things 'for some reason', like social awkwardness and being jealous of her brains, they totally killed her, so they didn't get forgiveness at all.

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Duke Eckhart: I grew to like him. He wasn't a ML (no daddy routes allowed, thanks), but ended up being more likeable than any of the MLs. He was the first of the three Eckhart men to understand they did Penny dirty. He could do no wrong in my eyes after that. He even made me laugh on occasion. I wish he had more scenes, cuz I got a crush.

Leonard Eckhart: The first son... was boring as dirt. He was probably supposed to be the cold type, but ended up that way instead. He didn't have a lot of scenes, but that's probably for the best. He was also the last of the Eckhart men to realize the error of his ways, and that was almost at the end of the story. Really, though, this guy was a total loser.
Spoiler

Putting aside that he ruined Penny's coming-of-age celebration and basically forced her to die, since he was brainwashed at the time, it was revealed that he had an undefined 'love' for Penelope (the original Penny) since she was brought to the mansion. He thought it was a good idea to cover it up with harshness and indifference, but selfishly wanted to use every excuse to keep her locked away at home, like a bird in a cage. Basically, he mentally abused her, then used every wrong act she did as an excuse for house arrest. Worse, because he felt he was to blame for his real sister's disappearance, he had a psychological chip that made him want to blame every wrong thing on Penny. Even when she ends up drinking poison, he has the nerve to suspect that it's self-play. Like I said, a total loser.

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Maybe if we got more scenes of him after coming to terms with his wrongs like the other Eckharts, it wouldn't be so bad, but here we are.

Reynold Eckhart: I really didn't like him at first, but he got better after the 'attic scene', which was still relatively early on. Because he's a tsundere typecast, he has a harsh mouth throughout the story, but sometimes his banter with Penny feels more playful than anything else, and you can tell he regrets his past actions when she shoves the truth of his actions in his face.

Marquis Vinter: He's aight. He has trust issues, but given what he's working towards, I think that's warranted. I feel a little sorry for him for a couple of reasons. If I were in Penny's shoes, I probably would've chosen him.

Eclise: Ugh. Everything I have to say about him is a spoiler. But it all boils down to this: I don't like him, even more than Leonard, and Penny should've just saved her money and bought a nice house or something instead.
Spoiler

Here's the breakdown: Penny buys him from a s*ave auction, in order to use him, and does not hide this fact, informing him that if he betrays her, it's all over. She buys him gifts and acts friendly to him in order to raise his favorability, saying he's her knight and the only one she can rely on. Note that this entire time, not a single lie or seduction occurred. Then, Eclise, with a 99% favorability, thanks her by bringing the original daughter back into the home, hoping Penny will be kicked out so he can forcibly run away with her. Basically, he becomes a selfish yandere who doesn't care what Penny wants and blames her saying 'she made him this way.' Ew. Anyway, he nearly kills her a few times, and never takes responsibility for it. I was glad when he died at the end. Of course, the extras had to ruin that. We knew it when they said no body was found, though. He has amnesia, but now his true nasty self is on the surface, so no one can mistake him for an innocent puppy like a lot of readers think at first. Judging by some reviews, it seems some readers still couldn't shake the illusion after his true garbage self was revealed.

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Callisto: The crown prince of the empire who's first impression was pretty bad. Actually... he was pretty boring, too! Though I did find him funny at times, and smiled at a lot of his and Penny's interactions, and he did often randomly save her with a relatively valid excuse other than deus ex machina, I also felt like he, too, was a typecast.
Spoiler

This is the guy Penny actually ends up with, which is part of the problem. Ignoring that they have chemistry (and they do!), being with him means that Penny has to deal with court intrigue, politics, and the social gatherings she always abhorred as a general lifestyle. Even in the extras, it was shown she was always worried some opposing force might harm her daughter while she's away. It doesn't seem to be the life she wanted for herself, but because the MC has to be with the most perfect, most powerful option, it's Callisto she ends up falling for. More than that, Callisto is still flawed. He really doesn't seem like he'd be a good emperor. He's bloodthirsty, intentionally makes all his retainers afraid of him, doesn't have a clue about political relations, and seems to only be good at leading soldiers (but is he, really? If Penny weren't there for that aerial attack in the marsh, I think they'd probably be wiped out. Why were they relying on a depletable source like mana when actual, physical shields are a thing that exists?)

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Ah, who else? Emily and Phenel, the maid and butler? They both make you angry as soon as you meet them, but by the end, you've forgotten how they used to be. Emily especially grew to become a strong support for Penny, to the point Penny felt indebted to her.

Oh, Yvonne!... No, that's a pretty big spoiler. Ah, what the heck, I already spoiled Callisto and Eclise, why not?
Spoiler

Let it be known that the original MC IS the main villain of the story. And it makes sense, now that we know some of Penny's deaths in normal mode shouldn't have happened because of the capture targets' real personalities. The Yvonne from the game was seducing them intentionally and brainwashing them with a purpose in mind. BUT. It's not Yvonne. It's a Leila demon that possessed the little Yvonne the day she and her brothers were split up. The real Yvonne is an innocent child spirit trapped in a mirror who later goes to be reincarnated after gaining closure.

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Milliane
Milliane rated it
November 23, 2020
Status: Completed
This is a gem. The plot is pretty good and the character development is awesome. However, you need to prepare yourself as there is a lot of angst. At some point, I wanted to drop this because it just got so bad, my heart is broken everytime and I just felt so sorry for her. Both of her lives are with families that don't know how to take care of her which lead to her abuse and eventual death.

Her family on earth

... more>>
Spoiler

made her suffer so that she'll eat with them and go back to live with them. LIKE GUYS. That's not how it works. You need to talk to her. They kept saying that they love her (of course when she was lying on the hospital bed on a coma) but they never said that when she was fully conscious. GAHD. I blame the dad. He should've taken care of her more.

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Then her family in the game was also as bad. The duke didn't know how to care for her and just allows her to run around wild and she did just that. He ignored her which allowed the servants of the mansion to abuse her. I wanted to punch the face of that butler too. He knew about it but didn't do anything about it. He's the worst father and I was so sad everytime Penelope had to lower her head for him. Once he realizes his own mistakes, he did become a better father. But the MC has already been hurt too much.

Spoiler

There was one event where he gave her a crossbow which will erase the memory of the target before getting hit. He said to Penelope that she can shoot people as long as she gets them alone. HAHA.

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The 2nd brother was also focusing on his own pain that he didn't understand Penelope's circumstances which led to his abuse. Out of all the family, he is the one I like the most. His character development is pretty good and he realizes his mistakes later on. However, the MC's heart has turned cold so he needed to make extra effort to let her know that he now cares for her.

Now, Derrick. OMG THIS GUY I WANNA KILL. He also knows of the abuse but he turns a blind eye. I didn't understand why he was such an ass when he actually cares about her. It only became apparent towards the end:

Spoiler

OMG HE LIKES HER. Like, why young duke? You're the worst.

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People kept saying that Eclise is like a little puppy that was caught in Penelope's web.
Spoiler

However, they will never work. Eclise is a prince of a fallen country and he initially thought of escape. However, he fell madly in love with the MC and there was no turning back for him. He became a full-on yandere, it was so scary. O_O

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Vinter

Spoiler

was a great candidate at first. But gahd. He didn't trust the MC and he even tested her which led to really bad things happening in the end. If you didn't need to test her, there was no opportunity for Leila to brainwash Raon, you punk.

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Crown Prince

Spoiler

Now, the crown prince is pretty awesome. In the beginning, I didn't really understand how they'd work. However, he was the only one who trusted the MC unconditionally. He didn't care for the rumors or her reputation. He didn't love her yet but trusting her the way he did when everyone around her just hurts her, he is so the ML.

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There is so much drama as you see things from the perspective of the MC and she is so broken. :' (But the ML will help her heal her heart and allow her to live her dream. &Lt;3 <<less
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