This section of the light novel details the tumultuous beginning of the marriage between Isabella Ballesteros and Marquis Andreu, Alex, and Isabella's subsequent realization that she has been reincarnated into an otome game.
The initial chapters depict Isabella's wedding night, where she vehemently rejects Alex, her new husband, and the forced marriage orchestrated by her father, Duke Ballesteros. Isabella expresses her disgust with the old mansion, its decor, Alex's stoic demeanor, his overbearing mother, the glum servants, and most importantly, his son from a previous marriage, whom she finds a nuisance. In a fit of anger, she demands Alex disappear from her sight. This outburst triggers a violent headache, flooding her mind with disturbing visions of herself cruelly mistreating a young boy. She realizes with horror that the woman in the visions is indeed herself, and that she is a villainess. Alex, interpreting her distress as a ploy, coldly agrees to leave, stating that she is not the only one unhappy with the marriage.
Left alone, Isabella experiences a jolt of recognition as a game title, "Grandheart Fantasia ~Slain's Maiden~," flashes in her mind. A glance in the mirror confirms her suspicion: she has been reborn into the body of Isabella Andreu, the villainous stepmother in the otome game, destined to torment the male lead, Louis Andreu.
The narrative then delves into Isabella's past life. Born as an illegitimate child to Duke Ballesteros, she endured a harsh upbringing. Her mother abandoned her at age seven, and her stepmother subjected her to constant abuse and mistreatment. This led Isabella to become a troublesome daughter, relying on her father's influence to resolve her conflicts. Her escalating misdeeds culminated in hiring thugs to attack a Marquis's daughter, leading to her confinement and her father's desperate arrangement of her marriage to Alex, who was seeking a new wife after his first passed away.
Upon regaining her memories, Isabella is horrified by her past actions and the dire fate awaiting her as the villainous stepmother. She recalls that in the game, Louis Andreu, Alex's son, becomes a yandere due to her cruelty, leading to either his imprisonment of the heroine or his violent death. Determined to avoid this fate and prevent Louis from becoming a monster, Isabella resolves to change her destiny.
Her immediate goal is to avoid Louis at all costs. She devises a plan to retreat to one of the Andreu family's villas. However, her attempts to communicate with Alex are met with avoidance; he leaves before she wakes and returns after she sleeps. She also finds herself ostracized by the household staff, who fear her reputation.
A turning point occurs when Isabella encounters a young child hiding behind curtains. To her surprise, the child is Louis Andreu, who, despite his young age, is remarkably well-mannered. When he reveals his name and his father's, Isabella realizes she has met the very person she sought to avoid, possibly due to "route correction" from the game. Seeing his innocent demeanor, she is further horrified by her past cruelty and vows to raise him into a good person.
Isabella begins to meticulously research Louis's background and the game's plot. She learns that Louis's mother disappeared when he was two, and her own past actions as his stepmother were exceptionally brutal, driven by a desire for power after Alex's father's death. She also discovers that Alex is destined to die in an accident involving a magical firearm in the near future, leaving her a widow and potentially exacerbating her own cruel tendencies due to stress.
Determined to prevent Louis's tragic fate and protect herself, Isabella initiates "Operation: Raise Louis into an Angel." She attempts to gather information from the household staff, but her efforts are met with fear and avoidance, reinforcing her villainous reputation. She manages a brief conversation with a maid named Emma, who reveals that the household is largely managed by the former Marchioness and that Alex is a workaholic.
Isabella then tries to visit Louis, but the maids, fearing her, prevent her from entering his room, claiming he is unwell. She overhears a young woman's voice from within Louis's room, sparking further suspicion. Meanwhile, Alex, dreading returning home to Isabella, is met by Sarah, the daughter of his father's friend, who offers to monitor Isabella. Alex, concerned for Louis's safety, agrees to Sarah's proposal, setting the stage for future conflicts and alliances.
