Seducing the Lady's Lover

Ridel Cross was merely the fourth daughter of an unremarkable knight until her eighteenth birthday, when she unexpectedly awakened a rare talent for barrier magic. Word of her abilities quickly reached the emperor, who summoned her to serve the crown. However, his version of service proved to be a nightmare. Rather than treating her as a valued mage, he imprisoned her within a secluded magic tower, reducing her to a disposable tool and subjecting her to conditions far worse than those endured by slaves. After a decade of relentless suffering, a despairing Ridel wept herself to sleep, deeply regretting the day her powers manifested. She silently prayed for a chance to return to her eighteenth birthday and alter her fate. Miraculously, her wish was granted, and she awoke in her childhood home on that very morning. Determined to avoid her tragic past, she swore never to use magic again and secured a quiet position as a maid at a count’s estate. Her hopes for a peaceful life were shattered the moment she encountered the estate’s butler, Graham. To her horror, he possessed the exact same facial features as the tyrannical emperor from her previous life. Now, Ridel must determine whether this unsettling resemblance is a cruel twist of fate or simply a bizarre coincidence.