The Rival's Guide to Graceful Defeat
A Shōjo Isekai Rom-Com

About this book:

Lady Serena von Rosenberg wants one thing: a peaceful exile to a drafty cottage where she can sleep until noon and eat cheese without a corset. Unfortunately, every attempt to trigger her "villainess bad end" backfires spectacularly. Blackmail the heroine? She's praised for secret tutoring. Insult the Crown Prince? He's enamored by her "political brilliance." Spill tea on a priceless tablecloth? The Grand Duchess declares her a revolutionary feminist icon. Even her evil laughter apparently sounds like wind chimes.

As Serena escalates from petty theft to hiring fake assassins (who promptly defect to the Prince's guard), she accumulates a harem of devoted capture targets who refuse to condemn her: a golden retriever Crown Prince who kisses her knuckles mid-threat, a scheming Duke who interprets her laziness as 4D chess, a Magic Knight Captain who won't stop "protecting" her from slimes, and a heroine who sees saintliness in every sabotage. The harder Serena tries to be awful, the more the otome game world rewrites her crimes as acts of hidden virtue.

*The Rival's Guide to Graceful Defeat* is a hilarious, heart-warming rom-com where the only thing harder than being a villainess is convincing everyone you're not secretly the heroine. Perfect for fans of *My Next Life as a Villainess* and *The Villainess Wants to Relax*—if you've ever rooted for the rival to get her happy ending (preferably involving unlimited naps and zero royal duties), this is your next obsession.