faeni

I did nothing with my entire life. Literally nothing. Then I died — not saving a cat from a tree heroically, not even struck by Truck-kun — but of a heart attack caused by a BL manga confession scene. Pitiful? Perhaps.

When I begged for a second chance, the gods listened. Or at least, they jeered at me. Instead of returning as a mighty sorcerer or a spoiled heiress, I found myself as a young woman with awful vision in some obscure nobleman's manor house.

My eyesight is so poor I can hardly recognize faces. I trip, blink, and consistently confuse people with chairs (and vice versa). But here's the kicker: I've been reborn as the young stepmother of a future villainess — a child who will grow up to be the "evil empress" in a bestselling romance novel that I used to detest.

And so, with only my half-working eyes, shreds of memory, and sheer obstinacy, I'm going to do something — anything — other than waste this life. Whether that is steering my evil stepdaughter, making it through treacherous noble schemes, or just learning how to walk straight without crashing into a wall.

I've got my chance now. And this time, I won't let it slide through my fuzzy fingers.

The Blind Stepmother Of The Villainess

It took several breaths for me to know I was not deceased.

My foggy eyes had trouble focusing on the young woman kneeling beside me. Her silhouette glowed with a faint light. She fluffed my pillows, her head bowed low in ceaseless apologies.

I attempted to slouch forward. Terrible idea. My brain cartwheeled around like a malfunctioning merry-go-round, and I collapsed back onto the satin bedclothes with a pathetic squeak.

"Miss, for goodness' sake, don't overexert yourself!" the woman wailed, her voice shaking. "I will go get the master and the physician right away!"

Before I could argue, she scrambled to her feet and ran out the door — or at least, what I had thought was a door. Everything beyond two feet resembled watercolor smudges.

I raised my shaking hands to my face. They were white and tender, so foreign that they could have belonged to a porcelain doll.

I attempted to glance about once more. Gold trim on the drapes. A monstrous canopy overhead. Unusual, moving shadows that indicated towering furniture.

In the far background, I caught snippets of quick footfalls and muted voices — likely the girl informing my surprise awake state.

My mind struggled with terror and wonder simultaneously.

"Okay… think… recall the BL confession. the gods laughing. did I wind up in a hospital? An upscale one?"

I squinted so hard that my head hurt, trying to discern the shapes moving through the mist.

A deep, authoritative voice pierced the fog. "How is she? Has she waked completely?"

Another voice, softer but with concern. "Yes, father. But she's confused. Her eyes… she can't appear to focus."

A whirl of panic churned in my stomach. Was I married? Did I have children now?

I struggled up once again, reaching for the bed frame.

Not dying, I told you! It wasn't my intention! I swear on everything, I'll work! It doesn't matter what! Mop floors or cook or—\"

A soft weight came down. The hazy shape of a tall person bent over me, near enough for me to see the slight glint of gold thread on his sleeve.

"Calm yourself," he instructed, his deep voice strangely reassuring. "You are safe here."

Safe? My eyes could hardly make out the edge of the bed, and this stranger could be a demon for all I knew!

I swallowed a breath. "Safe…? Where… am I?"

"You are in the Marquis's estate," the man answered slowly, as if to a nervous animal. "You are now my wife. You fainted on the way here. We thought we lost you."

"Oh gods," I gasped. "I didn't even get to finish reading the last chapter of that BL manga!"

The man slowed. ".I beg your pardon?"

A strangled laugh escaped me before I could catch it. So this was my new existence? Married to a marquis I couldn't even see clearly, in an unfamiliar manor, with eyes that wouldn't play ball?

Someplace deep within me, a small spark of defiance lit up.

Fine. If the gods believed they could crush me like this, they had another surprise coming.

Even if I couldn't look at their faces, I'd at least make this life exciting.

Blurry Beginnings