Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Swap in the Maiden Court (Light Novel) Series

COOKING UP NEW SCHEMES!

Having learned that the emperor is rooting out forbidden magic, Shu Keigetsu and Kou Reirin return to the palace with the body swap still in place. Their next idea is to undo the switch during the Repose of Souls—until the emperor foils their plans yet again! He sends the Maidens to the kingdom’s border to dish out food on a charity mission. Moreover, Reirin is assigned a particularly inhospitable area far from Keigetsu and the others! Can the girls make it through this ordeal without falling back on Keigetsu’s magic?

SWAP TILL YOU DROP!

The Rite of Reverence has ended, yet Prince Gyoumei warns Kou Reirin not to undo the body swap in the Maiden Court—lest the emperor discover Shu Keigetsu’s forbidden magic! Unwilling to take chances, Reirin and friends split up, promising to rendezvous in the city and reverse the switch. While each team finds a way to spend their day at the market, there are kidnappings, theft, and thuggery afoot…and our heroes won’t let such crimes go unpunished! Can they trounce the bad guys and still assemble at the appointed hour?

THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY IS MY…?

The Rite of Reverence is nearly over, and each Maiden has one last shot at becoming the first-place future consort. It’s been a whirlwind of chaos, from Kou Reirin and Shu Keigetsu’s explosive fight to the consorts’ dastardly schemes…not to mention the foiled assassination attempt! When Reirin discovers the common thread behind all these mishaps, she decides it’s time to launch a counterattack—but can she get all five Maidens to set their spats aside and join forces in the final trial?

TESTING THE MAIDENS’ METTLE!

Three months have passed since the Harvest Festival, and the five Maidens now face the Rite of Reverence—the test that will set their hierarchy in stone. The pressure is on, and each girl has her own inner demons to contest with! Unconcerned with the rankings, Kou Reirin supports her nervous wreck of a friend, Shu Keigetsu…until the two get into a knock-down, drag-out fight! To make matters worse, an unknown force is out to sabotage Reirin. Does the indomitable Kou Maiden finally have her back to the wall?!

UNUSUAL SUSPECTS

Just when Kou Reirin has gotten the dysentery outbreak in the Untouchable Village under control, the village chief mysteriously shows up on death’s door. Reirin fights tooth and nail to keep her new friend alive—but it might not be enough to get him through the night. Meanwhile, Shu Keigetsu is all fired up and ready to get her tea party for the Maidens underway. Now that the outwardly meek Ran Houshun has shown her true colors, it’s time to best her in a game of psychological warfare!

REAP WHAT YOU SOW

The site of this year’s Harvest Festival has been decided—and it’s the domain of the Maiden Court’s most reviled villainess, Shu Keigetsu! Down a guardian to show her the ropes, she puts her nose to the grindstone to ensure the ceremony will go off without a hitch. But when an unknown force sabotages the proceedings, Keigetsu’s fraught emotions send her powers spiraling out of control, sparking a second swap with Reirin! Amid all the chaos, villagers come to abduct “Keigetsu”…but will they get more than they bargained for?

RAT’S OUT OF THE BAG NOW!

Everything changed for the imperial court’s most beloved consort-in-training, Kou Reirin, when she switched bodies with the devious Shu Keigetsu. But now the secret of their swap is out…to none other than Reirin’s head court lady, Tousetsu! It’s not long before even Prince Gyoumei and guard captain Shin-u have started puzzling out the answer to their many questions. Could this spell the end of Reirin’s thrilling new life as she knows it?

Prepare for swirling court intrigue in this award-winning and magical “trading places” tale of maidens competing for the crown–and don’t miss the manga adaptation, also from Seven Seas!

In the Kingdom of Ei, five clans put forth their maidens as imperial consorts—but only one will be crowned empress. Just when frail and beautiful “court butterfly” Kou Reirin seems poised to marry the crown prince, jealous “court rat” Shu Keigetsu steals her body! Reirin wakes up in the dungeons as the conspirator, and things look dire…or do they? Now that she’s got a robust new body, not even the looming threat of execution can stop her!