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

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

As the crown prince’s favored maiden at court, Kou Reirin’s future as the next empress is all but assured. That is, until her rival Shu Keigetsu, the court’s “sewer rat,” pushes her over a balcony! Reirin survives, but wakes up in Keigetsu’s body! Turns out, Keigetsu has used magic to swap bodies with Reirin in order to steal her position at court. After being sickly her whole life, Reirin is determined to use this new body to turn things around. She won’t let anything stop her, not even her impending execution!

THE HARVEST LOOMS

The Maiden Court’s blazing summer of plots and curses wanes into cooler autumn days. Keigetsu buckles down to restore the Palace of Vermillion Stallion in the turbulent wake left by the ex-Noble Shu, along with Reirin’s bolstering support. That fateful Double Sevens night almost seems like a different lifetime, but the seasonal change also marks a big event—the Harvest Festival, a chance for the Maidens to trade the palace for the southern region, in none other than…Shu!

TAKES A CURSE TO BREAK A CURSE

No longer separated by social duties or even magicked candlelight, Keigetsu and Reirin at last come face-to-face on the grounds of the ornate Kou Palace. The two Maidens have been unwitting puppets, and the Noble Shu’s long-planned plot is rapidly unfolding. The inept duo go forward to tackle Shu together, their clasped hands poised to rend the powerful curse asunder. Will their efforts save the declining Empress? What awaits after challenging the curse’s crafty maker?

THE EVIL CONCEALED WITHIN.

The infamously frigid and unshakable Tousetsu has been brought to her knees. Prostrating before the real Reirin in the dilapidated storehouse, Tousetsu anguishes over what her beloved maiden endured. Still bound by the body swap magic, Reirin struggles to reveal the truth, but it’s nothing that can’t be solved by putting in a little backbone! Across palace grounds, Keigetsu has survived a hellish night, only to uncover sinister strings manipulating her every move. The Bow of Warding saved her, not from a malady, but a curse! And the true menace lurks close by…

DANCE LIKE A BUTTERFLY, FIGHT LIKE…A RAT!

After a rocky start, Reirin and Leelee have no time to lose before they must compose themselves for the Ghost Festival at the Maiden Court. There, Reirin must tread a tight line between the villainess role she’s been cast and employing a diplomatic tit-for-tat of her own: confronting Kin Maiden Seika and her menacing court lady Gayou’s plots. Keigetsu, meanwhile, is pushed to wits’ end by her new body’s precarious health–the risk of her plot’s discovery rises!

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

As the crown prince’s favored maiden at court, Kou Reirin’s future as the next empress is all but assured. That is, until her rival Shu Keigetsu, the court’s “sewer rat,” pushes her over a balcony! Reirin survives, but wakes up in Keigetsu’s body! Turns out, Keigetsu has used magic to swap bodies with Reirin in order to steal her position at court. After being sickly her whole life, Reirin is determined to use this new body to turn things around. She won’t let anything stop her, not even her impending execution!