Milly Asteara's story should have ended in death by villainess.

Known to some as the “final boss,” Milly is an ice queen with a noble background and little interest in others. That chapter in her life comes to a close when she is callously murdered by Angelina Grey—the self-proclaimed villainess convinced this world is an otome game—and awakens three years in the past with all her memories intact.

Determined to escape the humiliating fate that once claimed her life, Milly sets out to rewrite the future by gathering information, choosing allies, and reevaluating the world around her. Unfortunately, her rival won't stop until she gets her happy ending with Prince Gilbert, and she's willing to kill for it.

Poisoned teacups, political rivalries, and hidden reincarnators turn everyday life at the academy into a battlefield. But for Milly, surviving this second chance means more than revenge—it's about carving out a life where she can truly belong!

So Dearly Reckless has story by Takamedou and art by Nemusuke. English translation is done by Sheldon Drzka. Published by J-Novel Club (January 12, 2026).

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

It's become a genre staple that if someone is reincarnated as the villainess in an otome game that automatically makes them the true heroine. We readers know this, so it was really only a matter of time before the reincarnated themselves caught on. So it shouldn't be a surprise that when Angelina found herself in the world of an otome game she'd played back in Japan, she assumed that her new role as the villainess naturally meant that she was really the heroine and thus entitled to all the guys. It's how the genre works, after all.

It shouldn't be a twist that the villainess is actually a villainess, but that's where we are in the evolution of this particular isekai subgenre, and it works pretty well here. Takamedou is only mildly subverting genre norms, but since not many other authors are doing the same, it helps to make this a more entertaining story. Angelina has been going around school proclaiming herself a villainess and saying that this other girl is the heroine and no one knows what the hell she's talking about. And it would've been fine, too, if she didn't set her sights on Milly, whom she calls “the final boss.” As far as Milly knew, she was just living her socially awkward life with a cold and distant father, so when Angelina shows up and kills her, she's hurt, aghast, and confused.

Oh, and dead. But don't worry, we know this genre – after she dies, the world is rewound three years, which should be Angelina's indication that Milly is not supposed to die just because of a game she played in another life. But Angelina's not that open-minded (or smart).

As you may have guessed, Milly is actually the protagonist of this story, something Angelina, poisoned by way too many webnovels, can't see. And the other girl's insistence that Milly is evil and has to die (thus leaving the prince open for Angelina to marry) forces Milly to take a hard look at her life. She's not thrilled with what she sees – a girl who keeps to herself because she's socially awkward and doesn't know how to be friends with others thanks to her loveless upbringing. And so when time rewinds, she does what Angelina least wants: she begins to make changes.

Apart from the inciting incident, this is a fairly typical novel in its genre. Milly is unaware of how much Prince Gilbert and at least one of the other love interests likes her, she's impressively bad at being a normal person, and things somehow manage to go her way when she takes the time to stop and think. There are some good notes, such as when she wonders to herself why she's the only girl on the student council or why so many school events appear to be aimed squarely at teenage girls, but the self-aware portions of the book are understated, Angelina aside. But the little twist to the formula makes it appealing nonetheless, and even if it's appeal is primarily to fans of the villainess genre, it's a quick, light read, which is really all it needs to be.