The poison hit on the third sip.
Lady Isadora de Thorne knew it the moment the aftertaste changed from crushed jasmine and spite to regret and arsenic.
She dabbed her lips with a silk napkin embroidered with her own initials. "Oh no," she said flatly, "not again."
Across the garden table, Viscountess Prunella stared, wide-eyed. "Isadora? Are you alright?"
"Darling," Isadora said calmly, placing the teacup down, "your attempt at murder is as uninspired as your hat."
She collapsed face-first into her bergamot-scented scone.
Gasps erupted from the assembled nobles. Someone dropped a spoon. A servant screamed. The violinist kept playing.
And just like that, Isadora de Thorne was dead. Again.
Death Count: 3
Death #1: Fell off balcony during debutante duel.
Death #2: "Accidental" chandelier collapse at villainess debutante ball.
Death #3: Poisoned at her own tea party, served by enemies in lace.
She awoke in the void. Again.
Same starry liminal space. Same floating marble columns. Same queue of confused souls waiting for their next lives.
Except now, Isadora was done being elegant about it.
"I demand to speak to management," she snapped, adjusting her lace gloves.
Riku stood in front of her desk, blinking.
"So let me get this straight," he said, scrolling through her file. "You've died three times, all within... wow, six months."
"Yes."
"In three different villainess isekai systems."
"Yes."
"Lady Isadora de Thorne, formerly Lady Isadora von Luxenstein, formerly Lady Belladonna du Chatroux."
"I reinvent myself, thank you," she sniffed. "It's called branding."
She crossed her arms. Even as a ghost, she had flawless posture and an aura of "you may speak when I'm done glaring."
"And now," Riku continued, "you've come back for another reincarnation request?"
"I will not return to mortal existence without the following:
A noble title, preferably duchess or above.
A mansion with gothic windows and imported tiles.
Eighty-seven outfit slots. None of that peasant rationing nonsense.
And a personal butler who stares dramatically into the middle distance."
Riku stared. "...Right."
Behind him, Madame Macaron whispered, "She's back again?"
Ginger Snap groaned. "Why do we let her pick her spawn point?"
"She hacks the soul queue!" Macaron hissed. "She once demanded a seven-layer dramatic backstory!"
"She paid in karma coupons," Karma-1 muttered. "They were covered in perfume and judgment."
Soul Review: Lady Isadora de Thorne
Class: VillainessSubtype: Fashion-Fueled FuryNotable Traits: Dies stylishly. Refuses to reincarnate under Rank B nobility. Demands drama.
Past Lives: All ended in betrayal by fake friends, jealous ladies-in-waiting, or cursed hats.
"You do realize," Riku said slowly, "that your consistent demand for petty vengeance and backhanded compliments is directly causing your repeat deaths?"
"Of course," she said. "But I'm fabulous."
She fluttered her ghostly eyelashes. "I'm just asking for a life where I don't get murdered by pastel women with poison habits."
Riku scratched his head. "So, no political schemes? No revenge arcs?"
"Oh no," she purred. "Those are included. I just want better wardrobe support."
While Isadora continued listing fabric textures she would refuse to be reborn into, Riku pulled aside her soul file.
He tapped his screen.
Override ActiveAssigning: THREADWEAVING – Magical affinity for fabrics, glamour, and fashion-based enchantments.Spawn Point: District of Duskwool, Commoner TierInitial Assets: 1 pair of scissors, 3 silver, and crippling main-character energy.
He smirked.
"You'll love it," he told her. "It's got lace. And trauma."
She paused. "Wait, what do you mean trauma?"
Too late. The reincarnation portal flared beneath her.
"WHAT IS THIS FABRIC—IS THAT LINEN?!"
SPLASH.
Gone.
Riku turned to Karma-1. "Okay. Place bets: how long until she weaponizes a hemline?"
"Three chapters," Karma said.
"Fair."
Behind them, Macaron muttered, "She's going to build an empire, isn't she?"
"Oh yeah," Riku said. "Out of fabric and fury."