Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court (Manga) (2025)

In a kingdom inspired by historical China, five clans put forth their maidens as imperial consorts-but only one will be crowned empress. The frail and beautiful Kou Reirin, the so-called "butterfly" of the imperial court, is a shoo-in to marry the crown prince. But when "court rat" Shu Keigetsu lashes out at her during the glittering Lantern Festival, it's Reirin who wakes up in the dungeons! Body-swapped by her assailant to steal her position at court, Reirin's plight seems dire... to everyone else! Now that she's got a robust new body, not even the looming threat of execution can stop her!

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!

In a kingdom inspired by historical China, five clans put forth their maidens as imperial consorts-but only one will be crowned empress. The frail and beautiful Kou Reirin, the so-called "butterfly" of the imperial court, is a shoo-in to marry the crown prince. But when "court rat" Shu Keigetsu lashes out at her during the glittering Lantern Festival, it's Reirin who wakes up in the dungeons! Body-swapped by her assailant to steal her position at court, Reirin's plight seems dire... to everyone else! Now that she's got a robust new body, not even the looming threat of execution can stop her!

TAKES A CURSE TO BREAK A CURSENo 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 HARVEST LOOMSThe 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!

EVERY STORM CLOUD HAS A SILVER LININGTaken hostage, Reirin (in Keigetsu's body) and Keikou must face the Untouchable Village's retribution by...toiling in the rice paddies? Why, it's just the type of challenge the earth-loving Kou siblings delight in! Their bamboozled captors are left in the dust whilst the dynamic duo launch a top-to-bottom agricultural revamp. But their bucolic days are cut short when a familiar face joins the captives. As hidden truths and machinations are tossed into sharp relief, everything Unran has scraped together for his people teeters on the brink. So far from home, how will Reirin face the Village's unprecedented malaise?

SPILLING THE TEAKeigetsu knows she must act when rumors threaten to make her already bad position at court even worse. To find the source of the rumors, she hosts a tea party with the other Maidens. But finding out who is behind the slander will take careful tact. Can Keigetsu convincingly act like the genteel Kou maiden and keep her true fiery nature under wraps? Meanwhile, dysentery grips the Untouchable Village, sending Unran on a desperate gamble to bring back medicine for his people. Reirin has always kept up a happy outlook even at the worst of times, but with so many innocent lives at stake, will she be pushed over the edge?

REAP WHAT YOU SOWThanks to Gyoumei’s and Keigetsu’s timely intervention, Reirin is back from the brink and ready to dish out seismic fury! At the same time, Unran pulls through after the magistrate’s betrayal. With the team reunited and recuperated, it’s time to close out the Harvest Festival, and the Untouchable Village is set to be the center stage. But this festival is not just about having a good time; it’s also about justice. Time for Reirin and Keigetsu to drag the shadowy villains behind all this trouble into the light!