The Wicked Princess and The Twelve Eyes: The Legendary Villainess and Her Elite Assassins

by Daken, saino (Illustrator)

Lady Selina was betrayed by the crown prince, framed for a crime she didn't commit, and executed by poison. But instead of dying, she wakes up in the past with a second chance—and this time, she's not playing nice. After all, the so-called "murder" she was accused of was just a little misunderstanding! Looking back, Selina realizes her downfall wasn't due to poor scheming but a lack of competent underlings.

Determined to rewrite her fate, she recruits a group of desperate orphans and puts them through ruthless training, forging them into the most lethal, fanatically loyal elite force the kingdom has ever seen. Armed with her deadly entourage and sharp wit, Selina is ready to crush anyone who stands in her way. In this thrilling, cutthroat adventure, a morally flexible villainess seizes her second chance—not for redemption, but for revenge.

Genres: Light Novel, Audiobook

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 25, 2024

About the author

駄犬

Reviews

[CyberBookish · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars rounded down to 3.

This villainess story is a standalone one-shot, which is a nice change of pace. I also appreciate that the protagonist truly leans into being a villainess; she can be selfish, even cruel, and the “redo your life” trope isn’t just there for flavor. It’s central to the story’s themes: just because she got a second chance doesn’t mean she suddenly became a good person. Her redemption and growth take an entire lifetime, and she has to work hard for every bit of it.

That said, I don’t think I’m a big fan of Daken’s writing style, or maybe it’s the translation. The book spends way too much time on the orphan-assassin training arc. By the fourth flashback, showing yet another orphan’s harsh upbringing under her, I was starting to lose interest. Then the pacing flipped, and the later developments flew by so quickly it felt like the author decided halfway through to just wrap things up.

There was easily enough material in the second half for a multi-volume series, but at least the story ends cleanly with no loose threads. I’d probably rate it around 3.5 stars, not quite strong enough for a four, but still a satisfying standalone read.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great find.

[Mohamed Hassan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This came up in the very first chapter and was referenced from the jump so it’s not a spoiler. Anyway, the racism took me out of the story a bit. The only child who’s skin color was described was a big, dumb brute who’s qualities were pretty much stated to be hereditary. And surprise, surprise he was dark skinned. All the other kids were either clever(one was quiet). Seriously? THE ONLY ONE who’s skin tone came up during the selection was dark skinned?

[Shrike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great single volume regressor villainess light novel, it re-uses the done to death canceled engagement results in revenge trope in the beginning but makes it up later with the MC's subordinates hilariously overcompensating resulting in situations akin to series like Overloard and Eminence In Shadow. Short but bitter sweet.

[Rolbuster · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good story for only being book I cried twice 😭

[Thyrokio · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's short and sweet, with an unexpected last boss!