The Rite of Reverence has ended, yet Prince Gyoumei warns Kou Reirin not to undo the body swap in the Maiden Court--lest the emperor discover Shu Keigetsu's forbidden magic! Unwilling to take chances, Reirin and friends split up, promising to rendezvous in the city and reverse the switch. While each team finds a way to spend their day at the market, there are kidnappings, theft, and thuggery afoot...and our heroes won't let such crimes go unpunished! Can they trounce the bad guys and still assemble at the appointed hour?

The site of this year's Harvest Festival has been decided--and it's the domain of the Maiden Court's most reviled villainess, Shu Keigetsu! Down a guardian to show her the ropes, she puts her nose to the grindstone to ensure the ceremony will go off without a hitch. But when an unknown force sabotages the proceedings, Keigetsu's fraught emotions send her powers spiraling out of control, sparking a second swap with Reirin! Amid all the chaos, villagers come to abduct "Keigetsu"...but will they get more than they bargained for?

Three months have passed since the Harvest Festival, and the five Maidens now face the Rite of Reverence--the test that will set their hierarchy in stone. The pressure is on, and each girl has her own inner demons to contest with! Unconcerned with the rankings, Kou Reirin supports her nervous wreck of a friend, Shu Keigetsu...until the two get into a knock-down, drag-out fight! To make matters worse, an unknown force is out to sabotage Reirin. Does the indomitable Kou Maiden finally have her back to the wall?!

In the Kingdom of Ei, five clans put forth their maidens as imperial consorts--but only one will be crowned empress. Just when frail and beautiful "court butterfly" Kou Reirin seems poised to marry the crown prince, jealous "court rat" Shu Keigetsu steals her body! Reirin wakes up in the dungeons as the conspirator, and things look dire...or do they? Now that she's got a robust new body, not even the looming threat of execution can stop her!

The Rite of Reverence is nearly over, and each Maiden has one last shot at becoming the first-place future consort. It's been a whirlwind of chaos, from Kou Reirin and Shu Keigetsu's explosive fight to the consorts' dastardly schemes...not to mention the foiled assassination attempt! When Reirin discovers the common thread behind all these mishaps, she decides it's time to launch a counterattack--but can she get all five Maidens to set their spats aside and join forces in the final trial?

Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court (Light Novel) Vol. 2

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!

COOKING UP NEW SCHEMES! Having learned that the emperor is rooting out forbidden magic, Shu Keigetsu and Kou Reirin return to the palace with the body swap still in place. Their next idea is to undo the switch during the Repose of Souls--until the emperor foils their plans yet again! He sends the Maidens to the kingdom's border to dish out food on a charity mission. Moreover, Reirin is assigned a particularly inhospitable area far from Keigetsu and the others! Can the girls make it through this ordeal without falling back on Keigetsu's magic?

Prepare for swirling court intrigue in this magical "trading places" tale of maidens competing for the crown--and don't miss the manga adaptation, also from Seven Seas! In the Kingdom of Ei, five clans put forth their maidens as imperial consorts—but only one will be crowned empress. Just when frail and beautiful “court butterfly” Kou Reirin seems poised to marry the crown prince, jealous “court rat” Shu Keigetsu steals her body! Reirin wakes up in the dungeons as the conspirator, and things look dire…or do they? Now that she’s got a robust new body, not even the looming threat of execution can stop her!

Tanya Artemiciov is a talented Mage-class adventurer who just got kicked out of her party by a sexist scumbag. So what's a girl to do? Go to the wasteland and blow stuff up of course! One small problem though: she inadvertently frees a mythical Sorceress named Laplace who was sealed away for the past 300 years... Surprise! Turns out this so-called "wicked" Sorceress is actually pretty cool. Laplace wants to start a party of her own, Tanya wants revenge, and the solution is obvious: team up. It's time to kick ass, kiss girls, and dismantle the patriarchy!