Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court is a Japanese light novel series written by Satsuki Nakamura. The series originated on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website in July 2020, before being acquired and published in print with illustrations by Kana Yuki by Ichijinsha beginning in December of that same year. A manga adaptation, illustrated by Ei Ohitsuji, began serialization in Monthly Comic Zero Sum in the same month.
Set in a fictional kingdom based on Imperial China, the story follows a beloved but physically frail imperial consort candidate whose body is forcefully swapped with that of her widely despised, jealous rival. Instead of despairing over the situation, she is thrilled to finally possess a healthy, robust body and uses her unbreakable spirit to navigate the dangerous political conspiracies brewing within the palace.
An anime television series adaptation produced by Doga Kobo premiered in July 2026.
Contents
Plot
In a kingdom, there is a secluded palace where the unmarried daughters of the five great noble families are gathered and trained to become future queens. Kou Reirin, the princess of one of these families, is known as the "Butterfly" for her extraordinary beauty, elegance and kindness, while Shu Keigetsu, the princess of another noble house, is despised throughout the imperial court and cruelly nicknamed the "Court Rat". Consumed by jealousy, Keigetsu resorts to an ancient Taoist art to exchange their bodies during a sacred ceremony.
Reirin finds herself trapped inside the body of the woman everyone despises, while Keigetsu inherits Reirin's status and admiration. Unable to reveal the truth due to the spell robbing her the ability to speak about it, Reirin chooses to remain true to herself despite the circumstances. Through her kindness, dignity and resilience, she gradually transforms the Court's perception of Keigetsu, while Keigetsu comes to realize that the happiness she had always envied carries an unexpected price.
Characters
Kou Reirin (黄 玲琳, Kō Reirin)
Voiced by: Manaka Iwami (Japanese); Brianna Knickerbocker (English)
The "court butterfly" and the maiden from the Kou clan. She is renowned for her beauty and her kind disposition, but she has a frail constitution and a weak body. She is the target of Keigetsu's rage and jealousy, which ultimately leads to them swapping bodies. However, Reirin is happy to have a healthy body and being able to do things, it made Reirin feel fortunate and holds no anger or resentment towards Keigetsu.
Shu Keigetsu (朱 慧月)
Voiced by: Natsumi Kawaida (Japanese); Rebecca Wang (English)
The "court rat" and the maiden from the Shu clan. She was ridiculed by her clan's court ladies for being made the maiden out of pity by the clan's noble consort. As a result, Reirin became the target of her rage and jealousy. She secretly learned forbidden magic to swap bodies with Reirin to steal her status and reputation, but gives up her healthy and strong body in exchange for Reirin's frail body. Keigetsu later regrets her actions and apologizes to Reirin after they discover the true reason why the swap occurred.
Ei Gyoumei (詠 尭明, Ei Gyōmei)
Voiced by: Makoto Furukawa (Japanese); Kaiji Tang (English)
Crown Prince of the Ei Kingdom and Reirin's cousin. He is initially unaware about Reirin and Keigetsu's body swap.
Shin-u (辰宇)
Voiced by: Yūichirō Umehara (Japanese); Aleks Le (English)
Captain of the Eagle Eyes and the younger half-brother of Gyoumei. Shin-u is the emperor's younger son with another woman.
Media
Light novel
Written by Satsuki Nakamura, Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court began publication on the novel posting website Shōsetsuka ni Narō on July 15, 2020. The series was later acquired and published in print by Ichijinsha with illustrations by YukiKana on December 28, 2020. As of March 2026, twelve volumes have been released.
In March 2022, Seven Seas Entertainment announced that they have licensed the series for English publication.
Manga
A manga adaptation illustrated by Ei Ohitsuji, began serialization in Ichijinsha's magazine Monthly Comic Zero Sum on December 28, 2020. As of March 2026, the series' individual chapters have been collected into ten tankōbon volumes.
Seven Seas Entertainment is also publishing the manga in English.
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced on March 17, 2025. It is produced by Doga Kobo and directed by Mitsue Yamazaki, with Yoshiko Nakamura handling series composition, Ai Kikuchi designing the characters, and Yukari Hashimoto composing the music. The series was originally scheduled to premiere in April 2026, but was later delayed due to production progress issues, eventually premiering on July 12, 2026, on TV Tokyo and its affiliates. The opening theme song is "Sunny", performed by Milet, while the ending theme song is "Hōkiboshi" (ホウキボシ; Shooting Star), performed by Rokudenashi.
Crunchyroll is streaming the series alongside Hulu in the United States and Disney+ in Canada, Latin America, and Europe. Netflix and Bilibili Asia are streaming the series in Asia. An English dub produced by Bang Zoom! Studios premiered on July 26, 2026.
Reception
Along with Jin Kizuki's Shinya Eigyō Kujiratei: Gozen 0-ji no Napolitan, the series won the grand prize in the light novel category at NTT Solmare's "Minna ga Erabu!! Denshi Comic Taishō 2023" competition in 2023. The series has 3 million copies in circulation.
In the 2022 Next Manga Award, the manga ranked seventh in the print category. In the 2023 edition of the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook, the series ranked seventeenth on the list of the top manga for female readers.