By Her Grace – a progressive Isekai Light Novel

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

By Her Graceis a dark, psychological, and intricately layered progressive isekai light novel.

Grace Blair refused to be just another face in a dull world. Armed with genius, ambition, and a flair for calculated chaos, she staged her own legendary exit from Earth, and wakes as the young daughter of a powerful duchess in the magic-laden world of Nyras. But this isn't a simple second chance: Grace brings with her the iron will of a villainess, a mind sharpened by self-made doctrine, and an insatiable hunger to shape her fate. Reborn to privilege and danger, Grace hides a rare Mana Core and a darkness even the gods fear. She navigates a deadly world of noble politics, divine magic, and ancient secrets, all while manipulating those around her, forging bonds (or breaking them), and building her legend from the nursery up. But the more she fights to master her new life, the more her borrowed innocence collides with ambition and a fractured soul.

Will Grace become the monster everyone fears, the savior no one expects, or something new entirely?

Thematically, it’s:

A character study of brilliance turned feral—Grace is not a misunderstood genius. She’s dangerous, calculated, and disturbingly self-aware.

A villain origin storywrapped in a fairytale setting—where the monster is the little girl you never saw coming.

An exploration of identity, control, and transformation—from Grace Blair to Grace of Ashford, and beyond.

What to expect (and what not):

- No system, no status screens

- Morally ambiguous protagonist—and totally self centered

- Political intrigue and strategy

- Emotional depth and consequences

- Unique magic system

- Slow build / Focus on worldbuilding

For new readers: Not everything you see in the early chapters is exactly what it seems—or who they seem to be. And when I say slow burn... I mean slow. :)

Update schedule:

This novel updates twice a week—everyTuesdayandFriday! (Chapters are published at a random time during the day, based onUTC+1)

Each chapter is at least 2,000 words, but more often 3,000+.

Thanks for reading and supporting the story!

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2025
Author: North Drake

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.3/ 5.0
Followers: 1,241
Views: 314,567

Chapters(102 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

Snow2ReaperRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
So I went into this expecting a sort of darker isekai with a genius mc and some decent action. And it certainly has some of that, but the one thing I didn't really expect to love about this was the writing and the characters.
This is the first isekai fiction I have read in a medieval settings that makes a effort made to actually add proper audiences with rulers and uses language that fits a medieval setting(The language is mainly for the important occasions). Overall the dialog between characters and their interactions felt very natural and fitting to me. The grammar is good overall. Not perfect but mostly just minor errors and typos.
That said the cherry on top of all this for me is the characters. I think the author has done a really good job of having no cardboard characters. Even a character who struck me as a unlikable stepping stone has a really humanizing moment. I will say if you don't like Grace at the start, I do like the way she has changed so far.
The author has done a great job with the setting in the story. For one the isekai body change and her upbringing is more than just a cosmetic change. Also although this may not be the first isekai into royalty story, the darker nature of the story and Grace herself makes it refreshing for me.
The story itself is seems to be fairly slow pace. Not that events move at snail speed but it does not make liberal use of large time skips, which don't get me wrong I have actually liked so far. As mentioned earlier the story has great characterization and to some extent because of this is very character driven. Since the story covers the perspectives of many different characters affected by the events of the story, you can start to see how they may impact the story in the future. Also I am just super excited to see how some of the characters end up developing and their future interaction with each other. Major spoilers if you want to know what has me so excited.
Grace ends up loosing her more observant childhood friend(w
EdrenoRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Loving it until now! Yes the mc is a bad person but its also just great how good she can be. Theres a good mix of it and it makes the story not be a one sided villanous story.
hope that the next chapters are as good!
my best wishes to the author!
ConnorakisRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Now I'm going to start this off by saying that this is my first ever review. I've used RR for 2 years and hadn't felt compelled to review a novel... until now.
Not everyone is going to like this novel. It's twisted, very twisted - but I can't stop myself from reading. Grace has become one of my favourite villains in the span of 18 chapters. She's so delightfully maleficent at the age of 5 and I can't wait to see where this goes.
This deserves more recognition. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to read and review :)
WeirdBoizIncRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A promising story that while using some common tropes it also makes them feel crisp and fresh. Like a bite from a nice and fresh apple. Then a second, next a third, until all the bites of the apple are finished, but it's still apple season and more will still grow. I eagerly await to see where this story will go and how it's orchard will grow. Thanks for the story so far Author.
HatlessglueRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
It honestly wasn’t what i expected to be honest I figured it would be disappointing or not flow story wise very well but ill say it passed my expectations. Cant wait to see what happens next. Also kind of neet to see her struggling with her own identity and what she wants now.
J127Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Story is good, told mostly through the perspective of the main character in the early chapters. It's very well written, good structure and pacing for sure.
The side characters begun a little lacking, but have seen some development. Id' like to see more development of the older characters pivotal to the story in the future, once the current arc is complete.
The religious aspects of the world seem decently thought out in the human aspect, especially within the last few chapters.
The depections of the gods currently given have been interesting and certainly much better than the usual warm and loving gods who feel flat and stereotypical.
The gods so far feel a lot more three dimensional, like a realistic interpretation of a being given immense power and immortality.
I can understand the criticisms in other reviews of the character's description and the character themselves being different. However, this largely ignores or misses her writing being from her perspective early on.
From what I've read (especially as more perspecitves have been introduced) the mismatches appear intentional - an egotestical flaw in the character that may or may not be exploited against her in future chapters - especially in view of her being a stereotypically edgy character who is enduring a lot of internal conflict.
Overall, a good read. Certainly one of the better ones I've read. Looking forward to reading in future
FuryOfTheSandRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I stumbled on the story by accident and started it because I was bored (normal, I know).
What I didn't expect was to be so intrigued by the main character. She´s crazy (to some), a cold-hearted villain, and a super-intelligent mastermind. Cold, calculating, and absolutely fascinating in my eyes.
I´ve read my fair share of antihero stories on this website and others, but most of them feel lacking in one aspect or another. They're either too friendly, too op, or just not interesting enough. Grace, on the other hand, comes short in nothing but age.
Which is great for every fan. Because if a main character can be so captivating at the age of 5, a truly wonder what she will become once she grows older.
Now a few words for the rest:
The worldbuilding is good, but not overly complicated or intriguing for now. It leaves a lot of places for future books. Which is good. What we've seen so far is detailed and well written. Not overly complex but good nonetheless.
The side characters are okay, but it is too soon to tell how they will develop. What I've read so far lets me hope, however.
The same can be said about the magic system; we got a few glimpses and what could be, a few teasers here and there, but nothing big. Grace keeps her cards hidden after all, even from us readers, it seems.
The overall story is well written and is quite a joy to read.
I would seriously recommend this little piece of joy for all fans of atrue villain MC. May Her Grace reign supreme.
NasreenRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
... Power thru it, it gets better around chapter 24.
So here's my issue with this story. I don't mind the evil-kid trope, but it's (until chapter 24) unexplained & illogical. Grace is written as a political savant, basically Oleana Tyrell from GoT in a 5 year old body. Ok, that's fine as a concept. But wait. She wasn't Oleana Tyrell, she was a 16 year old nihilist who killed herself because she was bored on earth. If she had been an adult, say some sort of CEO sociopath, I could have bought her medieval political savvy. If she had been a regular 16 year old nihilist who was reborn & then trained by her (new) politically savvy mother (which the author does actually write), I could have bought that too. But Grace is just full of unexplained superiority which she uses to.. bully and manipulate other children & her governess? Hmm. No.
Fortunately, at chapter 24 the author finally gives her a decent target and while I still think It would better explain her unexpected political acumen if she had been an adult with an adult's knowledge, the story gives her a semi-plausible reason for her superiority complex & it's enough to clear my suspension of disbelief.
The writing, dialogue, grammar, etc is all fine & acceptable for an indie book (I read a look plot of KU indie books so I don't even usually notice typos & technical mistakes as long as they're not incomprehensible to the point where I wonder what the author was trying to say.)
So, if you find yourself at say, chap 10 rolling your eyes at the Evil-And-Smug-For-No-Reason antics, try skipping to chap 20 & give it a few more minutes. It does get better, and the overarching concept is worth it.
Lu of KiseRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
Hi! Firstly, this is a very engrossing work. A work in tropes—isekai, edginess, gods, and families with a dark past—just done absolutely sublime. Subverting what you expect and creating a web of characters and their impacts even across the kingdom is what I feel North Drake does best. I just caught up to the chapters currently released and it’s a nice stockpile to work with!
Style 7/10
This story provides sharp, edgy humor that goes right with Grace, good writing, and a short, staccato writing styld that gets you immersed in the wonderful—and slight unhinged—mind of Grace and the various characters we interlude.
However, the writing I feel sometimes gets overly descriptive about small stuff. Along with in other times being stuck in the minds of the characters, not so much their actions. There are also small continuity errors, but that’s just on the complex timeline the author is weaving, not out of negligence.
Story 9/10
Now, this is where we get to the strong part of the story: The setting is a piece of love, you can tell that North Drake truly thought about the setting—weeks, months, hell even the environment is well thought out and therefore their affects on the workd. North Drake drops lore everywhere, and plotting and politicking, along with time machinations, come pen and parcel with this wonderful work.
North Drake still hasn’t pulled out all the stops either, this world, Nyrma, still has depths of world building that they’ve hinted at: That being the other countries, our Grace’s kingdom(Empire ;) ), and the beastkin tribes. A deep study of what could be otherwise generic fantasy world.
Character 7/10
Again, another fantastic part of this story, but one you’re the most likely to get tired with. Fleshed out characters that act accordingly to their backstories.
However, Grace, our main character sometimes acts inconsistent with her mental state at the time. This is explained in story, but until then, you’ll find her acting ways that surprise you. Sometimes even
shadow1716Royal Road
★★ 2.0
What is said about the MC and how the MC is written does not match up. The MC is supposedly, we are told, to be super intelligent and that she believes everyone is beneath them. But her actions are anything but intelligent and everytime someone supposedly of no importance so much as fails to look in her direction she takes it as a personal insult. Which doesn't match with how we have been told she is.
There is a lot of suspension of IQ whenever the MC decides to make a move. Everyone she plots against gets a negative IQ and acts in a way that can only be attributed to forcing a plot point.
Alot of things just don't make sense with the storyline. MC being super intelligent child is understandable but then some random other kids her age are also super intelligent? Doesn't make any sense.
Also, looking at literally any history of any kingdom ever, anytime nobles are vicious, oppressive, and abusive to commoners on a systematic scale the kingdom rapidly declines into a revolt and said nobles are quickly disposed of.
In the author's own words "Grace is not a misunderstood genius. She’s dangerous, calculated, and disturbingly self-aware."
But she isn't any of those she is belligerent in her actions, irrational in her displays of emotion, and despite saying she is self aware she acts nothing like she says or the author states she is.