Lady Lettie just wants to keep her subjects under her self-proclaimed “wicked” reign. Every day, she goes out to do the most evil biddings imaginable in her little countryside domain. What does she care if her exorbitant spending benefits the local economy, or if her special power to sound out others' weaknesses helps them grow as people? Then one day, a surprise comes knocking when her new subject shares a grand revelation: He's actually the kingdom's deposed prince, and he needs her help to retake the throne. Knowing she couldn't live out her idyllic life of tyranny if the kingdom were to fall, she agrees—but only because he'd be helpless without her, of course! She'll do whatever it takes. She'll say whatever needs to be said. To win back her peace, she'll even go against her very nature and aid the wretched citizenry. And if this sweet-talking prince doesn't stop prattling about her virtuous heart, she'll show him just how wicked of a lady she can be too!

A Wicked Lady's Guide to Accidentally Saving the Kingdom has a story by Manzi Mazi and art by Yuuya. Translated by Amanogawa Tenri. Published by J-Novel Club (September 28, 2026). Rated 16+.

Erica Friedman
Rating:

Lettie Ungaria, the Marquess of Ungaria, is an eternal child. Looking several years younger than her actual age of sixteen, and having ruled the March since she was ten years old, Lettie is a girl who can, quite literally, do anything and get away with it. She chooses to keep her citizens safe and healthy to maximize the territory's income. She freely offers homes and jobs to refugees to ensure their loyalty to her. She uses her Gift, the ability to see weakness, to tell people they need medical care, and she heals the worst of them with the rare and powerful Unicorn Horn… all in the name of being the most evil ruler in the world.

A Wicked Lady's Guide to Accidentally Saving the Kingdom, Volume 1 is indeed another “bad at villanessing” story. Like the other villainesses of this trope, Lettie has a ridiculous personality, and her “evil” schemes are actually quite nice, often economy-changing choices. When a coup at the highest levels of the kingdom ends up dumping the actual deposed Prince in her castle, instead of thinking she has the ability to take over, she tries to slow down any revolution…and thus, of course, ends up building one.

The content here is gags all the way down. Every line, every conversation, every character — all gags. Except the common people who are happy, healthy, and pretty normal because of this collection of gags. Some of the gags are entertaining. The intellectual machinations Lettie needs to find “evil” within her acts of kindness can be quite amusing. It's all like eating a protein bar with minimal actual nutritional content. It's fun and yummy for the moment, but not satisfying in the long term.

There was an unfortunate amount of adult men looking at Lettie somewhat more lustfully than is comfortable, especially since this LN, like many others, has this new memetic concept of a lead female who somehow cannot grow and continues to look 10. Points off for any gags related to that because ewww. That said, the pervert butler does get one amusing moment, when we are told that he designs a Lettie mascot costume and one of the illustrations actually shows it…and okay, that was funny.

I also found the BL-ish manipulation between the Mercenary leader and the clearly manipulable Prince who led the coup, rather fitting. I hope that develops as the series goes on. As a bit of brain candy with a few funny bits, a (very) few serious story and world-building bits, and some important lessons for oligarchs on how to run an economy, it was a mostly fun and fast read.