The episode 10 of Though I Am an Inept Villainess starts with Crown Prince Ei Gyoumei ordering a shaman to be summoned while placing the Kou Palace under strict secrecy because of the Empress’s worsening condition. He orders the medical staff to keep quiet and instructs everyone returning to the main palace to look cheerful, refusing to let rumors spread about the Empress’s illness. Although he is told that the Kou Palace has been sealed with a talisman to stop the malady from spreading, Gyoumei insists on seeing what is happening inside.
At the sealed entrance, Kou Tousetsu, Reirin’s head personal court lady, refuses to open the gates. Gyoumei immediately understands that something is being hidden from him. He asks whether Shu Keigetsu has visited and then directly confronts Tousetsu about the body swap between Reirin and Keigetsu.
Tousetsu admits that she knows the truth but refuses to reveal it. She explains that Reirin ordered her not to harm herself or Keigetsu and not to tell the Empress or the Crown Prince about the swap. For Tousetsu, following that order is also a form of self-punishment because she believes she failed to protect her master when Reirin was in danger.
Gyoumei tries to understand why Tousetsu would obey Reirin even when the situation has become so dangerous. He realizes that, as Crown Prince, he could overturn Reirin’s wishes and punish Keigetsu. Instead of using that authority, he removes his crown and promises not to abuse his position. His sincerity finally convinces Tousetsu to let him through, and she agrees to explain everything she knows.
Meanwhile, Shu Keigetsu, still carrying Reirin’s soul in her body, is struggling to keep up after recovering from her illness. She reaches the Shu Palace with Leelee, who immediately tries to bring up the possibility of reversing the body swap. Keigetsu avoids the subject because she has another urgent task.
Leelee has obtained a centipede that won a cannibalism battle, and Keigetsu realizes it can be used to create venomcraft. The discovery is important because the Empress’s illness is actually caused by a curse, and Keigetsu has learned that the curse came from Noble Consort Shu Gabi. She wants to use the venomcraft to create a counter-curse and save the Empress.
Elsewhere, Shin-U, captain of the Eagle Eyes, makes an unexpected decision. He brings out the Bow of Warding, despite not having permission to use the national treasure. Shin-U normally does not put much faith in curses or superstition, but he cannot ignore what happened when Keigetsu previously drew the bow. Her use of it caused Reirin’s illness to subside, convincing him that the weapon has a connection to the strange situation surrounding the palace.
Shin-U attempts to draw the legendary bow himself. The result shocks everyone. The Bow of Warding has survived for centuries without its string snapping, yet it breaks when Shin-U uses it. He realizes that the weapon was not simply overwhelmed by his strength. Instead, it seemed to relax in the hands of someone from the Gen clan, whose elemental connection is associated with water.
Shin-U begins piecing together the mystery. The Gen clan governs water and warfare, while the Kou clan is associated with earth. Since earth can overcome water, he suspects that earthen qi may be connected to whatever has been interfering with the bow. He also remembers that Keigetsu, connected to the Shu clan's fire, had managed to draw the bow for more than six hours despite the normal incompatibility between fire and water.
This leads Shin-U to an important realization. The unusual behavior of the bow, Keigetsu’s actions, and the strange circumstances surrounding Reirin are all connected. He decides that his responsibility as Eagle Eyes Captain is not to speculate endlessly but to identify and eliminate threats within the inner court.
Back at the Shu Palace, Keigetsu explains how the venomcraft was accidentally created. Leelee had given her a spider and a centipede to use as food for her pet rat, but because she had no suitable container, Keigetsu placed both creatures inside the same jar. The centipede eventually ate the spider, producing the venomcraft they now need.
The process of creating the counter-curse is dangerous. Keigetsu identifies the spider as the root of the curse affecting a noble in the Kou Palace. Rather than directly cursing Gabi, they can treat the ritual as a counter-curse against the venomcraft spider. Once the curse is broken, its effect will rebound to the person who originally cast it.
However, there is a horrifying price. The ritual requires the sacrifice of the centipede, and the person performing the ritual must kill the sacrifice. If the counter-curse fails, the backlash can return to the caster. In Keigetsu’s case, that could mean losing her own life.
Leelee realizes what Keigetsu is preparing to do. Keigetsu is not simply trying to repair the damage caused by the body swap. She is willing to risk herself to save the Empress and finally make amends for what the Shu clan has done.
Keigetsu admits that she has never known how to live up to anyone’s expectations. She was never given the chance to feel pride in herself, and nobody expected much from her. But Reirin changed that by calling her a star. For the first time, Keigetsu wants to accomplish something meaningful, even if it costs her everything.
That emotional breakthrough also reveals something important about Reirin. Reirin had wished upon the comet for two things: good health and a friend. Despite growing up surrounded by privilege and affection, she wanted someone she could treat as an equal rather than simply someone who admired or cared for her.
Reirin sees Keigetsu as that person. Keigetsu’s fierce emotions, impulsiveness, honesty, and willingness to risk herself for someone she once hated are qualities Reirin admires. She asks Keigetsu to become her friend, promising that they can face dangerous choices together rather than leaving one person to carry the burden alone.
Before they can complete the ritual, Noble Consort Shu Gabi appears. Her arrival immediately changes the situation. She orders Keigetsu to lower her head, reminding her of the difference in their status and insulting her background. Gabi knows that the Empress is in critical condition and that everyone is watching the Kou Palace closely. Because of that, she believes nobody will come to the Shu Palace in time to interfere.
Gabi also understands exactly what Keigetsu is attempting. She knows that completing the counter-curse will cause the original curse to rebound and put her own life at risk. More importantly, she knows that Keigetsu cannot complete the ritual without accepting that danger.
The truth becomes undeniable when Gabi confirms that the injuries Keigetsu previously targeted with the Bow of Warding corresponded to her own body. Shin-U realizes that the person behind the Empress’s curse really is Noble Consort Shu Gabi. Just as Gabi appears to have the advantage, Kou Reirin arrives.
Her appearance immediately exposes how much the situation has changed. Reirin recognizes Gabi’s intentions and tells Keigetsu that she has finally understood what the Noble Consort is trying to accomplish. Rather than retreating, Reirin declares that she is ready to destroy those ambitions.
Gabi tries to turn the situation against Keigetsu. She explains that if Keigetsu completes the venomcraft, Gabi will die, while Keigetsu will also face execution as a member of the Shu clan responsible for mutiny. But if Keigetsu puts down the blade, Gabi promises to let her live and even spare Reirin.
There is a catch. Gabi intends to become Empress, and her offer to spare Reirin comes with the condition that Reirin's consciousness will be taken away. The threat forces Keigetsu into an impossible choice. Gabi raises the possibility of killing Reirin if Keigetsu refuses to stop. She deliberately manipulates Keigetsu by reminding her that she has finally gained the friend she wanted and could lose her immediately.
Keigetsu nevertheless refuses to abandon the ritual. She understands that stopping now would allow Gabi’s plan to succeed. Gabi then insults Keigetsu again, calling her an incompetent nobody and mocking the girl who has struggled throughout her life. The attack works for a moment, making Keigetsu lower her guard. But Reirin has been waiting for exactly that opening.
Reirin suddenly seizes the opportunity and takes control of the situation. She captures the creature involved in the ritual before Keigetsu can complete the final step, joking that she had promised they would face the final blow together but ended up doing it herself. The moment provides a brief release from the tension, but the danger is far from over. The counter-curse takes effect, and the Empress's condition begins to change as the curse is broken.
At the same time, Gabi loses control of the situation. The curse she created has been countered, and its destructive force turns back toward its source. Gabi tries to direct that power toward the Empress, blaming her for taking away the man she wanted. The confrontation reaches its breaking point as the consequences of Gabi’s curse finally catch up with her.
Then, just as the situation appears to be spiraling out of control, Crown Prince Ei Gyoumei arrives and addresses Reirin. His arrival confirms that he has followed the clues and discovered the truth behind the body swap. Episode 10 ends with Reirin facing Gyoumei after everything she and Keigetsu have risked, leaving the consequences of their secret and Gabi’s failed scheme hanging over the next chapter.
Though I Am an Inept Villainess Episode 10 delivers one of the season’s strongest emotional moments as Keigetsu finally chooses to take responsibility for the damage caused by the Shu clan. Her willingness to risk her life for the Empress gives her character development real weight, especially because her motivation comes from Reirin’s belief in her rather than from duty alone. Reirin’s request for friendship also strengthens their relationship, turning their body-swap ordeal into a genuine bond between equals. Meanwhile, Shu Gabi becomes more dangerous as her ambition is exposed, while Shin-U’s discovery about the Bow of Warding adds another intriguing mystery to the clan powers and palace politics. The final arrival of Crown Prince Gyoumei is an excellent cliffhanger because he now appears to understand the truth about Reirin and Keigetsu, meaning their carefully protected secret may finally be impossible to hide.
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