Melissa Podebrat

Melissa Podebrat is the main protagonist of the novel and manhwa Beware the Villainess!.

Background
After dying in a car accident, Han Da Young finds herself in the body of the villainess from a popular novel called "All the Men that Loved Her". She is determined to live as a jobless rich girl and making sure that the heroine of the novel does not get taken advantage of by the useless male leads.

Appearance
Melissa has straight, waist-length, brown hair, and thin golden eyes with slit pupils. She strongly resembles her father when he was young and if he was a girl. She has an angular face, angle brown eyebrows, and a rather athletic build. Her appearance is often compared to a lion and according to herself, she's a 'cutie villainess'. Her outfit changes a lot, but as the story progresses she wears more shirts and pants compared to dresses. She is often seen with her sword.

Personality
Melissa has a very unique personality. Rather than repent for the deeds of her body's previous owner or fulfill the role of a villainess, Melissa initially sets out to live out the rest of her days as a pampered daughter of a duke — this is due to the constant studying and work she had to endure during her previous life.

Of course, Melissa does not get to enjoy her luxurious and relaxing fantasy for long, as she realizes the unsettling circumstances of the novel's original four love interests. Melissa makes it her job to protect the female lead from the influence of these characters, showing her resilience and unwavering disposition to do what she feels is right. She has no tolerance of the male leads' antics and is willing to beat them up if the situation befits it.

Melissa has no reluctance to do whatever she feels like doing. This also applies to her inclination and appreciation of her people, as shown in her continuing willingness to raise Yona Whitefall's pay and strong resolution to find a way to restore Nine Forton's fangs and tongue.

Melissa is also very independent. Throughout the series, she has conveyed her indifference to what others think of her, and refuses to conform to the nobility's ideals, as shown during the Spring Ball and the Hunting Competition. She learned swordsmanship although others objected towards it, and learned her talent in it.

Jake Podebrat
Jake Podebrat is Melissa's younger brother. In the beginning, they did not have a very good relationship due to Jake not having any respect whatsoever for her. Though, he quickly gained a small amount of respect from fear of her after she managed to successfully intimidate him and Jack Forton after they got into a fight in the Podebrat Mansion's public yard, scaring the servants. After finding out that he was stalking her close Yuri Elizabeth, she concocted a plan to use magic to turn him into a Bunny and scolded him into not stalking Yuri, which succeeded perfectly. Soon after this incident, Melissa accidentally used Jake's prized gun 'Monica' instead of her sword to defeat Jack Forton. In recent chapters, their relationship has begun to get better and close to actual siblings due to Melissa offering to buy Jake a new gun to replace the one she broke. Jake accepted and soon they were in the palace's armory by Ian Vasillios, where he was allowed to choose whatever gun he wanted, but Jake soon after seeing Ian and his sister get along, he became protective over his sister and pointed his choice of gun directly at Ian's face, much to Ian and Melissa's confusion and mild panic. Soon after this ordeal was settled, he refused to answer Melissa's questions on why he did that and bought Melissa an apple because he caught her staring at them and she bought him a skewer. Jake supports Melissa and her endeavor to get her engagement annulled.

Duke Podebrat
Duke Podebrat is Melissa's father. He didn't give the original Melissa much affection compared to Jake, and this distanced the two to the point that they rarely spoke. But now, with the current Melissa, he reluctantly submits to her antics and gives her monetary support throughout the series.

Yona Whitefall
Yona Whitefall is Melissa's materialistic and blunt maid, who loyally stays with her because of the Podebrats' high pay for their staffs. Yona has no problem listening to Melissa's rants about Ian's disloyalty, and has helped Melissa deal with troublesome characters like Peacock Melody and Migen Forton. Melissa considers Yona an oddball, and Yona doesn't mince her words or try to act affectionate like the other servants towards Melissa. Regardless of that, they get along quite well.

Nine Forton
Nine Forton is Melissa's butler and love interest. Originally, Melissa picked up Nine from the streets to humiliate Ian at the ball, but she soon took him in as her butler. She also helped restore his lost tongue and fangs via Yuri's help. He became grateful towards her, and developed romantic feelings for her. During the fight with Migen Forton, he was willing to kill his brother for Melissa's sake, but she stopped him from dirtying his hands. Afterwards, he became overprotective of her, but soon stopped his actions and respected Melissa's boundaries. Melissa also realized her feelings for him after Cartena teased her about it.

Yuri Elizabeth
Yuri Elizabeth is the original female lead of the novel Melissa read before her death in her first life. They later became good friends with Melissa shooing away all the male leads for Yuri, to which Yuri was very thankful and amused of. Yuri became grateful to Melissa for helping her be free of her puppet-like role as the story's female lead, and also expressed romantic feelings towards Melissa. They remain as friends and allies throughout the series, with Yuri helping Melissa and the others several times with healing and the like.

Cartena
Cartena is Melissa's swordplay instructor, and a former knight for the imperial family. She initially mistook Melissa's intentions to learn swordsmanship for wanting to join the knights. After Melissa reassured her that it was no big deal and made a deal with her: Cartena has to reveal her reasons for leaving the knights if Melissa won in a duel between them. Cartena then revealed her vicious way of fighting and expertise while fighting Melissa and almost beat her. She acted more childish and teased Melissa a lot afterwards, and even helped Melissa realize her love for Nine through revealing her relationship with Robby Elizabeth.

Ian Vasillios
Ian Vasillios is Melissa's ex-fiancé. The original Melissa loved Ian, but he was uncomfortable with her. He openly cheated on her with other women and didn't respect her, but the original Melissa still didn't give up. The current Melissa is adamant and persistent about having their engagement broken off, but he refused to adhere to her wishes. During the festival, Melissa scolds him about treating people, and especially women, like objects, and that he should learn to respect others more. He genuinely repents afterwards, and helped her on several occasions.

Melissa found and kept the sword Ian was supposed to use in the original story, and uses it as her main weapon.

Jack Forton
Jack Forton is a werewolf who initially got on Melissa's bad side for trespassing and destroying the Podebrat Mansion's property in search of Nine Forton (a failed effort), and later picked a fight with her again over Nine (another failed effort). In their third fight, Melissa knocked him unconscious using Monica, Jake's gun, and shattered the gun in the process of doing so. She later made him guide her, Nine, and Yona to save Yuri from Migen Forton. After the fight with Migen, she disciplined him along with Migen, and he learned manners from that experience.

Peacock Melody
Peacock Melody is Melissa's rival and enemy. When she initially read the story, she cheered on Peacock's crazy antics because it was fictional, but as the current Melissa, she realized that his behavior was toxic and abusive. Melissa protects Yuri from his advances and dark intentions, and helped chase him away from Liptun where Yuri lives at. Later, he got imprisoned after attempting to poison Melissa.

Migen Forton
Migen Forton is Melissa's former enemy. He kidnapped Yuri, prompting Melissa, Nine, and Yona to go save her. Migen fought with Melissa, and when she goes unconscious, Nine goes through his awakening as a werewolf. Nine almost kills Migen, but Melissa wakes up and stops him, but instead ordered Nine to knock him unconscious. Afterwards, Melissa disciplines him and Jack Forton about manners, and bluffs that she cursed them after carving pentagrams on their fangs. Migen fell for her lie and didn't become antagonistic anymore, but still retained his rude behavior.