There Was Still One More Villainess
There Was Still One More Villainess
It had already been four days since two commoners started attending the meals of Rihel Denius, the most noble existence in the Rodpen Empire after the Imperial family.
"Seriously, I can't even force myself to share a table with you. Why are your table manners like that?"
Today, too, Rihel began nagging Sereniel the moment she picked up her cutlery.
"I'm sorry! Since I'm a commoner who has nothing... did I make you feel very uncomfortable?"
Today, too, the moment she heard a scolding from Rihel, Sereniel opened her eyes wide and made a face like a small animal.
"... Tsk, didn't I clearly tell you not to make that face?"
"But this is how I get you to cool your anger quickly, Gongnyeo-nim!"
"When did I ever cool my anger! And before that, can't you get rid of that hypocritical face right now?!"
Rihel slammed the fork she was holding onto the table and shouted with genuine anger.
But how should I put it... does she look like a small animal puffing itself up to look big?
Anyway, it wasn't particularly threatening.
Perhaps Sereniel was thinking the same thing, as she seemed completely unfazed.
Rather, she was resting her chin on both hands, grinning and enjoying Rihel's anger.
"I'm really sorry. I must have misunderstood."
"Y-you, what's with that expression right now!?"
"It's nothing!"
'Hmm... it's definitely awkward.'
Aside from the fact that it was nice to see a different side of them.
It was truly awkward that these two were originally the villainess and the heroine of a romance fantasy novel who were supposed to be mortal enemies.
Should I say it felt like watching an unwritten "if" side story by the author?
The title would probably be something like, "What if Villainess Rihel and Heroine Sereniel were friends from the start?"
⋯ It might have been quite fun.
Anyway, while having such miscellaneous thoughts,
I continued to interestingly watch the dangerous yet childish war of nerves between the two.
"Still, it seems you don't really hate me, Gongnyeo-nim."
"What are you talking about, seriously! I hate you, I hate that Zenon over there, I just hate everything!!"
"Hehe, I'll believe you."
In the beginning, Sereniel, who had been secretly trembling while pretending not to, had perfectly grasped the fact that Rihel was only barking with her words after just a few days.
In reality, she didn't inflict any physical harm.
Rather, she was skillfully poking at Rihel's tsundere-like weak spot and delivering a punchy sense of impact.
'To be precise, I should consider it thanks to me intervening and calming things down before she actually snaps.'
Anyway, because of that, if I left them alone a little longer,
Rihel's already thin patience might have run out, and Blue-Black Flame might have actually started flying across the dining table.
You have to cut things off in moderation to move forward without creating frustrating variables.
I carefully leaned my upper body and lightly placed my hand on the back of Rihel's left hand, which was trembling on the table.
The moment my hand touched hers, Rihel was startled.
"Hick...! Y-you, where are you touching without permission again!"
While she was startled and tried to pull her hand away immediately, I restrained her more gently,
and gazed at her red eyes very longingly.
"Please, do calm your anger. My black rose, thorns are the charm of a rose, but right now, they are too sharp."
"Here we go again, seriously. Let go of this!"
"How can such rough and harsh words come from such red and alluring lips? Your noble lips should only hold sweet dew, yet my heart feels like it's being torn to shreds."
The cheesy lines hit her before she could even prepare.
Rihel soon lost her composure and began to just flutter her lips.
It was as if she had completely forgotten the anger she was about to pour out on Sereniel just a moment ago.
She was only looking at me.
"A-ah⋯ seriously, I can't get used to hearing this every day. I got it, so get your hand off right now! It's making me lose my appetite."
"Understood."
Afterward, only after some time had passed did Rihel regain some of her composure,
and she immediately shook off my hand and hurriedly picked up her water glass.
Seeing her gulp down the water while avoiding my gaze, it seemed I had definitely pulled the fuse on her villainess mode.
I immediately turned my gaze to Sereniel, who was sitting across from me as if she hadn't done anything wrong,
with her eyes wide open, and warned her.
"And you, take it easy too."
"No⋯ what did I do?"
The moment I said that, Sereniel started to put that pitiful, cute puppy expression back on her face.
However, unfortunately, I was a little faster this time.
"Gongnyeo-nim is broad-minded and merciful to take us commoners in, but that doesn't mean you can cross the line and be rude. Even if you want to be close, keeping manners at the dining table is basic."
At my sharp rebuke, Sereniel pouted her lips but nodded obediently.
She, too, must have noticed that Rihel was on the verge of getting genuinely angry, even if she acted like that on the outside.
"Okay⋯ Gongnyeo-nim, I'm sorry for acting too lightly since the morning. Starting tomorrow, I'll learn properly, starting from how to hold a knife."
"... Just finish your meal. These are dishes the Duchy's chefs put their heart and soul into."
After breakfast, which was a little more lively(?) than usual, we headed to [Lecture Hall] 6 of the [Magic Hall].
"Sigh... why does Professor Cherne Ropellert have to be in charge of the Basic Spirit Understanding class this semester?"
"I know, right. I acknowledge she became the youngest professor in academy history, but she's terribly arrogant about spirits."
"Contracted with a mid-level spirit when young, and now handles a top-tier one? She's the perfect specimen of an arrogant, nasty genius."
"I prayed she wouldn't be in charge of our Class D, my luck this year is terrible."
I, who had been silently listening to the gossip of the noble bastards who were complaining openly,
only then remembered one fact I had forgotten and let out a small exclamation inside.
'Ah... come to think of it, there was one more villainess-like position.'
Cherne Ropellert.
It was exactly as the nobles described with resentment.
She was the greatest mage in the Visper Kingdom, born into the Count Ropellert family, and a young professor at the academy.
And above all, she was the continent's greatest spirit user with genius talent.
At least, until Sereniel, the original heroine with the world's best spirit affinity, enrolled in this academy.
In the original work, Cherne Ropellert would later feel bitter inferiority toward Sereniel's overwhelming talent in spirit arts and fall into corruption.
After that, she would secretly cooperate with prominent villainesses like Rihel Denius and Illusia Rodpen to torment Sereniel terribly....
Well, she was a very unfortunate extra villainess who eventually got her neck sliced off by the sword of the enraged male protagonist, Kalian Valetier.
She wasn't a main villainess because her screen time was short.
'Hmm....'
I carefully recalled her appearance, which I had briefly seen in the novel's illustrations.
She wasn't breathtakingly beautiful like main-level villainesses such as Mirea, Rihel, or Illusia,
but she was a quite pretty beauty with a prominent intellectual charm.
Moreover, the power of the Count family was solid enough that most imperial nobles couldn't even compare.
'... Should I try to seduce her while I'm at it?'
It was a very reasonable concern.
Even though I had already put the brakes on the other villainesses to some extent by rolling my own body, Cherne Ropellert was different.
The moment she witnessed Sereniel's absurd talent right in front of her eyes,
she was highly likely to go crazy with inferiority and bite and harass Sereniel on her own, even if I left her alone.
'Yes, for my survival and peace, it might be right to hit on that woman.'
I was continuing my deep, solitary contemplation while finishing up my plan like that.
Creak-!
At the same time as the sound of the lecture hall door opening, the rumored Professor Cherne Ropellert walked inside.
"......."
Everyone in the lecture hall instantly shut their mouths.
On her face, as she dropped the textbook on the lectern in front of the blackboard,
a very thick and blatant killing intent was dripping.
Eyebrows turned into seagulls.
Lips tightly pressed together.
And finally, the high-density killing intent leaking out because it couldn't be controlled.
Anyone could see she was demonstrating with her whole body, saying, 'I'm pissed off right now, so if anyone utters even a single useless word, I'll kill you all.'
The moment I faced her brutal expression head-on, I shook my head without hesitation.
'Hmm, give up, give up. She's too vicious. That's not a level of toxicity I can cover by hitting on her with a slick attitude.'
In 0.1 seconds, I completely scrapped my romance strategy plan,
and decided to just keep my eyes down and focus quietly on the class.
2 hours later.
The Basic Spirit Understanding class ended safely amidst a suffocating atmosphere that felt like walking on thin ice.
'Phew, let's bolt first.'
It was the moment I was trying to sneak out through the back door of the lecture hall, hugging my books to avoid making eye contact with the professor.
"You there in the back. Student Zenon. Stay in your seat."
Professor Cherne Ropellert's voice, who was erasing the blackboard, grabbed my ankle.
At the same time, the gazes of the noble students leaving the lecture hall turned toward me.
On all of their faces, there was a clear look of schadenfreude, as if saying, 'That commoner bastard, he's really done for.'
'... What is it? Did I do something wrong? I took notes diligently and only breathed.'
Completely terrified, I broke out in a cold sweat and walked toward the lectern.
The lecture hall was empty after all the students had left.
Cherne Ropellert had been staring at me blankly with her arms crossed for almost 3 minutes without saying a word.
In the end, I couldn't stand it, so I moistened my dry lips and opened my mouth cautiously.
"Uhm... did you call for me, Professor."
Instead of answering, Cherne Ropellert first scanned to see if the front and back doors of the empty lecture hall were closed.
She checked if there were any other students' presence around.
It was then, as I held my breath with a sinister premonition that I had been caught in something serious.
Having finished checking the surroundings, she suddenly leaned her upper body toward me.
I thought a subtle floral scent brushed my nose, and her lips came so close they almost touched my ear.
The brutal and irritable attitude from earlier was nowhere to be found,
and a very languid and strangely sticky voice tickled my ear.
"Commoner student. I heard... you've been getting very close to that cheeky 1st-year top student, Sereniel, lately...."
"......."
Cherne smiled with a seductive look in her eyes and whispered very quietly and secretly.
"How about it? Cooperate with this noona, and how about you try to properly raise your status here?"