Banish the Evil Villainess

Drip. Red paint trickled down the wall.

"Fuck."

The mansion walls, smeared today too with the rage of commoners. Ricardo, now twenty-three, sighed as he scrubbed at the graffiti that wouldn't come off easily with his rag.

How the hell did I end up like this?

Why am I doing work that'd befit a janitor?

As he lamented his pathetic life, voices drifted over from the guards patrolling the alley.

"Captain, is this that Olivia's place?"

"That's right."

"Whoa… I heard she got kicked out of her family, but it's true. A noblewoman's walls like this… Gives me the creeps, like ghosts might come out."

Thud, thud. The guard captain's smooth voice carried over the wall.

"We'll skip patrolling here and just pass by."

"But don't we have to do the rounds?"

"Isn't this the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠evil bitch's house?"

I turned to memorize the backs of the two men.

So that's where my taxes have been running off to.

"Haa."

A sigh escaped me. The mansion's upkeep was a total mess. Walls that looked haunted, and all that. A mere guard captain treating a duke's daughter like dirt.

"Tax-thieving bastards."

I was pissed they'd disrespected my lady, but even more furious that they'd done jack shit while the walls got vandalized to hell. Though, them badmouthing my lady…

Well, they weren't wrong.

Desmont Olivia. She was the villainess from the novel I possessed into, Academy's Strongest Fall for Me.

Jealous of the attention showered on the heroine. Fell for the hero who loved the heroine, and when it didn't work out, took it out on the heroine. A clichéd villainess.

And that villainess was the mistress of this mansion, Desmont Olivia.

Olivia was exceptional. Until the heroine showed up.

She was called the flower of high society, her prodigious magic talent and solid family backing making her the ultimate bride. And she had a soft heart soft enough to save a slum orphan like me after possession.

Her butler. That was me from the past—I'd owed her my life once, thirteen years ago.

Nothing grand. About a week after possessing, when I nearly got beaten to death trying to scold some brat, she'd helped me out. Took pity and gave me a job at the mansion.

I'd planned to avoid her entirely, since she gets a reality check early in the original and exits stage left. But fate tangled us up, and I decided to repay the favor.

I did everything to keep her from meeting the novel's grim end.

—Miss, let's lose some weight.

—Shut it, Ricardo!

—Quiet down and exercise.

I fixed all the things she got mocked for in the original, inside and out.

—Miss. You can't just strike people.

—No! That bitch called me a dimwit!

—Hmm. Still not okay.

—Why not!

—You should've sent your lowly butler like me. I'll go beat her ass.

I bought off factions that threatened her with money, handled her grudge-worthy deeds myself to redirect the hate onto ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me. For thirteen years.

I could proudly say I'd done my utmost as her butler until she came of age.

I was confident I'd averted the tragic end from the novel.

Until she entered the academy.

Her first time at the academy as an adult. That's where Olivia met a certain commoner guy.

Handsome, and the hero of the novel's latter half—Mikhail. In the original, the sub-male lead who gets her killed.

Olivia started crushing on him hard, one-sidedly.

Honestly, it was understandable. I'd only read he was hot on paper—didn't expect him to be that hot in person.

Outstanding character, flawless looks. Perfect without a single rough edge. Even I, a guy, went "whoa." Imagine how a girl would react. She'd lose her mind.

Mikhail was that biased a guy.

Anyway, Olivia liked Mikhail. She said it was because he saved her from drowning in a lake, but to me—who knew her ending involved him—it was terrifying.

So I tried to talk her out of it.

—Hey, Ricardo? I think I met my fated one.

—That guy?

—Shut up.

—Hmm. Is he handsome?

—Yeah! Super hot and kind.

—I'm handsome too, though?

—Ugh…

I dragged her stalking ass home and scolded her.

—That's a crime, Miss.

—But I just wanna know what Mikhail does all day.

—No one's putting surveillance magic tools in someone else's house, no matter how curious.

—Doesn't everyone do it…?

—I'm more curious about what's going on in your head.

I followed her to the training grounds during Mikhail's sword practice and yelled to tank his favorability.

—Ricardo! Mikhail's already taken down three!

—Boooo! I'd one-shot a scrub like you.

—You…!

—I know a bit of swordplay. Get down, I'll show you. I'll flatten that pretty-boy parasite's nose.

Then I got my ass handed to me like a dog by Mikhail. The more I interfered, the more she liked him. "He's so cool overcoming adversity," or whatever.

What about the adversity I go through for her sake? She ignores that.

Anyway, by semester's end, Olivia confessed to Mikhail. Didn't want him stolen by another girl, so she blurted it out.

—I like you, Mikhail.

—I'm sorry, milady.

Cold rejection and Olivia bawling her eyes out. Just like the original.

Fuck.

Mikhail liked the heroine. So he rejected Olivia.

Eunuch bastard. No girl's got tits like Olivia's. Loli-con or what?

He rejected everyone who confessed. Even the third princess. Even the mage tower master's daughter. Even Olivia.

His only reply: "I'm sorry."

From then, Olivia's path followed the original. Filled with madness she couldn't be talked out of, pulling every stunt to win his heart.

Threw astronomical sums of money at him.

—I don't want dirty money made from commoner blood taxes.

—What…?

Blackmailed him with his weaknesses.

—Date me, or that girl you like won't set foot in the academy.

—I won't let that happen. Don't be vulgar.

When threats failed, she even got on her knees.

—Please. Just date me for a month. I'll be good, I swear.

—No.

In the end, like the original, Olivia bullied the heroine.

—Don't hang with that lowly commoner bitch.

She crashed every party the heroine attended, making them nightmares.

—Ricardo, see that trashy bitch?

—No, I don't.

—Shut up. Look properly.

—…

—Lock her in the closet till the party's over.

—Do we have to go that far?

—Better than killing her?

—As you wish.

Still, the heroine overcame it all like a proper protagonist. The crown prince helped her. The mage tower master's disciple helped her. The whole world was on her side.

By semester's end, Olivia was utterly broken.

The duke who doted on his sheltered jewel gave up on reforming her. Even her doting brother treated her like family trash.

After the semester, only I remained by Olivia's side.

Still, I thought it was a relief deep down. At least she hadn't made the extreme choice from the original.

When I first possessed, I figured I'd just secure my own rice bowl. But now, after thirteen years together, I wanted Olivia—who I'd shared ups and downs with—to live healthily.

She'd lost money and honor, but exiled to the boonies to live peacefully? Better than the original, right?

But life doesn't go as planned.

—Miss, you can't do this.

—Shut up. Mikhail's mine. He's mine, so… he'll understand this much.

—Please snap out of it. Huh? You know this changes nothing!

—Shut up. What does a dying slum rat like you know? Think you're somebody 'cause you've been with me long? You're just a half-baked butler… Shut your mouth.

She used forbidden black magic, banned by the empire.

In an empire where even royals get punished for it, a duke's daughter using it was intolerable.

Exile from the family was certain. Losing all assets, certain.

Her favorite dresses. Jewels. Fawning ladies. She'd lose it all.

But love-crazed Olivia used black magic to brainwash Mikhail's heart.

—Kyaaah!

—Haaah!

—Miss!

—Ricardo, my legs! My legs! My legs!

The result? Predictably, failure.

The doctor said:

—Black magic backlash burned out all her magic circuits.

—What's that got to do with her legs? Why can't she move them?

—The circuits burned, and so did the nerves connected to her lower body.

—What does that mean? Say it plainly.

—She'll never walk on her own again—

—What? Say that again.

After that, Olivia's life was over. Excommunicated. Abandoned.

Left with just this massive mansion. No longer the flower of society, unable to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠walk on her own.

Scrubbing the walls all day, the filthy scrawls that covered them had long faded to faint traces.

With the mistress fallen, there ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wasn't much to do. My only job was tending to the lady lying in bed.

Soon I'd wrap up, feed her dinner, and call it a day—but thinking of the fines from the black magic made my eyes squeeze shut.

Work piled up. I had to hustle for her recovery. With family support cut off, living expenses were on me too.

One body wasn't enough, leaving a bitter taste, but she'd avoided the original's extreme end. I could handle it.

I tossed the dirty rag into the bucket. Murky water. Felt good to accomplish something.

What to make for dinner tonight?

"Maybe the steak she likes…"

The sky was disgustingly clear. The clearer it got, the faster the paint dried.

I quickly refilled the bucket and wrung out the rag.

That was when—

Crash! Thud!

A loud racket erupted from the lady's room.