The Villainess Came Calling
"Rix. Just what the hell have you done?"
"I'm sorry."
"Has your madness truly returned?"
"It hasn't. I'm perfectly fine right now, aren't I?"
"Well, you don't seem to be in any real trouble, I'll grant you that. Haa…"
My father, Gilbert Valentier, let out a long, heavy sigh. Deep lines carved themselves into his face.
"Fortunately, Lady Silvia Robbins has said she doesn't want any severe punishment for you. You understand how generous that is, don't you?"
"Yes. I understand perfectly."
The scandal at Silvia Robbins's birthday banquet — the public exposure of her fiancé's affair. Speaking so recklessly to a high-ranking noble was a grave offense. But Lady Silvia had judged that my revelation was true, and so there was room for leniency.
Really, it's only because all the aggro got dumped on that fiancé and the Marchioness instead.
There were people worse than me in the room, so I managed to slip through the cracks. I had no idea what punishment the fiancé and the Marchioness Bellot had received. Rumors said Fabian Seyffert had been castrated mid-duel. Other whispers claimed the Marchioness Bellot had been locked away in a convent for the rest of her life.
Not that I particularly care how those cheating bastards are getting on.
I hadn't exposed them out of some grand sense of justice. My Shinbyeong had simply flared up, and the words had spilled out of my mouth on their own. What mattered now was what punishment I was about to receive.
"Father. What happens to me now?"
"You're being banished from the main house."
"…I see."
"I don't want to do this either, but there are eyes watching. I have no choice."
"Well, it's a far better sentence than what that castrated Seyffert bastard got, so I'm satisfied."
"Hahaha. Even in a situation like this, you still crack jokes."
Banishment from the main house. It meant stripping away even the status of a count family's bastard — reducing me to something no better than a commoner. I was no longer Rix, bastard of House Valentier. I was just Rix.
"I'll arrange a place for you to live. I'll assign you a servant as well, so try not to be too disappointed."
"Oh, that's generous. Thank you, Father."
"Bastard or not, you're still my son. I'm not going to cast you out to starve."
…Isn't this actually an incredible deal?
Exile in name only — it was no different from being told to go live at a country villa. I could lounge around, eat well, and spend the rest of my days in comfort.
"That said, with people watching, I can't send you much money. Just enough so you won't starve. If you want to live well out there, you'll have to earn it yourself."
"Yes. Understood."
So I'd have to work. Still, for talking back to a duke's daughter, this was remarkably lenient. And I hadn't just talked back — I'd publicly humiliated her in front of a hall full of nobles. Under normal circumstances, I would have been challenged to a duel like that fiancé, beaten to a pulp, and left missing a limb or two before it was over. At this point, I was more than satisfied.
"Then go. I've had the servants pack all your things, so you need only take yourself."
"Father. Thank you, truly. I'll never forget this kindness for as long as I live."
"Haa, enough. If only Raymon had half your nature."
"Please don't be too hard on Brother Raymon. He's working day and night to live up to your expectations."
"Even your heart is kind. It pains me that I have to banish you."
"I'm honored you'd say so. Then I'll take my leave. Thank you for raising me all these years."
I bowed at the waist, offering my father a farewell. After leaving the family head's chambers, I made my way to the room where Raymon had shut himself in.
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
Inside, I found Raymon laid out on the bed, laid low by a hangover.
"Brother Raymon. I've come."
"I heard you caused a scene at the banquet. I should have been the one who went… I'm sorry."
Surprisingly, Raymon had always been a good sort. Ever since we were children, he'd never treated me any differently for being a bastard — we'd run around and played together without a second thought. Aside from his love of drink, he was a perfect guy.
"There's nothing for you to apologize for, Brother. The fault is mine."
"Would it be all right if I asked what punishment you received?"
"Banishment from the main house."
"What…? Is — is that true?"
"Yes. But Father said he'll give me a residence and assign me a servant. Don't worry about me."
"Haa. I'm really sorry…"
Among the four siblings, Raymon and I were the only two sons. Caught between a cunning, calculating second sister and a little-devil of a youngest sister who weaponized everyone's affection, the two of us had always leaned on each other.
"Even without me, you'll have to hold your own between our sisters."
"Urgh. You're so much better than either of them."
Male solidarity. Without me, the two-to-two gender balance would collapse, and Raymon was going to have a rough time of it.
"By the way — have Mother and our sisters not returned yet?"
"No. Mother and the girls left to go shopping in a neighboring territory and never came back. Looks like I'm the only one here to see you off."
"So I won't even get to say goodbye."
I wasn't particularly disappointed. I'd never been close with either sister, and Mother had despised me thoroughly. Being a bastard, her hatred was only natural.
"Take care. Thank you for everything."
Raymon held out his right hand with a look of genuine relief, offering a handshake.
"Hey. I'm not dying. I might even come back someday."
"Hahaha! I'll be waiting!"
I gripped his hand firmly and we shared a strong, solid shake.
"Well then. I'll be going."
I set off. Outside the estate, a single maid was waiting.
"Hanna?"
"My, my, young master. I hear you caused quite the incident?"
Brown hair, brown eyes. Hanna — the maid who'd grown up alongside me since we were children — had come to meet me.
"You're the one coming with me?"
"That's right. Don't tell me you're disappointed? Unfortunately, exchanges, refunds, and returns are not available."
"Hahaha! Disappointed? With you, it's a comfort."
Hanna and I climbed into the carriage, and it set off at once. The Valentier Count Estate steadily fell away behind us.
It's been quite a while now since I dropped into this fantasy world.
I traced back my last memories of South Korea. A commission to dispose of a haunted object acquired by a conglomerate chairman's granddaughter. That was the day I was supposed to resolve it. What I'd found in the granddaughter's room was a thick novel. The cover had been plastered with greasily handsome men — unmistakably a romance fantasy.
Back then, I never imagined I'd end up getting isekai'd…
I'd been trying to exorcise an evil spirit, and when I opened my eyes, I was inside a fantasy world. Dropped straight into a romance fantasy novel I hadn't even read.
And I'm pretty sure I'm not even the protagonist.
I didn't know the details, but the leads of romance fantasy novels were usually royalty, or at least from a ducal house. There was no way Rix, bastard of a count family, was anyone important. This guy was pure extra material.
"Young master. What are you thinking so hard about?"
"Just reflecting on my life for a moment."
"You don't need to blame yourself. That fiancé really was a terrible person. You did nothing wrong."
"I'm not blaming myself. If anything, I was thinking my life has been pretty blessed."
Born into a wealthy count family, with a father kind enough to look after even a bastard son. Getting isekai'd into an extra like this was an enormous stroke of luck.
"No cutthroat political intrigue, no blood-soaked conspiracies. Life on easy mode, basically."
"You're right. Life on easy mode."
"…Do you even know what that means?"
"Nope. I just repeated it."
Hanna was full of mischief. Having grown up together, she was closer to a friend than a maid.
"Father said he'll send money, so at least I won't starve. Maybe I'll take up farming as a hobby?"
"Farming as a hobby? Actual farmers would be furious if they heard that."
"That's the noble life for you."
A shaman's life had never been easy. Requests to ruin rival companies. Pleas from corporate heirs who wanted their competition half-crippled so they could win a succession war. I'd done so many jobs that blurred the line between shaman and curse-caster. A request to manufacture an affair scandal for an opposing politician had been on the milder end.
But nobility? With "magitech" as the excuse, they had perfect shower facilities and full plumbing. It was a world practically identical to the modern era, just a little less convenient for communication and travel — and I got to lounge around and eat well in it. The life of a romance-fantasy noble was the absolute best.
The carriage rolled on for a long time. We stopped at a waystation overnight, then set out again the next morning. After nearly a week of travel, we finally arrived at our destination.
"Whoa. This house is incredible."
"Isn't it shabby compared to the main estate?"
"A commoner would be furious if they heard that."
"Ah. You're right."
So this was why people said even a servant's life was better in a great house. A handsome two-story residence stood before us. I'd lived in a fairly nice apartment back in Korea, but this place was far better. House Valentier really was the best. Thank you, Father.
We went inside our newly acquired home and unpacked. Exile life had begun. The money that arrived was truly just enough to get by, but with Hanna's help managing things thriftily, we could make it stretch.
One day. Two days. Time drifted by. It was peaceful. I was just thinking I could spend the rest of my life like this when, one day —
"Young master. You have a visitor."
"A visitor? Who?"
"Well… it's a little hard for me to say. You should meet them yourself."
Following Hanna's words, I headed for the entrance. Standing in the doorway was a familiar cascade of pink hair. A pair of golden eyes flashed.
The villainess, Silvia Robbins, had come calling.
"…Lady Robbins. What brings you all the way out to this countryside?"
"I need your power."
"My power?"
She stepped forward, gently pushing me aside as she walked into the house. The door shut with a careful click. She checked every direction, confirmed we were alone, and then met my eyes.
"Someone is plotting to assassinate me."
Well.
So much for living peacefully.