C18
The night before classes began, a collection of spring dresses arrived, filled with blood, sweat, and tears from Helen.
As soon as dawn broke, the servants selected a suitable dress among them and coordinated it with accessories. As soon as I looked at myself in the mirror, I touched my forehead.
When Helen said it was simple enough to be worn at both parties and formal occasions, I thought it sounded like a hot American; but I understood it after trying it on.
It was sexy yet innocent, chic yet elegant.
I couldn't say anything because I looked very pretty in the mirror.
A life of seeing a face that pleases me every day.
As my fan feeling grew, I unconsciously hit the wall, and the famous painting that was hanging shook back and forth like an earthquake.
"This body is really strong."
I don't have magical abilities, but I have good strength and endurance.
Since the possession, I haven't had the chronic fatigue or headaches that I always had in my previous life.
No wonder. Being wicked is something that requires a lot of energy.
That's good. I can live a long and healthy life.
Waving my fist back and forth, I passed by the trembling servants and went out.
In front of the Seymour mansion, two four-wheeled carriages with the double-headed shield emblem were waiting.
One is the carriage I'm going to ride in, and the other... What?
Oh! The carriage that boy will be traveling in.
When I saw the boy approaching the carriage in the distance, I screamed internally.
In the two months I've spent here, I never had the chance to see the youngest, Enrique Seymour.
Because the residences were separate, we moved differently, and, like all households in a tragedy novel, the family didn't even come together and have an affectionate meal unless there was a significant reason.
He's like a kitten.
Deborah's younger brother, Enrique, with his beautifully combed silver hair, reminded me of a gray kitten.
I know he's about 10 years old, but, contrary to his youthful appearance, his mood is quite mature.
Perhaps it's because of those shadowed gray eyes.
As I looked into the boy's eyes as if I were bewitched, our gazes met.
Enrique frowned as if he didn't want to see her, turned around, and entered the carriage without even greeting her.
"Ah. That boy also hates Deborah."
Deborah, who was hated everywhere, was incredible.
Well, Deborah also hates that boy Enrique.
She even felt inferior to such a cute boy.
Deborah had no sensitivity to mana at all, while on the other hand, Enrique had shown outstanding achievements to the point of handling Class 3 magic even at an early age.
The Research Institute of the Academy, a subsidiary of the Mage Association, has a program for talented individuals, and I know that Enrique is the top student even in a place where only geniuses are carefully selected.
"If everyone in the family were good, and I weren't, I'd feel inferior."
A good family, lots of money, good looks, good physique, and strength.
I live in gratitude for what I have now, but Deborah was extremely fixated on what she didn't have.
In particular, the feeling of inferiority for not being able to use mana was beyond imagination.
Deborah was the only one who couldn't handle mana among the descendants and indirect blood relatives, and her father's compassion seemed to have provoked her even more.
"Still, do you relieve stress through violence?"
Deborah has no chance to defend herself, but I couldn't help but feel a little down even when a cute boy looked at me with hatred.
"Let's live as a villain."
Younger siblings are all the same. When I think about that rude idiot from my previous life, the illusions about my cute brother disappeared.
After trying to calm down, I got on the carriage and looked out the rapidly changing window.
The view outside the window was now the Yones district. When we finally crossed the arched bridge connecting the river, the Horun district, where the Capital was located, appeared.
The Academy run by the Imperial Family, the Knights, the Mage Association, and the Theology Institution were all located in the Horun district.
Among the nobles who left the Academy, the future for the children of families with nothing to inherit was to live while receiving some kind of salary from an institution run by the imperial family.
Of course, my dream is to delay marriage as much as possible while squeezing the infrastructure of Duke Seymour, and then use the secret funds I accumulated to live as a rich unemployed person... No, as a homeowner.
"... Anyway, they're completely insane."
Inside the city walls surrounding the Horun district, it was full of carriages used by the children of aristocratic families.
I expected it to take quite some time, but surprisingly, the servant guarding the gate guided the carriage through a separate passage.
A dedicated VIP road.
The taste of power is always exciting and fresh.
The carriage that entered Pangea Academy in a dignified manner stopped in front of the main building, in the center of the academy.
"Ugh."
"Over there."
The moment I got off the carriage, there was an impressive silence all around me. Due to Seymour's seal on the carriage, it was as if I were announcing to everyone that I am the famous "Deborah Seymour."
With every step I took, the miracle of Moses unfolded before my eyes. When I accidentally made eye contact, they were frightened and looked away, so I moved to the classroom feeling like the only predator among herbivores.
It's quiet here too.
When I entered the classroom to meet the attendance requirements, the peaceful interior turned silent as if it had been splashed with cold water.
As if there was a human sound cancellation.
"But where should I sit?"
I looked around for a place to sit. One seat immediately caught my attention as it was far from the teacher's desk and out of the teacher's line of sight, had a wall on one side for peace and stability of the mind, and even had good sunlight.
It's a lucky seat.
Obviously, it was a perfect spot, so it was already taken.
"Excuse me, J-Jake. I need to sit in the front. It's a bit hot here."
"H-huh? Me too."
Maybe I was looking too much, as the students sitting in the perfect spot quietly got up and moved to the front.
"What kind of villain gets a free pass?"
Astonished, I sat down in the place they vacated.
It was absurd, but there was no other reason to refuse it.
As expected, the seat was comfortable. It had a moderate amount of sunlight, and the view through the window was pleasant.
While I was looking at the beautiful scenery of the academy, with my chin resting on my hand, the people around me started talking loudly again, so I turned my head.
Then I held my breath for a moment.
Philap Montes and Mia Binoche.
The moment they entered my vision at the same time, my heart suddenly started beating very fast.
Inhaling and exhaling also felt uncomfortable.
"Why am I like this?"
It seemed to be a physical reaction imprinted on Deborah's body that had nothing to do with my will.
It was similar to the disgust I felt when facing Belreck.
I frowned because I felt strange, but Philap and I made eye contact.
While facing his cold, cloudy, dark brown eyes, one of the deeply buried fragments of memory slowly surfaced.
Thanksgiving action six years ago.
Deborah met Philap for the first time at a party organized by the Imperial Family.
—Ah!
At that moment, Deborah accidentally dropped a decorative candelabra that was on the wall. When the fire moved to the end of her dress, Philap used a water spirit to extinguish the fire on the lace, thus avoiding an accident.
The image of Philap dealing with spirits was so mysterious that Deborah fell in love with him instantly.
From that day on, Deborah publicly expressed her interest in Philap, and there was even a marriage proposal between the Seymour and Montes families at the same time.
However, the engagement story didn't amount to anything because Philap firmly expressed that he would not marry Deborah.
Deborah's pride was deeply wounded by the rumor that Philap had ended their engagement immediately.
She brutally took out her anger on her subordinates, and when that incident spread to the capital, Philap repeated a vicious cycle that made him hate Deborah even more.
Deborah couldn't let go of Philap, even though she was rejected and her love and hatred for herself grew.
Deborah, who had been able to easily get what she wanted simply by being evil, couldn't behave sensibly like a normal lady to win Philap's favor.
Deborah harassed all the women who were interested in or talked to Philap and showed an attitude that if she couldn't have him, no one could.
"No matter how evil Deborah is. You don't have to hate her so much."
Blood is thicker than water, so he was more worried about Deborah than Philap.
In any case, Deborah showed her pure love for Philap for a long time, but he appeared proudly with Mia Binoche by his side.
Idiot.
Philap, who clenched his mouth tightly, hid Mia, the heroine, even further behind his broad back.
I felt like I had become a villain seeking the life of the heroine.
"Why are you doing that?!"
If this were the original job, having the heroine overprotected would only anger Deborah, but he was the one who lacked tact.
No wonder. If Philap had been a sensible man, this novel wouldn't have been a reverse harem novel.
I would have saved my money since it was short.
Nevertheless, he wasn't the male protagonist, but Philap certainly had a different presence from the additional men around her.
His features were distinct, and his hair was scarlet like a flame, making him stand out more here.
—Sir Philap?
Lost in my thoughts, I faced the heroine, who had hidden herself behind Philap's towering back and was peeking her face out slightly, and held my breath.
"That's insane. She's really cute."
If you were to personify purity, it would be Mia Binoche.
"It's a face that captivates you even if you're a woman."
Flourishing pink hair, smooth skin, jewel-like blue eyes, an elegant pointed nose, and cherry-like lips...
As soon as I saw her face, I understood why all the guys in the novel, including the sadistic twins at home, surrounded her.
Deborah, who was proud of her looks, must have been taken aback.
To be honest, she had a more popular kind of beauty. I see why Deborah felt so intensely inferior to Mia Binoche in the original work.
When you start comparing them, there's no end.
"But it seems like everyone is watching this with popcorn."
It wasn't just a feeling; after Philap and Mia entered, there were many people who couldn't help but look at me curiously.
Deborah had shown great interest in Philap, so they couldn't help but feel curious about my reaction.
"... I shouldn't even make eye contact."
They might misinterpret me just by looking at Mia's face, like when I accidentally stole the window seat.
I quickly averted my gaze to the window and acted indifferently.
------------------------
Philap was in a bad mood because Mia didn't come with the necklace he had given her. That's not all. The image of Deborah walking through the academy with the pink diamond, acting arrogantly, was fresh in his memory, so his irritation continued to rise.
"But... isn't it there?"
Philap was secretly puzzled by the unexpected and impressive string of black pearls hanging from Deborah's neck.
Furthermore, his confusion increased when she turned her face towards the window with her hand on her chin, making it impossible to read her expression.
