Hey, you can be a villainess too.

Chapter 7

The maid, Dorothy, came in flustered, practically yelling.

Her tone made it sound as if a god had descended.

“It seems His Lordship has decided to forgive you, Miss!”

I rubbed my messy hair, still disheveled from sleep.

It was the first time seeing Felix since graduation day.

The shock from that day hadn’t worn off yet.

‘If I see him now, won’t I just freeze up and tremble like I did back then?’

I was nervous, but I couldn’t ignore the situation.

After all, there were still matters I needed to settle with Felix.

“Tell him to wait a moment.”

“What?! But…”

“I can’t receive a guest looking like this.”

“That’s… true.”

Dorothy sized me up from head to toe, her gaze blunt and unashamed.

I was oddly used to it. And until now, I hadn’t even considered it rude.

‘Ever since I realized I’d been deceived by Felix and my uncle, everything looks different.’

Felix, Lorena, my uncle, the servants.

After the day my grandfather and parents died, everyone around me had treated me with this same demeanor.

So I hadn’t even considered it disrespect before.

‘No, I just didn’t want to think about it.’

Like dominoes—if even one piece fell, everything would collapse.

If I realized even one person pretending to care for me was actually deceiving me, I’d have no choice but to admit the rest were the same.

I opened the wardrobe to quickly get dressed.

“Hah.”

I let out a bitter laugh.

The wardrobe was completely empty.

“Also, His Lordship said not only will your allowance be confiscated, but anything you purchased with it as well,” Dorothy said matter-of-factly.

I was dumbfounded. Ugh.

Apparently, ever since the day I got slapped by my uncle, he had returned home in a foul mood instead of apologizing, and now he was taking it out on me.

‘So I actually lived under this petty human as my uncle…’

I felt pathetic all over again.

“And meals will only be provided today, so from now on, you’ll need to provide your own food,” she added.

Truly vile and despicable. Ugh!

The mask of the “strict uncle who sacrifices for his niece and family” had fallen, revealing a hideous face.

I decided to tackle the immediate problems first.

I threw on whatever was left, grabbed the bare minimum, and headed down to the reception room…

“Hey! Why are you only coming out now? Do you know how long I’ve waited?”

Felix greeted me, fuming.

He’d always loved decoration, and in the time I’d been gone, he had piled on gold bracelets, jeweled cufflinks, and other accessories.

‘I’ve heard he’s been scouted left and right as the top graduate of the academy…’

Apparently, he had accepted quite a few offers in the meantime.

I said nothing, and he clicked his tongue, tossing a document at me.

“Sign this.”

It was a document of annulment.

“Ah. I’ll save you the trouble of begging and whining—don’t even think about clinging to me. No matter how much you cry or hang on my pants, my decision won’t change!”

“Just here? Sign.”

“Don’t make this difficult… what? Ah, ahem. Fine. There!”

“Ah. Wait a second.”

I paused as my pen hovered over the document.

“What’s the matter? Why stop?”

Felix scoffed.

“Of course you wouldn’t sign quietly. Hey, let’s not waste energy. I don’t see you as a woman, even if you died for it. You know the kids call us Beauty and the Beast, right? Don’t you care about your pride?”

“It’s not that.”

“Ha, really pathetic! You admit I’m overqualified for you, right? Honestly, even if you stripped and ran at me, I probably wouldn’t flinch—”

“It’s not that!”

Bang!

I slammed the desk. Felix flinched.

“What?! Are you using violence now? You want me that badly?”

“What have you been saying this whole time, you lunatic!”

“Wha… what? Lu-lunatic?”

“The alimony isn’t even specified here!”

I pointed at the document, staring Felix straight in the eyes.

He looked at me as if I were a strange creature.

“Al… what?”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t hear. You know that under Imperial law, when an officially arranged engagement is annulled, alimony must be paid. And in this case, since you are the one unilaterally breaking the engagement, you’re responsible.”

Phew.

I hadn’t stumbled!

‘All that practice of memorizing a short script before coming down really paid off.’

Felix glared at me, wide-eyed.

“Alimony? Wow…”

He shook his head in disbelief.

“So that’s what this is about. You’re trying to tie my leash with money this time?”

His eyes were full of murderous intent, yet I felt a sudden surge of satisfaction.

“Clearly not a descendant of my grandfather—so petty as expected.”

His tone full of contempt made my chest burn.

“Stop speaking of grandfather like that…!”

My memories before the day my grandfather and parents died were strangely hazy.

Yet in the few that remained, he had been incredibly kind.

He believed I would grow up to lead a happy family and live a comfortable noblewoman’s life.

Felix scoffed.

“Well, no. Am I wrong? That old man bound me to a ridiculous prenatal engagement system before I was even born. And because you clung to me as your fiancée, I couldn’t even enjoy a proper school life. You know that?!”

If he hated me so much, if I was so terrible, he shouldn’t have accepted my help.

Anger surged through me, but my lips stammered, unable to form words.

The more frustrated and angry I felt, the more I froze, my “pushover” habits surfacing again.

I even clenched my teeth, feeling tears forming.

No.

If I hesitated again and let him have his way, I’d never forgive myself.

‘Pipi, help me. Please!’

[Net! “You Can Be a Villain Too ver.1” now loading!

Please set the severity of evil!

1. Mild 2. Medium 3. Strong]

Severity?

What would happen if I chose “Strong”?

Even in my anger, I couldn’t pick extreme options.

‘F-For now… medium!’

At that moment, my body moved on its own.

My hands slid naturally, my chin tilted arrogantly.

One leg crossed with pride. I’d always kept proper posture my whole life, so it felt awkward, but the reception table would hide it.

Felix said in a dumbfounded voice:

“…What? Suddenly?”

[Currently loaded villain data includes Duke Cayen Kreuz, Felix Rohheim, and the “Villain Chronicles” you read at the library yesterday. I will output a response suitable for this situation based on the data!]

“Hey.”

My tone, rough like Felix’s, slipped out.

“What?”

Felix’s mouth fell open.

“What did you just say? Hey?”

“Stop the nonsense and do things by the book.”

“Wha… what?”

“Pay. Money. Alimony. Do you have spaghetti in your head that you don’t understand what alimony means?”

I waved my hand; his face contorted in horror.

“What? Hey, you’re being so petty…”

“Petty is your life, clinging to me. I just want to follow the contract.”

“You’ve been cheeky from the start—”

“Why, you don’t have money? What’s a beggar doing annulling an engagement?”

“What did you just say? Be… beggar?”

“Hey. Not just anyone can annul an engagement. If you break the contract, you pay the price. Your future child would be pitiful. With a father like you, tsk tsk.”

“You! H-ugh!”

Felix clutched the back of his neck, coughing. He looked like he might actually foam at the mouth.

Pipi, controlling my words, didn’t stop.

“Shouldn’t you at least earn the alimony before anything else? If the annulment is delayed for lack of money…”

Ah! This timing!

I instinctively knew the next line I would say came from the “Villain Chronicles” I memorized at the library on the way back yesterday.

“The baby Lorena carries might be born illegitimate, you know?”

“You crazy woman!”

Felix leapt up and grabbed me by the collar.

“Ugh.”

I was startled, but synchronized with Pipi, I could hide it.

Even as my young mistress was about to get beaten, the servants just stared in shock, doing nothing.

No choice.

‘Hit me. I’ll use it as proof and get more alimony!’

I braced my whole body at that thought.

“Miss Frisia! Outside!”

A servant barreled in.

“A carriage has arrived to take you out, Miss! But… it bears the Kreuz family crest!”