“I’ll just live as a villain.

Chapter 4

“Why do I have to look like this?”

Harry grumbled, clearly dissatisfied.

“Well…”

I bent my knees and met the eyes of the dog standing before me instead of answering.

A big dog with fluffy white fur. Judging by the breed, it looked close to a Samoyed.

‘Harry is inside this gentle, cute face…’

To be precise, it wasn’t that Harry was “inside” it. Harry had transformed, so this dog itself was Harry.

“A demon as a dog… doesn’t really suit you.”

“Why not?”

“Dogs are associated with gentleness and loyalty.”

Harry clicked his tongue, as if he couldn’t understand.

“Humans think we’re too cunning. But we demons can be loyal too. We keep contracts until one side dies.”

“That’s not loyalty, that’s faithfulness. Loyalty comes more from the heart.”

“Humans, anyway… they just want the ability, but insist on getting the heart too. So tiring.”

Harry shook his head, clicking his tongue in a voice full of dread. Something only old people who have seen a lot would say.

“Harry, do you know how funny it is for you to say that in dog form?”

“Do you think I became this form because I wanted to? You asked if I could transform into anything, so I did.”

All demons had a “spirit beast” linked to their souls, which they could transform into if needed. For Harry, it was a dog.

“I have no choice. I’m a surprisingly famous noble lady, and if I bring some unknown man around, ridiculous rumors will spread. My goal is to live quietly in Erel.”

A duke’s daughter, rejected by the crown prince and sent to the countryside, arriving at her mansion and immediately bringing a man inside? It was the perfect situation for dirty rumors.

‘My father said to behave and stay quiet. But if I cause a fuss over a man here…’

The duke would probably be furious. This time, he might not just exile me to the countryside; he could even kick me out of the house entirely.

‘If that happens, my dream of living comfortably as a rich noble’s daughter will be over.’

“So just stay like this. If your true form shows in front of others, it’ll be exhausting in every way.”

It was a relief that Harry’s spirit beast was an ordinary dog.

‘I can just say I found a lost dog on my walk. It looks like it has no owner, so I’ll take care of it.’

It wasn’t unusual for nobles to have dogs or cats, so it wouldn’t seem odd. It was slightly unfortunate that it wasn’t a small dog, which noble ladies often had, but as long as it was a dog, it was fine.

‘Imagine if he had transformed into a snake or a bat. Keeping that around would be suspicious.’

I had already earned a reputation as a wicked woman, and now there was the added misunderstanding that I was a witch.

‘No, calling a demon and using it as a servant makes me a witch in the eyes of these people. Not only a villain, now I’m a witch too?’

Adding “witch” to my villain title.

‘In this era, wasn’t there witch hunting? If caught, they tortured and executed people. Sometimes by burning.’

Just thinking about it was terrifying.

‘I must never get caught. Can life get more messed up than this?’

I sighed in disbelief, but there was no undoing what had already happened.

“Anyway, in front of people, act like a normal dog. Don’t speak like you are now.”

“You think I’m stupid? I know that much. Don’t worry, I’ll act like a perfect dog.”

Then Harry barked confidently, “Woof!”

“Oh?”

The sound was surprisingly like a real dog. I clapped my hands in admiration, and Harry proudly lifted his chin.

“But how will you explain to humans the fire I made? That wood won’t burn with normal fire, so they’ll think I had to be called.”

Harry moved naturally to the fireplace and sat down. The Black Ironwood inside crackled beautifully, producing a warm, comforting fire.

“Well, I’m a magician too, so we can just say I created an incredibly strong magical fire.”

Magicians were people who used magical power. They didn’t handle the strong powers like the legendary Blue Magician, but compared to ordinary people, their abilities were remarkable. They could even create fire or water.

Magic was a rare skill, so magicians were few in the kingdom. Ebria was one of them. But no one in the kingdom actually called her a magician.

“You’re a magician?”

Harry narrowed his eyes at me.

Magicians used the magical power within their bodies. But this power couldn’t be increased through training—it was limited to what they were born with.

‘Innate talent matters most.’

Magical power was measured on a scale of 1 to 10; the higher the number, the stronger the magic. In the novel, Ebria’s power was 0.5.

If Ebria actually tried to use fire magic? It would be so weak she might not even manage to light a candle on a birthday cake.

‘0.5… I’m literally zero-point-five!’

Meanwhile, the heroine, Catherine, had a magical power of 9. Catherine, from an insignificant family, first drew attention due to her strong magic.

‘Which made Ebria look even more pathetic.’

A low-born but talented heroine vs. a useless villainess with only status. A typical setup in the novel.

“Looking closely, you have a little magic. Really just a speck, almost zero-level.”

After examining me for a while, Harry snorted.

“Zero” was the term for someone born without magic. Among magicians, it was an insult, but coming from a world where magic-less people existed, it didn’t feel like much to me. So Harry teasing me about being “almost zero” didn’t affect me.

“That’s right. They all said that. This is barely above zero. If I were a normal person, it would be less ridiculous.”

I answered calmly, which made Harry blink in surprise. He clearly didn’t expect that reaction.

“…You’re not even upset? They’re teasing you for being like zero.”

“What can I do? That’s how I was born. I can’t change it. I’ll just live like this.”

“Why are humans so pessimistic?”

“Not at all. I’m actually positive. I was born as a rich noble instead of a true magician, so it’s fine.”

Being born this way was better. If Ebria had been talented but poor, I would have been frustrated from the moment I was possessed.

‘Just thinking about being a poor genius is exhausting.’

Being an incompetent rich person was perfect.

“I thought humans were obsessed with magic power.”

Harry circled me, observing me like an anomaly.

People admired magicians with remarkable powers, especially because they were rare.

So people measured a child’s magic at birth, hoping their child would have rare talent.

Harry tilted his head, noticing this.

“But humans measure magic at birth, right? Then they’d know your power level, and wouldn’t believe you made that fire.”

“It doesn’t matter. If I say I did it, who would say otherwise?”

“That’s… confidence, huh?”

“Why? I’m a duke’s daughter. No one here has higher status than me.”

In Oberon Castle, there were two people above me: my father, the duke, and my older brother, the minor duke. But here, my status was the highest.

Of course, having high status didn’t mean I could manage estates. Real authority belonged to Baron Insetia, who managed Erel. A young head of a loyal family serving the Oberon dukes. In the original story, he wasn’t significant, but from what I heard on the way to Erel, he was capable and respected.

Even so, if I pointed at a rock and said, “That’s a jewel!” he’d have to reply, “Ah, yes, that’s a jewel.”

Because I was Ebria Oberon.

A baron was technically above me, but I was of the duke’s direct line. Even if my name changed after marriage, my bloodline wouldn’t. That’s how status worked in this world.

“Besides, I have no problem using my status as a weapon.”

Villainous Ebria Oberon. How convenient.

‘No matter how I think about it, being a villain is the best way to live.’