After drinking and returning home, it seems my timing was unfortunate.
“Lord Fly! Where have you been?!”
A beautiful blonde girl with curly hair was waiting at the entrance, hands on her hips.
“Hey, Elisabeth. Did you come to see my brother?”
She is the daughter of Count Uheim of the empire and my brother’s fiancée.
“No, I came to see you, Lord Fly, but you weren’t here, so I was looking for you.”
“Me?”
“Yes! As I mentioned before, my engagement to Lord Eric is provisional. I told you it’s not yet a formal engagement, didn’t I?”
“Ah, right.”
I find her difficult to deal with.
She’s assertive, beautiful, and pushy, as befits a noble lady. When she was introduced as my brother Eric’s fiancée, I thought of her as a new sister-in-law and didn’t think much of it. But now, she visits me more often than she does my brother.
“More importantly, last time you told me a story. Please tell me the continuation of the villainess’s tale.”
“Eh, the story again?”
Yes, the reason she comes to see me is to hear the stories of villainess-themed web novels I was obsessed with in my past life.
It all started when I accidentally let it slip when she was young.
It was when she first came to this house.
She had come as my brother Eric’s fiancée, and being the same age as me, she was very nervous.
At just five years old, she was so nervous that she spilled tea on her beautiful dress in front of my brother.
“I-I’m so sorry!”
The ducal family is the highest-ranking noble family in the empire.
The count’s family is below that, and the blunder she made during their first meeting had her parents apologizing profusely, while she herself turned pale and looked like she was about to cry.
“Fufufu, you look like a villainess, but you’re such a cute girl. Right, brother?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. Lady Elisabeth, there’s no need to worry. Everyone gets nervous.”
My laughter eased the tension, and my parents forgave the count’s family, allowing Lady Elisabeth to change her clothes.
After that, for some reason, I was told to keep her company, and while she changed, I was appointed as her conversation partner.
“Lord Fly, thank you.”
“Huh? I didn’t do anything.”
“That’s not true. Because of your kind words, everyone smiled.”
“Really? I just said whatever came to mind.”
“Um!”
“Yes?”
“What is a villainess?”
That was the start.
I told her the stories I had read in my past life.
Stories of noble ladies who, from a young age, are sent to high-ranking families like royalty or dukes to undergo bridal training. But when they enter the academy, their fiancés often fall in love with commoners or lower-status women.
Jealous of this, the noble ladies become villainesses and bully the lower-status women. I explained that they are very strong-willed women.
“What is that?”
“It’s a story I made up.”
I couldn’t tell her it was from a book I read in my past life, so I lied and said I made it up.
“That’s amazing! You came up with that yourself?! Please, Lord Fly, tell me more!”
The girl who had been crying just moments ago was now begging to hear more of my stories. She’s just a young child, after all. Cute.
“Sure, what story should I tell next?”
“What happens to the villainess after that?”
“Eh? You want to hear more about the villainess?”
“Yes! I’m very interested!”
“Really?”
Reluctantly, I decided to tell her as many villainess stories as I could remember.
The villainess works hard on her bridal training, but during her academy life, she bullies the lower-status woman, who then cries to the man, leading to the villainess’s downfall.
From that classic tale to stories where the villainess fights back, or the strategies of the woman who steals the fiancé.
I ended up telling so many stories that I lost track of what I was saying.
“Soon, we’ll be going to the academy too.”
“Ah, right. Elisabeth, since you and my brother are going to different academies, it seems you won’t become a villainess. My brother doesn’t seem to be the type to cheat either.”
“Is that so?”
“Huh?”
“Fufu, we won’t know until we go to the academy. Besides, Lord Eric already has someone he cherishes the most.”
“Really?! My brother has someone like that?!”
I had no idea. I thought Eric was a serious, upright guy who didn’t pay much attention to women, but it seems he’s been doing things behind my back.
I guess even serious Eric is still a man at heart?!
“You really don’t understand, do you?”
“Huh?”
“Never mind, it’s fine. More importantly, please tell me the story of the villainess who seduced the prince’s younger brother. The one where the villainess reincarnates and, instead of pursuing the crown prince, falls in love with his younger brother.”
“Eh?! I’ve already told you that story three times!”
“Yes, it’s my favorite.”
“Alright, fine.”
If I could do it over, I’d take back every word I said about the villainess right now.
