I'll Become a Villainess That Will Go Down in History

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“Sorry for calling you cruel,” she says seriously, abruptly bowing her head to me.

I’m surprised by the sudden gesture. And Gilles must be as well, since he’s also staring at her wide-eyed.

I never thought that someone would ever apologize to me like this.

So for Mel to apologize to me so readily… and to be sincere about it…? Contrary to expectation, she seems to have been brought up quite well. She might even turn out to be a decent sort of person….

I give a small nod.

Since classes are in session right now, there’s no one around to interrupt us. That makes this the perfect time to talk.

As soon as she said Liz-san’s name, Mel’s expression turns sour, like she just crunched a bitter, disgusting bug between her teeth.

Even commoners of this world should have a clear understanding of what the class system is like, so for Liz-san to undermine our whole political system in front of the future leaders of the country…. anyone would think her mad.

“You’ve been observing her from the very beginning?” Gilles asks her, a strange expression on his face.

Wait, that’s a good point. If Mel’s been observing Liz-san’s actions since the beginning, why wasn’t she appointed the role of being Liz-san’s monitor?

“You betcha. I’m usually around, but I’ve got this awesome ability that let’s me totally erase my presence,” Mel says puffing out her chest and laughing proudly.

So, even though her appearance is that flashy, she can conceal herself in plain sight?

Yikes. The scariest type of person is the chaotic wild-card you don’t see coming.

“By that point, she’ll have completely seized control of their hearts, albeit unintentionally,” Gilles jumps in immediately, agreeing with her assessment.

Mel lightly bites at her fingernail and glares menacingly at the ground.

Even her adorable face isn’t enough to make her look cute while acting like that. She must truly despise Liz-san.

The bright, airy tone that she had started out talking with seems like a lie. Now, every word is heavy and sharp, like it’s filled with poison.

“I’ve only seen her from afar.”

“Why is it that Duke didn’t fall for Liz Cather’s charms?” Gilles ponders aloud, one hand supporting his chin.

Right. I’ve been wondering about that myself. Why didn’t Duke-Sama fall in love with Liz-san? She’s beautiful, altruistic, kind, pure-hearted, innocent… isn’t she basically every guys’ dream girl?

Huh? Is she talking about me?

Although I fully admit that I’m not anything like an ordinary young noble girl, I should still be quite a far-cry from being Duke-Sama’s ideal type.

Could it be that leaving a strong impression in Duke-Sama’s mind before Liz-san even appeared was a bad thing? But, I’m just supposed to be a hateful villain…. Of course I need to make an impression…!

“Ali-Ali, your thoughts are totally different from Liz Cather’s, right? Liz Cather’s ideals are great and all. And they aren’t exactly wrong. But that’s all they are. Ideals,” Mel says, smiling in a way that sends a wave of dread washing over me.

“Huh?”

Mel abruptly stops talking mid-sentence, shutting her mouth with a snap. Her expression is one that says she just blurted out something that she shouldn’t have.

…..How did she know that I’ve been visiting the impoverished village?

Could the fact that she knows mean that Duke-Sama knows about my nightly visits as well?

“Mel, how do you know about that?”

“Umm…..”

“Did you hear about it from Duke? A servant is bound to be influenced by her master. That would explain why you’re so hostile towards Liz Cather and why you like Alicia so much despite never having talked with her before.”

Although he should only be speculating, Gilles speaks matter-of-factly, as if he’s already sure that he’s right. Is he really only 11 years old? He’s more eloquent than actual adults.

Her expressions and mannerisms really do change at the drop of a hat. Out of all the people that I’ve ever met, she’s got to be the one with the biggest personality.

So, how is it that she didn’t make it into the game? I can’t help but find it strange that she didn’t appear at all.

I know she wouldn’t have been one of the main characters, but as a side character, I’m sure she would gathered a decent amount of fans even with just a minor role.

“It was about a year after you stopped attending the school, Ali-Ali, that suddenly everybody started talking bad about you. Or, I guess… more than usual? They probs thought you were never coming back at that point!” Mel says unhesitatingly.

…..The more I talk with her, the more I get the feeling that this girl and I will really get along.

“You’re not the least bit nervous saying that in front of the person in question, huh?”

“It’s not like you care about that stuff anyway, right Ali-Ali?”

“You’ve already figured out my personality to that extent? Impressive.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be the oldest, wisest person here? Hurry up and get on with your point,” Gilles says, casting his eyes to the sky in exasperation. His expression tells me that he’s just about had it with her meandering story-telling.

He really might be the most mature out of the three of us.

Mel’s face falls into a slight pout, but she still continues telling her story, even if her voice is a lot less animated than before.

“Of course, the worse the gossip got about you, the fouler Duke’s mood became. It didn’t take long until there was a constant scowl on his face. He had literally stopped smiling entirely…. and that was when Liz Cather made her move. She started going up to him all the time and badgering him. ‘Shall we go get some tea together?’ ‘I would really like to see you smile.’ etc. etc.”

Those lines do indeed sound like a heroine of an otome game.

“Ali-Ali, it’s exactly as you’re imagining. Duke’s attitude towards her just kept getting colder and colder.”

“But, Liz Cather couldn’t take the hint. She thought he was acting that way because he was feeling sad or lonely so she just became all the more persistent. She started doggedly sticking to him, desperately trying to get him to open his heart to her,” Gilles adds as if continuing the story from where Mel left off. He says it as if he had actually been there and saw it all himself.

Mel’s eyes go wide as she stares at him.

“You already heard?”

“No. But since it’s Liz Cather we’re talking about, I just figured it would be something like that.”

“Ohh~?”

Mel looks closely at Gilles with interest now. Even though she had looked at him so coldly when we first met…

But, the the fact that Mel’s attitude towards Gilles seems to be quickly changing isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

On the contrary, it’s nice to see.

If Liz-san were to find out that Gilles is from the impoverished village, she would surely start treating him like some pitiful little child. She’d probably express her sympathies saying, ‘Even though we’re all human, to think you had to go through something so cruel!’

However Mel was suspicious and wary of Gilles from the onset, and made sure to observe him carefully. And, after observing him for a while, it didn’t matter that he came from a place that the whole world looks down on with disgust and hatred, she became interested in him as a person. And I’m sure in the end, she’ll grow quite fond of him regardless of his background. That’s so much more admirable than Liz-san’s blind pity.

“Um, Mel? Do you know where Duke-Sama might be right now?”

“During this time of day…? He’s probably at the dining hall.”

“He’s in the dining hall?” Gilles asks, surprised.

“Well, I said dining hall, but what I meant was that he’s probably on the terrace that only the student council can eat at,” Mel adds seeing our disbelieving expressions.

“Ali-Ali, are you going to go find Duke now?”

“Yes. I have some things that I want to say and some things that I want to ask him,” I explain, and then I start walking out of the forest.

I may only have attended the academy for a short time, but I still at least remember how to get to the dining hall.

I hadn’t walked more than a few steps before I noticed that Mel’s presence had completely disappeared. Gilles seems to have realized it as well.

….What a fearsome skill. If she’s able to conceal her presence in an instant like that, then it wouldn’t be strange for her to appear out of thin air at any given moment.

As expected of Duke-Sama’s servant.

“What sort of magic does Mel use, anyway?”

“Earth magic~”

I had only been muttering to myself in thought, but Mel’s voice answered seemingly out of nowhere….. I guess that means she’s still close by.

I’ve always found it a bit odd that earth magic users were treated as mob-like characters in the game…. Usually, wouldn’t it be one of the main elements?

Well, there’s no use questioning that now. I need to hurry up and find Duke-Sama.

With that thought in mind, I quicken my pace a bit and forge on ahead.

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T/N: Yup. I still like Mel. She’s like a quirky breath of fresh air XD

What do you guys think Alicia wants to say to Duke? Any guesses?