The Guidebook for Villainesses

They were friendly.

The more Lara listened to Eunice and Ximena’s story, the happier she became.

Before she met them, she was being dragged away by the people that her father sent. She was so mad that she could spit nails. But now, she felt like she was going to keep smiling, so she ended up putting strength in the corners of her mouth.

Eunice Dvonn and Ximena Swavy were the girls that Lara got to know only in her second life. All the rumors about them being delinquents and troublemakers didn’t tell the full story.

They were just lost, they weren’t bad people.

It might look like they were scaring and warning Lara, but even now, they were still worried about her. They said that they could not even tell her to leave her family and become troublemakers like them, but it was also wrong to just tell her to endure her life with her father. All they could do was worry about her and tell her to brace herself.

Actually, Lara did not mind if she had been dragged away just as she was. There were plenty of ways for her to get away, she could act like a crazy bitch, or she could even threaten to commit suicide. It was nothing when she recalled the fear and pain of that time. She had already killed herself once, after all.

Still, she was glad she met these people. Before this, she did not even know there were such friendly people around her.

Lara nodded.

“Thank you.”

Eunice Dvonn and Ximena Swavy had no reason to help her at all.

They were willing to lie on the ground just because they could not ignore the situation. Lara in the past would not have done that. She would be afraid of getting caught up in the incident and be the talk of the town, so she would probably be too busy running away.

But it was different now.

Lara was grateful to the two people.

“Thank you so much, Eunice, Ximena. Both of you have given me a big wake-up call. Now I know how lame I have been acting all this while.”

“Pardon?”

Ximena asked Lara again.

“What wake-up call?”

“I should have thrown something away first, but I have been turning a blind eye to it. That’s right. Things can’t go that easily.”

“Lara, what do you mean?”

“I have to throw my family away.”

Lara said.

While smiling, she said she would abandon her status, as if it was nothing. Then, Eunice and Ximena, who had been chattering so far, suddenly kept their mouths shut.

They looked shocked by Lara’s unexpected remarks.

“What did you just say?”

“As both of you know, my mother is Thousand Gold Isadora. She was a commoner, but she was the daughter of a wealthy merchant. I was born after she met my father, who is someone of high status, but poor.”

“I heard they don’t have a good relationship.”

“Yes, they will get a divorce soon.”

“What?”

“If they do, my mother will have to go back to her commoner status. So I will also follow my mother.”

If being a prodigal or a troublemaker was not enough, then she would just throw away her status.

Lara sat with her back straight.

Her red eyes shone clearly.

“I will put down all the privileges that I have enjoyed as a noble and I will throw away the status and last name that I got from my father. I think that is just right.”

Marquess of Bailey would be alone until the end of his life. He would grow old in solitude, holding his obsession with power that would slowly disappear in a house without his wife and child. He would suffer alone for the rest of his life.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

After getting a ride from Eunice’s carriage, Lara returned to Isadora’s manor. In front of the house, she met Sebastian, who had just finished preparing for departure and was about to ride his horse.

“Milady?”

“Sebastian, where are you going?”

“To pick you up… No, actually, what is going on?”

He ran over and examined Lara’s face. He looked carefully here and there to see if there were any injuries.

“I heard it from Konny. There was an incident in the ballroom… I was on my way to pick you up with the bail.”

“Bail?”

“Konny said, the slave was put in the watchmen prison because he fought with the nobles while trying to protect you.”

It oddly sounded right, but also wrong at the same time.

When Lara smiled with a vague look, Sebastian let out a sigh and drooped his shoulders.

“Madam Isadora was worried.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Weirdly enough, she was worried, but with a smile.”

“Pardon?”

“She said it’s the first time her daughter got into trouble and that she needed to pick you up at the watchmen station. She even got the carriage on standby and dashed out running… But there’s a VIP coming to the hotel, so she told me to go on her behalf.”

“Sebastian.”

“Yes, milady.”

“I’m sorry I worried you.”

Her mother must have been worried, but Sebastion had also looked very flustered. His hair, which had always been neat, was slightly messy and he spoke faster than usual. When Lara apologized honestly, Sebastian, who had been silent for a while, burst into a soft laugh and said.

“Seeing how milady gets into trouble every time you go out, you certainly resemble Madam Isadora.”

Is that a compliment?

Lara could never tell.

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The slave of Young Lady Bailey was taken by the watchmen for making a disturbance against the nobles at the Night Ball.

There were several victims.

Some had broken limbs, and some men had all their front teeth fall out and had to have dentures. He even fought against soldiers with weapons and shields, but he was captured without any injury with a smile on his face. There was also a rumor that he kissed his Master Lady, Young Lady Bailey before getting on the patrol wagon.

There was a lot of speculation as to why he did it.

There was speculation that someone might have been drunk and asked for a duel. There was also speculation that the drunken nobles felt competitive with him and came at him first.

But among that was another reason, one that most people believed.

It was said that the slave loved Young Lady Bailey too much and that he beat down all the men who tried to harass her.

“Nonsense.”

Lara was at loss for words.

“Some said that you were obsessed with me, that you hate it when I’m out in public, that you will throw your punch first if anyone shows interest in me, and that you will take me to the Empire and live in hiding…”

“Did no one say anything about how Young Lady Bailey’s beauty is deadly enough for the slave to forget about their status barrier?”

“…Some even said that.”

“Hahaha!”

Demian laughed out loud.

Despite being confined in the cold, narrow prison, he looked bored because he had plenty of free time.

Konny pushed the bag in her arms through the bars.

“This is a sandwich from the most famous restaurant in the city. Do you know how long I have been standing in line just to buy that? There are also spicy chicken skewers and potato snacks in that. I thought alcohol would be better than milk, so I brought it too.”

“Thanks, Konny.”

“I also want to thank you. For protecting my lady.”

“Don’t mention it.”

They really hit it off well.

They have become so close that Konny even asked Demian in detail about his favorite food and what she should buy next.

“Demian.”

“Yeah?”

“More than a dozen people are claiming you should be executed.”

“Not that much.”

“The investigators are waiting outside that door. Fortunately, I’m a noblewoman so I’m allowed to meet you privately like this.”

“Lara, don’t worry.”

“Do you have any plans?”

“I won’t die here.”

There he goes again.

Lara wanted to know where Demian’s groundless confidence came from.

“Is it something that I’m not supposed to know?”

If Demian was doing this without any countermeasures, Lara was going to attack the prison for him. It was possible with money. She would hire a group of mercenaries who could keep secret to raid the prison and get him out.

Demian took a big bite of the sandwich that Konny gave and chewed it. Then, he said casually.

“I have been granted immunity.”

“…What?”

“The Crown Prince of Tarragon gave me immunity when they achieved victory in war.”

Who gave what?

Lara looked at him with a suspicious look.

“I’m telling you the truth. By now, the investigator or whatever would have known that my name is Demian Drake.”

Demian once gave the Crown Prince a great victory on the battlefield in Tarragon. He even saved the Crown Prince’s life in the battle. The Crown Prince was delighted and granted him a surname with the immunity. ‘Drake’—the dragon of the battlefield.

In the Empire, It was very rare for the Imperial Family to give a surname to a slave, so not many people knew about this.

“Then…”

Even Lara did not know about this. She heard that Demian was given the name ‘Rhode’ when he became the king of the lawless area, but she did not know that the Crown Prince of Tarragon gave him the surname ‘Drake’.

The name of a dragon was given to a slave.

“Wait a minute. So if you have a surname.”

“It means that I’m not a slave.”

“What? Then, why have you been a slave so far?!”

“Because it was too much of a hassle for me to explain about it.”

Lara’s face turned pale. Konny right away muttered ‘crazy guy’ to Demian, then covered her mouth with her hands.