How to Survive as That Villainess - Chapter 2

2.

Summer is hot. It’s obvious, but I was reminded once again of how hot summer can be. It was a scorching afternoon at 1 PM, and I was wearing a tightly cinched dress, receiving etiquette lessons. The teacher my father personally called for was none other than the most popular one nowadays, Mrs. Corsette, the wife of Count Corsette. She has been teaching etiquette for 25 years and is known for her strictness.

“Stop, you must not make a sound when eating.”

“Huh, did I make a sound?”

She was so strict that she pointed out the way of eating, the sound of eating, and even the sound of breathing. Wow, I ate so cautiously, and she still caught that. She’s a terrifying teacher…

“Mrs. Corsette, who was your first love?”

“That was about 30 years ago…”

Mrs. Corsette blushed slightly as she reminisced about her past love. Heartthrobbing. There’s no topic as interesting as one’s first love! I leaned in with a listening posture.

“Oh, no, this isn’t the time for chit-chat!”

Oh, no, I tried to catch my breath for a moment. But she saw right through it and resumed the lesson. I corrected my disheveled posture and learned how to scoop up the soup. It was difficult at first because I didn’t know the basics, but fortunately, after trying a few times, it wasn’t as hard as I thought. Do nobles live like this, going through all this trouble? With the corset cinching my waist right now, I feel like I’m about to throw up, and the summer sunlight shines mercilessly. It’s hot, and I feel like I’m going to vomit.

“Alright, let’s stop here for today. You’ve worked hard.”

It was only after two hours that I could finally escape from the lesson hell. I dragged my exhausted body into the bathroom. I wanted to wash up quickly.

“Miss, I can assist you.”

“…N-no, I’m fine!”

As I soaked in a large bathtub, trying to relieve my fatigue, the bathroom door suddenly swung open, and the maid entered. She had been helping me since yesterday’s welcoming and this morning’s makeup. Oh my, she didn’t need to come all the way here to assist me! I quickly submerged myself in the water, leaving only my head exposed. Even if we’re both women, I felt embarrassed having someone I didn’t know see my body.

“I’ll do it myself, so please leave!”

“I can’t. I am your faithful servant, Miss. So, during bath time…”

She was quite persistent. I’ve never met someone so stubborn before. It seemed like she had no intention of leaving. Ugh, I just want to bathe alone. I sighed deeply and looked at the maid.

“Um, what’s your name?”

“I’m Vivian.”

“Vivian, I want to bathe alone. Please leave.”

A request accompanied by a smile. It’s hard to refuse a request made with a smile. Even during the suffocating meal with my father earlier, this smile worked wonders. I put on the kindest smile I could and asked Vivian.

How would she react?

“…Alright.”

Vivian hesitated slightly and stepped back. The power of my smile was indeed remarkable. Since I didn’t usually smile much, this newfound habit felt somewhat awkward. Maybe I should practice smiling in front of a mirror.

“…What should I do now?”

I decided to save the plan to take down the female lead for later. For now, I needed to figure out how to proceed. During the summer vacation, if I dedicated myself to studying and taking lessons diligently, I might be able to keep up with the academy’s curriculum. The book I glimpsed earlier seemed relatively easy to understand, and as long as I maintained good grades, I could focus on surviving the difficult social dynamics. After all, both the nobility and the academy seemed to despise me at the moment.

Let’s start by revisiting the novel’s plot. The story begins with the commoner female lead attending the academy, where she encounters a variety of characters, including a crown prince, the youngest swordmaster, and a magical prodigy. Each of these male leads had their own heartbreaking past, and the female lead, Seria, gradually healed their wounds and encouraged them, leading to the development of romantic feelings. As the story progressed, Seria’s admirers multiplied, and in the end, numerous men fought over her affections.

Truly, the flower of men. Seria was fearless, excelling in magic and being protected by a cold but warm-hearted swordmaster. With the potential to become the future empress, who would dare cross her? The ultimate boss of this novel was likely to be Seria herself.

“Wow, how am I going to survive?”

As I recalled the novel, my future seemed even bleaker. Could I really survive while being despised by Seria, who boasted a perfect harem, and all the fish swimming in her harem? I worried that as soon as I returned to the academy after the vacation, I’d be confronted with, “How dare you touch our Seria?” and end up losing my head.

To safely graduate from the academy, I had two options: either become close friends with Seria and spend the rest of my academy life comfortably, or somehow make all the male leads around Seria my allies. The former was absolutely impossible. Becoming close to Seria herself was challenging, and knowing her true nature, I’d die of stress if I were by her side. So, I considered the latter option. Oh, this seemed more challenging than making a deal with the devil to become immortal.

“Well, then if I become close to Seria…”

The female lead teasingly laughed like a fox, the male lead foolishly fell for her tricks, and me watched it all unfold. Wow, was this terrifying? I felt like I was already losing my hair from the stress. Maybe I should just become immortal!

Of course, the latter was a life-threatening choice, but it seemed much better than choosing the former and dying of frustration. Teasing the male leads was impossible, no matter how I thought about it. If I could generate some affection, that would be a resounding success. With a bit of affection, if Seria were to ask me to die later, I could say, “Sure, I’ve developed some affection, so kill me without pain, please.”

Hehe, maybe I should just skip attending the academy.

“Miss, I’ll help you dry your hair.”

After roughly planning my future, I put on my dress and left the bathroom. In my room, Vivian, whom I had somewhat forcefully ushered out of the bathroom earlier, was now welcoming me with perfect posture. She was truly a competent maid.

“Ah, Vivian, by any chance, do you know someone skilled in martial arts or swordsmanship among your acquaintances?”

I asked as I sat in front of the mirror, accepting Vivian’s assistance. Now that I had decided to approach the male leads, my life was hanging by a thread. So, I thought that learning martial arts or swordsmanship might at least help me survive, giving me a glimmer of hope.

Asking my father to summon a martial arts instructor was impossible. He would surely scold and reprimand me angrily. My father had never instructed me to do anything dangerous like martial arts or swordsmanship. It wasn’t because he was worried about me getting injured; it was all about protecting the pristine flower meant for marriage. My father wouldn’t even bother listening to such a request. That’s why I decided to ask Vivian. Perhaps the maids had an information network where they exchanged information with each other, so she might know of a martial arts master or a legendary swordsman.

Vivian seemed lost in thought for a moment before cautiously speaking up.

“If it’s swordsmanship or martial arts, I can do a little.”

“Really?!”

I was so surprised that I nearly flinched and turned to look at her. Vivian, who had been gently patting my hair with a towel, stopped her actions and nodded her head.

“Yes, in fact, our family has been proficient in martial arts and swordsmanship for generations…”

It turned out that Vivian, who was from a noble family herself, had a talent for swordsmanship and martial arts, but she didn’t want to pursue that path. She decided to run away from home and, by chance, ended up as a maid, which surprisingly suited her temperament. She had been working diligently in this role ever since. I had no idea about her background.

“Hasn’t your family come looking for you?”

“…They did come a few times to persuade me, but I managed to send them away each time.”

She explained that her family had indeed tried to convince her to return, but every time they came, she skillfully managed to send them off. She added, “I think being a maid suits me better.” It was somewhat surprising how composed she looked while saying this. Maybe she seemed even more dependable now.

“Anyway, this is great! Vivian, please teach me swordsmanship!”

“But I feel awkward teaching…”

“It’s okay! Just teach me the basics. We can practice together sometimes.”

I tried to convince her, eager to learn even the basics of swordsmanship from her.

It’s really a good thing. If I had called a fencing instructor separately, someday, my father or other servants would find out. But if it’s Vivian, the maid, who secretly teaches, no one will ever know. It has to be done secretly at night, but there’s no need to worry about getting caught, so I’m relieved.

I pleaded with the hesitant Vivian, pressing her further.

“Huh? Please, it’s a request… these days the world is a dangerous place, isn’t it? You should learn self-defense in case you encounter robbers outside, shouldn’t you?”

“…I suppose you’re right.”

I’m not sure if this is a request or a negotiation, but I succeeded in convincing Vivian by working hard to change her mind. Vivian, who was rarely flustered, sighed and agreed.

“Thank you, Vivian. I’ll even give you a bonus later.”

It’s not up to me, but I should talk to my father. While I was considering buying a gift even if it meant sacrificing something, Vivian handed me a paper with dense writing… What is this?

“It’s the summer vacation schedule. In the morning, there are etiquette and culture lessons, and after lunch, there will be lessons on the history of the Sirius Empire and ancient languages. In the evening, there will be lessons on magical theory and mathematics. Additionally, you will be learning fencing from me, so I’ve reduced your sleep time by two hours.”

“…Wow?”

I held the schedule and my jaw dropped. It felt like my body was already melting from the busy schedule, more so than when I used to attend cram schools during my school days. I did say I would study on my own, but isn’t this a bit extreme? After lunch, there is a brief free period, but it’s ridiculously short. Am I going to work myself to death like this?

“Very soon, the professor who will teach history will arrive. Please get ready.”

“Wait a moment. I suddenly feel…”

“There’s no time for that. Come this way.”

Despite my complaints, Vivian didn’t bat an eye and practically dragged me to the classroom. Then, it was a relentless cycle of lessons, studying, and nagging.

Oh, by the way, I’m getting nagged alternately by Vivian and the professor. It’s truly maddening.

*

“Vivian, let’s go out.”

It’s been two weeks since I started learning fencing from Vivian. Today, after some training, I was sprawled out on the floor of the fencing hall, gazing at the stars in the sky. I spoke to Vivian while lying flat on my back, and she quickly responded.

“Do you know what time it is?”

“Midnight.”

“But do you want to go out right now?”

She looked at me as if to say, ‘Are you in your right mind?’ I jumped to my feet, dusted myself off, and said,

“Anyway, today’s lessons and training are over, right?”

“Yes, so it’s time for bed now.”

“I’ve attended all the lessons for two weeks straight. Not a single day off!”

“You did well.”

That iron-willed woman! Vivian was tidying up without a word, never once yielding in our verbal sparring. To be honest, I’ve never won an argument with Vivian due to my lack of eloquence. Today was no different, and thoroughly defeated, I lay back on the floor and staged a protest.

“Oh, I’m so stressed! I want to have fun! I want to go outside!”

For two weeks, I had been studying and training without going outside. I couldn’t remember the last time I actually had fun during my free time. I had persevered so far, but tonight, the stress and fatigue had finally erupted.

“Miss, please get up.”

“Then can I go outside?”

“Absolutely not.”

She was unwavering. I couldn’t believe that even after throwing a tantrum like this, it had no effect. She truly was something! But no, this wasn’t the time to be in awe. I cleared my throat and earnestly pleaded with Vivian.

“I feel like I’m going to die. It’s just too hard.”

“Even if you ask like that, I can’t allow it. Going outside at this hour is risky.”

“But I learned fencing! You even said I’m good now!”

“Well, I did say that…”

Radel Carrel had a talent for fencing. He had been consistently learning fencing since she was young, as she was more confident in moving her body than using her mind. Of course, she learned it secretly from her father, and to impress Eden, she kept her fencing skills completely hidden when she entered the academy.

Anyway, thanks to Radel’s natural talent and his diligent practice, she was able to adapt in just two weeks after her possession. Vivian still vividly remembered being pleasantly surprised by how well she performed. “Whew, I’m relieved. My body remembers.”

“Indeed, Miss, you learn quickly and have a talent for it.”

“Really? You’re not just exaggerating, right?”

Suddenly receiving praise makes me feel embarrassed. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been hearing nothing but nagging, but I feel awkward when receiving compliments. Blushing, I glanced at Vivian. With an expression that seemed to be contemplating something, I spoke to her with anticipation.

“I won’t do anything risky; let’s just stroll around the streets.”

“If you’re really saying that…”

Success. Haha, it seems Vivian is somewhat soft on me. If I persistently beg while pouring out my grievances, she eventually gives in. The process has been challenging, but in the end, I got the approval to go out.

“It’s just for one hour…”

I thought I heard a sigh from Vivian, but it must be my imagination, right?