Chapter 01 …

The “Quit Being the Villainess” Plan

The next day, I skipped school.

When I staggered a little in front of my family and said, “I’m not feeling well,” they approved my absence without much fuss.

To begin with, the academy was fairly lax, and apparently Luciana often skipped classes anyway, so taking a day off turned out to be even easier than I expected.

“Wow… the fact that they approved me skipping so easily means the family already knows how lazy Luciana is,” I thought with disappointment as I sat alone in my room, planning my strategy for the future.

First of all, the thing I absolutely had to avoid was:

“Being condemned, having the marquis house stripped of its status, and getting exiled together with my family.”

To prevent that, I concluded that the best thing I could do was stay away from the protagonist.

As long as I didn’t get close to the protagonist, I wouldn’t interfere with her romance, and I wouldn’t be slandered and condemned for committing cruel acts to sabotage it either.

I’ve got it, me!

Grinning to myself at my brilliant idea, I started thinking through the details.

…Wait! What if I just quit the academy?

Or maybe I could come down with some mysterious incurable illness and take a one-year leave of absence?

Putting physical distance between us is the best solution, right?!

I was in high spirits while considering concrete plans, but after a while, I threw the whole idea away.

…No, this won’t work.

If I actually did that, there’s a real chance I’d get kicked out of this house.

Because the Lilium Academy of Magic is the highest educational institution for nobles in the kingdom.

The academy, named after the lily—Lilium, the flower of the kingdom—is directly managed by the royal family, and every single upper noble… truly every single one of them… graduates from this school.

Graduating from this academy is practically proof that you are born of high nobility.

So if I were to drop out, I would no longer be regarded as a flawless upper-class noble.

It’s obvious how nobles, who value tradition and prestige above all else, would start treating someone like me.

I wouldn’t be able to expect proper treatment or even a respectable marriage, and my parents certainly wouldn’t continue treating me the same way they do now.

After all, this is the Dianthus Marquis House, one of the kingdom’s most elite noble families.

Rather than marrying me off to a commoner, my parents would probably shove me into a convent—or throw me out of the house before that.

Before love for their daughter comes the pride of the marquis family.

Taking a leave of absence from the academy might barely be acceptable, but there was still the possibility that during that one year away, my parents would decide there was no hope for my recovery and abandon me altogether.

The pride of the marquis family knows no bounds.

And the most terrifying thing of all was this:

—assuming this really was the world of a game—

I had absolutely no idea how strong the game’s “forcing power” might be.

Even if I quit the academy, even if I took leave due to some mysterious illness, what would happen if I just happened to run into the protagonist somewhere in town?

Could I still get condemned from a single encounter where she picked a fight with me?

After thinking that far, I crossed my arms and groaned, “Mmmmmm…”

Then after thinking and thinking some more, I made up my mind.

“If I’m going to be condemned no matter what, then I’ll go to the academy.”

Because what I need most right now is education.

Luciana had been lazy, so she had never seriously studied before.

Apparently she barely even listened during lessons, and there was hardly any knowledge in this head of mine.

The only things stored in there were thoughts like “That noble’s son is handsome,” or “That dress is adorable.”

Honestly, I can’t help wondering what on earth she’d been doing all this time, but I guess all she ever thought about was men and fashion.

And despite being born into the upper nobility, her magical power wasn’t even strong.

So after being condemned and cast out, what kind of work could someone like me possibly get?

I couldn’t rely on my family.

My father and mother were purebred nobles who had been born with silver spoons in their mouths.

The idea of working hard and sweating for a living probably never even crossed their minds. The same went for my older brother and younger brother.

Which means I need to acquire skills that can earn enough money to support my family myself.

In other words, the answer is study, study, and more study.

Alright! First, I’ll start by figuring out what I’m actually good at!

In the end, if the game’s forcing power is strong, then it won’t matter where I am.

But if it’s weak, then maybe I can survive.

First, I’ll correct the arrogant attitude Luciana had until now. I won’t pick fights with anyone, won’t provoke arguments, and will instead become a pacifist. If my plans fail and I get cast out, I don’t want people helping destroy me because they think, “I never liked her anyway.”

In short, I need to avoid making enemies.

And I’ll erase my presence as much as possible and avoid standing out.

Of course, I’ll stay far away from all the romance targets, starting with the crown prince.

It seemed Luciana had been deeply in love with the crown prince, but survival comes first. She’ll just have to give up on him.

And when the protagonist enrolls six months from now, I absolutely won’t go near her either.

The mistake beginner villainesses often make is trying to avoid being hated by getting close to the protagonist and trying to befriend her.

But that is the height of foolishness.

Because no matter how kind you are, the moment the protagonist says, “She bullied me!” then your actions become bullying.

Hohoho. Believe it or not, in my previous life I played tons of otome games and read countless shoujo manga and romance novels.

I have high adaptability when it comes to otome worlds!

And furthermore, I used to be Japanese.

Being modest and reserved is my specialty!

My goal is to stay unnoticed, not stand out, and become the kind of person people say, “Oh? Lady Luciana was here?”

Alright, let’s do this!