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

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T/N: This chapter will use italics for formality, and bold for emphasis.

“We forgot to go visit Grandpa Will yesterday.”

“Yeah, well… it was pitch black by the time we got back, and we were both tired….” Gilles says irritably, sending a small glare my way.

We were somehow able to stealthily commute back to the academy without my father catching us today as well…. But it’s only day two. We still have a long way to go. And if Henry-Oniisama already reported to him about the events of yesterday, then it’s only a matter of time…..

Plus, there’s no way the coachman of the carriage we road to school this morning will stay silent about our exploits. He’s definitely going to tell father about bringing us to the academy. But, it was a risk we had to take. It just takes way too long to get here on foot.

I just don’t see how we can keep this up for another six days without discovery.

…Ah, stop that. It’s still too early to start thinking so pessimistically. And it’s utterly blasphemous for a villainess to lack confidence in herself. No matter the situation, I must retain my poise and mental fortitude!

“Alicia-Sama.“

All of a sudden, a soft, slightly high-pitched voice reaches my ears.

I turn around and find a girl that I’ve never seen before standing behind me. She’s got, ‘I’m just a mob character’ written all over her face. And her aura doesn’t seem particularly dangerous…. nor memorable.

She has mouse brown hair divided into two low pigtails that spill thinly over her shoulders and a pair of slightly darker, muddy brown eyes. As for her face….. I can only describe it as average. Exceedingly normal.

She has absolutely no distinctive features to speak of.

“Yes? What is it?” I ask.

“Umm…. I’d like for you to please come with me,” she says softly.

“What?”

“Like I said—! Umm…. Uhh….”

“Why?”

“Eh!?”

“Why do you want me to come with you?” I ask, but she doesn’t say anything. She just nervously wrings her hands in front of her, trembling slightly.

No matter how I look at her, she seems super suspicious. I may be extremely curious, but I’m not some flower-headed idiot of a protagonist who would just cheerfully follow some stranger to who knows where.

“Tell me the reason,” I demand.

“Umm….. That’s…..”

“Are you incapable of speaking in intelligible sentences? You must speak clearly if you want actual human beings to understand you.”

“………..I’m sorry.“

“I’m not looking for an apology. I’d just like to hear your reason,” I say coolly.

“N-no, um….. Please excuse me–!!”

With those last words, the girl scurries away.

What could that have been about? Could someone be threatening her?

“What just…..” Gilles starts.

“I have no idea.”

“……She was so clumsy and unreliable that her whole persona seems suspicious.”

“Aren’t you just over-thinking things? She was just a some shy, noble girl.”

And with that, we let the subject drop. Neither of us think any more about the girl as we head towards the school building.

One way or another, we managed to avoid Duke-Sama and the others and escape from attending classes with them. For the morning at least.

The stares from the students in my normally assigned class were quite something but….. they pale in comparison to the piercing eyes I felt on me when I was attending lessons with Duke-Sama.

And this way is much safer as well. Until my magic comes back, I need to avoid attending classes with Liz-san at all costs.

“Gilles, shouldn’t you sit in on the senior level classes with Duke-Sama and the rest? We don’t both need to avoid them.”

“No. I’ll stay with you,” Gilles says resolutely, giving me a small smile. I nod and smile back and then together we head off towards the dining hall.

…..Why does it feel like everyone is staring at me? Even more so than yesterday?

Certainly, I had my fair share of stares before, but they were mostly surprised glances and curious gazes. However today, their eyes on me feel reproachful more than anything else.

The moment the two of us enter the dining hall, all eyes turn to us.

…..Wow.

Hostility, anger, contempt, all sorts of emotions pierce me from every direction. And there isn’t one friendly look among them. Did I do something to earn such an antagonistic welcome I wonder?

To invoke so many negative emotions from such a large crowd of people upon merely making an entrance into a room…. it’s like I’ve become a truly spectacular villainess! If an official certification of villainy existed in this world, I’m sure I would have taken the top spot!

……However, I can’t relax just because of a small achievement such as this. I can’t allow myself to grow complacent and start overestimating my abilities again.

“She’s here,” murmurs a low voice, thick with pure, toxic hatred.

I look over towards the owner of the voice and find a female student glaring at me particularly fiercely from within the crowd. Her eyes bore into mine as if they are trying to ensnare me in some sort of diabolical scheme.

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T/N: I used the italics in this chapter because we had a new character. For now, “use formality markers when relevant” is in the lead, so when there are actually mentions of honorifics in the text, or when new characters are being introduced I’ll be using the italics (currently the leading choice for marker type). I’ll give the poll about a week’s time before I make my final decision on the subject though!

What do you guys think? Is mousy girl friend or foe!? She is talking politely, so that’s at least one thing going for her XD Though it might have been more out of fear than respect lol