How to Survive as That Villainess - Chapter 1

Prologue

“From now on, you are the villainess Radel Karel. Please do your best to survive.”

The first thing I heard when I came to my senses was a voice that gave instructions I couldn’t understand at all. Radel Karel? That’s the name of the villainess from the novel I read yesterday. But now I’m supposed to be her? This is impossible…

“Radel Karel!”

At the angry voice, I looked up, still dazed. It seemed I had been sitting on the ground, staring at it. As I lifted my head, I was met with bright light and the sight of numerous people. There was a man looking down at me with contempt, a slender and beautiful woman trembling in his embrace, and several onlookers surrounding us.

So, what is going on here?

“Lady Radel Karel, are you still out of your mind?”

I glanced at the man who yelled at me again. His flowing golden hair and deep ocean-like eyes looked strangely familiar. I tried to recall where I might have seen him before, but no matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t remember. There was no way I could forget such a handsome man.

“Please stop, Your Highness…”

“Stay quiet. You’re too kind for your own good.”

Oh, and the woman trembling in the man’s arms is also stunningly beautiful. Her cream-colored hair and eyes like the lush greenery of summer are breathtaking even to me. Her angelic face and delicate figure evoke a protective instinct, and her appearance is unforgettable.

Who are these two? Are they actors or celebrities?

So this must be a special shoot. But why am I sitting here? It’s as if my memory has been completely edited. I haven’t even been drinking.

“Apologize immediately, Lady Karel.”

“Huh… M-me? Why…”

I’m not Radel Karel, and I haven’t done anything wrong. In fact, I feel like she should be the one apologizing. Surrounded by a heavy and suffocating atmosphere, I’m the focus of everyone’s gaze. This doesn’t feel like a shoot at all. Could this really be reality? As my mind spun in confusion, the man slowly approached and grabbed my wrist.

“Ah!”

The pain in my wrist was excruciating. I was terrified of the man who was gripping it with such a fierce expression, as if he would twist it off. Trembling with fear, I tried to pull my wrist away, but he tightened his grip even further and spoke.

“It seems you still don’t understand your mistake. Didn’t you just slap Lady Seria with this hand?”

“…What?”

Did he just say Seria? That woman is the protagonist of the novel! So the trembling, pitiful woman in front of me is Seria, and I’m the villain who slapped her? And the man holding my wrist must be Crown Prince Eden, right?

“Ha. Not even a trace of remorse.”

“…What?”

Ah, my thoughts slipped out involuntarily. But I couldn’t help it. The situation was so absurd that I was losing my mind. I wished with all my might that this was just a dream, hoping that when I opened my eyes, everything would be back to normal. But instead of waking up, all I saw was the increasingly grim expression of the man who was holding my wrist.

“To speak without any sign of repentance.”

“Eden! Stop this now. I’m fine! Lady Radel did nothing wrong…”

Seria suddenly shed a tear. Seeing her pitiful appearance, I looked around again. Everyone was glaring at me. Especially Crown Prince Eden, who had roughly released my wrist and was now holding Seria protectively, was glaring at me as if he wanted to tear me apart.

Chilled. For the first time, I felt the murderous intent from someone. I had no idea why I was here or what was going on, but I seemed to grasp a few facts.

I was in the body of the villain Radel Karel, and everyone here either disliked or despised me.

“I—I just wanted to get along with Lady Radel, but I don’t understand why it’s come to this…”

Tears streamed down Seria’s face as she cried out in despair. Her kind heart was evident even now. For someone like me, who was being despised and left in such a state, her words were a small comfort and felt sincere. Indeed, the protagonist had done nothing wrong. If there was any wrongdoing, it was on the villain who tormented the kind heroine. And that villain was me.

“Seria, stop crying. I’ll put an end to this now.”

Eden, who had been gently comforting Seria by wrapping his arms around her shoulders, withdrew his tender gaze and shot a sharp glare at me. For the first time, I realized how painful a person’s gaze could be.

“…Let’s leave it at that. I hope we never meet again, Lady Karel.”

I could only stare at Crown Prince Eden in silence. It wasn’t out of fear, but because I felt such deep injustice. It was profoundly unfair to be thrust into the body of Radel, the villain, and to be subjected to such disdain. I wanted to explode and create chaos right then and there. But I knew that would only result in my immediate execution.

“Ah, just a moment.”

“…?”

Seria, still in Eden’s arms, paused and turned back to look at me as if she had something more to say. Then she smiled brightly and said,

“Lady Radel. Although we may not get along now, I’ll wait for the day when you come to apologize. Until then, farewell.”

A kind heroine even to the villain. Truly perfect. One of the onlookers, who had been watching Seria’s angelic demeanor, exclaimed in admiration.

“Truly an angel.”

I agreed with that sentiment. To say such kind words to a villain who had tormented her—it was like witnessing an angel in person. Why did I suddenly end up in the body of a villain and endure such treatment? If I had to be reincarnated, I wished it could have been in the body of such a heroine.

“Oh, is it already over?”

As I watched the fading figures of the two, I involuntarily turned my head towards the sound of voices. The fluttering black hair and the piercing red eyes were instantly recognizable. Realizing that I was in a novel, I knew immediately who he was.

“Kailon Raven.”

I whispered his name softly. Kailon was the next heir of the Raven swordsmanship family and one of Seria’s suitors. With his free-spirited and indifferent personality, he had a strikingly handsome and captivating face, as described in the novel. I found myself momentarily mesmerized.

“I rushed over when I heard there was a dispute over the affections.”

Noticing my persistent gaze, Kailon glanced at me briefly. His red, intense eyes seemed to reflect the pitiful appearance of the villainess.

“In the end, Seria won.”

His gaze, which had been directed at me for a moment, soon lost interest and turned away. He muttered as if bored.

Kailon scratched the back of his head and vanished into the crowd in an instant. There was something about his words that lingered in my mind. Seria won. I hadn’t done anything, yet victory belonged to Seria. It felt incredibly hollow and strange.

“Ha, if only Lady Karel would come to her senses and apologize to Seria…”

“Yeah. It was entertaining to watch, but I’m getting tired of it now.”

I snapped out of my thoughts upon hearing the conversation among the remaining onlookers. Right, I need to apologize. Now, I had to live as the villainess, and to survive as a villainess, I had to reconcile with the protagonist. I had to go after Seria and apologize.

With that resolve, I got up from my spot and ran after the path Seria had taken.

*

‘Where did they go?’

Leaving the place where I was, I looked around and realized I was in a party venue within Seria’s academy. Judging by the plot of the novel, it seemed to be a party held before the summer vacation. Eden and Seria were likely having a conversation in the garden. My memory was clear about this.

I scanned the party venue and finally spotted a garden with blooming flowers. I took a deep breath and moved forward.

‘Ah, there she is.’

Seria was already there, seemingly alone, admiring the flowers. I approached her quietly.

“Ah, that was fun.”

Unaware of my presence, Seria was holding a red rose from the rosebush in the garden and smiling gracefully. Her softly murmured voice was filled with joy. As I was about to speak to the angelic figure bathed in moonlight, I had to hold back my words upon hearing her next comment.

“Pffft, ah. Thinking about it again makes me laugh so much. That stupid face when he was flustered!”

Wait, what? That doesn’t seem like something an angelic face should say. Am I at the wrong place? Isn’t that Seria, the protagonist? No matter how I looked at it, it was indeed Seria. What’s going on?

“Not even realizing they’re being deceived and blindly taking my side, how foolish. Even with fake tears, they believe it completely.”

Oh, I think I understand the situation now. So, is this Seria’s true nature? The delicate appearance she showed earlier, the fragile demeanor, and even the tears were all an act?

Goodness, how could she…

“Hmm, it’s too easy, so it’s getting boring. I wonder when that stupid lady will finally amuse me?”

“Winning every time has become boring,” Seria said, laughing like a witch.

Fun? I was struggling just from that incident earlier, but for Seria, it was just an event for entertainment. Now that I’ve discovered her true nature, it feels like fury is boiling up inside me.

I thought she was a delicate and beautiful angel, but it turns out she’s a queen arrogantly sitting on a throne. I was deceived; after all the support I gave while reading the novel…

I was deceived. And just like Kailon’s words, I was defeated by the arrogant queen. I was completely beaten by Seria, who wore that deceptive mask.