How to Survive as That Villainess - Chapter 34

Chapter 4: A Party, or Rather, a Chaotic Mess (11)

After dancing with Dia, I took a moment to catch my breath. Suddenly, I felt a sharp gaze piercing the back of my head. Slowly, I turned to look.

“Eek!”

There was Huan, surrounded by a group of female students. It seems leaving him alone for too long made them mistakenly think he didn’t have a partner. His face had gone pale, clearly overwhelmed by the attention from the eager girls. I knew I had to help him out quickly.

The loud, almost screaming, voices of the girls were intimidating, but I sighed deeply and made my way over. The steady clicking of my high heels echoed with each step. My feet were starting to hurt a lot from wearing heels that were higher than I was used to.

“What exactly is going on here?”

Even to my own ears, my voice sounded chilling. The girls crowding around Huan froze when they saw me. After all, I was once infamous as the villainess. My ruthless handling of the crown prince’s fan club had made me a well-known figure among other fan clubs.

“Radel Karel?”

Even though my reputation had improved recently, the trauma I had inflicted on the fan clubs hadn’t faded easily. One of the girls, who must have recognized me as a former member of the crown prince’s fan club, spoke up hesitantly, trembling with fear. The other girls were also tense, their bodies stiffening.

“Do you have any business with my partner?”

I kept my face expressionless, crossed my arms arrogantly like the crown prince often did, and stared them down. With the makeup I had on, I probably looked even more intimidating. No one dared to answer my question; they all started to back away slowly.

“Then, we’ll be going now…”

The girl who seemed to be the leader of the “Huan Fan Club” gave an awkward smile before retreating. It seemed like my image still hadn’t changed much. But at times like this, it was quite convenient… I could chase them away with just a few words.

“Didn’t I do a good job?”

With a satisfied smile, I turned to look at Huan, proud that I had successfully protected my partner. Huan smiled back and gave me a thumbs-up.

“There’s no one like me, right?”

“This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t come so late.”

“…Sorry.”

Before Huan could start scolding me any further, I quickly scanned the surroundings. Was there any other topic I could bring up? As I scanned the party hall, I spotted Alec standing alone, smiling sadly amidst the couples.

“Oh, Alec!”

“Radel?”

Alec staggered as he walked over. He was smiling, but something seemed off. His face looked a bit pale, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of pity that washed over me.

“Are you okay? Did you find a partner?”

Alec wobbled as he gently took my hand, but his grip was weak, and he was trembling. What on earth had happened to him to leave him in such a state?

“Radel, I’ve realized something.”

“Huh? What is it?”

His smile was warm, almost serene. It wasn’t the usual smile of the innocent country boy I knew. What had changed him like this? He continued speaking in a quiet, almost resigned tone.

“Life is something you live alone.”

“Oh, really?”

It seemed like he had reached some kind of epiphany after failing to find a partner. After being rejected by several girls and enduring cold refusals, Alec appeared to have given up entirely. No, this won’t do. Snap out of it!

“Don’t give up! There are plenty of women in the world!”

I held Alec’s hand and tried to comfort him, but it didn’t seem to have much effect. Well, it made sense—inside the academy, all the girls were flocking around the male leads, leaving ordinary, simple guys like Alec to shed tears alone.

“Thanks for the comfort, but I think I’ll just fill my stomach…”

Alec said this as he crunched on some cookies… like a hamster. He looked like a sick hamster, clutching a handful of snacks, eating just to survive.

Someday, Alec’s spring will come too.

“Lady Radel, there you are!”

“…Huh?”

Just when I was about to dance with Huan, a group of unfamiliar people approached me. Huan quickly excused himself, saying he’d find something else to do.

“Those people are a bit troublesome, so be careful.”

He whispered in my ear before leaving. It seemed like he knew who they were, which made me feel tired already—if Huan found them bothersome, this was going to be a headache.

“Who… are you?”

Judging by their attire, the ladies looked like they were saying, ‘We’re from high-ranking noble families,’ and there were young lords, blushing slightly, offering me drinks. Who were these people? I had never met them before.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Elina, the daughter of Count Dirdam.”

“Ah, yes…”

Elina, the daughter of Count Dirdam, began leading the introductions, one after another. I quickly gave up trying to remember all their names since I knew I wouldn’t be able to. Besides, I doubted I’d ever talk to them again after today.

“First of all, I wanted to congratulate you on being chosen as the goddess. Should we address you as the goddess now? Hehe.”

No, please don’t. Just call me by my name. You can even call me “hey” if you want—just don’t use that dreadful title… The reality I had managed to forget while dancing with Dia suddenly came crashing back. I’m the goddess? Seriously?

“What business do you have with me?”

For some reason, these people were giving off a bad first impression. They were all smiling, but their eyes betrayed a mutual disdain. This kind of superficial space made me uncomfortable.

“It’s not so much that we have business with you; we just wanted to build a connection with you, Lady Radel.”

Lady Elina unfolded her fan with a flourish, covering her mouth as she laughed. Build a connection with me? These were people who had never shown the slightest interest in me before. I couldn’t understand what had suddenly brought them to me. I looked at her with a wary gaze, and she smiled demurely.

“Before the party started, we saw you helping Lady Rachel.”

“It was really impressive!”

“I’ve never liked Giles much myself, and it was so satisfying to see that!”

Oh no, they saw that embarrassing scene? As compliments started pouring in from all sides, my face heated up with embarrassment. I fanned myself awkwardly and forced a smile, and then Lady Elina suddenly grabbed my hand with hers.

“We’ve misunderstood you, Lady Radel. I hope we can have a good relationship from now on.”

“Ah, yes…”

If I have one bad habit, it’s that I tend to respond too easily when caught up in the moment. Just like with Dia, I accidentally answered without thinking.

“Hehe, I’m glad. Ah, I’m part of the Magic Department. Everyone here is, actually.”

“Oh, I see.”

I responded meaninglessly. So what if they’re from the Magic Department? It wasn’t like we’d ever spoken before. All I wanted was for this conversation to end, so I half-listened to Elina and the other nobles’ chatter, letting their words go in one ear and out the other.

“But earlier, you were dancing with Lady Dia…”

“…?”

“You’re not close with her, are you?”

When I heard Dia’s name, I focused on what Elina was saying. Our Dia? We’re close, so why ask? I decided to hold back my questions and observe the situation first. Something felt off.

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, to be honest, I don’t really like Lady Dia.”

What did she just say? My mood instantly soured. I frowned at Lady Elina, who was wrapped in an air of artificial politeness—her tone, her voice, even her expression were all fake.

“Lady Dia always acts so unrefined, you know? She may be pretty, but her personality is so unpleasant that it’s a bit off-putting…”

I couldn’t take it anymore. I forcefully shook off Lady Elina’s hand.

***

“Oh my, Huan. What are you doing here all by yourself?”

Meanwhile, Dia, who had approached Huan as he drank alone, spoke to him in her usual sarcastic tone.

“Where’s Radel?”

“…She’s stuck with those annoying people from the Magic Department.”

“Ah, those irritating…”

Huan let out a deep sigh. The sound of that sigh alone conveyed just how bothersome and exhausting those people were. Dia, too, rubbed her forehead as if just thinking about them was giving her a headache.

“So, Radel is with those Magic Department jerks right now? You don’t think they’re doing anything strange to her, do you?”

They were always the type to look down on others, the kind of people who got on your nerves. Dia recalled Elina, the most annoying one among the Magic Department students, in her opinion. She was the type to nitpick everything and couldn’t do anything on her own. Though she never said anything to Dia’s face, Dia had often caught her glaring from a distance. The thought of that weird girl potentially harming Radel made Dia incredibly anxious.

“Don’t worry. They’re probably just trying to get closer to her. Radel’s been doing a lot of things that make her stand out lately.”

Huan said, trying to reassure her, though he looked uneasy. He kept glancing toward where Radel was, clearly unsettled.

“This won’t do. Let’s go check on her.”

“Honestly, you’re so overprotective.”

Huan replied, but he followed Dia anyway. He had been secretly worried about leaving Radel alone. Dia, with a determined expression, headed toward Radel.

“But why do you care so much about Radel?”

Huan asked, voicing something he’d been curious about for a while. Dia was known for being picky and difficult, so he wondered what had made Radel special enough to be treated differently. Dia snorted dismissively before responding casually.

“Don’t ask questions like that. Just hurry up and come.”

Dia snapped, causing Huan to frown. She still had that rough personality. Without saying anything further, Huan decided to just keep walking.

“Lady Dia always behaves so un-nobly, you know? She may be pretty, but her personality is so unpleasant that it’s off-putting…”

Dia froze in place upon hearing the gossip. She was well aware that Lady Elina had been badmouthing her for some time. She had just been too annoyed to deal with it, but now that Elina was spreading rumors to her friends as well, it was beyond ridiculous. Still, she was relieved that at least Elina hadn’t tried to hurt Radel.

“They’re gossiping about you.”

“Seems so. But more importantly, I’m glad Radel is safe.”

Dia sighed in relief. Just then, a sharp ‘thwack’ echoed briefly through the party hall.

“…!”

Elina stood there, her eyes wide with shock. Standing before her was Radel, who was looking at her with a calm expression. The atmosphere was quiet, yet there was an undercurrent of anger.

“What are you doing…”

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t help but slap your hand away—it was too unpleasant.”

Radel responded, her voice calm yet cold, a tone neither Dia nor Huan had ever heard from her before. Both were visibly surprised. Radel’s lips moved again, forming her next words.

“You said you wanted to build a connection with me. But I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

“Why…?” 

“I have no intention of getting along with someone who looks down on others and talks badly about my friends”.

Radel smiled sweetly at Elina, whose face was now painted with shock. Though the smile appeared bright and innocent, Huan could sense the anger hidden beneath it.

“And, in my opinion, Lady Elina is the one who behaves less like a noble.”

“…W-what did you say?”

“Oh, pardon me. I must be going now. It was such a pleasure chatting with you. Let’s never see each other again.”

With that, Radel walked past Elina and her followers, her posture confident and graceful. She was breathtakingly composed and beautiful as she moved.

“Huan, you asked me earlier why I like Radel, didn’t you?”

“…?”

Dia watched Radel heading out of the party hall with a smile. Radel was honest, straightforward, and considerate of others. Seeing Radel stand up for her so passionately made Dia admire her even more.

“When someone is that amazing, how could I not like them?”

After saying that, Dia turned and walked toward Lady Elina. Watching Dia’s determined stride, Huan had a strong feeling that Lady Elina might not last much longer in the academy.