The Villainess Has No Regrets in this Life

So the three of us started clapping mechanically in rhythm, and Leila, filled with emotion, bowed to us with tears in her eyes, saying thank you.

It was quite a contrasting scene.

On the day Leila became family in my past life, Father and my brothers kept stroking her carefully as if she would break if touched, constantly saying they were grateful for her becoming part of the family.

Even after that, Leila never bowed her head to the Masipacius marquis family… no, to me.

It was always me who apologized to her, always me who thanked her.

But now, she was repeatedly bowing her head to us, saying thank you for congratulating her.

How far will the reversal in this life go?

So Leila and Brother Bershua continued to have their emotional time together, while Grace, Young Duke Posilia, and I quietly left after watching the scene for a while.

“It really was soon, just as you said last time…”

Grace whispered to me in a voice drained of all spirit, then returned to her room.

I also headed to my assigned room, taking the shocked Mylene with me.

Once in the room, Mylene finally started pouring out the emotions she had been hiding.

“How could the Marquis do this? If he was going to adopt her, shouldn’t he have at least given you a hint, Miss?”

I tried to calm her down, saying that getting angry would only hurt us, but Mylene’s anger didn’t subside easily.

“And I think Mollin is too much as well. As the head maid of the marquis mansion, she never gave you a warm glance until now, but how can she shed tears just because a mere commoner girl became a member of the marquis family!”

At her words, I deliberately put on a wistful expression and looked out the window.

Then Mylene looked at me with a pained expression.

In her past life, Leila used very well the fact that people who disliked me came to like her.

Of course, she probably didn’t intentionally tell those people to bully me…

No, wait a minute.

Leila knew that the more people came to dislike me, the more people would like her.

Could it be that those people also…?

‘Leila probably didn’t intend it.’

‘Even if all the people related to Leila say harsh things to me, it’s not Leila’s fault.’

‘Leila is kind.’

…Is Leila really kind?

I thought about Leila for a while and then shook my head.

No matter how deeply I think about it, the past life won’t change, and regretting the past won’t change the present life.

I need to worry about what’s to come.

…So for now, my biggest concern is Young Duke Posilia.

Young Duke Posilia is kind.

He seems to like me, is knowledgeable, and popular among other noble ladies – in short, a man who lacks nothing.

And if I use him, I might gain much more power than I think.

If I start dating him and the rumor spreads throughout the empire…

No, even if we don’t date, if just a rumor that he and I are very close spreads in the empire, it’s clear that the Masipacius marquis mansion would be flooded with my guests trying to get on my good side.

But is it right to use Young Duke Posilia for such things?

My worries deepened, and when I opened my eyes after closing them, exhausted from thinking, the morning sunlight was already coming through the window.

As the sun rose and the snow-blocked road was somewhat cleared, we were able to return by carriage.

The atmosphere inside the returning carriage was, literally, a sight to behold.

Leila and Brother Bershua were lost in their own world, busy thinking about what to buy and what to do when Leila officially becomes a Masipacius.

Grace and Young Duke Posilia just looked at them pathetically, then turned to me with eyes of pity.

I shrugged my shoulders towards them, meaning it was no big deal, but they didn’t seem to believe me.

I’m really fine…

It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve experienced this.

So Grace and Young Duke Posilia got off at Duke Posilia’s mansion where the carriage stopped first, and the carriage carrying me headed to the Masipacius marquis mansion.

And when I arrived, the Masipacius marquis mansion was already in the middle of a party welcoming Leila as their family.

Ugh, I’m sick of this…

* * *

The man in pure white stared at the clear sky visible through the window, seemingly lost in deep thought for a while without saying a word.

Then, as if he had made a decision, he opened his mouth for the man standing behind him to hear.

“We’re heading to the Masipacius mansion today.”

When the man in pure white said those words, the man with a sword who looked like his guard knight looked at him with a surprised face.

“Didn’t you always avoid the Masipacius mansion because you’d get tangled up in business-related talk whenever you went?”

At his words, the man in pure white smiled faintly, remembering the woman he met in the fog.

“There’s someone I want to talk to properly, even if it means enduring that annoyance. And I think there’s something I need to do near the marquis mansion, so I’d like your help with the preparations.”

At the man’s words, the guard knight just wondered if Detrian Crescent, who would become the great emperor of the empire in the future, had suddenly become interested in the marquis family’s business.

“When you say preparations…”

“It seems like a good day to use that power we traded last time.”

With that, the guard knight shifted his gaze, which was fixed on the floor, to the man in pure white with a surprised expression.

“Your Highness, you still can’t fully use that power!”

“There’s someone who can protect me, so it should be fine. There are a few things we need to prepare related to this, so call the people and prepare the carriage.”

Hearing those words, the guard knight looked at the crown prince as if he had a lot to say, then sighed like he had no choice, and bowed to him as a sign of understanding.

After this brief meeting, they started riding in an extravagantly decorated carriage.

It wasn’t that far to the marquis mansion.

* * *

The Masipacius marquis mansion was literally in a festive mood.

Since Mollin was the head maid, many people who pretended to dislike me to get on her good side had their actual emotions assimilated, and there were quite a few people who disliked me in the marquis mansion.

And those people seemed to become interested in Leila one by one, and soon, unlike the atmosphere at Posilia’s ducal villa, a party for the ‘beloved Leila’ began, quite similar to my past life.

I was able to succeed in becoming closer to the Posilia family members than Leila, but it seemed difficult to change the atmosphere within the Masipacius family.

Since Mylene believed in and followed me until the end in my past life…

Is Mylene the only person I can trust in the Masipacius mansion now?

It would be nice if some event that could change the situation would happen…

That event where I could borrow the spirit’s power still had some time left before it would occur.

I looked at Leila and the family happily laughing in the garden through the room window.

No, since I’ve accepted Leila becoming part of the family, are they just ‘family’ now?

I sighed, imagining what would happen in the future.

…It would have been nice if the love for Leila and the hatred for me weren’t directly proportional.

If it wasn’t, I would have lived this life quietly studying in the marquis mansion and then quietly becoming independent to research the studies I liked.

I glared, resenting the god who created this situation.

Then, realizing that this wasn’t the time to be having such emotional thoughts, I lightly slapped my cheeks with both hands to come to my senses.

Now that Leila has become a complete member of the Masipacius family, just like in my past life, my life from now on will be even more difficult.

For now, I’m maintaining a good relationship with Young Duke Posilia, but there’s no guarantee that he won’t fall in love with Leila.

As I was wracking my brains over this problem that seemed to have no answer no matter how much I thought about it, I heard people outside making surprised noises as if the atmosphere had changed somehow.

I turned my eyes to the window, thinking uselessly that maybe Leila was so happy about becoming family that she, or Father, or one of my brothers had collapsed…

What’s that, that parade of splendid carriages?

I saw a large number of carriages parked in front of the main gate of the mansion, centered around a carriage more splendid than any I had ever seen before.

And Father, uncharacteristically, was frantically giving instructions to the servants.

Then he whispered something to my brothers and Leila, and they also started pacing anxiously, startled.

I asked Mylene to go outside and find out what was happening, while I decided to quietly observe the situation from above.

The carriage door opened, and a man who looked as if he was covered in snow, along with people armed with armor and weapons, started getting out of the carriage.

…Wait a minute.

The number of people who can have white hair and white eyes in this empire is very limited.

And without exception, these limited people boast enormous power and wealth.

The imperial family.

But in my memory…

The Masipacius marquis family had never been involved with the imperial family.

Yes.

Someone who could completely overturn the situation has appeared.

But that person… is someone who had no connection with me in my past life.

I’m grateful that they’ve subdued this party atmosphere, but…

Can the existence of that person really be considered positive for me?

The man presumed to be from the imperial family looked over the Masipacius family members rushing towards him, then tilted his head.

Then he took his eyes off the people in front of him and started looking around the Masipacius marquis mansion, seemingly trying to broaden his view.

I felt that his movements were somehow ominous, so I bent down to hide myself so that he wouldn’t discover me.

So I sat down on the floor and waited for this commotion to end.

“Miss!”

However, my plan to avoid catching the eye of the imperial family member was ruined by Mylene. With the window open, Mylene almost shouted at me as she opened the door, seemingly surprised by something.

“Mylene, please be a little quiet…”

“The person visiting now is His Highness the Crown Prince!”