Everybody Loves the Villainess

“You…you found it!”

Lumiere’s hands rose to her mouth as she watched me approach, the pendant’s chain wrapped around my hand. I was so anxious about losing it that I wanted to ensure I wouldn’t drop it, which was why I looped the golden links around my fingers and held it tightly as I made my way to the open space about a short distance away from the fire tower.

“Yeah.” I handed the pendant over, and she clutched it tightly to her chest. Tears welled up in her eyes as she sobbed softly. I closed my eyes and looked away, feeling a little awkward, but aware that she needed that private moment.

However, I was surprised when she suddenly hugged me.

“Thank you,” she sniffed, burying her damp face into my neck. “Thank you. Thank you.”

“It’s…it’s nothing.”

There was a snicker, and I turned my gaze sharply even as I continued to pat Lumiere’s back. My eyes rested on the familiar silhouettes of a trio who were watching amusedly from a distance.

Beatrice Regalia. Lydia Lysander. Redia Scarlet.

The first had blue hair, adorned with the finest jewelry, to show off her status as a marquis’s daughter. The second had straight blond hair that was neatly tucked under a red hairband, with sky-blue eyes that matched her pretty features. The third tied her flaming red hair into a ponytail, her figure a combination of noble femininity and athleticism. I recalled Redia wielding both fire and spear during practical lessons.

Aside from those, I knew absolutely nothing about the three of them.

They’re the culprits.

Of course. The perpetrators always returned to the scene of the crime. There was no fun in pulling a prank if they weren’t around to witness Lumiere’s reaction. Cold rage spread throughout my chest, but I clamped down on the freezing fury and glared glacially at them. They were thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.

“Must be good to have a white knight always on your side, huh?”

“Lady Beatrice, wouldn’t a black knight be more appropriate in this context?”

“Ah, that’s a good idea, Lady Lydia! Indeed, as they say, birds of a feather always flock together. Or, in this case, demons.”

“Ladies,” I said as I separated from Lumiere, the latter blushing slightly at her public display of vulnerability and doing her best to recompose herself by straightening the strands of her hair. “Why did you take Lady Lumiere’s pendant and hide it?”

“What are you talking about?” Beatrice feigned shock and outrage. “Are you accusing us of thievery? Do you have any evidence?”

“That’s right!” Lydia added. “How presumptuous of you to arbitrarily decide our guilt when you know nothing.”

“Perhaps you should look in the mirror before pointing fingers at others?” Redia bristled.

“I found Lady Lumiere’s pendant in a fountain deep inside the southern courtyard,” I replied coolly, not rising to their bait. “And I found traces of your mana wrapped around the pendant when I retrieved it. All three of you.”

The trio exchanged uneasy glances. To be honest, that wasn’t the truth. Any trace of mana they might leave was negligible, especially since they hadn’t cast any spell on the keepsake, but I couldn’t exactly tell them Silvia informed me of their actions. I might not be a saint, but I wasn’t a snitch either.

“F…fine!” Beatrice folded her arms. “Even if we did, so what? What can you do about it?”

“You…!” Lumiere flared, her clenched fists trembling in anger. “Why? Why would you…?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Lydia scoffed and jabbed a finger at her. “You defied his highness Prince Leonard, making a fool of him. You embarrassed him in public with your excessive displays of power. You’re getting way ahead of yourself for somebody who couldn’t use magic before.”

“We simply wanted to crush that arrogance of yours,” Redia said, her tone incendiary. “You always carried yourself like this distant, aloof princess, your attitude disdainful, as if you were looking down on the rest of us!”

“I never…” Lumiere protested hotly. Flames ignited around her, her mana spilling out of her body, as she was unable to control her emotions.

“See?” Lydia sneered. “Even now, you rely on brute strength and power to silence us. You’re no noble. You’re a witch.”

Lumiere took a shaking step forward, the grass charring under her shoes from the sheer heat. I gently placed a hand on her shoulder, weaving my mana into hers and defusing the flames. She blinked and glanced at me, but I shook my head.

“They aren’t worth it. Let’s go. We’ll report this to the teachers.”

“Go ahead!” Beatrice laughed. “You can try, but it will never amount to anything. My father is a member of the board.”

“That’s right. The teachers are on our side!” Lydia smirked. “There’s no way anyone will take the side of a demon.”

“Except perhaps another demon.” Redia shot me a nasty stare. Man, these three were a piece of work.

Lumiere bristled, her fiery mana threatening to erupt again. However, she held it in, aware that brute force wouldn’t resolve the situation. Even if she enjoyed the satisfaction of beating up these three bitches, they would use it against her and get her expelled for violence, which would lead to her being ostracized and confined to her father’s manor. She would still lose socially and eventually end up repeating the tragedy of her past life.

“Oh, you can try running to your daddy,” Beatrice taunted, eager to fan the flames and provoke a reaction. She gasped in feigned shock and clapped her cheeks. “Ah, I’m sorry. I forgot that you’ve been abandoned by your family.”

“That’s right. How can you forget?” Lydia giggled. “Everybody knows Duke Ombre doesn’t care about his daughter.”

“His lordship wouldn’t bother with such a trivial matter,” Redia agreed. She snickered. “Perhaps we should have auctioned off the pendant instead of throwing it in the fountain.”

“That’s a great idea! Why didn’t I think of it?”

“This seems to be a very interesting conversation.”

At the sudden sharp voice, filled with burning rage, all of us spun in shock, only to see Damien Ombre standing on the main marble path leading to the campus buildings. He was accompanied by a host of dignitaries, including Headmaster Arthur Crowley, the teachers in their purple and gold robes, and other adults in formal noble wear.

“Y…your lordship?” Beatrice spluttered. He glared at her. Not just her, but all three.

“I wonder…whatever gave you the impression that I do not care for my daughter?”

“No…no…I…”

“And why do you believe so confidently that I will simply allow you to steal something so precious from my daughter – a pendant given to her from my late wife – without any consequences?”

“That…that…”

“Headmaster Crowley, it appears that these girls believe they can commit a crime in school, and that the teachers will still be on their side. Is that how you’ve educated your students?”

“Certainly not.” Crowley bowed deferentially before he shot an unreadable look at the trembling trio. His eyes narrowed. “Rest assured, I’ll look into this. I too am curious what led them to believe they’re above the rules simply by virtue of their parent being a member of the academy board.”

“Speaking of which…” Damien turned to a stout man with a neatly trimmed mustache and a formerly ruddy complexion that had turned deathly pale. Under the duke’s gaze, he began to shake, beads of perspiration forming on his face. Damien’s lip curled. “Marquis Regalia, is your daughter’s claim that your presence on the board means that the teachers will take her side true?”

“N…no, that would be p…preposterous!”

“Then why does your daughter believe that?”

“F…Father…” Beatrice looked at Regalia pleadingly. The stout noble swallowed, strode forward and slapped her, much to her shock. She looked up in disbelief, clutching her reddened face, and her voice came out in a whisper. “F…father?”

“S…silence! You’ve shamed our household! I never raised you to be a bully! Make no mistake, when you return home, I’ll be disciplining you!”

“You two as well.” Crowley addressed the trembling Lydia and Redia. “We’ll be launching an inquiry into your actions. Arcana Academy is an esteemed institution for nobles. We do not harbor thieves.”

“N…no…” Lydia and Redia fell to their knees, their eyes hollow when they detected the threat of expulsion underlying his words. Personally, I doubted the headmaster would go that far. Most likely, it would end at a suspension, but still, it was true that they were socially ruined.

Despite their circumstances, the three of them couldn’t help but glance at Lumiere, flabbergasted by the chain of events. Their gazes flickered to Damien, as if trying to piece together what they had heard and the reality unfolding before them.

How could they not know? Oh, right. After the initial father-daughter date, Lumiere and I had spent two months training in the wilderness next to the Ombre estate, far from the public eye and isolated in privacy. Most outsiders had no way of knowing what had transpired within the Ombre manor. No wonder they still thought Damien neglected his daughter.

“Shall we?” Bruno stepped forward. When Crowley nodded, he approached the trio. “You three, come to the staff office with me. We’ll be expecting an explanation.”

“Don’t forget a formal apology,” the headmaster added, glancing surreptitiously at the fuming Ombre. “To Lady Lumiere.”

I watched as a couple of teachers, including Bruno, assisted the trio to their feet and escorted them back in the direction they came from. Crowley murmured words of apology to the delegation and other dignitaries, while Regalia attempted to slink back in and hide his presence, his face still burning from embarrassment. Only Ombre lingered, stopping to check on his daughter.

“Lumi, are you all right?”

“Yes. Sir Trevor found Mother’s pendant for me.” Lumiere clutched the keepsake tightly to her chest.

“We really owe you a mountain of debts.” Damien shook his head wryly before smiling warmly. “Thank you, Sir Trevor.”

“Not at all.”

“But why are you here in school, Father?”

“Ah, are you not aware?” Damien raised an eyebrow. “Arcana Academy is hosting a debutante ball for the new students next month. As a sponsor, I was invited to evaluate their proposal.”

“A debutante ball?” If I recalled correctly, it was a formal, ceremonial event that introduced young nobles to society, allowing them to make their debut, so to speak. Since enrollment in Arcana Academy was usually perceived as coming-of-age, apparently, the school board decided to combine it to mark the new students’ entrance into noble adulthood.

“Yes, so you’ll see me in school pretty often.” Damien winked. “I have to help with the planning and the finances, after all. Speaking of which, Lumi, free up your weekend. We’re going to buy you a new gown for the ball. I won’t settle for any less than you being the star.”

“Ugh…” She groaned and pushed him in the direction of the delegation. “Hurry and go, Father. They’re waiting for you.”

“All right, all right.” He chuckled. “No need to push me.”

After he left, I found myself alone with Lumiere. She clutched her pendant once more, then turned to me.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful…but…you’ve helped us so much. I’m just wondering…why are you going this far? First, my father’s curse. Then the seal on my magic. And now…my mother’s keepsake. We’ve done nothing but receive.”

“Do I need a reason to do the right thing?” I replied. Dad’s words echoed in my mind, and I smiled crookedly. “Noblesse oblige. My dad taught me that it is the responsibility of those with the ability to help others in need.”

She giggled. “And you claim you’re not a saint.”

“I’m not.”

“I suppose not.” She leaned, and I flinched when I felt something warm and damp on my cheek. She withdrew, her cheeks slightly red, and whirled to conceal her embarrassment. While I gaped at her, she smiled gently. “A little reward, a token display of my gratitude. As I said, we’ve done nothing but receive from you, and I wanted to give a little something in return.”

“Um…thanks.”

“Also, make sure you’re free this weekend too.”

“Huh?”

“You heard my father, didn’t you?” She spun and grinned at me, her figure almost radiant with joy. “I’m not the only one who needs a new gown. You also need an appropriate outfit for the debutante ball.”