I Became the Villain’s Daughter – Chapter 64

When I stepped out of the room, I noticed that others inside the student council room were also conducting interviews. I caught the back of a man interviewing Raon and thought, That person must be part of the student council too.

“Oh, are you done?”

Miss Kidson, who was organizing some documents, looked at me and asked. I nodded.

“Yes. I’m heading back to the dorm now.”

“I happen to be going that way too. Would you like to walk together?”

“…Yes.”

She didn’t seem to be lying about having somewhere to go. She picked up a thick folder of documents and rose from her seat. Together, we exited the main building and walked down the corridor.

By now, the sun was already setting, casting a warm orange glow over everything. I paused for a moment, captivated by the light.

Have I… been thinking about this all wrong?

Countless people had approached me because of the name Rosha Hill. Back at home, I hadn’t even noticed how natural it felt, but here, I was confronted with it again—the weight of that name.

Because of that, I had tried to stay quiet, focusing only on my studies. Luke felt the same way, so neither of us had any real “influence” or power to speak of.

But was that really the right choice?

As I stopped, Miss Kidson slowed down and stopped beside me. The sunset cast a soft glow over her face as she slowly spoke.

“I’m sorry about earlier.”

“…?”

I looked at her, puzzled, and she continued.

“I mean the part where I encouraged you to join the student council. In the end, I said it was ‘because of your family,’ but please don’t misunderstand. Even if you weren’t from Rosha Hill, I wouldn’t have suggested it to you.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about Elia.”

“…”

“When I first saw her at the start of the semester, she looked so gloomy. But recently, she’s changed. I believe it’s because you’ve been by her side.”

“…”

“People’s opinions of you say that, though your exterior seems cold, you’re actually kindhearted.”

I quietly listened.

“You said you wanted to be recognized for your own abilities, right?”

“…Yes.”

She smiled faintly.

“If that’s the case, then accept even the name ‘Rosha Hill.’”

“…!”

“That name is part of who you are. If you want to succeed here at the academy—or even in this empire—you’ll realize how much of a blessing it is to carry it.”

“…”

“So, I’ll ask you once more.”

The sunset cast shadows over her olive-colored hair.

“Will you join the student council?”

I froze.

An eternity seemed to pass in silence.

“…I…”

I slowly opened my mouth.

Accept even the name Rosha Hill?

I had never thought about it that way before.

What should I do… from here on?

I’ll wait.

His voice flashed through my mind.

I’ll work harder to be someone you can rely on.

I remembered saying that myself. Then it hit me—I had been walking this path alone to avoid burdening my family, trying to rely only on my own strength.

How foolish.

There was no way my family expected me to do that. Even if I made mistakes, they would accept me, embrace me warmly—just like he would.

I shook my head slightly. Miss Kidson was waiting for my answer. I lifted my head and spoke clearly.

“All right.”

“…!”

“I’ll join the student council.”

I smiled at her.

Joining the student council wouldn’t suddenly change everything. But Miss Kidson was right—if it was Rosha Hill, I shouldn’t run from it or hesitate. I needed to face it. Looking back, not making connections or building influence had actually been a disadvantage.

At least if I wanted to be his strength, I couldn’t do it alone.

Miss Kidson smiled, satisfied with my answer.

“That’s an excellent choice.”

A few days had passed since Miss Solty Kidson had invited me to the student council.

Quick as ever, Solty delivered the council application forms to me that very day. The next day, she handed me the student council badge and officially declared me a member.

As the days went by, the Rose Festival drew closer.

Perhaps because it was my first time attending, the new students were especially lively and boisterous. Everyone was busy and a little on edge, myself included.

“…Why are there so many forms to prepare…?”

I was in despair.

Solty had brightly told me that I only needed to process them by the end of the week. But… there’s no way I can finish this much in a week!

Elia, watching me struggle, carefully spoke up.

“A-are you really busy? Want me to help?”

“Yeah!”

I couldn’t bring myself to refuse, so I handed her some of the paperwork.

“Could you summarize these two, and check the numbers for these ones?”

“U-uh… okay…”

Seeing my desperate expression, Elia took them.

“By the way, you’re preparing something special for this festival, right?”

Raon, standing next to me, asked. He was already helping me count survey participants.

“Yes.”

I had decided to showcase some potions at this year’s festival booth.

Even before coming to this school, I had studied potion-making under my uncle as part of my alchemy major. Thanks to that, I could make a variety of potions—ones that restored vitality, recovered stamina… The professors had told me I had talent, so I wanted to see people actually use potions I had made.

“I got permission from the student council. They’ll probably be displayed at the academy booth. Come check it out if you’re bored.”

“Wow, that’s amazing! Is this a sample?”

Elia’s eyes sparkled. Being from the Administration Department, magic seemed very fascinating to her. I nodded at the bottle of blue potion in her hands.

“Yes. But I still have one more potion to make… so I’ll be working on that tonight.”

“What is it?”

Seeing Elia’s curious face, I hesitated for a moment. Could I tell her? She didn’t seem the type to gossip, so I answered honestly.

“It’s called Fairy’s Prank.”

Luke, beside us, widened his eyes in surprise. He rarely reacted that way, so it felt refreshing to see him like this.

“But that’s—”

“I know, it’s a love potion. Normally, making it requires the professor’s permission. Here’s what happened…”

I explained the situation.

Solty had asked me to make Fairy’s Prank as a prize for a game organized by the student council.

Fairy’s Prank is a love potion that lasts half a day to a day.

The drinker experiences intense excitement toward the opposite sex, mimicking the feeling of love. A precise version can direct this feeling toward one specific person; a general version imprints it on the first person they see.

It’s not a strong potion—just a playful “trick”—and is permitted as such. But using it on someone without their consent is strictly forbidden, even by law.

Solty’s boldness to offer it as a prize, and her speed in getting approval from the professor that same day, was impressive. I ended up unable to refuse, tasked with creating Fairy’s Prank.

“You’ll make it in the dorm, right?”

Elia asked.

“Do you want to help? I’ve never seen potion-making before and I’m curious…”

I gladly agreed.

“You can watch, or help a little from the side. Anyone can do that.”

“Really?!”

Elia blushed and smiled.

“But… only after finishing all these forms.”

“…Ah…”

We worked desperately through the paperwork.

After dinner, Elia and I headed to the central building where the labs were. The spring night air carried a faint scent of flowers, which made me feel refreshed.

Since the potions were for the student council, I was allowed to use the lab at night. Elia had also signed up as an assistant, so there was no problem.

“Hey, Lyla.”

Elia looked up from mixing ingredients.

“Do you want to become a potion master?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure.”

I thought for a moment.

“Alchemy suits me for now, so I’ll keep pursuing it. What about you?”

“I… I’m more into administration. Whether central or local, I’d like a management position—steady pay, even a pension after retirement.”

Elia spoke seriously, unlike her usual clumsy self. She was already thinking about her future. I nodded.

“Got it. Oh, do you have all the ingredients ready?”

“Yes! Here!”

Elia cheerfully walked toward me. I flinched—whenever she was excited, it almost always ended in…

Crash!

Elia tripped. Luckily, she desperately held onto the basket of ingredients, keeping them intact.

“…Are you okay, Elia?”

“Y-yeah! It happens all the time. Hehe…”

I sighed. My main concern wasn’t the ingredients—it was Elia’s knees and future health.

“Be careful—there are fragile and dangerous items here.”

“Okay…!”

“All right, let’s do our best!”

“Yeah!!”

Elia laughed as she helped me.

…Looking back, I shouldn’t have trusted Elia so much. But I was too excited to have an assistant, and the consequences of that foolishness… I fully experienced during the Rose Festival.