When the Villainess Hid Her Identity, Everyone Misunderstood
Episode 9
“What is this?! Who dares shove a dress like this in front of me?!”
Thud!
A gaudy red dress was thrown harshly onto the floor.
Jewels attached to it jingled and scattered everywhere.
“I hate the color. It’s tacky! If you have eyes, use them and look properly!”
The maids lined up in front of me blinked in confusion.
That was understandable—this dress was a latest-release item from the most famous salon in the capital, packed with every trend imaginable.
And yet I kicked it again as it lay on the floor.
“When did I ever say I’d wear something this cheap? Hmph. Madame Clara has definitely fallen out of fashion. Bring me something else immediately!”
“P-Please, Princess. We’ll bring another dress right away, so please calm down.”
……Huh?
Just as I was preparing to escalate my tantrum, I narrowed my eyes at their unusually calm reaction.
Normally by now, the youngest maid would be trembling, and her superior would be bowing frantically, begging for forgiveness from me…
I scanned the room, feeling something off.
“Well, this dress actually does suit the princess quite well. What a waste.”
“But if she says she dislikes it, there’s nothing we can do.”
What’s going on? Why is everyone acting normal?
I tilted my head, then raised my voice again in irritation.
“Fine! I heard Brunhilde Salon’s dresses are in fashion these days. Bring me the one Princess Imperial wore at the last banquet!”
“Eh? The Brunhilde Salon dresses have a waiting time of at least a week…”
“Who do you think I am?! Use the Rosenthal name and get it here!”
“Y-Yes, yes… please wait a moment, Princess. Don’t worry, we’ll bring it right away. Please have some cookies while you wait.”
“We also brought the tea you like, Princess.”
……?
What is this? Is the world filming a prank show on me?
Even though I was making unreasonable demands, their reactions were oddly warm and calm… as if they were dealing with a sulking younger sister.
Ding!
[You have obtained the title <Soft on the Outside, Fiery on the Inside Princess>.]
[Reputation +50 / Loyalty +20]
“…?”
What nonsense is this?
I flinched at the status window that kept popping up.
Ding!
[You have obtained the title <Tsundere at First Sight>.]
[Reputation +50 / Loyalty +20]
Ding!
[You have obtained the title <Cursing Angel Princess>.]
[Reputation +50 / Loyalty +20]
What… what is this?!
At that moment, I heard the maids whispering among themselves.
“See? She gets angry, but she never actually hurts anyone. She throws things, but never at us.”
“It’s true! She’s like a spoiled younger sister, haha.”
“Honestly, she’s such a tsundere… I even heard she paid for Sir Maren’s younger sister’s tuition.”
“Of course I heard. Jini was crying so hard, saying she’ll serve the princess for the rest of her life.”
This isn’t it…!
They were talking about me openly right in front of me—no, not exactly gossip… more like praise…?
But that wasn’t the point!
“You… how dare you mock me?!”
But instead of being frightened, they only tried to soothe me like a child.
“Oh my, Princess. How about this dress? It would suit you perfectly.”
“What?”
“You’re so beautiful that anything would look good on you anyway.”
“If you match it with jewelry of the same color, you’ll shine even brighter!”
“That’s right! Your hair is so gorgeous, Princess. With this accessory, you’d look like a goddess descended from the heavens!”
“……”
Damn it. I couldn’t tell if I was happy or angry.
No—wait. Was this actually a good thing…?
“Hohho, you’re truly beautiful! Shall we prepare more options, Princess?”
“Blue would also look amazing on you!”
While I stood there opening and closing my mouth like a fish, they grew more excited and began chattering among themselves.
I silently watched them, then slowly lowered my head.
Being treated like a child by my enemies was… infuriating as a villainess.
“…Get out.”
“Pardon?”
“I said get out! All of you!”
Ding!
[You have obtained the title <Sulking Little Sister>.]
[Reputation +20 / Loyalty +10]
“Huff… huff…”
After chasing all the maids out, I slumped into a chair and caught my breath.
Why… why is loyalty increasing when I’m acting like a villainess?!
[Additional effects activate upon acquiring titles.]
That’s not what I’m asking!!
Anyway, I relaxed my body and let go of tension.
More importantly, it was about time something got caught on the hook.
I had already set the bait so that Jonas would bite properly.
The most important point was that catching Jonas alone wouldn’t solve this situation.
We didn’t even know how many spies had infiltrated the ducal household.
That was the real problem.
So the first thing I did was leak new information to Duke Rosenthal.
Since I had limitations on my own movements, using others was simple enough.
First, I forged documents.
“Was the field supervisor of the Conrad Mine named F. Gerald?”
I recreated documents identical to those I had stolen from Jonas’s desk. I needed to keep the original hidden safely.
Then I sealed the copied documents in an envelope, making them look like they had come directly from the Conrad Mine, and placed them on the Duke’s desk.
He would definitely find it suspicious.
Whether he thought it was forged or simply an error, he would likely delay the transfer schedule of the Conrad Mine.
That was just the kind of man he was.
And then, three days later—
“What?”
“I heard Sir Maren is going on a business trip to Lorelei today. It seems his younger sister attends an academy in that region as well.”
Jini, who was combing my hair, spoke.
I froze.
Lorelei. A familiar name.
“The region where the Conrad Mine is located…”
Wait. So does that mean a special audit team has been formed?
He must have seen the forged documents and decided to investigate.
Things were going smoothly!
“Sir Maren also said his younger sister really admires the prin—”
“Agh! How are you even combing my hair?! Are you trying to rip it all out?!”
In irritation, I snatched the comb and threw it away, as if someone had painfully pulled my hair out.
But Jini calmly picked it up again as if she was used to it.
“Oh dear, Princess. If you keep throwing things like that, we’ll run out of belongings.”
Her tone was so natural it didn’t even feel like she was bothered.
Are they seriously not even seeing me as a villainess anymore…? No, that’s not the issue right now.
If a special audit team really was being formed, Jonas would already be getting anxious. This was my chance.
I needed to go see the Duke immediately.
I sprang up and rushed out, but right in front of the office I collided with someone.
“Ah—brother?”
A man who looked so similar to Duke Rosenthal that he could have been his younger self.
Kilian Rosenthal. Eveline’s older brother.
“So you’ve caused trouble again, Eveline.”
His eyes were full of annoyance.
Why is Kilian already here?
After being granted the title of sub-duke, he had been managing his territory personally. He wasn’t supposed to return to the capital for several more months.
Why did the timeline change?
…Because of me?
“Brother, you’ve arrived early.”
“Yes. I had matters to discuss with Father regarding the mines… Hm, more importantly, I heard you broke off your engagement with the Crown Prince?”
Ah. So it really was because of me.
“Truly, that is good news. Thanks to you, Father and I have twice the work now. Should I be thanking you?”
As he spoke, Kilian looked down at me with faint contempt.
He despised me and saw me as nothing but a disgrace to the family.
And honestly, that wasn’t wrong.
Because I was Eveline.
“It’s just a temporary whim of His Highness. If Father puts in a little effort, I can still get him back. I don’t understand why everyone keeps stopping me.”
Kilian stared at me silently for a moment.
Then he slowly closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
“Fine. If that is truly what you believe, I have nothing more to say.”
“….”
“But at least don’t say such things in front of me.”
I turned my head away with a hmpf.
Kilian sighed again and spoke once more.
“By the way, what are you doing here? Coming all the way to the office is unusual.”
“I came because I have something to tell Father. Isn’t that obvious?”
“….”
Try me, you stiff bastard.
Teasing Kilian was easier than I expected.
Leaving him speechless, I slipped into the office first.
“Father!”
“…Eveline.”
The Duke of Rosenthal lifted his head, massaging his temple with a frown.
Ignoring him, I ran up with a bright smile.
I slammed my hands onto his desk and declared immediately:
“I want a blue diamond!”
“…What?”
Plan Two.
The bait operation begins!
