I’ve Become the Villain’s Daughter – Chapter 67
“Ho.”
Eit’s cold voice cut through the morning air.
Eit—at least as far as I knew him—had never once drawn his sword in public. Today, at the festival, it was no different; a sharp, blue-hued longsword hung at his waist.
His hand was already halfway to the hilt.
“To dare confess your love for our Laila in front of me… I’ll have to admit, you’ve got guts.”
“…You…!?”
Raon seemed to have noticed Eit a little late.
But by then, his gaze had already gone slack. In other words, he saw nothing at all.
I didn’t know how much rose tea he had drunk today, but judging by his initial reaction, Raon seemed to be the one in the most critical state. Even now, it was obvious.
Perhaps the fairy’s prank had emboldened him, because he raised both fists tightly and shouted at Eit.
“No matter how much you are called the ‘Sword Saint’… you cannot stop my love for Lady Laila!”
“Indeed, you speak boldly.”
Despite it being a spring day, a cold wind seemed to pass between us.
“Are you a swordsman too?”
Eit glanced at the sword hanging from Raon’s waist. Raon didn’t flinch at the cold reaction and nodded vigorously.
“Yes. I am Raon Diud, firstborn of the Diud family! I have inherited every sword technique passed down through generations! If you intend to interfere with my love, then I will duel you!”
“Very well!”
Eit had already cleared a space in the open field.
“Let’s see if your swordsmanship matches your courage!”
In a flash, he drew his sword. Sunlight gleamed along the blade, scattering dazzling reflections. It was a breathtaking sight, yet chilling in its intensity.
“Just what I wanted!”
Raon didn’t back down. He drew his sword. Since becoming friends with Raon, I had realized that he valued chivalry above all else. And now, in front of a stranger, he brandished his sword without hesitation. He looked utterly desperate.
…But still.
‘What if they actually start fighting…?’
The festival staff had gathered around us in a circle. I wished someone would intervene, but the two of them weren’t showing any sign of stopping. The onlookers were murmuring, “Is this part of the festival?” or “How impressive!”
I watched the scene helplessly when Salty grabbed my hand.
“-Now’s our chance.”
“Huh…?”
“Quickly! There’s no time.”
“Haah!”
“Ha!”
They had already exchanged several moves. I nodded to myself. They could handle this on their own. My only option was to run.
Salty was an excellent assistant. As soon as we arrived at the practice hall, she rolled up her sleeves and helped me with potion-making.
“What ingredients do you need?”
“First, unicorn horn powder, several petals, Ramond powder, ten grams of gold… the neutralization method reverses the original potion, so we start with these!”
Even though she was in administration and rarely came to the magic department, her extraordinary organizational skills allowed her to quickly find the ingredients from countless drawers. Her precision in measurement was unmatched—even one milligram was exact.
But I didn’t have time to admire her.
I quickly placed the reagents over the flame and began brewing the fairy prank-neutralizing potion. To make it more effective, I added the finest magic powders I had.
“How long will it take?”
Salty asked anxiously. I sliced the roots carefully while replying.
“Normally, it would take at least a day to mature. But this is urgent, so I’m doubling the ingredients. Brew it for an hour, then administer it, and it should work well enough.”
“…Thank goodness.”
“We can’t be careless, though.”
Even as we worked, I shivered at the thought that other candidates were looking for me. I hoped none were heading up to this practice hall now. Perhaps sensing my fear, Salty locked the practice room door securely.
The academy was vast, and during the festival, wandering through Levecam was easy. They wouldn’t find me quickly—except Raon, perhaps.
Once all the ingredients were in, I finally exhaled in relief. Salty spoke quietly behind me.
“I’m sorry.”
“…Huh?”
Did I hear that wrong? Looking at her in surprise, I saw her unusually dejected expression.
“It’s my fault.”
I blinked.
“N-No. It’s not your fault, Lady Salty.”
“No… I left the fairy prank where anyone could touch it. And I didn’t fully understand its dangers. I even asked you to make it as a product, not knowing it would have such a strong effect.”
She sighed, looking exhausted. Dark circles lay beneath her eyes. I had worked hard preparing for the festival, but as vice president, she must have endured far more. And being so responsible, she would blame herself more than anyone.
“It’s not your fault. Things just happened to line up this way.”
Negligence… was partly true, but if Elia hadn’t been careless, this wouldn’t have happened. Besides, the student council room is off-limits to others. Leaving the fairy prank there wasn’t a serious mistake.
Also, I had no idea the potion would work this well.
“It might sound odd, but… I think I have a talent for potions. Everything I make works exceptionally well…”
I said shyly, and Salty smiled faintly.
“You truly are kind, Princess.”
“…Huh?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Salty shook her head.
“But this is serious.”
I sighed.
“The candidates are all dizzy and dazed. They’re the highlight of the festival, after all. And I can’t stay here either—we invited family and friends.”
“You mean the guests from outside?”
“Yes, remember? Elder Brother Light and Princess Eveharun are coming.”
And Thea too. I muttered this to myself when Salty suddenly jumped up.
“Princess… Eveharun?!”
I widened my eyes in shock. I had never seen her react this intensely.
“Excuse me, but you mean the first princess of Peregrin?”
“…Yes. Do you know Eveharun?”
“Of course I do.”
Salty’s face flushed red.
“I truly respect her.”
“Ah…”
It seemed Salty was a fan of Eveharun. Understandable. She had been steadily building her influence in both society and politics, and simply being a Peregrin already drew attention. Add beauty and competence, and she was practically perfect.
Salty’s eyes sparkled dreamily.
“She’s amazing. This spring, the drought-prevention policy she introduced in Peregrin was almost revolutionary. It was piloted in her territory, achieving roughly 80% better results than other regions. Anyone knowledgeable knows Eveharun is behind it.”
‘She seems to know more about Eveharun than I do…’
I stirred the potion as I spoke.
“Then, shall we go greet her later?”
“G-Greet her?”
“Yes. She’ll probably be delighted.”
Salty went silent. Confused, I looked at her, and she grabbed my hand.
“It’s an honor.”
Seeing the intensity—bordering on fanatical—in her eyes, I couldn’t help but sweat.
The potion was nearing completion.
Golden bubbles burst, casting a mesmerizing glow. Its color was rich as honey, with a dreamy fragrance like a celestial flower.
“Almost done?”
Salty peered over.
“Yes. Once it’s refined and stored in the vials…”
We had started with a full cauldron, but after refining, less than 10ml remained. Its resemblance to honey explained Elia’s earlier confusion.
The potion in the vials shimmered with golden light.
It was complete.
“All that’s left is to administer it to the others.”
I met Salty’s eyes firmly. She suggested:
“Shall we return to the student council room? We can use the amplification spell to call the scattered candidates, then give them each a dose. They’ll obey Lady Laila’s instructions, I’m sure.”
“Good idea! Let’s go!”
We dashed to the student council room. Luckily, we didn’t encounter a single candidate along the way.
Entering the room, we were speechless at the chaos inside. What on earth had the candidates done? Chairs were overturned, and cushions were ripped open with stuffing flying everywhere.
“…We’ll clean later…”
“Let’s broadcast immediately.”
I quickly grabbed the microphone. The magical announcement transmitted through the school.
[Attention. Candidates for the Rose Queen and Rose King of the Rose Festival, please report immediately to the student council room. Again, candidates for the Rose Queen and Rose King, please report urgently to the student council room…]
Hesitating for a moment, I added:
[…You are being summoned by Lady Laila Rosahill of the Student Council.]
Surely no one would ignore that… right?
I anxiously watched the door while Salty prepared the tea with the fairy-prank-neutralizing potion. Once consumed, everyone would return to normal.
The candidates responded quickly.
