I Became the Master of the Villain

Freshly picked, vibrant flowers from the garden were arranged on the tea table. Fine teacups and a teapot were set, along with various desserts to accompany the tea.
“Good, this should be enough.”

Just as I nodded in satisfaction, a servant announced,
“Young Lady, your guests have arrived.”
Women in elaborate dresses entered the tea party venue.

“Thank you for inviting us, Lady Olivia.”
I greeted them with a bright smile.
“Welcome.”

It had been a while since I invited women my age to the mansion for conversation. This tea party was born out of the realization that I had been neglecting social activities too much, using busyness as an excuse.
“Really, how have you been all this time? It’s been so hard to see your face...”
Lady Rose of House Campbell spoke, making no attempt to hide her discontent. As she said, I really had not shown my face at any social gatherings recently.

I consoled the ladies who expressed their disappointment.
“Let’s meet more often from now on and talk together.”
When I sincerely expressed my apology, they seemed to soften. Rose spoke again.

“Are you feeling better now?”
“We were worried when we heard you were attacked by an assassin.”
“Sir Kian was with you at the time too, wasn’t he?”

The ladies eagerly bombarded me with questions.
I gave them a brief summary of the incident.
“So Sir Kian was the one who defeated the assassins?”

When they heard that Kian had risked his life to protect me, the ladies seemed touched.
“Oh my, how romantic.”
Looking back on it, it was more terrifying than romantic. But I suppose it’s natural to think that way when you didn’t experience it yourself.
At that moment, Lady Rose, who had been slightly parting her lips as if she had something to say all along, spoke with sparkling eyes.

“By the way, have you all heard the news?”
“What news?”
“That Sir Kian defeated the wyverns!”

“Of course we’ve heard. They say he took down over a hundred magical beasts all on his own!”
Tales of knights and mages were always a fun topic of conversation. Everyone began enthusiastically discussing Kian’s exploits.
I savored the aroma of rich black tea as I listened to their chatter. Hearing others praise Kian naturally put me in a good mood.

“Being strong is great, but he’s so handsome too.”
“Right? I’ve never seen such beautiful silver hair before. And those blue eyes like the sea… just stunning.”
“It’s not just the looks. Now that he’s the commander of the Imperial Magic Division, he must be getting an enormous annual salary.”

“Status and wealth! Sir Kian has it all.”
One of the young ladies, spreading clotted cream on a scone, said,
“Sir Kian will attend the upcoming banquet too, right?”

“Of course he will!”
The banquet they were referring to was the one being held in a few days to celebrate the return of the Second Prince.
“Come to think of it, I’m curious.”

“About what?”
“About His Highness the Second Prince. We’ve never had a chance to meet him before, have we?”
Second Prince Alexis. The prince who was exiled to the northern border under the charge of heresy. Now he was returning to the Capital after ten years.

Though he still carried the label of heretic, he was still royalty. And thanks to the spread of tales of his feats in the north, public interest in the Second Prince had reached a peak.
The young ladies were no exception.
“If he’s a Sword Master, then he must be incredibly strong, right?”

“I heard that even high-grade monsters are no match for him once he draws his sword.”
“Oh my, how dashing!”
The ladies exclaimed excitedly. One of them timidly offered a dissenting opinion.

“But still… men who are only strong and rough aren’t really my type...”
At that, Lady Rose waved her finger side to side and said,
“You’re mistaken. His Highness the Prince is tall, strikingly handsome, and kind.”

“Really?”
Lady Rose nodded. She said her mother was from the north, and during her visits she’d seen the Second Prince a few times. Lady Rose continued,
“And that’s not all. He has a great body too. His shoulders, and those muscles—”

“Oh my, Lady Rose! You can’t say things like that!”
“Oh come on, why not? Everyone was curious anyway.”
It was the age for it. The young ladies pretended otherwise, but they were all interested in men. They egged Lady Rose on to share more stories about the Second Prince.

And just as every last piece of gossip about him had been dragged out, one of the young ladies finally changed the subject.
“With banquets one after another, choosing dresses is such a hassle.”
The young lady sitting across from her responded,

“Same here. I’m at a loss over what to wear this time.”
“I think I’ll have to get a new dress made. I don’t like any of the ones I have now…”
“Then how about Garnier Boutique? Their dress designs are so unique, they really catch the eye.”

A familiar shop name came up. Garnier Boutique—that was Isabella’s shop. That’s where Anna worked as a seamstress.
I wonder how Anna’s been doing. It’s been a while since I last saw her… maybe I should check in and buy a new dress while I’m at it.
After the tea party ended, I quickly got ready to go out. I took an escort knight with me and boarded the carriage. Passing through the central plaza and heading south, I arrived at the street lined with dress shops.

“Stop here.”
I stopped the carriage in front of Isabella’s boutique. When I stepped inside, a clerk greeted me with a bright smile.
“Welcome to Garnier Boutique. How may I assist you?”

I lightly glanced around the store. But Anna wasn’t in sight.
“Isn’t there a seamstress here named Anna?”
“Ah, yes. You’re looking for Anna? She’s probably talking with Lady Isabella right now… shall I call her?”

Were they talking business? Then I shouldn’t interrupt.
“It’s alright. I’ll just browse while I wait.”
The clerk smiled kindly and said,

“In that case, would you like to look at the new dresses?”
“Sure.”
From the dresses the clerk showed me, I picked out a few that caught my eye. Time passed quickly while I shopped. And yet, Anna and Isabella still hadn’t appeared.

With no other choice, I headed upstairs.
Dozens of sketches were scattered across a table, and Anna and Isabella were in the middle of a heated discussion.
“It’s a good idea, but I’m not sure if it has market potential.”

“You won’t know until you try it.”
“That’s true, but don’t you think it’s too experimental? A black dress is…”
At that moment, Isabella saw me and stopped speaking.

“That’s enough for today. We have a guest.”
At the word ‘guest’, Anna looked up.
“Milady!”

Her voice calling out to me was full of joy. Anna quickly approached /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ me.
“Have you been well, Anna?”
When I asked, Anna nodded. A hint of concern showed in her dark eyes.

“Are you fully recovered now?”
“As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
It seemed Anna had heard about the assassin attack too. She gritted her teeth and said,

“Whoever dared lay a hand on Milady… whoever it was, they won’t die peacefully.”
A fierce aura radiated from her. She looked like she’d grab a hammer and smash that bastard’s skull the moment she found out who it was.
I smiled gently, thankful for her concern.

“You looked busy—did I interrupt anything?”
“It’s alright. We were just about done.”
“Then, would you like to have dinner with me?”

Before she could answer, Isabella spoke. She gave Anna a glance and said,
“Anna, take the rest of the day off.”
“Huh? But there’s still time left in my shift…”

“You’ve been working without a break, even on your days off. I don’t want to be labeled a tyrant boss, so just go.”
Her tone might’ve sounded stern, but Isabella was clearly being considerate. I chimed in,
“She’s right. You need a break once in a while.”

“If Milady insists…”
With my support added, Anna finally accepted Isabella’s suggestion.
***

The inside of the restaurant, decorated with luxurious interior designs, was full of well-dressed nobles. Looking around, Anna said,
“I’m not sure if I should even be in a place like this.”
“Why not? Your style is absolutely stunning, Anna.”

“Do you really think so?”
“Of course.”
While we waited for the food we ordered, I asked Anna,

“Did you design the dress you’re wearing now?”
Anna wore a dress with hardly any frills or decorations. And yet, it didn’t look plain or dull. Rather, it appeared simple yet elegant.
Anna said,

“I’ve thought this before, but you really have a good eye, Milady.”
“Haha… is that so?”
It wasn’t really about having a good eye—I had just read the original novel.

I took a sip of the red wine served as an aperitif and casually changed the subject.
“About what you were talking about earlier with Isabella.”
I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but I did hear Isabella mention a black dress, I think.

“Is it true you want to make a black dress?”
“Yes. Black is an elegant and attractive color. I don’t see why it can’t be used in party dress designs.”
Anna spoke confidently, then let out a small sigh.

“But it seems Miss Isabella doesn’t understand my thinking.”
Well, of course. In this era, black dresses were still strongly associated with mourning clothes. People believed it inappropriate to wear them to parties or gatherings.
“She said we might be able to try it as an experiment, but it probably won’t suit the customers’ tastes.”

“So… are you going to give up?”
“Of course not. I’ll take it as far as I can.”
She replied with a determined look. That’s just like Anna.

I’ve always liked people who don’t give up on their convictions so easily.
“Then go ahead and make it. Don’t worry about the production costs. I’ll help you.”
“…Pardon?”

Anna blinked in surprise. After a moment of hesitation, she shook her head.
“Thank you for saying that, but… I can’t keep taking advantage of your generosity, Milady.”
While stabbing a scallop appetizer with my fork, I said,

“I think you misunderstood me. I’m not doing this as a favor. I’m investing in you. I wouldn’t help without expecting a return. I’m saying I want to help because I think it’ll be profitable.”
Her clothes might be ignored at first. People are instinctively resistant to unfamiliar things. But eventually, they’ll recognize the true value of what she creates. And they’ll probably call her designs revolutionary.
Because the clothes she makes will be unlike anything that’s existed before.

If she takes just one more bold step, I’m sure she’ll soar even higher.
I decided to give her that extra push.
“What do you say—want to go into business with me?”

It wasn’t hard to guess what Anna’s answer would be. She’s the kind of person who doesn’t let opportunities pass her by.
Sure enough, after a brief moment of thought, Anna replied,
“Alright.”

She smiled gently and added,
“If I’m partnering with someone I admire, I have no reason to refuse.”
***

“When the dress is finished, I’ll show it to you first, Milady.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
We ended our dinner on a warm note and got up from our seats. After settling the bill, we stepped out of the restaurant.

I thought we might take a short walk to get some fresh air—
“Please wait a moment!”
Someone called out urgently behind me.

“You left this behind!”
It was a server from the restaurant. In his hand was my bag.
No wonder I’d been feeling oddly bare at my side.

Until Sir Hans returned, my temporary escort was Sir Philip. He said,
“I’ll retrieve it for you.”
But just then—someone suddenly snatched the bag from the server’s hand. And took off running at full speed.

The server, who’d had the bag ripped from his hands in the blink of an eye, shouted in a near-wail,
“Thief!”