I’m a Villainess, Can I Die?

“Lady Selina!”

“Oh my! My lady! Are you all right?”
Ah, what a mess.
As the blood started circulating back into my head, I realized my hand had been covering Aiden’s mouth for far too long.

Sorry, Aiden. But I did wipe my hands earlier.
Given the situation, it wasn’t long before the servants swarmed around us.
I was practically collapsed on the floor, with Aiden supporting my back in a rather awkward position. I tapped his shoulder lightly, signaling him to step aside.

Old habits die hard.
Aiden immediately understood my signal and withdrew his hands from my back, helping me to my feet.
“I’m fine. I just felt a bit dizzy and lost my balance. Thanks to Aiden, I didn’t get hurt. Thank you, Aiden.”

“…It was nothing. I simply did my duty.”
Aiden responded stiffly, forcing a smile. His acting skills had definitely declined compared to before.
Fortunately, it seemed no one had witnessed me actually misstepping and nearly falling. It was a chaotic day, and most of the staff were occupied with the banquet hall.

After standing up completely, I assured the servants that it was nothing and told them not to make a fuss or report anything. Once dismissed, they all returned to their respective duties.
However, even after everyone had left, Aiden continued to hold my shoulder and support me.
No one was around, yet he was still playing his role to the fullest.

Was he a method actor or something?
Just a moment ago, I thought his acting had worsened. I take it back.
A true professional is a true professional.

I wondered if I should lean into it and loosen my legs a bit more for effect as we arrived at my door.
“Well then, my lady. I’ll send the maids to fix your dress. Please take a short rest until then.”
Aiden opened the door and bowed.
Earlier, he had at least been forcing an awkward smile. Now, even that was gone—his face was stiff.

“Aiden.”
“Yes?”
“I told you, if you ever mention magic, I’ll cut your tongue out.”

Aiden let out a quiet “Ah…” as his already pale face turned even paler—no, it was shifting to a shade of blue.
So that’s why he looked so tense.
Seeing the exact reaction I expected, I nodded and took a step closer to him.

“But I’ll let it slide this time. In return, keep today’s events a secret too. Let’s just say I got a little dizzy.”
“…What?”
That’s how life works. It always has.

When someone above you gives an order, you follow it. Even if it’s complete nonsense.
In fact, what I was doing was basically saying, “Hand over your bundle since I saved you from drowning.”
No, it was worse than that. It was more like, “Give me your bundle, too,” while pointing a gun at him.

“Promise.”
Instead of a gun, I held out my pinky.
Aiden stared blankly at my finger for a moment before hesitating, his stiff expression softening into a small smile. Slowly, he hooked his pinky around mine.

“I promise.”
Good. If you break it, I really will cut your tongue out. Not that I’d actually have the guts to do it…
Anyway, satisfied that I had secured his silence, I nodded approvingly and told him he could leave.

Aiden bowed and closed the door behind him… only to suddenly fling it open again.
Huh? What now?
Aiden stood outside the door, his face clouded with unease and urgency.

Did he see a bug or something? I vaguely remembered that in the book, Aiden absolutely despised bugs.
If it was a bug, what should I use to squash it? I glanced around, but before I could find a weapon, footsteps echoed down the corridor.
The sound grew louder, approaching this way.

“What are you doing?”
The voice belonged to someone I knew far too well.
This translation is the intellectual property of .

Ah, I think I’m going to faint.
“No… It’s nothing at all. I’ll go fetch the maids now. Please, go ahead and talk.”
At the arrival of the uninvited guest, the tension in Aiden’s face completely disappeared.

Unlike my rapidly deteriorating mood, he greeted the newcomer with a tone so light and fresh it was almost cheerful. Then, before anyone could stop him, he scurried away.
“Lady Selina.”
Just great. He dumped this tiresome man onto me.

“Yes, Sir Lukas.”
“It’s about time to head to the banquet hall… but, my lady, what happened to your dress?”
Did he just say “what happened to your dress?” That’s a bit harsh.

How bad could it really be…?
Oh. It’s bad.
The reflection in the mirror showed someone entirely different from the neatly dressed person I was earlier.

Dresses were already difficult to wear, and maintaining them was even harder.
Thanks to all the commotion, the hem had become wrinkled and disheveled, and the overall shape was completely off. My once tidy hair had also come undone.
Maids… I’m sorry.

Looking at the time, there was less than an hour left until the engagement ceremony.
“You’re right. I look like a complete mess.”
“So that’s why Aiden mentioned calling the maids.”

Ah, that’s right. Aiden did say he’d send them.
I suppose even he thought I needed their help.
Now that I no longer needed to ring the servant’s bell myself, I simply stood there and waited.

Feeling guilty was one thing, but fixing a dress myself was another matter entirely. Standing still and waiting was clearly the best way to help.
“…Are you not going to sit down?”
"I don't trust myself to sit in this dress. Ah, but you can, Sir Lukas."

"Very well, I’ll sit then."
As he replied, I saw through the mirror how he quickly pulled out a chair from the tea table behind me and sat down.
Lukas had clearly made up his mind to show not even the slightest trace of pretense in front of me.

No, actually, that was an understatement. He was being excessively extreme.
I had never read a novel where a knight sat first while the lady remained standing.
Well… but that’s in other novels… and this one… Wait, did Lukas act like this with the heroine too?

He had certainly abandoned all pretense with Ariel as well.
"May I ask what happened to your dress?"
"What if I say no?"

Lukas merely shrugged, the corners of his lips curling into that ever-villainous smirk.
Ugh, I’m exhausted.
He never acted strategically around the heroine. He was completely, bluntly, and genuinely affectionate toward her.

Lukas whispered sweet words to Ariel and treated her with kindness, not because he was calculating something in return, but simply because he loved her.
Of course, I wasn’t expecting that kind of treatment, but… I only told him to stop acting because I hated being around people who calculated their every move around me. But after abandoning pretense, Lukas hadn’t just stopped being calculative—he had turned into a full-blown human calculator.
Rather than considering things in a roundabout way, he calculated the most direct and efficient route possible.

Wait… was I confusing him with a character from another novel?
I glanced at Lukas, who was still looking at me with that relaxed smile.
Yeah… I might have mixed things up.

To be fair, I had read more than ten similar novels aloud to my younger sibling. That kid had a habit of latching onto a specific genre and making me read until my throat was sore.
The only reason I even remembered this book was because it was the last romance novel I had read to them. The story had zoomed past in a single volume, so it was easy to recall.
And even then, it had been a completely pointless book, overflowing with unnecessary embellishments.

Still, thanks to that awful book, my sibling had declared that they were done with romance altogether, and my throat was spared…
Wait, that’s not the point right now.
The important thing is that I might have mistaken one character for another when I told him to stop pretending.

If not… then maybe he just approached honesty differently when it came to love versus everything else.
Like friendship… friendship?
"Sir Lukas."

"Yes?"
I turned away from the mirror and faced him directly. His violet eyes, still locked onto me, shimmered with amusement.
"Are you trying to be friends with me?"

"...What?"
"I’m asking if you’re trying to be my friend."
As I said the word “friend,” I suddenly recalled the youth novels I used to read to my sibling.

Their friendships weren’t just honest—they were brutally, factually honest.
Lukas’s behavior toward me felt similar to that.
If that’s what real friendship looked like… then maybe Lukas saw me as a friend.

That seemed like the most reasonable explanation.
His unfamiliar bluntness could only be explained by that.
Lukas didn’t respond immediately. He pursed his lips, gaze drifting into the distance as if in thought. His free hand tapped lightly against his thigh.

After a brief moment of contemplation, his eyes returned to mine.
"Something like that, I suppose."
Something like that?

"I think I do consider you… something close to a friend. Of course, if that’s what you wish, Lady Selina."
Lukas lowered the hand propping up his chin and reached for mine.
As he clasped my hand and lifted it slowly, his gaze lowered, following the movement. And then, his lips brushed lightly against the back of my hand.

I felt absolutely nothing.
And the biggest problem was—
"I don’t want to be friends."

I had no intention of being friends with Lukas. Let alone anything more.
This wasn’t about me holding a grudge.
Absolutely not. No way.

The truth is, I don’t intend to be friends with anyone.
Because I’ll be dead soon.
From the beginning, I had narrowed my choices down to two options:

Ensure there were people who would grieve my death when I inevitably succumbed to illness at twenty-three.
Choose death before the illness could take me.
After a quick KO, I had settled on option two.

That decision hadn't changed.
And in the second option, friends were completely unnecessary.
"Are you taking revenge?"

Lukas placed my hand back in its original position and smiled faintly.
Revenge, huh.
That would only make sense if I still held a deep grudge over what happened.

"Interpret it however you like."
"In that case, I’ll give up on friendship and—"
Knock, knock.

"Lady Selina, we’ve come to check your attire once more."
From outside the door, a maid’s voice cut Lukas off.
Lukas rose from his seat, straightening his tailcoat with practiced ease.

Now he looked the part of a well-mannered, courteous gentleman.
I could wait for him to finish adjusting himself. I knew how important formalities were to this man.
But standing idly felt silly, so I casually walked toward the door.

Once I reached it, I placed my hand on the doorknob and glanced back to see if Lukas had finished tidying up.
At that exact moment, in the still-empty room, his voice rang out—low, playful, and conspiratorial.
A whisper meant only for me.

"In that case… I shall be the cherished friend of my cherished friend’s dear sibling."
Click.
I was so dumbfounded that I unconsciously gripped the doorknob harder. It turned easily beneath my fingers.

The door swung open without warning, throwing me off balance, and I lurched forward.
I might have just run faster than I ever had in my entire life.
Fortunately, I didn’t fall. I managed to stumble to a stop, bracing myself against the opposite wall with my hands.

…Honestly, I might as well have just fallen.
The group of maids waiting outside the door blinked wide-eyed at me. Then, in eerie unison, they inhaled sharply and pressed their lips together to stifle laughter.
…Again, I repeat—the benefit of power is that you can laugh freely like the man still chuckling behind me.

Those without power… have to hold back their laughter like the poor maids beside me, their eyes misty as they struggle to keep a straight face.
Honestly, they should just laugh.