I’m a Villainess, Can I Die?

The noblewomen, who had previously only been sneaking glances at the ‘handsome servant’ Aiden, were now turning their bodies entirely to stare at him outright. As if they were watching a monkey trapped in a cage.

Why does this banquet hall have to be so unnecessarily large, splitting people into different groups all over the place?
If it had just been of a reasonable size, then the only group would have been centered around my brother and the imperial princess, the main figures of today’s event.
Then I wouldn’t have had to go through this bizarre spectacle. The situation had now escalated to the level of an interactive theater performance.

“I’m thirsty… but my wrist hurts too much to lift a glass. Could you carry that lemonade for me and follow along?”
Aiden’s eyes curved in that signature gentle smile. The same professional expression he always wore.
Bowing slightly, he picked up the glass of lemonade and followed behind Mia.

Aiden… lemonade… Aiden holding lemonade… Aiden…
Soon, the ever-smiling, attention-seeking Mia arrived in front of me, with Aiden trailing behind her.
Mia shot me a playful wink.

You like this, don’t you, Selina?
“Oh, give me the glass. Thanks for your hard work.”
Without even glancing at Aiden, Mia extended her hand behind her.

Aiden, still smiling as always, carefully placed the glass into her outstretched fingers.
Without turning her head, Mia swiftly pulled the glass toward herself.
Of course, as expected, the lemonade sloshed over the rim, spilling down her dress. The deep red fabric darkened even further.

"Kyaaaah!"
Mia let out a shriek so piercing it made me consider covering my ears. But as I glanced around, I saw that no one else had done so—everyone was too busy staring in wide-eyed shock.
I slowly lowered the hand I had half-raised.

“What… What the hell! Do you have any idea how much this dress costs?!”
“I-I’m so sorry, Lady Mia Lascelle!”
“Sorry? Sorry?! Do you think a mere apology from someone like you is enough to fix this?!”
Mia emphasized each word, pressing a single finger firmly into Aiden’s shoulder.

The problem was that her emphasis wasn’t strong-weak-medium-weak—it was strong-strong-strong-strong, to the point where I worried Aiden’s shoulder might actually get punctured by her sharp nails.
I merely watched the scene in silence, quietly admiring it.
Surprisingly, ever since I mentioned that she was overbearing, I hadn’t said a single word.

This entire mess was Mia’s one-woman show.
She really is quite something.
The surrounding nobles began to murmur among themselves.

A few young ladies—ones who had previously been part of Selina’s entourage—rushed to Mia’s side with insincere exclamations of concern.
“Oh no, what do we do?”
“How terrible…”

Of course, it was obvious they were all connecting telepathically through their shared pettiness.
But shouldn’t the real concern here be Aiden, whose shoulder was about to be perforated?
I tilted my head slightly, observing the situation. It felt like watching a cliché drama unfold, and I was curious to see if the next scene would match my expectations.

Mia, still fuming, suddenly turned sharply toward Aiden and stepped closer.
Then, in a voice quiet enough for only a few nearby people to hear, she whispered to him.
“You lowborn little rat… I don’t know where the hell you crawled in from, but if you’re given a job, at least do it properly. Do you want to get kicked back onto the streets? Well, with that pretty face, I suppose it might actually come in handy.”

The level of this drama had just jumped straight to Love and War territory.
Even in the face of such degrading and blatantly sexual harassment, Aiden only repeated, “I’m sorry,” bowing his head again.
Well, it looks like today’s "King of the Beggars" award goes to Mia.

Mia, no matter how much you want to put on a show for Selina, there are some things you just shouldn’t say.
Think about it—Selina might have been a bitch in the past, but at least she never stooped to sexual harassment.
If past Selina was a total bitch, then as of this moment, Mia had ascended to Queen Bitch.

Now, what should I do? If I step in, everyone will start looking at me.
Of course, they were already looking at me. But there’s a difference between simply being in someone’s line of sight and being the center of attention.
Ugh, she’s exhausting. Absolutely top-tier.

I almost wanted to hand her an award.
Most Annoying, Most Insufferable, and Biggest Pain in the Ass.
As I debated, Mia continued spewing vulgar insults in a hushed tone that only Aiden and I could hear, while Aiden kept his head bowed.

I had no choice.
I’ll say it again—I’m not a shameless person. I do return favors.
Starting today, call me the magpie that repays kindness.

…Wait, was it a swallow?
Seems like animals repay kindness more often than humans do.
Anyway, I decided to repay my debt from earlier and took a step forward.

At the sound of my movement, Mia turned her head. Her eyes gleamed with anticipation.
To match her expectations, I stepped directly between her and Aiden.
Mia flinched and took a step back, startled by the sudden proximity. I could also hear Aiden shifting behind me, as if he, too, had taken a step away.

“Lady Mia.”
I could play along with her.
This translation is the intellectual property of .

Soothe her, side with her just enough, and coax out a half-hearted apology—something like, That was a bit harsh, don’t you think?
But then she’d probably just toss out a dismissive, Ugh, fine, my bad.
I knew better than anyone that an apology like that was worse than nothing.

And worse, she’d start thinking we were close and would keep pestering me.
Mia’s face lit up. She must have thought I was siding with her.
In her head, she was probably already picturing a beautifully dramatic tale of friendship—one that would look utterly ridiculous to everyone else.

But what a shame… The drama about to air is called Plot Twist.
"Your words are so vulgar that I feel like my ears are going to bleed."
I meant it.

Mia blinked in stunned silence, as if trying to determine whether she had misheard me.
Her gaze darted around.
When she saw that the people around us were frozen in place, staring in shock, she must have realized that she hadn’t imagined it. Her face gradually flushed red.

I watched her turning red with the satisfaction of a farmer admiring a ripening tomato, nodding slightly to myself.
"Lady Lascelle, today is a special and noble occasion for my brother, Lord Aaron White, and Her Highness, Princess Ariel. So what is all this commotion about?"
"Se… Selina! I’m the victim here! You saw it—this servant spilled a drink on my dress!"

Mia raised her voice at me, clearly furious about being called vulgar.
"From what I saw, he didn’t spill it—you did, when you carelessly moved the glass while holding it."
"T-That’s not—! Selina!"

Mia cried out my name, her furrowed brows and desperate eyes now carrying something beyond anger—almost a plea.
No, go away. I have no intention of siding with you.
Children need to be raised strong, after all.

Though, of course, not too harshly.
Think of this as tough love, Mia.
At my firm expression, Mia frantically glanced at the young noblewomen around us.

The very same ones who had been clinging to her, offering their empty words of Oh no, what do we do? had now gone stiff, their eyes darting toward me instead.
"Then, my ladies, why don’t you clarify for me? Perhaps I’m feeling unwell today, and my vision is failing me. Did I see something that wasn’t there, or was I correct?"
A question where the answer is already decided.

It was like giving them the choice between taking off all their clothes and performing a strip show in the middle of Rodeo Drive before getting arrested or eating fried chicken.
The answer was obvious. They just needed to say it out loud.
There was no reason to erase the correct answer from the test sheet and check the wrong one instead.

The noblewomen seemed to reach the same conclusion, because one by one, they quietly let go of Mia and began inching away from her. A wise decision, truly.
“T-That… it did… look like Lady Lascelle turned her hand while holding the glass, causing it to spill…”
“Y-Yes… that’s… how it seemed to me too…”

As the noblewomen hesitantly muttered their responses, Mia’s face—already as red as it could get—somehow managed to grow even redder.
So the human body does have its limits.
"Selina! What is wrong with you…? You might not remember, but this servant was your toy! What you’re doing right now is like spitting in your own face!"

Mia leaned in close, whispering through clenched teeth. She was grinding them so hard that her words came out slurred.
"I really don’t remember anything like that. And even if it were true back then, does that mean it should still be true now? Oh, or do I owe some kind of fine?"
"What are you even—"

Mia looked at me in utter confusion.
"Oh, I just thought… maybe there was some kind of quota I wasn’t aware of. Like a special rule I forgot. Something like, 'Bully your servant three times a day or get kicked out of the Seven Princess Gang!' You know, that kind of thing."
“…S-Seven… what…?” Mia’s voice trembled.

"Selina… we were friends! I was just trying to help you remember the way you used to be! That’s why I was playing around like I always do! But… you’re really going too far!"
Wow. The way she’s lying through her teeth just because I said I don’t remember.
Since when did Selina ever say such nasty things to Aiden?

I mean, sure, she said plenty of awful things, but not that kind.
…Wait, am I making excuses for Selina now?
…Selina, Mia, both of you go stand in the corner with your hands up.

But there was one thing I was absolutely certain about.
Friends?
Unfortunately for Mia, she was never actually Selina’s friend.

That much, I knew for sure.
To Selina, Mia and the rest of those noble ladies were nothing more than sycophants.
They were pawns, and nothing more.

I would bet my big toe on the fact that when Selina was dying, hoping someone, anyone would be by her side, Mia’s name wouldn’t have even crossed her mind.
…Right? My big toe is safe, right?
"Oh. I see. So we were friends. But… we aren’t anymore."

“…What?"
"I said, we’re not friends anymore."
I shrugged. The room went silent as all eyes turned to me.

What? Got a problem? Then bring it on.
Ah, but not at me. Try Lucas or Aiden over there.
I slowly blinked at them, wordlessly conveying my message before continuing, deciding to point out something that had been bothering me for a while.

"So from now on, don’t act familiar with me or speak informally."
I let my words sink in before adding,
"…Lady Mia Lascelle, daughter of a marquis."

At that, Mia’s flushed face instantly drained of color.
It wasn’t Chinese magic, but damn, what an impressive skill she had.
I suppose you need some level of talent to play a role with even a little significance.

Alright. I’ve caused enough of a mess—I should make my exit now.
Unlike attention-seeker Mia, I hated being the center of attention.
Besides, the dancing was about to start soon… and I couldn’t dance to save my life.

But I knew the kind of idiots who wouldn’t be able to connect "I lost my memory" with "I can’t dance".
Which meant I’d have to keep repeating, "Sorry, but I don’t know how to dance." over and over again.
I glanced behind Mia, looking for Lucas, wondering if he was still standing off to the side.

And that’s when I locked eyes with him.
Lucas was striding toward me, wearing a polite, formal smile.