I’m a Villainess, Can I Die?

The people beyond us were sneaking glances in our direction, murmuring amongst themselves.

I could only hope that I wasn’t the subject of their conversation.
“Lady Selina seemed to be without a handkerchief, so please, use this for now.”
At Lukas’s words, Jacob’s expression stiffened for a moment. He quickly forced a smile, but the corner of his lips twitched awkwardly.

Weird. He hadn’t even flinched when confessing his so-called love at first sight, yet now, he was visibly shaken just from looking at Lukas.
Was I just a decoy, and he was the real object of Jacob’s affections?
It was a ridiculous thought, but honestly, a plausible theory. Nodding to myself, I decided it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Jacob’s gaze flickered between me and Lukas, then he sighed softly before reaching for the handkerchief.
The moment his fingers brushed against the fabric—
Screams erupted behind us.

“Kyaaah!”
“Oh my goodness!”
“Ah!”

All three of us froze.
Heads turned toward the sudden commotion.
At the center of the disturbance stood a man and two women, all three of whom had jumped up from their seats.

It seemed they were the ones who had screamed.
As the official host of this party, I immediately rose from my seat. Scanning the scene, I didn’t see any signs of a major accident—just startled guests.
“What’s the matter?”

At my question, the three people stiffened further, their gazes darting around anxiously.
Every single pair of eyes in the greenhouse was now locked onto them.
“Um… well…”
The youngest-looking of the ladies stammered first.

She was clutching the sleeve of her dress, and upon closer inspection, I noticed a large reddish stain.
Spilled tea?
Her wavering gaze briefly flicked toward me, then discreetly shifted to my side.

Following the direction of her glance, I found myself looking at Lukas.
A moment later, the others—still fidgeting with their clothes—started mumbling similar fragmented explanations.
The sleeves, skirts, and shirt cuffs they were subtly trying to hide had all been stained red.

Tilting my head, I observed them curiously.
It was genuine confusion on my part, but they seemed to take it as an interrogation.
The young noblewoman trembled slightly before sneaking yet another glance at Lukas.

And then, in a voice barely above a whisper, she mumbled—
“But… there are no more handkerchiefs…”
Ah.

Ah-ha.
Nobles and their adorable little antics.
If I didn’t know better, I would have thought there was some sort of secret spill-your-tea challenge happening today.

Following their lead, I subtly glanced at Lukas’s handkerchief and then at his face.
Lukas was still smiling.
But was he really smiling on the inside?

I had already figured it out, which meant Lukas definitely had as well.
He had to know that this ridiculous scene was unfolding because of his handkerchief.
He was probably screaming internally.

“Oh dear, it seems everyone has spilled their tea… I’m fine, so perhaps Sir Lukas should lend his handkerchief to someone else?”
Jacob, who had been standing quietly behind us, smoothly inserted himself into the situation.
The moment he spoke, the three tea-stained nobles flinched.

Their faces flushed red—not just from embarrassment, but also from the hopeful expectation gleaming in their eyes.
They wanted Lukas’s handkerchief.
Even if they had to spill tea on themselves in front of an entire crowd, they wanted it.

So much so that, before Jacob could take it, they had simultaneously decided to create a scene.
But clearly, they hadn’t expected three people to think the same way.
They had likely planned to draw just enough attention to casually acquire the handkerchief.

Now, they were stuck.
Honestly… it was just a handkerchief.
I didn’t understand the appeal, but personal tastes were to be respected, so I supposed I could let it slide.

Despite their embarrassment, none of the three returned to their seats.
Instead, a tense atmosphere settled between them.
Right. If they had already gone this far, they had to see it through.

Unfortunately, there was only one handkerchief.
Who would win?
This was getting interesting.

Feeling that there was no need to remain standing, I sat back down.
Lukas glanced at me.
…What?

Jacob, still grinning, also returned to his seat.
Now, the only ones left standing were Lukas and the three tea-stained nobles.
The greenhouse had fallen silent.

No one had told them to be quiet—yet every guest watched with barely contained amusement.
As Lukas continued to simply smile, the three nobles grew visibly restless.
And then—

CRASH!
A loud clatter rang out.
I turned toward the source.

Another young noblewoman had deliberately dropped her plate.
“Oh dear, I dropped my fork and got cake on my dress,” she said with an air of mild inconvenience—yet a deeply satisfied smile played on her lips.
Another contestant had entered the battlefield.

The way social atmospheres worked was fascinating.
This translation is the intellectual property of .
People who, under normal circumstances, would never dare behave this way suddenly found themselves emboldened.

For instance, nobles who spent their lives obsessing over etiquette and manners were now willingly spilling food on themselves.
CRASH!
Another dish shattered.

“Oh my! My dress is covered in tea!”
And with that, the number of contestants rose to seven.
Nearly half of the party.

They had all completely lost their minds.
At first, the other guests had been shocked.
But now, the spectators were thoroughly entertained.

The greenhouse was in shambles.
Tea was spilled everywhere, cake had been smeared, and shattered dishes littered the tables.
Poor servants.

They were the real victims today.
Casually, I took a bite of my cake.
The airy cream melted smoothly on my tongue.

Throwing this away just for a handkerchief?
Ridiculous.
“I got the most soaked!”

“My tea has already dried! This is fresh cream!”
Their petty squabbles filled the air.
Considering Lukas had personally curated the guest list, these people had surely been educated by top-tier tutors.

And yet… here they were.
Their teachers would be having aneurysms if they saw this.
Lukas, unable to sit because he was directly involved, remained standing.

The fact that he still looked perfectly composed was admirable.
If I were him, I would’ve spilled tea on myself, wiped it off with the handkerchief, and then said, “Oh no. I’m all out.”
Who would claim the prize in the end?

Munching my cake, I twisted slightly in my seat to get a better view.
Just then, a voice whispered from behind me.
“My lady, I have yet to receive a handkerchief.”

…Oh. Right.
The original source of this madness.
I turned back to Jacob.

After swallowing my bite of cake, I set down my fork and patted my dress in search of a handkerchief.
Nothing.
Welp.

I was out.
Glancing around, I caught sight of Jane, who was still peeking curiously at the spectacle.
Lifting a hand, I gestured her over.

“Yes, my lady?”
Jane stepped closer and bent down slightly. In a voice low enough that no one else could hear, I whispered a few instructions.
She nodded as she listened attentively, then bowed slightly before slipping out of the greenhouse.

Thanks to the ongoing handkerchief battle, only Lukas and Jacob had noticed my brief exchange with Jane.
“What was that about, my lady?”
“I asked her to bring me my handkerchief from my room. It seems yours isn’t fully dry yet, Sir Jacob.”

“That’s a relief.”
Jacob smirked, lowering his voice again. Seriously, why did he always have to whisper?
With the way the people in front were arguing over who was wetter—whether tea stains or cake smudges were worse—it was already hard enough to hear normal conversation.

Jacob seemed like he was about to say something else, his lips parting slightly.
Honestly, it was starting to get annoying.
But today, I was the host and he was a guest.

Taking a deep breath, I leaned forward slightly so I could actually catch what he was saying.
And just then—
Thud.

Lukas, who had been leaning against a chair beside me, tapped his fingers against the table.
I glanced up at him. He was still facing forward as if nothing had happened.
“My lady.”

“Oh, yes? What did you say?” I turned back to Jacob.
“My, my, you should focus a little more on me. I did tell you I fell for you at first sight.”
And?

That’s not my problem.
I shrugged, unimpressed, but Jacob just continued smiling.
“My lady.”

Still stirring my tea with a spoon, I turned toward the voice.
It wasn’t Jacob.
It wasn’t Lukas.

And it wasn’t Jane, either.
That voice was—
“…Aiden?”

Aiden.
What was he doing here?
Aiden was my personal servant, but I had specifically left him out of the staff assigned to the party.

Eventually, he might become the duchy’s mage, and I didn’t want nobles to get too used to seeing him in a servant’s role.
“I brought the handkerchief.”
Aiden held out a neatly folded handkerchief.

It was definitely mine.
I nodded, taking it from him, then glanced around briefly.
Because of Aiden’s striking appearance, a few people were sneaking glances in our direction.

But the main event was still the seven-person disaster in the center of the greenhouse.
“Where’s Jane?”
“I happened to run into the young master, and he held her up. So I came in her place.”

Aaron stopped Jane?
Why?
If he had something to assign, he could have just called another servant.

…Well, I supposed there could be a reason.
Maybe he was asking about how the party was going.
Yeah. That seemed the most logical explanation.

And honestly, it was probably the right one.
“My lady.”
“Ah, Sir Jacob.”

Right.
I had almost forgotten about him.
The handkerchief I was holding was meant for him, after all.

“Here.”
I extended it toward him.
Jacob silently stared at it.

What was he waiting for?
I gave the handkerchief a small wave, prompting him to finally reach for it.
And just as he grasped it, his fingers briefly brushed against mine.

“I did say that I like you.”
Yeah, I heard you.
I’d known him for all of one day, and I had already heard it at least four times.

Jacob really didn’t care about other people’s opinions, did he?
The way he openly declared his feelings in front of everyone—
Aiden, who had been watching the exchange, blinked at me.

Yeah. That was a confession.
And just like that, the number of unwilling witnesses to this nonsense increased.
Jane. Lukas. Aiden.

…And myself.
So four.
“Ah. Right.”

Without reacting, I simply let go of the handkerchief.
Jacob, still holding it, smiled before running the fabric over his sleeve.
The stain had long dried, so nothing really transferred onto the cloth.

“I truly mean it. For you, my lady, I’d pluck the stars from the sky.”
…Wow.
People actually said things like this in real life?

Now in possession of his handkerchief, Jacob smugly folded it and tucked it neatly into his chest pocket, leaving a corner poking out like some sort of trophy.
“My lady, may I ask about your ideal type?”
“…I don’t have one.”

What was with this sudden topic?
I had never put much thought into things like ideal types.
In my previous life, I had been too busy to even consider romance.

Besides, my parents had barely allowed me to have friends, much less a romantic relationship.
Naturally, I had never bothered to think about what kind of partner I’d like.
Even after coming here, I hadn’t really cared about—

For a brief moment, someone’s image flickered through my mind.
But the thought vanished before I could even recognize it.
“Well, there must be something,” Jacob pressed. “For example, do you prefer long hair or short hair?”

“…If I had to choose, I suppose I’d prefer shorter hair.”
If I didn’t answer, I had the feeling he would keep pushing, so I just gave a casual response.
Satisfied, Jacob finally fell silent, his eyes curving into a pleased expression.

Only then did I realize—
Aiden was still standing beside me.
Because of Jacob’s endless questions, I had completely missed the chance to dismiss him.

The poor guy had been forced to listen to everything.
With a vacant expression, he stared off into the distance, looking as though he had transcended the mortal plane.
Feeling bad for him, I turned to finally send him away.

But before I could speak, Jacob beat me to it.
“My lady, are you planning to keep this servant standing here?”