I’m a Villainess, Can I Die?

People’s minds are truly strange.

I was just about to do something, but when someone else mentions it, I suddenly don’t feel like doing it anymore.
For example, if I was planning to organize some documents, but my boss said, “You should sort out those papers,” I’d suddenly feel the urge to do something else first.
In my past life, I had no choice but to bow my head and do whatever was required of me. But now… that wasn’t the case.

“Well… I suppose we can’t just leave him standing.”
As I spoke, I reached for an empty chair. It was the one opposite the chair Lukas was perched on.
The moment I grabbed the chair, Jacob, who had been smiling with satisfaction, widened his eyes slightly.

“Aiden, sit here.”
Aiden blinked. Jacob blinked. Lukas, who had turned his head, also blinked.
Following the trend, I blinked too.

“My lady, are you telling me to dine at the same table as a servant?”
The easygoing smile vanished from Jacob’s face. His blue eyes, now laced with displeasure, turned to me—only to widen in shock when our eyes met. Hastily, he forced a smile again.
Right. In a world where status is absolute, sitting at the same table as a servant could be unacceptable. I could understand that, in a way… but it also felt incredibly pointless.

It’s not like sharing a meal was going to kill anyone.
“Oh my, I actually have something for him to do. It’s quite urgent, so I need to instruct him here. If you’re uncomfortable, I can move elsewhere.”
I pushed my chair back slightly as if preparing to leave, and Jacob hurriedly shook his head.

“No, my lady. My feelings for you are simply so strong that I let jealousy creep in, even toward a mere servant. How shameful of me.”
“No, it’s not.”
His words had been grating on me for a while, but making a fuss now wouldn’t do me any good, so I shut my mouth. Meanwhile, Aiden, who had obediently taken his seat, had gone pale.

‘What? What is this?’
His face, as he kept sneaking glances at me, seemed to be asking exactly that.
“Count the things I asked you to bring.”
The numbers would be correct anyway. I had made him sit down, but I didn’t actually have anything for him to do, so I just handed him some random task.

Aiden quietly replied and pulled back the cloth covering the basket. Jacob, looking displeased, peeked into the basket, then suddenly turned to me with a blank expression before covering his mouth with laughter.
Was it that funny? I glanced at the basket as well, but to me, it looked completely ordinary.
I sipped my tea as I watched Aiden carefully count each item. Outside the glass greenhouse, the sun was beginning to set.

Somehow, all I had done at this party was talk to people having mini existential crises, receive four confessions from Jacob, and witness the grand spectacle of Super Handkerchief K: Who Will Be the Hero? …Yet time had passed considerably.
It was about time to wrap things up. Everyone should just have dinner at home.
“Lady Selina!”

Right on cue, Vivian returned. Without a care for the chaotic atmosphere around her, she strode directly toward me.
She glanced at Lukas, who was standing next to me with his back turned, then examined Aiden and Jacob sitting at my table before plopping down into an empty seat without hesitation.
“I left for too long, didn’t I?

I was worried you might have felt lonely in my absence, my lady!”
Vivian suddenly grabbed my hand.
Wow. So forward.

“Did the stain come out?”
To divert the conversation, I asked about her dress. Vivian immediately clapped a hand over her mouth. What now?
“Oh my! You were worried about my dress! Thanks to your concern, the stain disappeared in no time. I was a bit late because I had to wait for it to dry…”

Mid-sentence, Vivian leaned back and glanced around at the other tables.
I had thought she was ignoring the commotion, but apparently, she had only just noticed it. Should I call that obliviousness or strong focus? She stared at the chaotic scene for a while before turning back to me and lowering her voice.
“What’s wrong with them?”

Beats me. What’s so special about a handkerchief that they’re acting like this?
I wasn’t completely clueless about the situation, but explaining everything in detail was a hassle, so I just shrugged and focused on my cake. Once I finished it, I could end this party.
Lukas, watching the people argue without an ounce of dignity, tilted his head slightly. Gasps of Oh my! and My goodness! erupted from various corners.

He wasn’t standing there observing in silence because he pitied those who wouldn’t receive a handkerchief. Nor was he waiting for them to reach a resolution on their own.
He was simply enjoying the spectacle.
To see such high-class individuals fighting in such an undignified manner—

What better entertainment was there?
Lukas smirked.
But he was starting to get bored.

And Jacob’s constant confessions to Selina were getting on his nerves. How could someone throw out confession after confession so shamelessly? If a scandal broke out because of this, it would be troublesome.
Though… that might be exactly what Jacob was aiming for.
His grip tightened around the handkerchief. The once-pristine fabric crumpled in his grasp, and only then did he loosen his fingers.

Lukas tapped his foot.
The sun was setting, and the party needed to end.
Now, who should he give this handkerchief to?

Honestly, he didn’t want to give it to anyone. Even his decision to offer it to Jacob earlier had been half-impulsive.
He had been feeling particularly impulsive today. Asking Selina, Are you having fun? while they had been talking alone was also an impulsive action. She hadn’t seemed to understand the question, though.
Lukas glanced at Selina, the center of all his impulsive thoughts.

She was listening to Jacob and Vivian’s chatter with her usual blank expression. The two of them showed no signs of exhaustion, continuing to ramble on endlessly.
Then, in the brief pause between their words, Selina spoke.
“I had a really great time today.”

This translation is the intellectual property of .
Jacob and Vivian blinked at the abrupt closing remark.
“I suppose it’s time to end the party now.”

Selina muttered softly as she rose from her seat. With calm movements, she pushed her chair back under the table, then stepped toward Lukas—the very source of this entire commotion.
As Selina moved to stand beside him, the eyes that had been fixated on Lukas now shifted toward her. Simultaneously, the raucous noise began to die down one by one.
Come to think of it, being invited to a party and then behaving this disgracefully… wasn’t that extremely improper? And in front of none other than Selina, who was infamous for her terrible personality.

The whole point of this party was to silence rumors, but the ones circulating about Selina were anything but good. Having a bad personality? That was actually one of the milder ones.
The attendees here today weren’t ignorant of those rumors. And yet…
‘What have I done?’

It felt as if they had been possessed.
All they had wanted was a handkerchief, and yet somehow, things had spiraled into complete chaos.
A mixture of fear and embarrassment colored their faces, shifting rapidly between shades of red and pale blue.

Their throats were parched—they wanted nothing more than to take a sip of tea, but their teacups were scattered pitifully across the table.
“I’ve prepared a small gift for everyone who accepted my invitation today.”
The unexpected words from Selina’s mouth made the flustered nobles blink in confusion. Had she really prepared a gift? In her hand was something—thin, soft-looking, and folded into a perfect square.

“A handkerchief?”
Someone unconsciously murmured, only to hastily clamp their mouth shut and glance around nervously.
Selina glanced at the noble who had correctly guessed the answer but immediately shut their mouth, then shifted her gaze forward again as she continued.

“It seemed like everyone was in need of one.”
Her voice was as composed as ever.
“I’ve prepared plenty, so everyone will receive one.”

She was giving handkerchiefs to everyone fighting over a handkerchief. No—she was giving them to everyone at the party.
The nobles stared at Selina with dumbfounded expressions.
And it wasn’t just the guests who were shocked.

Lukas, who had been quietly observing from beside her, was also taken aback. No—he was beyond surprised. He was amused.
How did she always come up with such absurdly clever ideas?
Lukas let out a quiet chuckle, opting to smile rather than outright laugh.

The handkerchiefs weren’t part of the planned party favors. Lukas himself had handled most of the party preparations, so he knew that for a fact. Which meant… this was something Selina had come up with on the spot.
Meanwhile, those who had participated in the “battle” felt a vague sense of injustice bubbling up inside them.
Of course, what they had done was extremely improper. The fact that Selina hadn’t exploded in rage was already more than fortunate. Yes, they were lucky—but…

The reason they had gone through all that disgrace was because of Lukas’s handkerchief. They had tossed aside their dignity, ruined their dresses, and embarrassed themselves—only to be handed an ordinary handkerchief in return.
No one dared to openly grimace, but inwardly, they were suffering.
“Sir Lukas, would you mind handing these out? My wrist is, well… not in great condition.”

Any lingering resentment melted away in an instant.
‘Oh, Lady Selina is an angel.’
It wasn’t just relief—they saw a divine glow radiating from her back.

With that single remark, Selina had ensured that everyone would receive a handkerchief directly from Lukas.
Not only was she not angry at this absurd situation, she had gone out of her way to ensure fairness. Even Lukas, watching her in admiration, quietly slipped his handkerchief back into his pocket.
Taking the basket from Selina, Lukas stepped forward and began distributing the handkerchiefs to the guests one by one. Each time he handed one over with a smile, both young ladies and gentlemen alike blushed.

Some, enchanted by Lukas, clutched their handkerchiefs tightly to their chests. Others, who had admired him from afar, proudly tucked their handkerchiefs into their pockets.
It looked like a fan signing event.
Selina, watching the scene, quietly shook her head.

“Oh, I should have given this to Sir Jacob too… I ended up giving him my personal handkerchief instead.”
She handed Jacob a handkerchief like the others. She had already given him hers, but it would be strange not to give him one when everyone else received one.
Now that she thought about it… she could have just given him this from the start.

As Selina muttered in mild regret, Jacob squinted at her before replying.
“No, my lady. Yours is far more precious.”
Of course, it was.

Her personal handkerchief was undoubtedly more expensive.
Selina knew that Jacob wasn’t talking about monetary value, but she deliberately chose to ignore his implied meaning.
More than anything, the fact that he was openly flirting in front of everyone was incredibly irritating.

Jane, Lukas, Aiden… and now even Vivian. The number of people involved was steadily increasing.
Vivian, who had been watching Jacob and Selina with wide eyes, suddenly frowned, then shot up from her seat.
But just as quickly as she had frowned, she schooled her expression and gazed at Selina with an expectant sparkle in her eyes.

She was the only person left who had not received a gift.
Well, of course she wanted one.
For someone like Vivian, who prided herself on social connections, gifts were the most tangible and effective way to display status.

Selina extended her hand, and Aiden, who had been briefed in advance, immediately placed a small box into her palm—a pink box, identical to the dress Vivian had gifted her.
With its neatly tied white ribbon, the box was carefully placed into Vivian’s slightly dazed hands.
Then, in a voice louder than usual—loud enough for everyone in the greenhouse to hear—Selina spoke.

“Vivian, I felt bad for missing your last invitation. I prepared a special gift just for you as an apology.
Will you accept it?”