I’m a Villainess, Can I Die?

As the guests, each still immersed in the emotions stirred by Lukas’s handkerchief gifts, turned their attention toward me—

No, to be more precise, toward me and Vivian. Even Lukas, who had finished distributing the handkerchiefs and was now leaning casually against the greenhouse entrance, was looking at me.
I really can’t act to save my life.
Even to my own ears, my voice sounded stiff and unnatural, completely at odds with my words.

Yet, despite my lackluster performance, Vivian, quick to grasp the situation, was struggling to suppress the twitching of her lips. It seemed she was barely holding back a smile.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she suddenly put on an exaggeratedly sorrowful expression and shook her head in dramatic dismay.
As expected of an actress—no, wait, she wasn’t an actress. Well, whatever she was, she certainly had a flair for theatrics.

“What are you saying, my lady! You personally wrote me a letter of apology, so the matter was already settled! Besides, you were bedridden for an entire week!
I’m not so narrow-minded as to hold a grudge against someone who was sick!”
Her voice rang out across the greenhouse, thick with emotion. It seemed this drama was meant to be a touching one.

This ridiculous performance was all for the sake of shutting down rumors.
After I failed to attend Vivian’s party, gossip had spread. This spectacle was meant to silence it for good.
The original plan had been simple—I would loudly apologize and present her with a gift, and she would graciously accept it. But Vivian, ever perceptive, was now enthusiastically playing along, adding extra layers to the act.

Despite her passionate performance, this entire exchange felt absurdly awkward to me.
I was worried no one would buy it.
But to my surprise, the others didn’t seem to find it strange at all.

One by one, the silent spectators let out murmurs of admiration—Oh my… How touching…
This is actually working? Seriously?
Then again, these were the same people who had overturned tea and dropped cake over a single handkerchief. Compared to that, a dramatic exchange of I was in the wrong—No, you weren’t—was hardly unusual.

Finding the situation unexpectedly satisfying, I nodded at Vivian.
With a sniffle, she wiped away a tear and slowly opened the gift box.
In the silence, someone gulped audibly.
Well, of course. This was the dramatic climax of the scene.

“S-Selina, my lady!”
Vivian lifted her gaze to me, eyes wide.
Then, with trembling hands, she carefully took out the item inside, letting out a breathless exclamation—“Ah…!”

The guests, unable to see what she was holding due to her grip, fidgeted in their seats.
Then, slowly, she set the box down on the table and raised the item with both hands, making sure it was fully visible.
It was a calculated move.

The way she had immediately considered the best way to showcase it… She really did have the instincts of a born investor.
Gasps filled the air as the onlookers took in the sapphire brooch, embedded with onyx stones that perfectly complemented Vivian’s hair color.
The reactions were particularly animated today.

I hadn’t personally purchased the brooch myself, so I didn’t know its exact price, but Lukas had. And if he said it was a worthy gift, it was undoubtedly not something ordinary.
Even these nobles—who had no issue fighting over cake—were still, at the end of the day, nobles. Whispered discussions about the brooch’s value rippled through the crowd.
Vivian wasted no time pinning the brooch onto her dress before clutching my hand tightly.

“Truly… thank you, Lady Selina.”
The setting sun painted the sky a deep crimson, much like the tea that had been flying across the tables all day.
I stood at the entrance, exchanging brief goodbyes with each departing guest.

Not long ago, they had looked at me with unease, as if I were difficult to approach. But now, they smiled warmly, even laughing as they shook my hand.
And their gazes…
They were so warm, I almost felt as if I were standing under direct sunlight.

“Well then, my lady, I look forward to seeing you again,” Jacob said, taking my hand and winking.
Something must have gotten in his eye.
If not, I was more than willing to throw dirt into it.

As Jacob, still incessantly winking, finally disappeared from view, Vivian—her brooch gleaming on her chest—stepped forward.
I extended my hand, and she eagerly took it.
“Thank you for accepting my invitation, Lady Vivian.”

“Thank you for inviting me, Lady Selina.”
With that, our hands parted.
Yet, instead of leaving immediately, Vivian took a moment to scan both the inside and outside of the greenhouse. Then, she took a step closer.

Her demeanor shifted, as if she were about to share a secret.
Lowering myself slightly to match her height, I watched as she smirked slightly before speaking.
“This is about Sir Jacob…”

“Sir Jacob?”
“Yes. That is… It would be best if you kept your distance from him.”
At the mere mention of Jacob’s name, Vivian’s brows furrowed into a deep scowl.

As if she detested even having to say his name.
“Why?”
“Well… I don’t have solid evidence, so it’s difficult to explain. But one thing is certain—he’s not someone who will bring you any benefit.”

A brief silence followed.
Vivian, gauging my reaction, soon smiled again, offered a few parting words, and left the greenhouse.
With the noblewoman in the blue dress gone, the only people remaining in the glass structure were a few servants, Aiden, Lukas—

And me.
“My lady, I’ve had your bath prepared.”
A bath, huh? A bath sounded nice. I was exhausted. Dealing with so many people was draining—both mentally and physically. I needed to soak in warm water for a while.

After that, I would head to the dining hall to have dinner with my family.
Just as it had been before I jumped from the tower.
My family had insisted that we share at least one meal a day. When they first brought it up, my parents’ hands had trembled slightly. They didn’t seem to realize it themselves, so I didn’t point it out. I simply nodded.

And so, having at least one meal together had become part of my daily routine.
Since today had been the greenhouse party, we had agreed to have dinner together in the evening.
Thinking about my perfectly scheduled post-party plans, I massaged the back of my stiff neck.

“Sir Lukas, aren’t you leaving?”
Lukas, seated at the least chaotic table and leisurely surveying the scene, smiled.
It was different from the carefully crafted social smile he had worn all day.

If people saw that expression, they’d understand his true nature.
This translation is the intellectual property of .
“I’m meeting Aaron.”

My brother? Here?
In this disaster zone?
With overturned teacups, spilled cake, and puddles of tea everywhere?

His choice of meeting place was… certainly unique.
But personal preference should be respected.
“Then, I’ll be going first. Thank you for your help today, Sir Lukas.”

I gave him a small nod and turned around. As I walked toward Aiden, who was waiting for me, someone suddenly grabbed my wrist.
Startled, I turned back.
Lukas, whose eyes met mine at close range, immediately flinched and let go as if he were the one surprised.

Why grab me if you're just going to jump back like that?
His face was so startled that it made it difficult for me to even be annoyed.
“…What is it?”

“…Nothing. Sorry for grabbing you so suddenly, Selina. Be careful on your way.”
Lukas lifted the corners of his lips slightly.
It didn’t seem like “nothing,” but if he insisted, I wasn’t going to pry. I simply nodded and turned away.

Left alone, Lukas quietly stared down at his hand.
Another impulsive moment.
The second he saw her turn without hesitation after saying goodbye, the moment the burning sunset poured over her head—his body had moved on its own.

He had wanted to stop her.
And before he knew it, his hand had reached out.
When her gaze finally landed on him, his mind returned.

Lukas ran the hand that had grabbed her wrist down his face.
This is strange.
It had been a strange day.

A really strange day.
“What are you standing there for, Lukas?”
“…Ah.”

Lukas lowered his hand and turned to look at Aaron.
He hadn’t even noticed Aaron approaching until he was right in front of him.
“Let’s go.”

Aaron tilted his head at Lukas’s silence, then took the lead.
But his steps halted the moment he reached the entrance.
The inside was an absolute disaster.

It looked less like a party had taken place and more like a battlefield.
Aaron’s mouth fell open in shock. Pointing at the wreckage, he turned to Lukas, his expression completely blank.
For someone who had graduated at the top of the academy, he certainly looked ridiculous right now.

Lukas burst out laughing.
“There was a bit of a situation. But don’t worry, Selina wasn’t at the center of it.”
“…What the hell happened here—no, never mind. I’ll just ask Selina myself at dinner.”

Aaron sighed, stopping himself mid-sentence.
The liveliness in his eyes dimmed, and a slight tremor ran through them.
At that, Lukas’s smile vanished.

His friend made that expression from time to time.
And Lukas knew exactly what always followed it.
“How did Selina seem?”

“She was the same as always.”
Aaron clenched his eyes shut for a moment before opening them again.
His gaze had stopped trembling.

This was an inevitable habit of "family."
To ask someone else about her when she wasn’t there—to seek reassurance that she was okay.
Selina had promised she wouldn’t do it again.

And they believed her.
But that… was an entirely separate issue.
It was almost compulsive.

Aaron rubbed his palms against his trousers, now damp with sweat, and murmured to himself, as if to confirm it once more.
“…Right. Of course.”