I’m a Villainess, Can I Die?

“Th-That’s…! No, Lady Selina!

Please, lift your head. You’re still not well.”
Ariel shot up from her seat in a fluster, waving her hands in distress.
She was too scared to touch me, probably remembering the past, yet also too burdened to stand by and do nothing.

In the end, seeing her flailing awkwardly, I decided to spare the heroine from further distress and straightened up.
“I will never act that way again. No—in fact, I want to give you both my blessing.”
“…Lady Selina.”

Long experience teaches people to distrust.
Ariel was no exception; she kept glancing over at Aaron repeatedly.
“I mean it, Your Highness.

Even if I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t believe it either if someone changed so suddenly.
But after facing death, I’ve come to think differently about life.”
Ariel’s expression shifted strangely, as if she were watching some kind of absurd evolution—like seeing a small, playful monster suddenly transform into a tall, noble warrior.

Yeah, I get it. It must be surreal watching a spoiled brat suddenly start preaching about the meaning of life.
Like a tiny creature shooting air blasts suddenly turning into a full-grown hero.
“Whether or not you accept my apology is up to you, Your Highness. I won’t force it.

I just wanted to say that I hope you and my brother are blessed.”
Aaron slowly took Ariel’s hand.
I considered looking away for a moment, but that would have been even more dramatic.

So, I simply watched them in silence.
Ariel looked down at their hands, then slowly lifted her gaze back to me.
Then, with a bright smile, she said—
“…Thank you, Lady Selina.”

That night, I was back in bed, rolling around.
I had been rolling around so much that I was actually getting tired of it, but I still had no desire to leave my room.
Instead, I decided to roll around a little more actively.

I flipped myself over in a perfectly executed forward roll on the large bed.
That was when ugh, whatever suddenly jumped to his feet, hesitated for a second, and then clapped awkwardly before sitting back down.
His acting skills are really deteriorating.

That reaction was way too unnatural.
After completing a passionate forward roll, I did a backward roll for good measure before lying back down again.
Ugh, whatever still hadn’t recovered, his wide eyes full of barely concealed shock.

What? It was exercise!
Ignoring his stare, I lay there blankly, staring at the ceiling.
…Oh.

Aaron’s engagement ceremony was coming up soon.
In the novel, the engagement never actually happened. The two of them eventually split before it could take place.
But the moment I apologized to the princess, both families immediately set a date.

Their efficiency was almost impressive.
See, Selina? If you had just apologized sooner, everything would have been resolved so quickly.
I still hadn’t given up on dying.

But if I died right before my brother’s happy day…
Would it really be any different from Selina’s original miserable ending?
So, for now, I decided to stay quiet.

I put off looking for another opportunity.
And as I remained still, the people around me started to relax a little.
“Lady Selina, are you going to stay in bed again today?”

They had even started trying to get me out of my room.
The first time I went outside after my failed bungee jump, everyone I ran into—from Aaron to Lukas—kept asking things like:
“Are you sure you should be walking around? Your body is still…”

Their concern was suffocating.
So after that, I holed myself up in my room again.
Fresh air? I didn’t need a walk for that—I could just open the window.

Truly, nothing beats staying inside.
Lying on my bed, wiggling my toes, I glanced at Lukas.
Today marked nearly two weeks since he had started working in my room.

With his usual gentlemanly smile, he looked right at home.
“…I’m safest here.”
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Why? What now?
I had a feeling that if I didn’t get up soon, he’d just nag me more.
Fine.

I had no energy left to deal with excessive concern disguised as politeness.
At this rate, he might even physically nudge me out of bed.
“Alright. I’ll sit up today.”

“Just sitting won’t do your health any good. You should get some sunlight.”
“If I open the window, I can see the sunlight.”
I shot back before he could even finish his sentence.

Lukas frowned slightly.
“…Do you ever get too lazy to breathe?”
“Well, I was trying to stop, but you keep—”

“Lady Selina.”
Whoa.
I blinked at him in surprise.

Was he raising his voice at me now?
“…Sigh. My apologies.
This translation is the intellectual property of .

But please understand that I worry about your health.”
Wow. What an Oscar-winning performance.
Lukas was an actor, through and through.

He performed gentleness.
He performed courtesy.
He performed familiarity.

In reality, he was a calculating man.
Of course, in every relationship, there was always some degree of personal benefit.
The only exceptions were the White family (excluding Selina) and Ariel.

Still, I knew that if I didn’t get up, his performance would only continue.
And I really didn’t want to watch that.
I hated the idea of being part of someone else’s calculations.

Fine.
I’ll let you win this time.
Sighing, I swung my legs over the side of the bed—

And stumbled.
…Yeah, Lukas, you were right.
Maybe people do need to live a bit more strategically.

You shouldn’t spend all your time in bed.
Apparently, lying down all day except for bathroom breaks had turned my legs into useless lumps of flesh.
Just when I thought of standing properly, my legs refused to cooperate.

“…Sir Lukas.”
“Yes, Lady Selina?”
I hesitated, chewing my lip.

If I said it, he would only nag me more.
And his nagging had already been getting worse.
Maybe I should just stay quiet.

Instead, I glanced over Lukas’ shoulder—
To where ugh, whatever was sitting by the door, watching this unfold like it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen.
“…Hey. Ugh, whatever.”

The man who had been silently enjoying his popcorn moment suddenly flinched.
Bored, weren’t you?
“Come help me.”

It’s time to earn your keep.
“Uh…?”
“…Yes, my lady!”

This guy’s quite the actor too…
But unlike Lukas, it wasn’t some calculated performance—just a deeply ingrained customer service mentality.
That actually made it easier to deal with.

Besides, his acting had gotten rusty. It was too obvious now.
Lukas, on the other hand, was like a snake.
Why did you like a guy like that, Selina?

Oh, right. Selina was the one who liked him.
But why?
“…My lady?”

Well, life is just a series of people failing to understand each other.
Like how I ended up with a life where I had everything, yet didn’t want to live—
While someone like him, who had lived more like a servant than a person, desperately wanted to survive.

“What’s your name?”
“…Pardon?”
“Your name. What is it?”

His green eyes widened in obvious confusion.
‘You mean… you didn’t even know my name until now?’
That was clearly what he was thinking.

“…It’s Aiden.”
Aiden.
Finally, the true identity of ‘ugh, whatever’ has been revealed.

God, that was oddly satisfying.
Alright, got it.
“Alright, Aiden. Just like you—”

“…What?”
Ah, I messed up. My thoughts and words got mixed up again.
“My lady.”

“Yes, Sir Lukas?”
Lukas, who had been trailing behind, suddenly quickened his pace and moved to my left side.
“Oh dear, I almost thought you had forgotten I was here.”

“No, I didn’t forget.”
“That’s a relief. Then, may I also offer my support on this side?”
“…Do as you wish.”

As if he had waited for my permission.
He had already moved in—there was no doubt he would have helped even if I refused.
So rather than waste energy on a pointless back-and-forth, I just let him be.

Selina, look at me now. I’m walking with the man who backstabbed you and the one who was dying to throw you in prison.
Oh, and the man you had a crush on.
I turned my gaze to Lukas, studying him properly for the first time.

Silver hair.
Mysterious violet eyes.
Long hair tied neatly at the back.

His hair looked… ridiculously silky. Probably thanks to *Elastine shampoo—*no, whatever.
Yeah, I guess he’s handsome. Or at least, he must be.
The novel wouldn’t shut up about how gorgeous he was, and he himself knew it too.

He was the type of man who even weaponized his good looks.
Lukas met my gaze.
“Do you have something to say, my lady?”

His violet eyes gleamed between his slightly curved lashes.
“No. Not really.”
“If you ever do, please don’t hesitate to speak, Lady.”

Could you at least pick one title?
Are you going to call me Lady or Young Lady?
Honestly, I’d prefer if you just didn’t talk to me at all.

“No. Not really.”
I repeated myself and turned away.
Meanwhile, Aiden was utterly baffled.

What the hell is this situation?
It felt like he had been thrown into the middle of some illicit secret date, forced to stand in as an unwilling chaperone.
The conversation between me and Lukas was oddly fascinating, but that was it.

Just fascinating.
‘If this is how it’s going to be, can’t I just leave? She barely even remembers my name anyway…’
No wonder I had been mumbling over the ‘Aiden’ part every time I spoke.

Turns out, I really didn’t know it.
Not that it mattered.
He wasn’t particularly offended—just a little miffed.

What did bother him was being stuck in this third-wheel-from-hell situation.
God, he just wanted to return to the comfortable, cushy chair in Selina’s room.
This walk, or exercise, or torture—whatever it was—had gone on long enough.

So, with his gaze locked blankly onto some distant point far, far away, Aiden trudged forward in soulless resignation.
Meanwhile, the two people who actually cared about this conversation continued their deeply fascinating exchange.
“You should exercise more from now on.”

“Why?”
“Aaron’s engagement ceremony is soon. If you show up looking this pale, the guests will be worried.”
Worried, huh?

Maybe.
That wouldn’t be ideal.
I was keeping an eye on Aaron’s engagement.

Not that I was doing anything about it—just lying in bed and thinking about it.
But still, that had to count for something, right?
It was important to me that the ceremony went smoothly.

After all, if I walked in looking sickly and emotionless, I’d just become the talk of the event.
And that day should belong to Aaron and Ariel.
I had no interest in being the unwanted, gossip-worthy sideshow.

Especially as the unpleasant, illegitimate half-sister.
“…You’re right. Then, I’ll start walking a little more until the engagement.”
“And you must eat properly, too.”

“I am eating.”
“Properly. At a table, like a normal person.”
“…Fine.”

Lukas smiled in satisfaction.
It was a genuinely pleased smile.
Oh, of course—I knew that smile wasn’t for me.

Clearly, someone—probably Aaron or the Duke—had asked him to monitor my health.
“…You can report that back to the duke and duchess.”
I pulled my hand from Lukas’ arm and stepped ahead.

Aiden, who still had my other arm, had no choice but to walk ahead with me.
I gave a halfhearted nod in Lukas’ direction and started toward my room.
“Aiden, let’s go back.

Sir Lukas, you’re dismissed.
I’ll return to my room safely, so you don’t need to escort me any further.”