The Villainess Is Too Difficult

Villainess. A term used in novels to refer to female characters who play antagonistic roles, meaning a bad woman.

Traditionally, villains are characters who torment the protagonist and other good characters, giving readers a sense of frustration, and ultimately fall to provide catharsis.

But does this mean villains are unnecessary? Of course not. Villains make the protagonist stand out and serve as a stepping stone for their growth. They are indispensable. As long as the protagonist isn’t a villain themselves, there must be an antagonist standing on the opposite side.

But I never thought it would turn out like this.

“Ah.”

When I opened my eyes, what I saw wasn’t the familiar ceiling of my single room, but an unfamiliar one. I blinked my eyes blankly at the sudden change.

What is this? Is it a hidden camera prank? Or was I kidnapped without knowing while I was asleep? No, that can’t be. It’s not like I have any acquaintances who would pull a hidden camera prank on me, and kidnapping me wouldn’t benefit anyone. Then what on earth is this?

“Ah, Young Lady?”

As I slowly turned my head at the sudden voice, I saw a surprised maid trembling at the door. Wait, a maid?

It’s a maid. A maid that you’d only see in themed cafes these days. Unlike those who have a cosplay feel, this one’s attire is crisp and her whole demeanor screams ‘proper maid’.

“Young Lady. Have you come to your senses?”

Young Lady? Who is she calling that? Is there someone else in this room besides me? With that thought, I slowly raised my body. It felt strangely stiff and unfamiliar, but fortunately, my body moved.

Having barely raised my upper body, I maintained that position and slowly looked around.

Even if I worked hard all my life, I probably couldn’t afford half of the furniture here. Why is everything so luxurious? I don’t know who the owner of this room is, but they must be rolling in money. Actually, come to think of it, the presence of a maid already says it all.

A maid, not even a housekeeper. I can’t help but feel envious. After all, having a maid is one of men’s fantasies. Especially if such a pretty woman is your maid, it must be the happiest thing in the world.

But there’s one strange thing. No matter where I look in the room, I can’t see the ‘Young Lady’ the maid called for. Is there someone else here besides me? S-surely it’s not a ghost or something? No, no. There’s no such thing as ghosts in modern society.

“Young Lady…?”

The maid calls for the Young Lady once again. Whoever it is, they should answer quickly. It’s quite rude to ignore someone so blatantly, no matter what.

But why is she looking this way? There’s no one behind me. Surely it’s not really a ghost? N-no way… right?

“Young Lady Ariel.”

Ariel. It’s a pretty name. It reminds me of a novel I read recently. Coincidentally, the name of the villainess there was also Ariel. Ah, the illustrations were really beautiful. How did she end up turning evil…

“Young Lady!”

The maid, unable to hold back anymore, raised her voice. Agh, I was startled… I almost lost my hearing. The maid seemed to have made up her mind, gritting her teeth. Whoever this Young Lady Ariel is, she doesn’t seem like the type to let this kind of thing slide easily.

“Please, I beg you, answer me, Young Lady…”

She’s s-sobbing. She ended up crying. Whoever this Young Lady Ariel is, she must be a really terrible person. To ignore someone to this extent. Even though I’m a nobody, I feel like I should say something.

But why does it feel like she’s constantly looking at me? Surely not… right?

Just in case, I raised my index finger and pointed at myself. The maid nodded. Did I just see something wrong?

The Walpurgis Ducal House was in an uproar. News had spread that the Duke’s only daughter, Ariel Walpurgis, had awakened.

It had been three days since Ariel, who was practicing magic as usual, suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed for some unknown reason. Even when the most renowned priests and the Duke himself, the empire’s greatest magician, personally examined her body, they found nothing unusual, which only increased their frustration.

“Ariel has woken up?”

The Duke, who was working in his office as usual, suddenly stopped the quill pen that had been moving diligently. Of course, it was only for a moment before he resumed his work, but Fritz, the head butler who had served the Duke for a long time, didn’t miss that pause.

“Aren’t you going to see her?”

“What good would it do if I went?”

Seeing the Duke moving his quill pen again without even flinching, Fritz inwardly heaved a deep sigh. What’s going to become of this father and daughter?

The Walpurgis family is a famous noble house even within the empire. While not founding contributors, they have long been loyal servants to the imperial family, and as a result, their position is solid and they are trusted by the imperial family.

Moreover, the current head of the family, Heinrich Walpurgis, is the empire’s greatest magician and a war hero who once led the charge in the war against the demon race.

His son, Theodore, graduated from the academy with excellent grades and joined the Imperial Knights at a young age, showing great promise for the future. His daughter, Ariel, though not yet old enough to enter the academy, is already praised for her beautiful appearance and outstanding magical abilities, said to be no less impressive than her brother’s. From the outside, it seems like there couldn’t be a better family.

But if you look inside, there’s no family more of a mess than this one. The head of the family, Heinrich, tends to act particularly stiff in front of his children, and Theodore and Ariel, having grown up under such a father, have always maintained cold expressions.

There were no problems outside. Heinrich was loyal to the imperial family and never caused any issues while carrying out his duties. But this is how he behaves when dealing with his family at home.

Theodore’s case was still okay. He seemed to have matured early, and although he was blunt, he did his job properly. The problem was Ariel.

The Duchess, who had never been very healthy to begin with, fell ill after giving birth to Ariel and eventually passed away, leaving young Ariel without a mother from birth.

At the time, Theodore was 7 years old, and whether due to the gifted education he had received from an early age or his innate personality, he returned to his normal life after some time had passed. But Ariel grew up without receiving a mother’s love, and as a result, she came to crave affection from her family.

Naturally, the target was her father, Duke Walpurgis. She needed the familial affection that she couldn’t receive from the maids and servants around her.

But Heinrich didn’t shower Ariel with affection. No matter how much she threw tantrums, got angry, or cried, it was of no use. True to his nickname as the Iron-Blooded Duke, he let all of those slide naturally.

Young Ariel gradually became exhausted. No matter what she did, her father didn’t give her attention. He wasn’t Heinrich, but merely a device called Duke Walpurgis. In the face of continued neglect, Ariel found herself in a futile war of attrition.

And at some point, Ariel began to change. She started to hit others and speak condescendingly without hesitation, and she stopped even making eye contact with her father, whom she had clung to so desperately. She began to slack off in her studies, which she had pursued so diligently to enter the academy, and became excessively clingy towards her only fiancé.

But even in this situation, the Duke showed no particular change. He merely cleaned up after Ariel’s misdeeds. Without calling for Ariel separately or doing anything else, days that amounted to virtual neglect continued.

And this is the result of that neglect. By the time Ariel turned 17, she had stopped talking properly with her father, and one day she suddenly collapsed.

And when Heinrich heard the news, he jumped up from his seat and rushed straight there. He interrogated the summoned priest as if he was about to grab him by the collar, personally conducted examinations, and focused so much on Ariel that he couldn’t even properly attend to his work.

But as soon as she recovered, he reverted to his original behavior. He doesn’t visit her room or send even a single word. As if the behavior he showed when she collapsed was a lie.

For Fritz, it was enough to drive him mad. Having served Heinrich for a long time, he knew to some extent Heinrich’s true feelings, and he wanted to clear up the misunderstandings that had spread in this household.

But he couldn’t. No matter how much loyal advice he offered, Heinrich wouldn’t listen, Theodore had started living outside, and Ariel couldn’t find any trust in the head butler’s words.

This can’t continue. Ariel’s misdeeds were increasing, and the Duke and Theodore weren’t saying anything to her. So far, she had only caused small incidents within the household, but if this continues until she enters the academy next year…

He didn’t even want to imagine it.

“How long are you going to keep this up? Do you intend to keep leaving the Young Lady like this?”

“Sigh…”

Finally, Heinrich put down his quill pen in response to the butler’s continued nagging. He might be hailed as the empire’s greatest magician and the Iron-Blooded Duke, but when it came to this topic, he couldn’t help but become a weakling.

“What can I do at this point? It’s already too late.”

“It’s not too late. The Young Lady is still looking for you, Your Grace.”

“…That can’t be.”

After a moment of silence, Heinrich denied those words again and picked up his quill pen once more. Fritz heaved a deep sigh. How should he deal with this frustrating man who doesn’t even flinch when the head butler openly sighs in front of him?

‘If it’s come to this, I’ll have to go see her myself.’

At this point, he was determined to resolve this misunderstanding by any means necessary. Fritz’s eyes began to burn with determination.