The Villainous Lady Wants a Quiet Life

Chapter 1: Serena

“Our place is certainly quiet and comfortable... but don’t you find it a little unsettling?”

Lately, the atmosphere in the Leonhart estate had been unusually silent. This mansion, one of the finest in the system, felt oddly abnormal in its tranquility.

“Hey, don’t say things like that. You’ll invite trouble. Keep quiet, keep quiet.”

This rare peace made the maids uncomfortable, but after a week, they gradually got used to it.

“Ah, by the way, how are things between Miss Elvira and the mistress?”

A young maid asked. The head maid shook her head.

“Ah dear, is that so? Rather the opposite, I’d say.”

“Really? The mistress has been reclusive for a week—that’s a first. She hasn’t even done any cleaning inspections.”

“Let’s just take this chance to rest. Who knows when she’ll start nitpicking again...”

The maids were abuzz discussing the mistress’s strange change.

“Has this happened before?”

“Well, Lady Serena, the head of the house, settled here ten years ago...”

Because their mistress was both famous and sensitive, there was always much to talk about, and the discussion remained lively.

At that moment.

Creak.

The front door swung open, and the sound of high heels echoed through the hall.

Clack—clack.

Cold and ominous footsteps.

The maids quickly stood up and rushed to the entrance to greet the uninvited guest.

“...Where is that woman?”

The sharply questioning noblewoman was a beauty with short black hair.

“Yes, the mistress is currently...”

The equally sensitive younger sister, Lillian, had arrived. Her appearance prompted all the maids to bow their heads in greeting.

“Take me to her.”

The maids dared not look into her eyes and silently guided her.

They all climbed the central staircase of the mansion, arriving at the top floor, before a door that encompassed the entire floor.

Knock knock.

This door, feared by everyone in the house, was knocked on without hesitation by Lillian.

Knock knock.

No response.

Bang—bang! Bang—bang!

After knocking several more neurotic times, Lillian finally lost patience and forcefully pushed the door open.

“...Hey!”

In the tidy room lay a beautiful woman with a haggard face on the bed.

Her hair shimmered faintly like pale blue gems, her skin white and delicate, her features well-defined and intelligent—yet today she appeared especially gloomy.

Even so, she was beautiful enough to stir countless hearts, but Lillian paid no mind and directly questioned her.

“What are you doing!”

Lillian’s arrogant tone made the maids tremble.

However, Serena, the mistress and head of the mansion, only murmured softly to herself.

“...I thought if I just slept a few times, I’d wake up. But I still haven’t. Still dreaming.”

Upon hearing this, the maids came to a certain conclusion.

As expected, something serious must have happened between Miss Elvira and her!

“Again...”

Lillian seemed to understand what she meant and frowned.

At that moment, everyone except Serena was thinking of the same name: ‘Elvira Galvin’.

She was the second daughter of the northern Galvin family and the current fiancée of ‘Serena Leonhart’.

To the outside world, they were engaged, but their feelings toward each other were vastly different.

Serena seemed to truly love Elvira, while Elvira’s feelings toward Serena bordered on disgust.

This wasn’t just speculation—it was a well-known fact.

“Stop thinking about that woman, will you? Even the lecture was canceled. What the hell are you doing?”

“...Lecture?”

“Yes!”

Lillian took out some documents from her branded handbag and threw the stack of papers onto the bed.

“You agreed to do this yourself. And now you’re lying here like some wreck—are you trying to shame the family?”

“......”

“Today’s lecture is at the university—you must attend! Unless you want to lose your prestigious professorship!”

“You... really are bold.”

Serena let out a small laugh. At that moment, Lillian’s mood twisted. Veins bulged on her forehead.

“I’m not bold. You’re just too stupid! You useless thing!”

A vicious curse. The maids trembled in fear, but the mistress gave no reaction.

If it had been before, the mistress would have punished her sister. What happened to make her so powerless today?

If only she could stay like this forever.

“...Fine. I got it. Leave.”

“Hmph.”

Lillian sneered and walked out the door.

She didn’t want to see this pitiful figure abandoned by a woman anymore.

“Y-Yes, Miss Lillian. Would you like something to eat?”

“No need.”

“But you came a long way. Just a moment, please, just a moment!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine!”

Several attendants hurried after her.

The mistress seemed to be in a bad mood today. The best course was to stay out of her sight...

***

“...A lecture, huh.”

Serena looked at the documents Lillian had handed her.

The lecture was titled “Chief Professor Serena of the Imperial Royal University: A Basic Understanding of Magic and the Mentality of Mana.”

The contents were as follows:

Classification of magic by attribute and type.

General understanding of various magic formulas, including destruction, support, summoning, spirit, etc.

Proper usage of mana...

“Magic is surprisingly diverse.”

In this world where magic was omnipresent, where had science gone... Though, truthfully, highly developed science and magic weren’t that different.

After muttering nonsense, Serena lay back down on the bed.

“...Sigh.”

A week had passed.

Unknowingly, seven days had gone by.

During this time, Serena still hadn’t figured out why she was trapped here. Before the transmigration, Serena had simply been a game developer.

Serena thought it was a dream, but it wasn’t; she thought it was a lucid dream, but it wasn’t; she thought it was virtual reality, but it wasn’t either.

In short, Serena had become a game character modeled after herself, named “Serena Leonhart.”

By the way, in the game, Serena was a central character throughout—a nemesis to many famous characters, or a mid-game boss-level antagonist for players.

Enemy of Serena’s parents—enemy of Serena’s lover—enemy of Serena’s village—the one who stole Serena’s credit—etc.

Besides that, she had definitely offended countless others—a villain born only for death and suffering.

“Almost every route leads to death.”

This villain was villainous indeed, practically destined to die.

Whether killed directly by the player, hired assassins, renowned characters, or by random combat—she would die no matter what.

Just like a certain bald purple supervillain from a famous superhero movie.

“More than that, this...”

Serena sorted through the papers Lillian had thrown down.

Flipping casually, she saw that the lecture was scheduled for today.

“...I should attend.”

Though it was her first lecture, she couldn’t remain idle forever. She couldn’t keep slacking.

Only through action could she gain information. Only by understanding things could she decide whether to leave. Most importantly...

[Primary Survival Objective: Become an indispensable presence in the game.]

[Side Quest: University Lecture]

◆ Shop Currency +0.5

Strange lines of text faintly appeared in the corner of her vision.

For the sake of these lines—and for Lillian—Serena had to get moving again. After all, the “Death Variables” included Serena’s sister, Lillian, and shop currency was also important.

Luckily, knowledge, attitude, experience, and so on for the lecture weren’t a problem.

──Understanding──

◆ Level

: Inherent.

◆ Description

: The ability to comprehend things. Can be activated by consuming mana.

──────

Serena trusted its performance.

In fact, it was an Inherent-level skill. This was something that appeared only in late-game, and not even the characters Serena had played could acquire it.

“A bath...”

Serena got up from the bed and walked into the bathroom. She undressed and turned on the showerhead.

A clean environment, warm water, good water pressure—everything was satisfying.

After bathing, Serena opened the door to her dressing room. It was more spacious than her old apartment, filled with precious items and clothes.

She picked her outfit based on instinct.

A white shirt, aristocratic deep-blue suit, a blue tie, intellectual glasses. She added a coat, sprayed perfume to match her image, and meticulously combed her long hair.

Then Serena looked into the mirror.

“......”

The outfit was a little greasy, yet came off as arrogant. That overflowing pride seemed haughty, yet elegance clearly coexisted.

This was probably due to the traits “Dignity and Presence” and “Aesthetic Sense,” and the personality trait “Noble Etiquette.”

In reality, Serena couldn’t act outside the bounds of etiquette. No matter how hungry, she couldn’t eat rudely; no matter how badly she wanted to speak, she couldn’t blurt things out. She had to behave with utmost refinement and decorum.

For Serena, this felt natural.

Her personality seemed entirely changed—those seemingly inefficient manners were now more comfortable than casual behavior.

Even when witnessing coarse, ignorant scenes, disdain and scorn would slowly rise.

“...Hope I don’t get consumed by this persona.”

This character had many personality traits.

Just in the system logs alone were things like “Noble Etiquette,” “Sense of Superiority,” “Cleanliness Obsession,” “Authoritativeness,” “Mannerism OCD,” etc.

These traits had almost certainly infected Serena already.

Thus, attending the lecture—this “duty”—also felt completely natural to her. Serena was a brilliant and noble aristocrat... yeah, right.

Serena stared at the beautiful girl in the mirror and muttered.

Slap—!

She slapped herself twice and stepped outside.

***

Tap—tap.

Clear, rhythmic footsteps, soft and slender legs.

Indeed, her stride showed no disorder, full of noble grace.

Serena displayed a stunning classical demeanor as she stood in front of the car in the courtyard.

“Greetings, Mistress.”

The car had a vintage design, reminiscent of the early Ford era—a symbol of wealth in this world.

“I’m leaving.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

The driver opened the door. Serena entered the back seat and noticed a small, chubby figure already sitting beside her.

“......?”

He wore a drooping robe hood, revealing a cute yet nervous face.

“Professor, Professor! Good afternoon! I’m here, I’m here!”

The little guy spoke nervously, handing Serena something. It was a stack of papers.

“...Are you a mage?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. Yes... I’ve been under your guidance for... three years...”

“Just teasing.”

Serena smiled gracefully, then glanced at the documents.

She thought it would be lecture materials, but it was a full script. Every line from start to finish was meticulously written.

Apparently, she just had to read it aloud.

Come to think of it, why would Serena prepare a lecture herself?

This girl looked impressive but was actually mediocre. Her traits weren’t genius or prodigy, but “Magical Mediocrity,” so this script was perfect for Serena.

“Good work.”

“...What?”

However, that simple praise made the mage look flustered.

Honestly, saying those words felt a bit awkward to Serena. It was clearly due to the “personality infection,” but she had to overcome it.

Serena closed her eyes and added,

“You worked hard. Rest well before we arrive.”

“Ah, ah, yes! Yes! Understood!”

The bowed mage sat quietly like a corpse. The corners of his mouth slightly curved under the robe—it was clear he was delighted by the compliment.

“......”

Serena read the script in hand. However, the texture of the paper felt unpleasant, even a bit dirty. Next time she’d wear gloves... no.

Enough chatter.

Though she had some understanding of the game’s setting, with the added boost of “Understanding,” Serena quickly absorbed the contents of the script.

And so, reading and studying, about 30 minutes passed.

“......?”

A captivating view appeared outside the car window.

Serena instinctively turned to look.

A smile surfaced on her face, even though she couldn’t detect it.

──Under the noon sun, the shimmering water surface sparkled like flowing silver ribbons.

At the entrance stood a statue of the first emperor, while vibrant flowers and plants extended harmoniously along the path.

Various buildings dotted the expansive campus. Gentle light poured down from the high sky, as if bestowing blessings.

This was the place known as “Imperial Royal University.”

Serena’s workplace.

More vivid than 3D, the scenery etched into Serena’s retinas—everything was the result of her own design.