Volume 1 Chapter 1 Mean Villainess Gains A Servant
"This will be your Servant from today... no, your Attendant."
"Understood, Mother."
As I replied, I thought.
This is a command from my mother.
She didn't misspeak; she means for me to treat him like my own.
Because I'm the Villainess.
"He will obey any command you give him."
"Understood, Mother. Now, let me guide you to my room. Come along, Servant."
As I said this and showed the way, my mother nodded with satisfaction.
It seemed I was correct.
I retreated to my room and sank into the fluffy sofa.
The one called Servant stood by the door.
"Please, have a seat."
"But..."
"Are you saying you can't follow my orders?"
"...No."
I pointed to the sofa in front of me, and he sat down there with a puzzled expression.
Giving orders to someone feels surprisingly good.
When I asked for his name, he introduced himself as Rolus.
Looking closely, Rolus had a very cute face.
He had soft, fluffy black hair and deep, deep green eyes.
Those eyes seemed a bit lifeless, probably due to a lack of exercise for his facial muscles.
And besides those lifeless eyes, another thing that caught my attention was that, for a child, he was a bit undernourished.
But well, if I feed him properly, that should be resolved eventually.
However, the fact that this cute boy will do anything at my command is quite a perk.
"My name is Elena. I'm the Villainess."
I called out to Rolus, who was looking straight at me.
He tilted his head in confusion and then nodded once.
"I will treat you like a Servant."
"Yes, Lady."
Hearing my words, Rolus nodded deeply as if to say he understood.
"By the way, Rolus, what do you think it means to be treated like a Servant?"
When I think of a Servant, I get the impression of someone who is a servant or someone who is used.
However, since this is my first time having a Servant, I don't know the proper way to treat one.
"Excuse me, Lady, but I don't think this is something you should consult me about."
"Why not? Since it's about your treatment, isn't it okay to ask you, the person involved?"
I wonder if I said something wrong? When I tilted my head in confusion, he quietly looked away.
"If you don't know, then perhaps you should just mistreat me?"
Mistreat? Me? This cute boy?
"...N-no, I wouldn't do that. I have no such hobby."
"No, it's not a matter of hobby. I think it's strange to suggest that a Servant should sit on such a soft chair."
Rolus is saying that while it might be acceptable to make him sit on the floor, it's outrageous to have a Servant sit on a plush chair like this.
"Then, should I talk to you while you stand?"
At my question, Rolus nodded firmly.
"Then please stand up for a moment."
When I said that, Rolus stood up and bowed.
I looked up at him for a while in that position.
Talking like this makes my neck hurt a bit.
Since we are both kids, we aren't very tall, but I'm sure Rolus will grow taller in the future.
If that happens, I'll have to look up even more, and my neck will hurt even more.
Besides, it's just sad to keep him standing.
"Just sit down after all."
"On the floor, I suppose?"
"What are you saying? On the sofa. Since treating you like a Servant seems difficult, I'll take it slow. So for now, I'll just start by calling you Servant."
"...As you wish."
Rolus made a face of slight dissatisfaction for just a moment, but he deeply bowed and agreed to my words.
"Hey, Rolus."
"At your service, Lady."
"...Servant, you know, I'm kind of mean."
"That is indeed the case, Lady."
Now, as for why I'm being mean, there's a deep reason for that.
Or maybe it's not that deep, I don't know.
'You see, you're the rival character in an otome game. I'll raise you to be a Villainess with all my might!'
When did my mother start saying such crazy things?
It was probably since I was too young to speak... or maybe even before I was born.
I saw her chattering away in a language that wasn't of this world, and I guessed that she had memories of her past life.
If my guess is correct, her past self was probably a heavy player of otome games.
I'm not sure because I've never confirmed it, but she even muttered such things to herself.
The reason I don't confirm it is because I also have memories of my past life, and I'm afraid they'll be exposed.
It's not like it would be bad if it got out, but it seemed like it would be a hassle, so I kept it hidden.
To begin with, in my past life, I was a gamer who only played RPGs and action games, and I wasn't interested in otome games... or to put it simply, it seemed like our hobbies wouldn't match.
If I were to say that I also have memories of my past life in this state, she might get carried away and start talking about otome games.
My mother, with a happy and dreamy look, said that this world was the world of the otome game she liked in her past life.
In that otome game, there's apparently a heroine, some guys that the heroine can capture, and a rival who comes to interfere.
And I'm supposed to be that rival.
So when I think about it, I wonder why she's happy in the position of the rival's mother.
Apparently, her past self wanted to become a background character and watch the story from the sidelines, and her dream has come true.
Well, being at the center of love affairs seems exhausting, so it might be just right to watch from the sidelines.
My mother didn't directly explain these things to me, but she spoke to me as if she was reading a picture book to a child.
Of course, all in Japanese.
My mother probably never thought that I understood everything she said.
I listened to my mother talk about otome games as if she were brainwashing me, feeling half-convinced.
I was troubled every day, wondering whether to become the Villainess as she said or to ignore everything and just be a normal noble girl.
Since I accidentally came into this world with memories of my past life, it's not an exaggeration to say that my personality is mostly already formed.
This means that if I want to switch to being a Villainess now, I would need to act.
Being a Villainess and getting in the way of cute girls' love lives sounds... well, it does sound fun.
They say that love burns brighter with obstacles, and if I'm the obstacle adding fuel to the fire of love... it does seem like it could be enjoyable.
After pondering whether a peaceful daily life or a life of stoking the flames of love would be more interesting, I eventually opened the door to becoming a Villainess and quietly dipped my toes in.
This was around the time I was 5 years old.
In this world, there are no elementary or middle schools.
Instead, there is something called the Royal Academy.
"By the way, Rolus, aren't you going to school?"
"No. As your Servant, I do not have the qualifications to attend."
"...So Servants don't go."
"Yes."
Because I had a vague memory of "compulsory education," I had assumed that Rolus would be able to attend school with me.
"W-who will judge how mean I am if my Servant isn't by my side?"
"Please judge for yourself."
Since meeting Rolus, I had been relying on him to judge whether my actions were mean.
I rarely received a passing grade, though.
"If it were that easy to understand, it wouldn't be a struggle..."
"With all due respect, Lady, you are not being mean at all right now."
...It seems the path to becoming a Mean Villainess is still far away.
* * *
While I was preparing to attend the Royal Academy, my mother brought a boy to our home.
The boy who was the same age as me had a truly handsome face.
With sparkling blonde hair and emerald-green eyes framed by slightly darker golden eyelashes, he looked like a character straight out of an action game.
His cute almond-shaped eyes would surely transform into strikingly sharp ones in the future.
If this were a world of action games, he would definitely be the protagonist.
Given how beautiful his face was, he must also be a character from that otome game.
"Elena, greet him."
My mother urged, giving me a gentle nudge on my back. She whispered to behave properly, so I obediently performed a lady's greeting before introducing myself.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Elena. Please remember me."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Leve."
The golden-haired handsome boy was apparently named Leve.
The moment he bowed deeply, my mother murmured in Japanese,
'You might become his love interest soon.'
Since she whispered in Japanese, it must be related to that otome game.
In the game, there's a heroine, and I, the rival, along with this handsome boy as a potential love interest...
I see, the situation is that the heroine and I will compete for this handsome boy. Understood.
I probably don't need to act mean towards this guy.
In fact, since there's a chance of becoming his partner, I need to make a good impression.
I need to consult Rolus about this.
"I need to get along with the boy who came today. What should I do, Servant?"
"Pardon me, Lady, but I think it will work out if you don't do anything unnecessary. You are very lovely, after all."
I was rarely praised by Rolus.
"I see. I'm glad to have such a capable Rolus, Servant."
"Lady, it's probably the other way around."
"Let's try that again. Ahem. I'm glad to have such a capable Servant, Rolus."
"Yes."
I felt a bit giddy just from a little praise, and I couldn't help but worry about my future.
I hung my head in disappointment.
And when I thought about it calmly later, I realized that being told "if you don't do anything unnecessary" didn't really count as praise at all.
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