Volume 1 Chapter 38 Mean Villainess, Know My Past
"Hey, Lady Ruby, why did you break the seal now?"
"The actors have gathered, my lady."
"Actors?"
"You have many allies. So, don't feel anxious."
When I suddenly opened my eyes, there was an unremarkable familiar ceiling.
I stared at it for a moment, thinking.
Oh no, I woke up!!!
I thought.
Right now, I was clearly dreaming.
However, unlike before, I couldn't remember the images, perhaps because it wasn't a lucid dream.
I couldn't recall much, but I barely remembered talking to Lady Ruby.
However, since I only remembered the last moment, I had no idea what was going on.
I felt like someone had said the actors had gathered, but what does that mean?
Isn't the heroine still missing?
No, I can't believe Lady Ruby knows about otome games, so that might not be related.
Well, since Lady Ruby told me not to feel anxious, it should be fine.
Even if it was a dream.
"Good morning, my lady."
"I'm sleepy."
"You were reading again until late at night, weren't you?"
Rolus seemed to see right through everything.
That day, while I was spending a drowsy daytime filled with yawns, an incident occurred after school.
That day, I wanted to buy a book, so I was planning to walk to the bookstore instead of taking the carriage.
Originally, the distance from the academy to my home wasn't far, and with the bookstore in between, it was completely within walking distance, so Rolus came along without opposing me.
But whether that was good or bad... The incident happened right after we exited the academy's gate.
"Y-you..."
In front of me stood a pitifully skinny man.
He was staring at Rolus with wide eyes, pointing at him in surprise.
I couldn't clearly tell who he was, but I immediately understood he was related to Rolus.
Because his hair color and eye color were strikingly similar to Rolus's.
Well, his hair was so dry compared to Rolus's, and there was no hint of vitality in his eyes, so if I didn't look closely, I might have overlooked it.
"Is it Rolus?"
"...Hey"
Was Rolus trying to hide me, or was he trying to protect me? He stepped forward, a step ahead of me.
However, since the scrawny guy was trying to lunge at Rolus, I instinctively grabbed Rolus's clothes and pulled him back to my side.
"You, you... why..."
I think he muttered a few words in a barely audible voice, and suddenly the light returned to his previously dull eyes.
His gaze was sharper than ever.
"Why the hell are you here when I couldn't go to that academy!!"
──"Because he's my Attendant, you know?"
I just want someone to praise me for not provoking him.
When I glanced at Rolus's expression, although he was almost always expressionless, I felt like there was a faint trace of another emotion showing through.
It felt somehow like he was scared.
Rolus was being glared at and yelled at by the man in front of him... yes, the man in front of me is Rolus's enemy.
Rolus's enemies are my enemies.
Since I'm the Mean Villainess, now is the time to use this evil organization's executive face.
I should make a somewhat wicked expression and lightly use my power to at least get Rolus away from this situation.
It's okay.
Lady Ruby also told me not to worry.
Even if it's just a dream.
"...Who are you? What do you want with my Servant?"
In a tone lower than usual, I spoke to the man in front of me.
Then the man finally shifted his gaze from Rolus to me.
"...I'm his brother. I have something to talk to you about. I'm borrowing him."
"Oh, no. I would never lend my Servant to you. This is already my Servant. It doesn't matter to me if a Servant has an older brother."
"What a joke..."
For some reason, the fact that Rolus had left the school must have really bothered him.
He glares at Rolus with a face that looks as if he is about to bite him.
If my Mean Villainess power was higher, I wonder if I could have made this guy retreat with just one word.
...What is Mean Villainess power?
"Let's go, Servant"
"...yes"
"Wait!"
The man who was about to grab me suddenly gasped and stopped moving.
"What seems to be the matter, Lady Elena?"
He seemed to gasp as he looked at the man who called out to us.
I wondered whose voice it was and turned my gaze that way, where I saw a knight accompanying the prince.
Yes, he was one of the two knights who had trapped me before.
It seemed the man gasped upon seeing the royal crest shining on the knight's chest.
When he asked what was the matter, I felt I should respond, but I hesitated between answering as the usual Elena or in Mean Villainess mode.
In that brief moment of hesitation, the man dashed away in a panic.
Of course, he would be surprised if a royal family member suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Thank you for your help, Sir Knight. I appreciate it."
I smiled while returning to my usual Elena tone, and the knight responded with a bow.
"I'm just glad to see Lady Elena safe."
"Thank you. By the way, what brings you here?"
"Prince Sven saw that Lady Elena was being harassed and asked me to help. He said he would be in trouble if things got complicated if he went himself. The prince has really grown."
It seemed the prince had been watching from somewhere.
I was incredibly grateful, so I should do something to thank him next time.
"I see, thank you. Please tell the prince that I will express my gratitude properly another day."
Saying that, we parted ways with the prince's knight.
"...Well then, I can go to the bookstore another day. Let's head home, Rolus."
"...Yes, Lady."
There were so many things I wanted to ask.
However, since I had somehow drawn attention to myself, it would be best to hurry home and not talk here.
We hurried home, had the maid prepare some tea, and now we were quietly facing each other in my room.
"...Rolus, I haven't asked until now because you might not want to talk, but could you tell me a little about yourself?"
"I am a servant, so I will speak if commanded."
"Could it be... that you disliked being treated as a servant earlier?"
"No, I briefly thought that Lady could become a mean noblewoman if Lady tried."
For a moment.
A surprising moment.
"W-well, I can do it if I try! Surprised, right? But more importantly! I didn't know who that was earlier, so I just said something based on the atmosphere, but was that okay?"
That man, who said he was Rolus's brother, mentioned a school he wanted to attend but couldn't, so he must have been envious of Rolus.
I felt that saying he was my precious Attendant as usual might pour oil on the fire, so I instinctively took a strong stance.
His hair was dry and he had a dead look in his eyes, and seeing his skinny body, I couldn't say his mental state was stable.
And he probably thought he was beneath Rolus, so I figured he might lash out if I made a misstep.
I hope I didn't cross the line.
"I think it's okay. That was my brother. Probably the second son... raised as insurance in case something happened to the first son."
...Um.
It took me about ten seconds to understand.
"Wait, insurance?"
No, that's a lie.
I still didn't understand.
Raised as insurance?
What the heck?
"My parents were terrible people."
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