A Villainess Should Be Strong

Kalis was in a rush. His work increased from dealing with a single princess to two. Although the second one seemed more conservative and mindful, he still stressed out his warnings whilst taking care of the princess' dress.

"Get ready for the ball. Tardiness-"

"-will not be accepted. Keep your conduct straight and don't interact with the guests too much, maintain a distance. Mind your identity as a princess. Anything else, my dear teacher?" Estelle sighed as she listed all the things in a similar tone to that of Kalis' usual voice.

"...Whatever happens, do not fight. Leave everything to me and Yion," Kalis added, dumbfounded at his temporary student's exemplary answers.

She usually disliked to follow proprieties. But this time, she seemed to have memorized everything.

Estelle's social studies teacher had not been wrong when she said that balls were akin to a battlefield. Even in the Underworld, it was the same.

However, the 'battle' was different.

In the surface, you couldn't use physical force to attack another. You had to care for morals and your outlook.

In the Underworld, everything was unexpected. There was no telling if there would be an attempted assassination or not. Arayle herself experienced it a couple times each year.

Truly beings with no fear.

"I got it, I got it. You need not worry about my performance. Even though I was a bit wilder than my peers, I was a noble lady. I know how this goes. The things you spout are a copy of my teacher's words," Estelle still remembered the horrendous lessons she was forced to take.

"That better be true. If I see you fighting head on with someone.." Kalis narrowed his eyes.

"I know, I know! For God's sake, leave it to me!" Estelle raised her voice.

Kalis sighed. His worries couldn't be appeased. This was the faux princess' first showcase, any mishap would tarnish the royal name of Algernon.

"Let's go. You better not lecture me in front of the public," Estelle tidied up her dress slightly before walking towards the ballroom's backstage.

After further preparations, the ball was ready to be conducted. Estelle was scheduled to come out earlier than Arayle, so she started to rise from her seat and headed towards the ballroom.

Her silver hair and stunning golden eyes made her look like a literal angel. Some of her hair was tied up and formed into a double space bun, and the rest of her hair was let down with some waves. She had silver crystals on the bottom of her eyes to further decorate the look. Her milky white skin was very alluring, making others wonder how she beautiful she would be in the future.

The dress she wore was silver in color, with intricate golden emboridery to match her hair and eyes. The dress was crafted from a special silk that possessed lifelike characteristics, making it flow like the wind with each movements she made. The back was shorter than the front, whih only went down to slightly above her knees.

Her shoes, which was supposed to be heels at first was changed into a goddess-like slipper with vines slithering up to her legs, a gift from Heine.

She walked down with grace, announcing her powerful presence with every step she took. She was confident in her noble conduct. Acting wasn't something ahe particularly liked, but she knew how to use the skill to her advantage.

[..Though, some action would be great. I've lazed around too much thanks to Arayle's seal, but at this point.. Wouldn't I be able to..?] Estelle pondered, spacing out whilst keeping her composure straight.

Murmurs were already spreading with haste. Those who opposed Arayle would take this as a chance to make a jab on her, whilst those who merely disliked her foreign presence would voice out their thoughts in the form of 'concerns'.

Then, a voice suddenly rang.

"Why is there a filthy human here?! Behold, my people! The supposed 'faux princess' is a human! A pure human!" A man stepped out of the crowd and proclaimed loudly. His face showed pride, as if he was completely in the right.

Narrowing her eyes, Estelle's expression gradually morphed into malice as the man continued parading around with his justification.

"Even if the princess appointed her, she is still a human! Must we accept this?! Is this not mocking ourselves, a pure human who lives in the surface being instated as a royalty?!!" Wanting to increase the flames of scorn even more, the man raised his voice to unite the public opinion.

[I have to bear it..] Estelle kept a straight face, her eyes glowering with displeasure.

"Look, she's admitting to it! A pure human dares to trespass into our realm.. I shall take care of her on the royal family's behalf!" The man laughed boisterously before charging full speed at Estelle.

Estelle clicked her tongue and activated a speed enhancement spell, a simple one that wouldn't trigger her shackles.

Before the two could come in contact with each other, they were interrupted.

"Lower your stance!" A powerful, booming voice reverberated throughout the room. The owner of the voice was a young girl with a similar stature to Estelle, the Princess herself, Arayle.

"You are in the presence of the 108th Princess," Arayle released her pressure and subdued the man.

"...This subject greets Her Highness!" The man spoke through the pain of being suppressed and hurriedly made a salute.

"Duke Theodore, what do you mean by your previous statement? I have made it clear that she is to be treated like me. Are you opposing my judgement? Are you planning to do another 'assassination'" Arayle held her head up high, the aura of a royalty exuding from her and overpowering the man who used to be prudent moments ago.

Duke Theodore was someone who kept his face in the public. However, behind the scenes, the amount of times he tried to send spies and killers to people surpassed everyone else.

"This subject can't accept Your Highness' decision. This new princess is a pure human, someone who should not mingle with us! What use does she have aside from being a trophy princess?!" Duke Theodore retorted. A lot of the other nobles pretty much had the same idea.

To the public's decreasing favourability rate, Arayle let out a sigh.

"What if I said that she could be the connector to the surface?" Arayle proposed, walking up to her throne and sitting down. With a snap of her finger, Kalis appeared right by Estelle and in the next second, they appeared by the throne's side.

Turmoil started brewing within the crowd. Bringing up the surface was a taboo to their realm. A blasphemy that made them recall their past.

"Might I ask what Your Highness' words..." Another man dared to try and confirm Arayle's meaning.

"They mean exactly what they mean. This girl right here, Estelle Clareste, is a child of the surface's humans. However, she is special. She possesses power akin to mine, and if she is to be nurtured well,

"Is Your Highness saying that your kindness towards her was not solely based on her status as a surface human, but also to make progress for our history?" A noble that supported Arayle jumped in to better the flow of the conversation and make it turn in her favor.

"That is correct. I believe that our gloomy history can be changed, we only need a revolution! My people, do you not believe in our world's potential? We avoid the matters about the surface, but don't we long for it nonetheless?!" Arayle was truly shining and living up to her role as the Underworld's Princess.

To someone like Estelle, who only saw bits of Arayle's persona, this new side was baffling. She knew that Arayle has always hidden her true self behind a mask, but the disparity was truly too great.

"This.. how does Your Highness plan to continue from now? How could we branch to the surface?"

"If anyone recalls.. I am the second person to try to reach out for the surface. The first one was my great great grandfather," Arayle drew in a gaze of melancholy before continuing on with her narrative.

"In my hands is a note containing his extensive research on this matter. I plan to continue on his legacy and fulfill the dream. This princess shall be the path to our glory!"

"Ohh.. Ohhh!" Gaping mouths were scattered everywhere. However, Arayle continued her speech without a care and expressed her thoughts and desires.

As a result, Estelle was made to stand in position for the rest of the speech until the ball ended with a bang.

The nobles were put off for a while, but a comeback was sure to be made shortly after. They accepted the final outcome to give face to Arayle, but the next time there was a chance, they would definitely utilize it to the fullest extent and hinder their path.

Things like this were exactly why authorities were a major turn off for Estelle. You had to undergo so much restrictions. Can't do this, can't do that. It was a shitty position overall for someone who didn't strive for power.

"Sorry, I had to do it this way. If not, trouble would send themselves to you in every single step you take forward," Arayle grinned. She was referring to the words she used during the speech, treating Estelle as a useful object.

"..But your words aren't completely filled by lies, is it? There's no way you brought me here and raised me for nothing. If observation was your goal, it would've been pointless to treat me well. If you see me as a threat, you could've just disposed me from the very start," Estelle stated.

"..Correct!"