I Became the Younger Brother of the Villainess

Upon returning to my bedroom, I decided to finish organizing my thoughts.

The character I’ve possessed, Scarlett Cepeshu, wasn’t particularly significant in the original work. Actually, to be precise, she didn’t even appear in the main storyline.

She was merely mentioned in the lore as Leticia’s younger sister—a character so minor that she wasn’t even considered a side character, essentially a non-entity in the story.

It’s a shame to waste such a well-crafted character with such a striking appearance.

But perhaps it was because of that alluring background and design that, despite her lack of presence—or rather, complete absence—she managed to gather a notable fanbase.

Apparently, enough fans clamored to the game company, demanding spin-off merchandise featuring Scarlett Cepeshu as the main character. Meanwhile, her elder sister, Leticia Cepeshu, infamous for her villainous role throughout the story, had very few fans apart from a niche group of enthusiasts.

Anyway.

Why didn’t she appear? That question arises naturally.

It’s not like she was in an inaccessible position because she didn’t attend the academy. Nor could it be said that she lacked influence. On the contrary, Scarlett—not Leticia—was the head of the Cepeshu family. If anything, her influence and authority were stronger.

Of course, there were probably “real-world reasons” behind her exclusion. The lack of Scarlett’s appearance in the game wasn’t necessarily an issue. After all, I wasn’t a player—I was someone who earned money by drawing illustrations for my sister, who was the gamer in the family.

But now that I’ve possessed the character, dismissing her absence as “just how it is” due to the game company’s decisions is no longer an option.

Hmm.

That said, I won’t find the answer just by racking my brain here and now. I know next to nothing, so what’s the use of agonizing over it? Still, there’s no telling when the things I’m overlooking might come back to bite me, so I should make a note of them.

I pulled a notebook from the drawer beside my bed and, pen in hand, began jotting down my thoughts.

In Hangul, so no one else could understand it even if they saw it. At the top of the page, I wrote, “Find out why Scarlett was insignificant in the original story.” Above this note were other thoughts I’d recorded over the past month about the world’s setting, the characters, and things to be cautious of.

First and foremost, the main heroine, Luna Taylor, is obviously someone to keep an eye on, but for now, she isn’t a high priority.

It’s not that Luna Taylor isn’t important. According to the game’s portrayal, she’s quiet, with a naïve face and a personality to match. She’s your typical small-town baron’s daughter, seemingly easy to dismiss—but then again….

The things surrounding her are the real issue. As the original story progresses, the tangled web of male characters around her becomes increasingly troublesome. And she herself is overpowered, with the talent to become the greatest spirit summoner, capable of commanding high-ranking spirits with ease.

However, she isn’t immediately important because she doesn’t enroll in the academy until I’m in my second year—meaning I still have a year to prepare. There’s plenty of time.

I even know where she comes from, so if necessary, I could go find her myself.

The real person to be wary of right now is the prince, Luke Arcadia. He’s a prominent character, the one my sister falls for first in most routes.

Thinking about the sister I’ve observed over the past month falling for this man and becoming the epitome of an unlikeable villainous character is infuriating. The prince, whom I’ve only seen as a drawing or through a screen, already feels like my mortal enemy.

If you think about it, isn’t this basically NTR? I mean, I’ve resolved to win my sister over, so if some prince she’s never even met steals her heart, how is that any different from NTR?

In other words, the prince is an NTR villain. He deserves to die.

…

If I set aside my personal grudge for a moment, the prince’s survival was necessary to reach the game’s ending. After all, the prerequisite for overcoming the Demon King’s invasion was ensuring the survival of all named characters with routes, as well as the heroine, Luna.

This was the main reason I couldn’t simply cut him off at the root by attempting an assassination.

Ultimately, the only way forward was what I had resolved earlier: I had to win my sister’s heart before he could.

Holding my pen, I pressed the nib hard onto the prince’s name, smearing the ink on the page before shutting the notebook. There wasn’t much else I could write at this point anyway.

I tossed the notebook back into the drawer and silently murmured the command for the status window to appear.

The stats were still severely diminished, but they were manageable. Considering the academy’s average new student had stats between 30 and 40, while the upper-tier students ranged from 50 to 60, and the top-tier named characters hovered around 70, my current state was sufficient.

As the main stat screen faded, the traits section came into view.

Scarlett Cepeshu

…

Traits: 「Blood Demon」, 「Void」

Unique Traits: 「Bestowal」, 「Connection」, 「Harmony」

The 「Blood Demon」 trait was shared by all vampires, but its rank varied depending on the individual’s caliber.

Higher-ranked vampires had far greater output and utility. For instance, an F-ranked vampire could do little more than extract blood slightly faster or make their shadow flicker faintly. Essentially, they were defective as vampires.

In contrast, an S-ranked vampire could decimate an entire city within hours simply by feeding. They could merge into shadows to move their bodies or even materialize shadows into weapons.

Although the rank wasn’t explicitly displayed in the status window, according to the lore, the 「Blood Demon」 trait of a barely-turned vampire was F-rank. Conversely, Leticia, a vampire hailed as the most noble among the Cepeshu lineage, was listed as S-rank.

In other words, I was also S-rank at the very least.

One aspect of the trait particularly caught my eye:

「Blood Demon」

▶ Controls blood and shadows. Can captivate others.

The ability to “captivate others.”

Although my sister also possessed the same 「Blood Demon」 trait, wouldn’t this still work if I used it well? After all, my magical energy was vastly superior to hers. I had a fair shot.

Moreover, the captivation effect wasn’t just active but passive as well. The higher the trait’s rank, the more one emitted a pleasant scent akin to pheromones.

For now, I decided to reserve the active effect for critical moments and focused on amplifying the passive effect. By activating my magical energy, the subtle allure would become stronger. Thanks to consistent practice over the past month, I’d grown adept at invigorating my body with mana.

Knock, knock.

Just then, a knock came from beyond the door. Perhaps my sister had come to visit.

“Scarlett, are you awake?”

Since I had claimed I would sleep after leaving the dining room earlier—and knowing my sister wasn’t one to refrain from entering even if I said I was asleep (she’d once stayed by my side all night until I woke)—I could have pretended to be asleep.