The Villainesses in the Romance Fantasy Novel Became Obsessed with me

The long tour with the villainess finally concluded.

Though the beginning and the end were not pleasant.

I returned home with relatively positive results.

“Yuri, how do you like our home? Is it alright?”

“I-it’s great! As long as you’re here, anywhere is great, Damian!”

Nod!

Yuri nodded enthusiastically.

Compared to the grand duke’s house where she used to live, our mansion was smaller.

But since our family was a relatively wealthy marquis family, I believe Yuri would be satisfied in time.

As we arrived at the mansion and sat down to rest on the sofa, the door suddenly opened, and a familiar voice echoed.

“Damian! You’re back, my son!”

“Mother.”

“My son…! I’ve missed you so much…!”

Hug!

My mother, Josephine Sinclair, hurriedly approached, pulling her dress along and embraced me.

With a youthful face that defied her age and radiant blonde hair.

Fortunately, it seemed nothing had happened to her while I was away.

Except for her slightly swollen belly.

“My son! They said you were hurt! What’s with the bandages on your arm!”

“Yes, I got a bit hurt.”

“Who dared to harm my son! Who did this to your arm! I sent you on a trip, and they broke my son’s arm?! Tell me who did this immediately!”

“No, I’ll explain later. But what’s with your belly?”

I pointed at Josephine’s belly.

She blushed and smiled.

“Hehe, my son. What do you think this is?”

“A pregnant woman’s belly.”

“Don’t use such a harsh term. Something warmer! Like a sibling!”

“A sibling…”

A sibling.

At the age of 13.

Having a sibling.

It was a bit overwhelming.

But seeing Josephine’s smiling face made me smile as well.

“It seems you were well while I was away.”

“I was fine… With him… But I always thought of you. My good son—no, don’t change the subject. Tell me who did this to your arm! Is it perhaps that girl sitting over there?!”

“N-no…?”

Yuri flinched in surprise at Josephine’s outburst.

It wasn’t Yuri’s fault, but for some reason, she stood up from the sofa and bowed at a 90-degree angle.

“I’m s-sorry…! I… I couldn’t take care of Damian’s arm…! It’s my fault…! I’m sorry…!”

Bow! Bow!

Like a machine, Yuri kept bowing.

I stood up and stopped her sudden behavior.

“It’s not your fault, so why apologize? My arm getting hurt wasn’t your fault.”

“N-no… It’s my fault… I couldn’t protect you…”

Here we go again.

Such excessive guilt isn’t good for rehabilitation.

‘If this excessive guilt continues, she’ll become a villainess like in the novel.’

Excessive guilt could ruin a person.

So, sometimes in life, a light blame is necessary.

Light blame is good for mental health, while continuous self-blame devours the person.

I thought Yuri needed to learn to occasionally blame others.

“Anyway, Mother, I’ll explain everything. It’s not her fault.”

I wasn’t sure where to start or how much to tell.

For now.

“It’s about what happened during my trip to the north…”

I began explaining to Josephine how I came to bring Yuri back.

***

“… That’s what happened.”

“I see… Duke Justia… did such a thing to a good child… It’s a story that can’t be told without tears…”

Tears.

Josephine was moved to tears by Yuri’s story.

Though she usually seemed thoughtless, Josephine’s kind and gentle nature was one of her strengths. She might have been a bit absent-minded in a good way, but she was a mother with a warmer heart than anyone.

“My arm got injured in the process. The Grand Duke of the North is quite a dangerous person.”

“It’s fortunate you came back alive. The Northern Grand Duke, Ivasten… We’ll formally protest to Dennis about this. How dare he strike my son… Where does he get off…”

Once the formal protest was made and the rumors started circulating among the nobles,

The Justia family would likely withdraw from social activities for a while.

That would be excellent news.

If they regained their footing, the chances of Yuri being kidnapped again would increase.

Though I brought Yuri here, the danger would still lurk around her unless the Grand Duke’s family was destroyed.

“So, about that, Mother.”

“Yes, my son! You want to join forces with the nobles to punish the North?”

“No, not that. You understand Yuri’s situation, right? She has nowhere to go.”

Pat!

“What?”

I placed my hand on Yuri’s shoulder and said,

“So, what do you think about letting Yuri stay at our mansion?”

Furthermore.

“And I want Yuri to attend the academy as well.”

“Wha…?”

“You know there are entrance exams in the fall, right? I want Yuri to stay with our family until she gets into the academy and moves into the dormitory. Is that okay?”

“I’m… going to enroll…?”

Unable to follow the conversation, Yuri looked flustered.

Mother answered my question decisively.

“Of course! Do as you wish, my son! The adults will handle the adult matters!”

Having trusted me since childhood.

Mother gave me her full support.

Her bright smile was so genuine she might even give me the house deed if I asked for it.

I turned to Yuri and offered my hand.

“Yuri.”

“Yes…?”

“Let’s continue to take care of each other.”

“Th-thank you… I will repay this kindness no matter what…! Thank you…!”

Squeeze!

Yuri took my hand in hers.

And so, Yuri and I began living together at the mansion.

Until the point when we enroll in the academy.

Right up to the start of the original story.

***

My room was impeccably clean.

The desk and bed were as neat as ever.

I inserted the key into the hole in the desk drawer.

Click-

As the drawer opened, a paper I had placed inside fell to the floor.

‘Good. No one has opened it.’

There was something important hidden here.

I took out a clean notebook from the locked drawer.

Carefully removing the wooden board underneath.

There lay another notebook, well-worn from frequent use.

“It’s been a while. It’s about time I took a look.”

To properly revise my plans.

I opened the notebook to review what I had written.

Written in Korean was the original plot of this world.

And the plans I had been making since birth.

The first page was completed in my childhood, so it had wobbly handwriting like worms.

“Once I enter the academy, the chances of this story unfolding as written…”

Honestly, they were quite low.

Still, it was worth referencing.

I didn’t tear it out.

I skipped the overall plot and focused on the plans I had made.

And then I tore out all the plan pages.

Rip!

Rip!

“Everything needs to be revised.”

As things stood now.

All the plans had gone up in smoke.

The plans I had made were now useless.

“… I tried to prepare for everything, but perhaps the villainesses’ minds are beyond my control?”

Transformation was difficult.

But not impossible.

As long as the villainesses had the will to live.

There was a chance I could help them.

“… The burden is heavy, but it’s possible. If I can lighten their load a bit.”

I wrote in the notebook.

Not the actions they took in the novel, but the actions I witnessed firsthand.

Then, I listed each behavior and analyzed their mental states.

“Dependence, obsession, fixation, self-blame, depression, affection deficiency, violence, trauma, excessive pride…”

If I failed, 25% of the empire would be at risk from each villainess.

Even so, I had to do it.

I thought of Josephine’s swollen belly.

“By any means… I need to find a way…”

I repeated these obsessive words to myself, scribbling plans with my pen.

Unfortunately, no particular method came to mind.

“Am I lacking something…? If so, what is it…?”

The night grew deeper.

***

The Imperial Academy held entrance exams in the fall.

This was because there were many departments, and the exams had three stages.

The exams ran through winter, with each department having different schedules.

That means…

“I don’t want to go.”

It was very bothersome.

I needed to prepare for the academy exams and decide which department to enroll in.

So, I asked Yuri.

“Yuri, which department do you want to join?”

“I want to be with you, Damian…”

“For your information, I’m aiming for Political and Diplomatic Studies. It requires a lot of studying.”

“I’ll study a lot…!”

There wasn’t much time left until the entrance exams.

And she was going to start studying now?

I checked how much Yuri had studied at the grand duke’s house.

The results were dismal.

“You don’t know a lot.”

“Ugh… But if I start studying now…”

“If you fail the exams, you won’t be able to enter the academy at all.”

“I don’t want that…! What other departments are there, Damian?! I want to go to the academy with you…”

“I don’t want to be alone.”

Yuri murmured sadly.

‘In that case, following the original plot is probably best.’

I went out to the garden and handed Yuri the wooden sword I used.

“Yuri, do you want to enroll in the academy?”

“Yes…! I’ll do whatever it takes to get in…!”

“Then, let’s aim for the Swordsmanship Department.”

“The Swordsmanship Department…?”

“Yes, it’s a department where you can learn swordsmanship professionally. Many who want to become knights go there.”

Famous generals and that overpowered female protagonist’s fiancé from the novel.

That guy was also in the Swordsmanship Department.

‘Letting Yuri follow the original path isn’t ideal, but it’s the best way to ensure she gets in.’

If she attempted another department and failed the entrance exams?

‘She’ll likely get kidnapped and taken back to the North.’

Even my mansion could get caught up in it.

The Imperial Academy had much better security.

It was the best place to protect Yuri until she could defend herself.

Yuri should stay in the empire until then.

“So, what do you think, Yuri? Will you join the Swordsmanship Department?”

Yuri gripped the wooden sword firmly and shouted with as much confidence as she could muster.

“I-I will…! I’ll join the Swordsmanship Department…! I’ll become strong and protect you, Damian…!”

“You don’t need to protect me.”

“B-but I want to…! Damian… I want to protect you…!”

Seeing Yuri, who usually didn’t express her opinions, speak like that,

I had no choice but to step back.

‘I’ve held back most of my words. How can I stop her from saying that?’

You must listen to the words of someone who has always held back.

Otherwise, they might suddenly cause trouble without saying anything.

In the novel.

Yuri tended to commit irreversible actions when she loses her mind.

“I-I’ll become strong…! I’ll protect you, Damian…! A-and Damian…!”

“Yes.”

Yuri’s face darkened with anxiety.

“… Even if we go to the academy. We’ll still be friends, right…? Lifelong best friends, right…?”

“…”

“T-there will be lots of people at the academy… You won’t abandon me, right…? Because we’re friends…?”

Without me, Yuri would have nothing left.

“… Why aren’t you answering, Damian? We’re friends, right…?”

That state was dangerous.

To reassure her, I shouted.

“O-of course. We’re lifelong friends.”

“… Right? Thank goodness. Sorry for asking. I was a bit anxious.”

Anxious?

What made her feel anxious?

I asked cautiously.

“What made you anxious…?”

“You seemed very close to your mother… Closer than with me… I was worried you might make friends at the academy…”

“… I see.”

Hearing that, I was certain.

The problem wasn’t the plan, but the extreme personalities of the villainesses.

I realized that the plan wasn’t the crucial part.

‘They have no middle ground. It’s either zero or a hundred.’

If they can’t have something, they destroy it.

If they have it, they want it all.

I could feel and confirm the danger of it firsthand.

‘… The villainesses are far more dangerous than I thought.’