The Villainesses in the Romance Fantasy Novel Became Obsessed with me

The freshman welcome party.

Students gathered in the banquet hall.

They greeted each other with laughter and smiles.

They mingled with students from other departments and approached anyone they liked without hesitation.

Under the pretext of socializing, they spent their youth together.

‘I envy them. They can enjoy the party without any worries.’

Charlotte and I looked down at them from above. She also had a look of envy in her eyes, just like me. The sight of students enjoying their youth seemed interesting to her.

“Do you enjoy the party?”

“… It’s enjoyable. Not as much as the parties in the Orsia Kingdom, though. The kingdom’s parties are on another level.”

Charlotte looked up at the sky. She reminisced about the kingdom’s parties as if recalling a distant past.

“Dancers performing in a splendid palace. Bards playing music. Exceptional talents enjoying the event. There’s nothing lacking.”

“Orsia must be a better place than I’ve heard.”

“It is. Very much so. You’d be greatly surprised if you visited. It’s similar to or even better than the Empire.”

Charlotte spoke without a change in her expression as if she was longing for her beautiful homeland.

However, I knew her true feelings.

‘It’s all lies.’

Dancers?

They must be fawning over the king nearby.

Bards playing music?

They must be struggling to fill the sound because of the lack of people.

Exceptional talents enjoying the event?

There was none; only those who flattered the king remained.

‘The king killed all the talents who dared to speak the truth.’

The political situation in the Orsia Kingdom was seriously deteriorated.

Thus, the king decided to poach talents from other countries as a last resort.

He deployed spies and used many of his children to deceive and bring talents from other countries, threatening to kill them if they returned empty-handed.

Although Charlotte held the title of princess, her situation was dire.

I smiled softly at her invitation.

“I’ll visit if I get the chance. I’m curious about the Orsia Kingdom.”

“… Thank you. If you come, I’ll make sure to welcome you properly. Truly.”

Saying this, Charlotte moved slightly closer to me. We were now close enough that our shoulders would touch with a small movement.

I could smell the sweet scent of her perfume, indicating she had prepared well for today.

‘… Being this close, I don’t know where to look.’

Her thin, revealing dress revealed her fair skin everywhere I looked.

Even her face with light makeup was attractive, making it hard to look at her directly.

To maintain my composure, I fixed my gaze on the students below.

There were familiar faces in the crowd.

I should change the subject.

“The Crown Prince has been with that young lady since the beginning. Was her name Elisha?”

“Yes, that’s her name. I’ve seen her in common classes. She’s a commoner.”

Elisha.

Her Korean name was Yoo Iseo.

And the female protagonist of ‘The Fiancée Who Punishes Villainesses.’

She was being led around the banquet hall by the Crown Prince.

From her face, she appeared quite exhausted. However, the Crown Prince was expressionless, and seemed to be showing her off, introducing her to everyone.

It was like he was saying.

‘She’s my woman. Don’t touch her.’

Seeing them from a distance, it looked like a warning.

“… Indeed.”

With her keen eye, Charlotte hit the mark.

The Crown Prince was so fixated on Elisha, making it clear to everyone that she was his.

Don’t mess with her.

That possessiveness resembled what I saw in other villainesses.

‘Come to think of it, he’s in the same boat as me. I wonder if he’s experiencing the same thing as I am.’

Not as intensely as me, who had multiple people obsessed over him, but still.

As I pondered this, Charlotte looked puzzled.

“But how did that ordinary girl catch the Crown Prince’s attention? Aren’t you curious? What charm does she have to make the Imperial Crown Prince act like that?”

Charlotte scanned the room with curiosity, like a hunter eyeing her prey.

I gave an insincere answer, hiding what I knew.

“They probably met before entering the academy.”

“… Could they be in a relationship?”

“Most likely.”

“That’s a bit envious. I’d like to experience a loving relationship too…”

Charlotte smiled softly. Her usual arrogance was nowhere to be seen, and what remained was a gentle expression.

Her eyes softened, revealing a warm, girl-like face, not the one masked with deceit.

At that moment.

“Princess.”

Rose, who was standing behind, called out to Charlotte, bringing her back to reality.

Charlotte put on her arrogant mask again, the one she wore to survive. The mask that had become stuck to her face.

“… I know. I’ll handle it.”

Charlotte replied with a sigh and put her hand to her forehead, and frowned slightly.

“It’s hot and my head hurts. Let’s get some fresh air. Honestly, isn’t this party boring?”

“Well. It’s not that interesting, but…”

“Then let’s go out and have some fun together. It’ll be more entertaining than this party.”

Charlotte flashed an enchanting smile. No man could easily refuse such an attractive invitation.

However.

“Sorry.”

“… What?”

I intended to decline.

“I have another plans.”

If I gave in too easily, my value would decrease.

It was the right time for a bit of play hot and cold.

And besides…

‘It’s becoming hard to handle all these gazes.’

While chatting with her friends, Bluebell was glaring at me while gritting her teeth with a jealous expression.

It was as if she desired I must be present wherever she was.

Yuri, who arrived late, appeared uncomfortable in this setting and fidgeted.

Yet, the intense stares directed at me while I conversed with Charlotte were unmistakable.

Yuri looked ready to cause an incident to get my attention.

Since she couldn’t approach me because of the crowd, she seemed eager to create some disturbance to draw me over.

I quickly spoke to leave the scene.

“I enjoyed the party today. Let’s greet each other in the next class. Would it be okay if I sat next to you then?”

I offered a refusal with room for future interaction.

However, Charlotte seemed quite taken aback by my rejection. Even her voice trembled.

“… Th-that’s fine. No problem. See you tomorrow.”

She seemed quite flustered. I didn’t pay much attention and turned away.

“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

At the moment, the other situation seemed more dangerous.

Managing the risks posed by the villainesses was more challenging than I anticipated.

There were many subtle aspects to consider.

But the most concerning thing was…

‘Where’s Nadia today?’

Nadia hadn’t shown up at the party.

I wondered what she was doing now.

That worried me the most.

***

After Damian left, Charlotte wore a dumbfounded expression.

Something completely unexpected had happened.

“… Rose.”

“Yes, Princess?”

“Have I gained weight?”

“No. You’re as beautiful as ever.”

“Why did he ignore my proposal? I even wore this provocative dress today.”

Charlotte looked down at her dress.

It was a cool, revealing gown that showed off her white skin.

Yet, Damian hadn’t spared her body a glance and withstood the perfume containing mild aphrodisiacs.

“I was taught that this would easily attract men. Am I not attractive?”

“On the contrary, many men are sending admiring glances your way, Princess.”

Charlotte looked down. Indeed, many men were staring at her with flushed faces.

“But I didn’t come here to attract those idiots, did I? They’re not even worth my attention. Give me my coat, Rose.”

“Yes Princess.”

Rose handed Charlotte her coat.

With her target gone, Charlotte covered herself. She no longer needed to show off.

“There are rumors that he’s surrounded by women but isn’t interested in them. This won’t be easy.”

Still.

“The harder he is to get, the more exceptional his skills must be. He answered all my questions in class, and all his answers were correct and well-founded.”

Interesting.

He seemed to have a mind befitting his reputation as a genius.

That made him all the more desirable.

“I’d love to see his physical abilities, but that’s difficult…”

Charlotte wanted to know if his value lay only in his intellect or if his body was valuable too.

“If he has that much value, I’m willing to give him my all…”

But she wasn’t sure yet.

Deep down, she held him in higher regard than even the Crown Prince, the heir of the Empire.

“… Still, it’s a bit embarrassing. I prepared so much and dressed like this…”

Being rejected was humiliating.

“I was confident…”

Charlotte buried her face in the balcony railing to hide her expression.

Her flushed face was unmistakably that of a young girl.

***

Calming down Bluebell and Yuri was both difficult and easy.

It might sound contradictory, but it was true.

“What were you talking about with that woman? Do you really want to die? Do you want to see me dead? I told you to think about me first, so why are you laughing with another woman?”

“… I wasn’t laughing.”

“You were. I saw it with my own eyes. I clearly saw it!”

I endured Bluebell’s explosive anger.

“… Calm down. I’ll go home and think about it slowly. Seriously, about you.”

“… Should I trust you? I’m so pissed off. I’ll trust you one more time. Seriously. Think carefully. If I don’t like it, I’ll die.”

Once her fiery emotions calmed down, I managed to quell Bluebell’s rage.

That’s what made it both difficult and easy.

Of course, Yuri’s situation was the same.

“… Da-Damian. Who was that woman? You said we’d be together at the party… Did you abandon me? Do you not need me anymore?”

“No. She’s a friend I met in a common class. We just talked briefly. I was waiting for you. And the party wasn’t that fun.”

More importantly.

“It felt like something was missing without you.”

“Wh-what…!?”

“Yuri, you look beautiful in that dress today. I think it’s the prettiest I’ve ever seen you.”

“Hehe… Really? Do I really look pretty…?”

“Of course.”

“Among all the people you’ve seen?”

“Definitely.”

Taking advantage of her improving mood, I managed to survive unscathed.

It might be my secret to surviving among the villainesses.

In a way, I had to be adept at using my head and quick thinking because I was juggling multiple interests.

‘If it can be resolved with words, it’s an easy task…’

Although it wae difficult with my life on the line, having explained everything, I now felt like a free soul.

With the party over, I decided to return to the dormitory, a place where I could be alone.

However.

Creak!

As I opened the door and entered the dormitory, I felt a strange sense of unease.

I sensed a gaze and someone’s presence.

Most importantly, a cold evening breeze blew towards me.

“…I’m sure I closed the window when I left.”

Why was the window open?

It was strange.

From inside that room, it felt like something was waiting for me.

‘I should leave.’

It was best not to confront an unknown opponent.

I slowly started to back out of the dormitory.

But then, a green light appeared from the room.

“You’ve finally arrived, Damian.”

Nadia’s voice froze me in place.

She approached me with a calm, emotionless expression. After passing by, she closed the dormitory door behind me.

Bang!

Once the exit was sealed offf, she revealed her true nature.

“I’ve been waiting, Damian. Now we’re finally alone.”

Nadia brushed her fingers along my chin.

“Shall we have an honest talk?”

With no one to interrupt us.

‘So she backed off earlier to find the opportunity to be alone…’

Nadia.

You had it all planned out.

“Now that there’s no one to help you, it’s best to follow me quietly.”

Faced with her threat, I had no choice but to nod.

Still.

‘Not having to worry about others’ eyes suits me as well.’

I didn’t intend to let her have her way as easily as last time.