BJ Villainess

Mimosa muttered gloomily, “Damian is not the same as before, and my father is starting to hint at an engagement. Graduation is soon, after all.”

“Right. The second semester starts after the summer ball.”

“If I’m not going to be an imperial magician, I should at least get engaged quickly. But I don’t want to do either.”

“Then what do you want to do?”

“…I don’t know. I’m not particularly good at or passionate about anything. You’re lucky. You have many talents and clear passions.”

. How did we end up having this conversation? I scratched my cheek awkwardly and then spoke up. “But you know, the Mimosa I know is quite talented.”

Mimosa turned her gaze from the dance floor to look at me.

“You composed the song your club performed at the school festival, right?”

“That’s just something I’ve been doing since I was young.”

“And you designed the Demisa emblem yourself.”

“Do you know how many pieces of jewelry I own? It’s just natural for me to create those kinds of things.”

“Plus, you were passionate enough about someone to create the second-largest club in school.”

“Are you now bragging about the Therdang Club having the most members?”

Mimosa tapped her foot, seemingly pleased by my words, as a smile crept onto her face. I couldn’t help but smile back, finding her adorable.

“You are talented. And you’re special.” My words weren’t wrong, considering she was a significant antagonist.

Mimosa’s cheeks flushed as she puffed out her cheeks. “…Do you want something from me? Is that why you’re saying all these nice things?”

“

, did you like hearing that?” As I teased her, Mimosa’s face turned bright red.

“

…! No, it’s not! You always have to stir things up!”

Embarrassed by admitting she was pleased, Mimosa quickly got defensive and then turned sullen. “

. Just be careful of Cecilia today.”

“Cecilia?”

“I saw the Kapento family people before entering the banquet hall. Cecilia was screaming and then went off somewhere alone. Her eyes and expression looked insane.” Mimosa shivered, recalling the ominous sight. “Anyway, she looked really weird, so be careful. She has a grudge against you.”

If Mimosa, with her imperial blood, sensed something was off, there must be something to it.

“Do you know where Cecilia went?”

“How would I know? If she didn’t go home, she might be wandering around the imperial palace.”

This put me in a tricky position.

“Thanks for the advice. I’ll be careful, as you suggested.”

“

Don’t be mistaken. I warned you not because I care about you but because I dislike Cecilia.”

Ding!

[The Constellation ‘Pure Child’ has sponsored 1,000,000 coins.]

[The more I see Mimosa, the more she reminds me of a chihuahua with weak attack power.]

Embarrassed by being kind, Mimosa hastily excused herself, claiming to have something else to do.

Just then, the second dance ended.

I had many questions, like whether he knew I was the creator, if he knew anything about Ilya’s whereabouts, or if he had any clues about Clyde. However, I couldn’t do so because Euges was approaching me in a straight line, drawing everyone’s attention.

I maintained a calm façade and greeted him properly. “It is an honor to meet Your Majesty, the Sun of the Empire.”

Euges, noticing my bow, helped me stand up and offered his arm, suggesting we should be arm-in-arm, hinting at a longer conversation. I felt a sigh coming on. I took his arm and began to walk carefully, aware of the nobles’ piercing gazes.

“I heard you’ve already mastered arcane magic. The imperial magicians are very curious about what kind of magic it is.”

“It’s all thanks to Your Majesty’s grace.”

“Do you truly believe that?” Euges swapped his empty glass for a full one and looked at me. “

, I see. Not long ago, I was severely reprimanded by you, and now here I am drinking again. I apologize for ignoring your advice, Princess.” He then downed the drink.

“…You said there wouldn’t be any adverse effects last time, Your Majesty.”

“Right. So, have I given you a punishment now? It seems more like a reward.”

I just smiled, keeping my lips sealed.

Rumors have spread far and wide about me being the emperor’s woman, and this is considered a reward?

“If you’ve benefitted from my grace, you could surely oblige a small request?”

“Could someone as insignificant as I fulfill a request from Your Majesty…?”

“You sure do take a long time to say you don’t want to.”

“It can’t be. Please, go ahead.”

“You’re just quick-witted as usual.” Euges led me to the dance floor, casually mentioning, “Let’s dance first.”

It was just before the third dance was about to start. Since I had already danced the first dance with my partner, I could dance with someone else, so there was no issue except for the fact that I was the emperor’s first dance partner.

“Your Majesty, I understand this is your first dance tonight. But you’re choosing to dance with me instead of Madame Shati?”

You’re supposed to fill three red hearts to become a dance partner, according to the game settings! But Euges’s likeability status still showed two black hearts.

Without stopping, Euges indifferently explained why he had to dance with me. “Everyone thinks I’ve gone mad with love and returned the arcane magic book to you.”

In society, many already view us as a couple. Some even interpret it as the emperor being unilaterally in love with me. All of this was informed by Eloise. Euges pointed that out.

“Returning a family’s arcane magic is a matter with far-reaching implications. Princess knew that, and that’s why you tried to stop me, didn’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“So it makes sense that I, the emperor, would appear as a fool, ready to give away everything for you. In such a situation, wouldn’t it be odd if I didn’t dance with you?”

“It would be strange…”

“You finally understand.”

By the time he finished explaining, we were at the center of the dance floor, with all the couples making way for the emperor’s first dance. Just before the music started, Euges whispered to me, “I saw you dance well earlier. I’m looking forward to this time too.”

“

…” I forced a laugh and took my position, ready to dance to the music.

Unlike Ozworld, who only seemed to provoke me, Euges surprisingly concentrated on dancing. He only made one comment throughout. “You dance well.” It was a genuinely heartfelt compliment coming from him. Even the emperor, known for his high standards, acknowledged that [Dance Machine] was something special.

As the dance ended, applause erupted from all around.

“Everyone seems to like it so much. Maybe we should dance once more?”

I shook my head. “No, thank you. My feet are hurting. How about we take a break over there, Your Majesty?”

Euges raised an eyebrow as I pointed to a secluded area. “Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

Although Euges tried to appear unaffected, he had been sweating since earlier. It was clear he was suffering from a headache.

“Let’s go.” Euges let out a forced laugh but willingly followed me.

On the way to a secluded corner of the banquet hall, I grabbed a glass of water. Fortunately, because the nobility misunderstood us as a couple, they didn’t approach us. Instead, they winked and made way for us as if not wanting to disturb our private time. Thanks to their discretion, I could discreetly pour the water from the glass into a vase near the terrace. I then filled the empty glass with a potion.

“Please drink this. It’s the same potion as last time.”

The emperor’s health appeared to be deteriorating, which could be a significant weakness. Apart from that, Euges strongly disliked showing weakness to others. That’s why I specifically brought a glass of water so he could pretend to drink it.

“If you’re suspicious, should I take a sip first?”

Realizing why we had come all this way, Euges fell silent for a moment before laughing in a different tone. “Give it here.” He muttered something about expectations and downed the potion like someone taking a shot of liquor.

Euges grimaced. “It’s terribly sweet.”

“…Medicine is supposed to be sweet…”

“What was that?”

“Nothing. Just wait a moment. I’ll fetch something to counteract the sweetness.”

I should bring back the sourest thing I can find. Perhaps sensing my malicious intent, Euges refused.

“Do you think I’m a five-year-old? Stop wasting time and stay here.”

I thought he might call a servant to do it, but surprisingly, Euges went to get a snack himself. The courtiers, who knew him as well as I did, stared at us with their mouths agape, shocked.

That’s when the sound of something hard scraping against the marble floor caught my attention. Looking down, I saw a wooden doll. This was undoubtedly Stigmata’s Heart Doll. My expression hardened as I looked up and saw Cecilia, who had approached unnoticed.

“We meet here, Senior.”