I Became the Absolute Hidden Villainess Princess of the Academy

A Slightly Dangerous Combination (1)

The second day at the Academy had come to an end.

…Though calling it uneventful would be a stretch.

As soon as the ranking assessments were finished, we all headed straight to my estate.

For me, Louis, and Irene, this was our residence, so it was only natural.

As for Lady Schefor…

"Let’s have dinner together at my place!"

"C-Can I really?!"

"Of course! I misunderstood you pretty badly this morning, so consider this my way of apologizing."

"I will gladly accept your invitation, Esti!"

I had invited her to dinner.

I was grateful that she had willingly acted as my cushion all day…

And besides, it would be useful for her to publicly establish friendly ties with me. A connection to a princess could be advantageous in social circles.

My dinner invitation was purely a give-and-take.

Of course, that didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the meal.

"Let’s feed each other! Irene, give Louis a bite~♡"

"…What?"

"Come on, let’s all take turns feeding each other! Here, Schefor. Say ‘ahh~♡’"

"G-Gasp…!!!!"

Even during dinner, my matchmaking efforts continued.

Watching Louis and Irene feed each other bread…

It was such a heartwarming sight that I couldn’t help but smile.

"Here, Esti. Open up."

"Princess? Come on, say ‘ahh~’. Hehe."

"E-Esti’s lips touched my fingers…! H-Haaah…!!!"

'…I’m full.'

My stomach, already small, quickly reached its limit. I probably wouldn’t be doing this often.

After dinner, the four of us gathered in the reception room.

For a simple tea time.

——That was when our peaceful day took an unexpected turn.

"Esti, your estate is amazing… It’s even grander than my family’s mansion!"

—Fidget, fidget.

Seated beside me, Lady Schefor subtly traced the back of my hand with her fingers.

Ever since we arrived, she hadn’t hidden her admiration for my home.

It seemed she had truly taken a liking to it.

…Even a viscount’s daughter was astonished by this estate.

My sisters had casually built this for me.

I was once again reminded of their love and the power of the Imperial Family.

I grinned smugly.

"My sisters gifted me this estate. I was just as surprised."

"Ah, that explains its palatial grandeur! The interior design has an elegance unlike the Academy dorms. Truly befitting of princesses!"

'Hearing praise for my sisters makes me feel proud too. Hehe~'

I had boasted about my sisters, expecting admiration.

And Schefor praised them sincerely.

A stark contrast from how she had spoken to Irene yesterday.

—Stroke, stroke.

'…Why does she like my hands so much?'

Of course, her admiration came with the odd habit of stroking my fingers and occasionally letting out excited breaths.

But compared to my sisters, this was nothing.

My fondness for Schefor increased.

—Pause.

'Wait, could she live here too?'

A sudden thought struck me.

We had already agreed to be friends, and there were plenty of rooms.

Why not invite her to stay here instead of the dorms?

After a brief mental calculation, a smile crept onto my lips.

'If she ever bothers Irene again, I can just kick her out… But with a 95 favorability score, she’ll probably behave.'

"Schefor. How about moving in and living here with us?"

"……H-HUH?!"

Schefor practically stopped breathing.

Her hand, which had been trailing along my skin, froze in place.

…Well, obviously.

The Third Princess had just asked her to be her live-in friend.

And she had only known me for less than a day.

A perfect Cinderella story, aside from the fact that we were both girls.

But I continued my persuasion without hesitation.

At 95 favorability, she was worth keeping around.

——And this wasn’t just an offer of kindness.

"What do you think? There are plenty of rooms, so pick whichever one you like!"

"Living in the same estate as Esti…?"

'Hehe, look at her taking the bait without knowing my true intentions. Cute.'

This was, in fact, a political move.

If word spread that I, Princess Esti, cherished my ‘friends’ like Schefor and Irene—

There would be countless people clamoring to be like them.

Eager to grasp the golden thread that was the Third Princess.

And to do that, they would need to gain my favor.

Which meant they would work for my benefit.

Like keeping those blond-tanned bullies away from Irene.

In short, this wasn’t mere generosity.

This was me laying the groundwork for an Academy life stacked in my favor.

A truly villainous move.

'Hehehe. See? While others scheme one or two plots, I tilt the entire board in my favor!'

I was almost afraid of my own brilliance.

During the day, I was dubbed a ‘soft mushroom princess,’ but I was undoubtedly suited for villainy.

And—

A key trait of masterminds:

Offering proposals that couldn’t be refused.

I suddenly added—

"Besides… The bathhouse is pretty big. The three of us could bathe together without any issue."

"………!!!!!!?"

The offer?

A bath with me.

With this one experience alone, her social standing in high society was bound to rise several levels.

‘Just one comment like, “Well, I went to the sauna with the Third Princess,” and most noble ladies wouldn’t even dare to approach her.’

Schefor’s breath grew ragged.

She was clearly overwhelmed by the dazzling future I had just guaranteed her.

"B-Bathing with Esti…?"

"Yep! With Irene too, the three of us together!"

"Gasp, gasp…!!!"

'Oh dear. She’s about to pass out. Is she really that happy?'

Schefor was so excited she could barely breathe.

…I should probably give her a moment to collect herself.

I turned my attention to the other two.

"What do you think, Irene? You’re okay with bathing with Schefor, right?"

"…Hehe. I’d be grateful."

"……?"

'Why would Irene be grateful?'

This was essentially an invitation to have Schefor as a housemate.

Irene smiled warmly.

Then, she licked her lips while looking at Schefor.

…The same look I had when staring at freshly baked cookies.

But Schefor was no cookie, and Irene had no reason to look at her that way.

Meanwhile, Louis had a completely different reaction.

"T-T-Three of you…?!!!!"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. That’s the plan."

"I-I don’t know anything! Just do whatever you want!"

—Squeeze.

His face turned bright red, his entire body trembling before he shut his eyes tight.

I wondered why he was overreacting to three girls bathing together…

Then, a grin spread across my lips.

Louis’s thoughts were as clear as day.

'Hehe. You got flustered, didn’t you? Well, to be fair, that was a pretty sultry smile! It’s only natural you’d get flustered!'

Moments ago, Irene had smiled at Schefor.

Louis hadn’t reacted to the bath part, but to that smile.

Even from my perspective, it was an alluring, almost seductive smile.

I gave him a thumbs-up in my mind.

'I’ll push things along for you, little brother! I’ll even root for you if you end up rushing things!'

"Anyway. So, Schefor. What do you think?"

I turned my gaze back to Schefor, who sat beside me.

—Mutter, mutter.

"I-I must uphold the dignity of House Vernone… But, bathing with Esti… Gasp……."

Schefor had been mumbling to herself, seemingly oblivious to the entire conversation.

To snap her out of it, I lightly smacked her thigh.

"Schefor~."

—Pat, pat.

"Gasp!! E-Esti!!!?"

It wasn’t until I playfully patted her plump thigh that she snapped back to reality.

I hooked my arm around hers and leaned in.

—Snuggle.

"So? Let’s live together. Okay?"

"I-I… I couldn’t possibly…"

"Hmm? But wouldn’t you prefer this estate over the dorms?"

'Come on, don’t play coy. This benefits both of us.'

"Gasp, gasp……"

Even as she struggled to breathe, she still hesitated to answer.

I suppose she felt pressured since it was coming from a princess.

But…

Her answer was already decided.

"Stay with us. Okay?"

—Ding!

[Due to high favorability, the likelihood of gaining the target’s approval has increased to a ‘considerable’ degree.]

[Current favorability of ‘Schefor de Vernone (22, Female)’ towards the target: 95]

"Y-Y-Yes!♡"

'Too easy.'

A favorability score of 95 meant rejection wasn’t even an option.

This had been a YES or YES situation from the start.

I smiled brightly.

"Great! Looking forward to living with you, Schefor!"

"Gasp, gasp… I-I should be the one thanking you…!!!"

Schefor was so thrilled she could barely catch her breath.

—Murmur.

"…This will be quite the show. Hehe."

Even Irene, delighted to have a new friend, chuckled softly.

—Tremble, tremble.

"Esti… is totally a predator…"

Even in this heartwarming moment, Louis kept his eyes firmly shut.

…Well, that’s just Louis for you.

***

After tea time—

"We’re all done, right? Let’s go bathe!"

"I-I need time to mentally prepare…!!"

"Schefor, I’ll assist you in the bath. Hehe."

"…Sigh. I should make sure the servants keep their mouths shut."

A relaxing bath awaited to wash away the fatigue of the day.