The Villainess’s Guide to Winning the Male Lead

“…”

Hans and I were at a loss for words.

The bright red sports car was adorned with a pink banner and an enormous ribbon, among other decorations.

And inside, there were three people: Ian, Carrot, and OnlyFinley, all wearing identical sunglasses.

The car stopped right in front of us, and the trio hurried out, fumbling with something.

Then they rolled out a red carpet that reached right to our feet.

Ian, holding the car door open, politely said,

“Please, get in.”

“Do you want to die?”

“Where else would you find friends like this?”

“I wish I hadn’t.”

Was this the ‘gift’ they had prepared? I was speechless with disbelief.

OnlyFinley and Carrot were taking photos in front of the sports car. It was my wedding, yet they seemed to be having more fun.

I heard Poppopo and Ian conversing.

“What’s with the car?”

“Borrowed it.”

“From who?”

“Isaac.”

“Saw him just now, didn’t you?”

“He must have run away.”

It was Isaac, who until recently was congratulating us with a smile. That smile now seemed sinister, probably scheming this whole time.

“Wow, I want to drive it too!”

Gold2 exclaimed excitedly. Ian sternly made an X with his hands.

“If that car gets a scratch, he’ll be clutching the back of his head in agony.”

“If he treasures the car so much, why lend it?”

“For the princess’s wedding day, of course.”

Ian took off his sunglasses and looked at me with a grin.

“Right?”

I was so flabbergasted, all I could do was let out a hollow laugh.

“Hurry up, get in! Ian will drive!”

OnlyFinley, who had sneaked up beside me, linked her arm with mine.

Where else would you see a bride going to her wedding in a sports car? It was absurd, but I couldn’t ignore their effort, so I had no choice but to get in.

Ian took the driver’s seat, Hans and I in the back.

“Got your seatbelt on? Here we go.”

With a roar, the car took off.

It wasn’t a long distance, but Ian sped up. Luckily, there were no people around.

“Hey, Jiha’s hair is getting messed up! Slow down!”

“OnlyFinley can fix it again.”

Hans commented, but Ian didn’t care.

We quickly reached our destination.

As soon as the car stopped, I said in an excited voice,

“That was fun, can we go around one more time?”

“No time.”

“I’ll take you for another ride after the wedding.”

As when we got in, Ian quickly got out and opened my door. I grabbed the hem of my wedding dress and stepped out of the car.

The guest area was already full. As we planned a modest ceremony with familiar faces, everyone I knew was there.

“The stars have arrived!”

Stress shouted. Cheers erupted from various spots.

“The bride’s hair is a mess.”

“Joshua, come quickly!”

“The groom is so handsome!”

It was truly chaotic. Compared to the wedding in the human realm, this was the complete opposite.

The guests who had started the journey with us also hurriedly followed.

Carrot took his place at the MC stand, and OnlyFinley was fixing my hair again.

Thankfully, the ceremony itself went smoothly without any major issues.

“Alright, time for photos!”

The end of the wedding. It was time for everyone to gather for a group picture.

“You look even prettier up close.”

“Congratulations on your wedding, Jiha!”

“How could you let Hans—”

OnlyFinley hugged me tightly. We were supposed to be getting ready for the photo. But, as usual, she was getting distracted.

“Let’s take the picture already!”

Finally, Hans shouted in frustration. Laughter erupted from all around.

Everyone took their places and faced the front.

One, two, three.

Click.

And like that, Hans and I became husband and wife.

* * *

I hung the wedding photo on the wall.

“Nice.”

Most people would hang studio photos, but I chose a group photo from the wedding.

Though it was a group picture, it didn’t even include twenty people, so it looked more intimate than formal.

‘It makes me happy every time I see it.’

Maybe it was because everyone was genuinely smiling in it. I really liked this photo.

“It’s good we don’t need to find a separate place for the honeymoon.”

“Are we really going to live here?”

“Yes.”

Our honeymoon home was Hans’s dormitory.

The place I lived in was nice too, but it was too cramped for two.

“We could move to a bigger place. I have the means.”

“What’s the point of moving to a bigger place just for the two of us?”

For the time being, since I had to live as Camilla, we’d be away from home more often, and a larger house would just mean more cleaning. Plus, there was no maid here to clean for us.

Above all, I liked it here.

A place filled with traces of Hans. It was impossible not to love.

“We don’t even have time for a proper honeymoon.”

“Living in the human realm is like a vacation, isn’t it?”

“We just work there.”

“What can we do.”

Now that the wedding was over, we had to return to the human realm and get back to work.

Hans and I sprawled on the sofa. The thought of going back to work in the human realm made us both fall silent.

“In our next life, we’re just going to relax.”

“You think that’s possible?”

Even before reincarnating, I had hoped to live a quiet life, but look at us now. Hans and I were never meant to have a quiet life.

Staring blankly at the wall, I casually said,

“We’re married.”

“Yeah.”

The past few months had flown by in a blur. While preparing, all I wanted was to get the wedding over with. But now that it’s all done, it felt somewhat empty.

“I guess… not much has really changed.”

“That’s true.”

Hans seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

The place we lived, the lifestyle we had. There was no significant change.

“Actually.”

Hans moved closer to me.

I looked up at Hans in bewilderment. Hans stood there with a sly smile plastered on his face.

“If we’re a couple, we can stick together without any worries now, can’t we?”

“…….”

He speaks so shamelessly. I laughed and hugged Hans tightly.

* * *

“Okay.”

“Did you start the broadcast?”

“Yes, just now.”

I raised my hand and spoke nonchalantly.

“Hello, Anais has entered.”

“That greeting is so cheesy.”

“Quiet, Mr. Manager pretending to be Bates.”

Hans glared at me piercingly. Pretending not to notice his gaze, I turned my head away.

“We don’t really have any specific content for today. We’re just planning to wander around the mansion with the manager.”

“You’re really taking it easy with the broadcast.”

“Shh.”

The reactions in the chat were similar, but I ignored them as usual. Hans and I started walking.

“Should we do an interview while we’re at it?”

“How can you interview while hiding the fact that we’re broadcasting?”

“Just trust me on this.”

As we walked, we saw Eric.

Maybe I should start the interview with Eric. He was the unfortunate one to catch my eye.

“Hello, Eric.”

“Ah… Lady Anais and Sir Bates?”

“It might sound sudden, but what do you think of me?”

“What?”

I could feel Hans’s gaze as if saying how natural this was.

“Lady Anais? What’s all this about all of a sudden…”

“Answer quickly.”

“…….”

Eric scratched his reddened face and finally spoke.

“…You are a kind person.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

“Ah.”

I sighed, and a sense of injustice seemed to swirl in Eric’s expression.

At that moment, Selena approached us.

“What are you talking about?”

“Just casually asking people around what they think of me.”

“Oh, I’m confident I can do well!”

Upon hearing the topic of the conversation, Selena excitedly raised her hand. Then she started speaking with a bright smile.

“Sister is incredibly kind and nice! I always want to be by her side!”

“Selena……”

It was a little touching.

The first interview ended warmly, and I looked for the next person.

After walking a bit, I saw Kabir and Finley. They seemed to be in the middle of a serious conversation, their expressions grave.

I naturally inserted myself into their conversation.

“Good afternoon!”

“Ah, you startled me.”

Finley recoiled in disgust. Kabir, however, smiled as if this was familiar to him.

“What’s it this time?”

“I’m collecting opinions about myself.”

“Do you really want to ask for trouble by hearing insults?”

That’s it. Annoyed, I playfully jabbed Finley’s waist. Finley slightly moved away from me.

“Spit it out quickly. Starting with Kabir.”

“Hmm…”

Kabir pondered for a moment before speaking.

“A strange person.”

“Can’t you say something nice?”

“That is a compliment.”

“In what way?”

Beside me, Finley was nodding vigorously in agreement. They only got along well in times like this.

“Sister!”

Selena and Eric were approaching. In Selena’s hand was my handkerchief.

“You dropped your handkerchief.”

“Good timing. Please take her away.”

“Playing hard to get even though you like it.”

“Lady…”

With six people gathered, it was bustling. It was now a familiar commotion in the grand mansion.

* * *

“……”

I slowly lifted my eyelids.

It was the middle of the night. Hans was sleeping beside me.

I rubbed my eyes and sat up.

“What’s wrong?”

Hans, awakened by the noise, asked me in a drowsy voice.

“I dreamt of myself when I was Anais.”

“Really?”

Hans chuckled.

“What were you doing?”

“Laughing and broadcasting with people.”

“It’s been a while since we turned on the broadcast.”

Hans pulled my arm, and I naturally snuggled into his embrace.

“Let’s go to the human world tomorrow and start a broadcast.”

“Okay.”

Tomorrow, it seems right to start broadcasting again.

I wanted to spend time with people.