The Villainess’s Guide to Winning the Male Lead

“Ah.”

Right, she was there too. I pondered for a moment and then gave a vague answer.

“I stopped by a while ago for some healing.”

“What?!”

Selena was startled immediately.

Looking restless, she asked,

“If you needed healing with divine power, wasn’t it something serious?”

“It’s okay. Just keep it between us.”

Normally, needing divine power for healing implied a severe condition. It seemed like I had caused a misunderstanding, but I let it be since it could lead to an interesting turn of events.

Shailo, perhaps wanting to keep his promise of secrecy, just smiled and added nothing more.

“Have you talked to the saintess?”

“The saintess?”

“Yes. She was just out front here a while ago.”

Was the brown-haired girl I saw earlier the saintess? Why was she lingering around and not coming in?

“She must be shy.”

“Shy… Well, she’s quite active when with us, but I guess she could be. Would you like to meet her?”

Shailo offered to introduce us.

Meeting someone not from the original story seemed more of a hassle than anything.

“I’m okay with it.”

On the other hand, Selena seemed excited. She must like meeting new people.

“I’ll bring her here. Just wait a moment.”

Shailo left to fetch her.

In the meantime, I asked Selena,

“What exactly does a saintess do?”

The original story didn’t mention anything about a saintess, so it was a natural question.

Selena thought for a moment before answering.

“Well, I believe it’s a role that involves direct communication with the deity.”

Not much of a big deal, right? Compared to what I’m doing now, it seemed quite trivial. I understood why Shailo was so surprised by me.

Soon, Shailo returned with a girl.

She was quite short, with brown hair reaching her waist, so curly that it seemed tangled. Her expression was somewhat indifferent.

“You should greet them, saintess.”

“…Davi.”

The girl uttered just that one word, seemingly sullen.

Was that her name? I greeted her casually.

“Hi, Davi.”

“…….”

Davi pouted and turned her head away. I could sense Shailo’s embarrassment beside her.

“saintess, they are the ladies. You should show some manners.”

“It’s okay. Just be yourself. Right, Selena?”

“Yes!”

Selena was as cheerful as ever.

“Are we done? I was reading.”

Davi spoke in an annoyed tone.

I gave Shailo a reassuring smile, signaling it was okay. Reluctantly, Shailo let Davi go.

“…….”

Before leaving the reception room, Davi turned and looked at me intently.

Then she glared at me fiercely.

“……?”

I didn’t know what had happened, but it seemed like she had taken an instant dislike to me.

Davi huffed and left the room.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“Who knows…….”

Shailo laughed awkwardly. He seemed embarrassed that his well-intentioned introduction had only made the atmosphere more awkward.

[PleaseShakeACarrot: Why does she hate you? That’s ridiculous.]

[asdf: Don’t curse.]

[OnlyFinley: Oh, these overprotective parents.]

[Isaac: But really, why?]

[LLoading: That’s odd, Davi is usually so niceㅠㅠ]

Since the saintess communicates directly with the deity, which means she often talks with asdf, it seemed like some angels found Davi endearing.

[AsparagusCharm: Send a divine message or something.]

[asdf: Too much hassle.]

Asdf, who was Venecia, didn’t seem inclined to get involved.

I was curious but not overly so. I decided to just let it pass.

* * *

After receiving an apology from Shailo in place of Davi and finishing our tour of the temple, we left. It wasn’t particularly enjoyable, despite the effort of going all the way there.

“By the way, I heard my escort knight is changing.”

On the way back in the carriage, Selena brought up a topic to chat about. She seemed more at ease with me now, which was good.

‘A change of escort knights.’

I vaguely remembered hearing something about it from Eric. The original escort knight wanted to spend more time with his family.

“Just don’t take Eric away.”

“Hahaha, you two seem very close.”

I was always anxious about Selena being with Eric. In the original story, Eric dies protecting her.

I had grown fond of Eric and didn’t want to see him die.

“Of course, Eric will continue working with you, Lady. I’m supposed to meet the new one today.”

“Really?”

“Would you mind accompanying me when I meet him? I’m a bit nervous.”

She now felt comfortable enough to ask for such a favor. I was slightly touched. It seemed like Selena had long forgotten how Anais had treated her in the past.

I had no plans for the day, so I readily agreed to help Selena.

* * *

Not long after we rested in our rooms, Selena came to fetch me.

“Lady! The new escort knight is about to arrive!”

She really intended to have me with her during the introduction.

I thought she was not shy, but being in a new place, she seemed to rely on me a lot.

“Okay, let’s go.”

I wasn’t particularly interested in someone not from the original story, but for the sake of my relationship with Selena, I went along.

Selena and I headed to the meeting place.

“He’s here.”

We found Kabir there too, which was rare outside of dinner times. He must have taken time out of his schedule to personally introduce Selena to her new escort knight. He really did the bare minimum in terms of courtesy.

The man standing next to Kabir was as tall as him.

He had dark blue hair and, at first glance, was not the most likable character. He was handsome, but he looked extremely cold.

“…….”

The man turned his head towards us, his red eyes fixed on me.

“……?”

I looked at him, puzzled, and spoke without hesitation.

“You’re supposed to be guarding the person next to me, not me.”

I thought maybe he had mistaken me for Selena.

The man quickly averted his gaze.

“I am Bates Landon.”

His voice was as gruff as his appearance.

There was no further conversation, like asking to take care of each other or expressing a desire to get along. He just did the bare minimum in terms of communication.

[Isaac: Such a boring character]

[OnlyFinley: I kind of like him]

[Gold2: You like all male characters]

[OnlyFinley: Be quiet]

[LLoading: Manager, these two are fighting]

[asdf: ㅋㅋ]

Such reticent characters often polarize opinions.

‘I don’t like him.’

I had warmed up to Kabir a bit because he turned out to be more humane than expected. But this type of character was exactly what I disliked. Just being around him felt draining.

Anyway, he was Selena’s escort knight, so it was unlikely I’d have much to do with him.

After a brief exchange, Selena stayed with Kabir and the new knight to talk more, so I left first.

“He seems like a heavy presence.”

Right, Eric was there too.

I often forgot about Eric’s presence because he was usually just beside me. I had become too accustomed to it, which was a problem.

“He looks boring.”

“Who judges an escort by their entertainment value…”

“I do.”

“…That’s typical of you, Lady.”

Eric accepted it simply.

“If the Grand Duke personally brought him, he must be a very capable knight. I’d like to get to know him.”

Unlike me, Eric seemed somewhat excited.

“He doesn’t seem easy to get along with.”

“That’s true.”

Since his room was right next door, there might be a chance to become friends.

Anyway, it was none of my business.

…or so I thought at that time.

* * *

“The Grand Duke said it might be better to temporarily change your escort.”

“…….”

The news Selena relayed was quite surprising.

“He said he’s more worried about you than me…….”

I should be more careful with my actions. It seems the Grand Duke thought it safer to have a more capable knight by my side than the inexperienced Eric.

“What about you, Eric?”

“Huh?”

Eric’s expression was all smiles.

“You happy?”

“No?”

“Your mouth corners are up.”

“I always have a smiling face.”

“Don’t joke.”

“I’m just glad to have a bit less work.”

He’s clearly happy, this guy.

Selena was more well-behaved compared to me. For an escort knight, she must be much more comfortable to be with.

Watching us bicker as usual, Selena chuckled softly.

“I ask for your help for a short time, Sir Eric.”

“Of course, I’m at your service.”

Regardless of my reaction, the atmosphere between them was warm.

“Well, I’m going to show Lady Selena around the garden.”

“You never want to walk with me like that.”

“We’ll see you later, Lady.”

Eric, with a refreshed smile, left with Selena.

“…….”

I flipped him off as he walked away, wishing my status wasn’t so ambiguous. It would have been better to have the power to crush him underfoot.

[PleaseShakeACarrot has donated 500 points!]

– Nuna, hang in thereㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[FlowerFlute has donated 200 points!]

– Jiha, you’re the best no matter what!

Sympathetic donations popped up. I decided to forgive Eric magnanimously.

‘Now, where’s my escort knight?’

Just as I thought that, I sensed someone behind me.

Turning around, I saw Bates, who had silently appeared.

“You startled me. You’re like a ghost with no presence.”

“Hello?”

“Good day.”

“…….”

“…….”

I missed Eric.

* * *

I tried my limited social skills with Bates, but all I got were short answers.

Eventually, I gave up. After a brief greeting, I went back to my room.

“I thought I was going to suffocate…”

[asdf: Us too]

[OnlyFinley: Too bad, I wish you talked moreㅠ]

[Poppopo: He did his best]

[PleaseShakeACarrot: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

Poppopo was right; I had tried my best. I sighed deeply.