The Villainess’s Guide to Winning the Male Lead

[Isaac donated 1,000 points!]

[Poppopo: How does that guy who doesn’t work gather so many points?]

[Isaac: I’ll donate 3,000 points if you come.]

[OnlyFinley: Did you do some point under-the-table deal?]

[Isaac: That’s unfair.]

That angel always had a consistent fondness for children. From the brief photo I saw, the child had an incredibly cute appearance, so I understood the excited atmosphere in the chat room.

Meanwhile, a few servants entered.

“Ah, here.”

I courteously guided them to an empty spot.

They unfolded a table there and began setting up breakfast. I had requested this on the way.

We came to visit, but we still had to eat.

Bates and I naturally sat down to eat. Eric looked at us incredulously from his bed nearby.

“…What are you doing?”

“Having breakfast.”

“Here, of all places?”

“We were on our way to breakfast when we got worried about you. Couldn’t just give up one for the other.”

“I wish you had just given up…”

Eric seemed too flabbergasted to speak properly.

“What can you do? Get well soon.”

“…….”

“Sir Bates, try this. The chef makes delicious sandwiches.”

I cheerfully conversed with Bates.

I had died once while eating a sandwich, but it was too delicious to give up. Especially the chef’s secret sauce was amazing.

Fortunately, there were no more sandwich-related deaths since then. The assassin seemed to have no intention of repeating the same method. Quite sensible.

“…I’m fine.”

“Don’t like sandwiches?”

“Bad memories associated with them.”

What kind of past does he have to be traumatized by sandwiches? I wondered if he had a bad experience as a child.

Since Bates declined, I naturally took the sandwich I was offering and ate it myself. The taste was truly exceptional.

“I’m back!”

With a vibrant voice, Selena appeared. She looked bewildered seeing us eating. 

Beside Selena, there was a little girl firmly holding her hand.

[Isaac donated 3,000 points!]

It was Eric’s sister.

As cute as she appeared in the photo.

“There’s sister again!”

Eric’s sister exclaimed upon seeing me.

The child approached me.

“Hello!”

“Hello. What’s your name?”

“I’m Anna!”

“Anna, huh.”

A name as cute as her face.

I gently stroked Anna’s hair.

Suddenly feeling a gaze, I turned to look.

Eric was staring blankly at me.

“Why?”

“It’s nothing… Just that it’s the first time I’ve seen that expression on you.”

What was my expression like? I blinked, puzzled.

“Can I go play with the sisters?”

“Anna, you should be polite to the ladies.”

“It’s fine, Sir Eric.”

“Shall we go play?”

Despite Eric’s caution, Selena and I didn’t mind.

Eric sighed softly and said,

“I apologize. Anna really likes being around you both.”

“She’s cute.”

I stood up. It was a place I often visited, but it would be new for Anna, so I thought of showing her around.

“Sir Bates, come with us.”

Bates nodded. We had mostly finished eating, so a stroll seemed nice. After all, walking in the garden was one of the few enjoyable things to do in this dreary duke’s residence.

Selena, Bates, Anna, and I left Eric’s room with his farewell.

It had been raining earlier, but now the rain had stopped, and the sun was shining brightly.

How quickly the weather changes. The sunlight was so intense that it was hard to keep my eyes open.

“We’ll need an umbrella. I’ll go fetch it.”

“Shall I call a maid?”

“No need, my room is close by. Two should be enough.”

“Selena, go with Sir Bates. I’ll wait here with Anna.”

“Okay!”

Selena, still not accustomed to ordering servants around, preferred doing things herself.

Bates said in his usual blunt tone,

“We’ll be back soon.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

I smiled brightly at Bates.

Anna and I headed to a nearby tree for shade.

I shielded her from the sunlight with my hand.

“…….”

Anna was gazing up at me intently.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Why do you always smile when you see that brother?”

“Hmm?”

It was a sharp question. She had quite the eye for detail.

“Yes, I like that brother.”

“Wow.”

Of course, it was a lie. I was just playing along with my act.

“Does liking someone make you happy?”

“Maybe. Why do you ask?”

“I want to try it too! Liking someone! They say when you like someone, your heart feels fluffy and full of happiness.”

“You want to like someone just for that feeling?”

“Yes! I want to live happily.”

“You chose the most difficult dream.”

Anna’s words were cute, but they didn’t resonate much with me.

Anna tilted her head, puzzled by my comment.

“Aren’t you happy?”

“Well.”

I hadn’t really thought about being happy, not in my previous life or now.

“A happy life is a myth. Just living is enough. The moment you aimlessly chase happiness, that’s when life becomes miserable.”

[Stress: What kind of advice is that for a kid?]

[asdf: lol]

“So, why are we living if we’re not happy?”

[Gold2: This kid is sharp.]

[Poppopo: She’s going to be something.]

“…Indeed.”

The reason for my fixation on reincarnation.

Despite my disgust, the reason I’m still desperately clinging to life.

“Sometimes life gets fun, and those moments make it hard to let go.”

Cherished memories with well-matched people, new hobbies, small yet fulfilling achievements, and the kindness and consideration of others.

Chatting under a cool tree shade like now.

Such small things tenaciously held me to life.

Anna gazed up at me, then laughed and said,

“Then I want to live a fun life!”

“Maybe that’s achievable.”

I smiled and stroked her hair.

“Lady Anais!”

Selena and Bates approached us. They returned quicker than expected since my room was close by.

We opened the umbrellas and resumed our walk.

‘I’ve been so focused on the twelve hundred thousand, I’ve neglected the original story.’

I had been indifferent to Kabir and Selena due to my focus on the points.

I casually asked Selena,

“Have you gotten close to His Grace?”

“Um… hehe, not really.”

Selena chuckled awkwardly.

By now, they should have grown closer. But there was still an awkwardness between them.

I recalled the plot of the novel, grasping at my fading memories.

‘This is around the time Finley should arrive.’

Unable to bear his concern for Selena, Finley comes to the duke’s residence. Though he had a plausible reason, it was really because of Selena.

Finley’s letters had been coming more frequently. The engagement wasn’t even official yet, but he was already overreacting.

“We do have tea together sometimes. Oh, he suggested I visit the village recently.”

“The village?”

“Yes! He said it might be risky to travel by carriage, so we should use a teleportation scroll. He thought it would be nice if you came along too.”

The village in the Heyward territory. Apart from my initial arrival in the forest, I had stayed in the duke’s residence and never visited the village.

“Should we take Anna too?”

“That would be great! It all works out.”

Selena readily agreed, and Anna looked excited about the outing.

* * *

We decided to leave together the next morning and parted ways. I would tell Kabir about it during dinner.

I bid Bates farewell and entered my room.

After a long walk in the sun, I felt languid.

Glancing at the viewer list, the number had dropped. At its peak, it surpassed a hundred, but now it was less than thirty.

‘The viewership is declining again.’

It made sense. The main content these days was just walking. The pattern was becoming repetitive.

It was challenging to present different content every day while broadcasting regularly. Nonetheless, I felt sorry for the viewers.

“I know it’s been repetitive lately. Sorry if it’s boring.”

[Gold2: No, not at all.]

[Isaac: Never thought it was boring.]

[NyamNyamoo: It’s funㅠㅠ]

[OnlyFinley: Just watching your daily life is interesting!ㅎㅎ]

[PleaseShakeACarrot: Right, don’t worry about the viewer count! We’ll keep supporting you with plenty of points!]

A few familiar viewers, whose nicknames I now remembered, encouraged me.

They were truly kind. I wished I could meet them.

After a short nap, I decided to take a break and end the broadcast for now.

Immediately, my manager’s chat popped up.

[Manager: Are you feeling pressured by the broadcasts lately?]

“Me?”

[Manager: It just seems like it.]

I hadn’t really considered it, but perhaps the viewers had sensed some pressure.

‘…Not entirely untrue.’

I did feel compelled to make each day entertaining.

But that was the path I had chosen.

“It’s okay. It’s all part of the adaptation process.”

Adapting always took effort. I had to endure this period to become comfortable.

“To reincarnate, there’s no other way. Nothing comes for free.”

[Manager: Is reincarnation that important to you? Enough to do all this?]

“Of course.”

[Manager: With such strong will, how did you end up dying?]

“You don’t know?”

[Manager: Gabi didn’t tell me.]

When I died, it was in a way very unlike me.

I spoke nonchalantly.

“I died saving a child.”