The Villainess’s Guide to Winning the Male Lead

The chat went silent. The manager seemed too taken aback to type anything.

I had lived my whole life as an orphan, relying only on myself.

I did all sorts of jobs to save money. When I was an intern, I even sabotaged a colleague to secure a permanent position, as only one of us could be hired.

I had to attack others to survive. I lived like trash.

Finally, I secured the permanent position. I thought I could live well now without worrying about money.

But on my first day of work.

I died saving a child who was about to be hit by a truck.

Even now, I don’t understand why I did it. My body just moved on its own.

“I don’t understand it.”

It was my own will, my own actions. Yet, I couldn’t understand myself.

Why did I step forward in such a dangerous situation to help others?

[Manager: Do you regret it?]

“A lot.”

I had a strong will to live. I scrimped and saved for that reason.

Why did I die playing the hero? I only felt regret.

[Manager: Now I understand why Gabi gave you this opportunity.]

“Why?”

[Manager: Curiosity. To see whether you’re good or bad.]

“What do you think I am from what you’ve seen?”

[Manager: What answer do you expect?]

I didn’t have a specific answer in mind. I was just genuinely curious about the manager’s thoughts.

After a while, the manager’s chat appeared.

[Manager: You’re good. Don’t worry.]

It was strange. I didn’t know their face or voice, but their words felt sincere.

“…You lack judgment.”

[Manager: I’m quite accurate in my assessments.]

Then this time, they were wrong. Objectively, I wasn’t a good person.

[Manager: Given the same situation, you’d act the same way.]

“Never.”

[Manager: Want to bet?]

Typical of an angel, never missing a chance for amusement.

“What’s the stake?”

[Manager: Points?]

The manager must have a lot of points, given their response to performance. They readily offered twenty thousand points before.

But I had nothing to bet.

“What should I bet?”

[Manager: Let’s see.]

“What do you want most?”

The chat went quiet.

Finally, the manager replied.

[Manager: That you don’t reincarnate.]

“That’s too much.”

[Manager: I bet the others wish for the same thing, not just me.]

[Manager: You are quite entertaining, after all.]

“My broadcast is quite popular.”

Even though the number of viewers had recently dropped, the broadcast was steadily growing.

“But still, that’s too much. Let’s do something else.”

[Manager: If I think of something, I’ll tell you later.]

“Okay.”

Though it was a strange bet, it seemed fun enough.

* * *

“Is everyone ready?”

Selena looked thrilled about her rare outing.

The Duke’s area was warm thanks to magic, but it was quite cold outside, so they needed to dress warmly.

“I’m ready!”

Anna cheerfully exclaimed next to her. She was also wrapped up in warm clothes.

Eric, despite being told to rest, had come out to see them off.

“Please take good care of Anna.”

It was obviously because of Anna. He looked worried.

“Bates is coming with us, don’t worry.”

“That’s true, but…”

Eric responded ambiguously and glanced at me.

“What.”

“No, it’s nothing…”

He seemed to be worried because of me. I felt a bit wronged.

We used a scroll to head to the village.

Despite being in the north, the village felt warm due to its lively atmosphere.

“Wow!”

Selena, in particular, was extremely excited.

Having lived as a commoner before joining the ducal family, Selena seemed happy, as if she were back in her hometown, a sight she hadn’t seen since.

“Selena, could you guide us?”

“Of course! Just trust me!”

Even in this unfamiliar village, Selena shouted confidently.

There were only a few places to go in the village, like clothing stores or street vendors, but Selena seemed very excited.

“Anna, shall we buy something tasty?”

Selena took very good care of Anna. So well, in fact, that I didn’t need to worry.

What Selena pointed to was honey-coated potatoes.

We had just eaten, but we couldn’t miss out on snacks.

Just as I was about to buy some, Bates stopped me.

“…?”

“It’s dangerous.”

“What is?”

“Unfamiliar food.”

I doubted he knew about the fact that I had been poisoned before. I couldn’t understand why he was so cautious about unfamiliar food.

‘Is this normal?’

I wondered if this was a usual duty for a knight escort.

But he only stopped me, not paying any attention to Selena or Anna.

“They are eating it.”

“I am your escort knight, and my duty is to protect you.”

In other words, he was saying he only needed to protect me. I couldn’t tell if it was a matter of principle or indifference.

“Then, Sir Bates, you should try it first.”

I offered Bates the potato.

Bates looked at me, seemingly flustered, then hesitated before taking a bite.

I smiled brightly at him.

“Tastes good, right?”

“…Yes.”

It looked like I was feeding him, but in reality, it was more about checking for poison. After all, if I were to die again, it would cost 20,000 points for a resurrection.

Seeing him eat it without any issue, I assumed there was no poison and started munching on the potato.

Bates glanced at me, then looked away and touched his neck.

His ears were flushed red.

Oh, he must have a crush on me.

After all, it would be hard not to be conscious with such an overt approach.

I was close to reaching twelve thousand points. I smiled at the bashful Bates.

The outing was enjoyable. Selena was an excellent guide, and Anna followed along without any fuss.

“Shall we buy a gift for Anna at that stand?”

It was a stall selling bracelets and necklaces. They were simple, but not bad for souvenirs.

“Sir Bates, will you choose mine?”

“……”

Bates looked embarrassed but started carefully selecting a bracelet. He was a person with an innocent side.

It was a peaceful day. It was cold, but the laughter made us forget about the cold.

I thought life wouldn’t be too bad if days like this continued.

Accidents always happen in a blink of an eye.

“Look, Lady! There’s something prettier over there!”

Anna ran towards a stall across the street, having spotted some attractive accessories.

But that wasn’t the problem. The issue was the carriage speeding towards us.

“……!”

I was the only one who noticed it. My body moved before I could think.

“Lady!”

Selena and Bates noticed me too late.

* * *

When I came to, the scene in front of me had changed again.

I was getting used to this space. And there was Gabriela in front of me.

“Hello, Jiha. How are you feeling?”

“I’m not feeling great.”

“Haha, I’m quite happy to see you again,” Gabriela said playfully.

“You lost the bet.”

“…You saw it?”

“I sometimes look at the chat records.”

As Gabriela said, I lost the bet. I acted the same way when the situation arose, proving the manager’s words right.

‘Why did I do that?’

It still seemed absurd to me. I’m definitely not someone who would do such a thing.

The first time could be chalked up to impulse, but repeating the same action was just ridiculous.

“I’m so happy that my choice wasn’t wrong.”

Gabriela seemed excited, in contrast. I sighed and sat down on a nearby chair.

“How long do I have to wait this time?”

“Well, you can stay here as long as you like.”

“But I can’t even leave this room anyway.”

This place was truly empty, save for Gabriela, a desk, and some chairs. Leaving the room was out of the question.

I crossed my arms and deeply contemplated the recent events.

It was strange how many accidents happened to me. Could it have been the work of an assassin this time too?

‘How could they know I would act like that?’

This particular incident involved Anna. I was close to Anna, and others were in positions where it was hard to intervene. It would have been very difficult for an assassin to consider all of these factors.

‘Maybe it was just an accident.’

But it felt too unsettling to simply let it go.

Lost in thought, Gabriela spoke up.

“You mentioned a fan meeting?”

The fan meeting. I had mentioned it to the manager before and was immediately rejected, so I had forgotten about it.

“Did you see that in the chat records too?”

“No. The others told me about it. They wanted permission from me since the manager wouldn’t allow it.”

It seemed the angels really did want to meet me. They went as far as to ask Gabriela directly.

“What do you think? Why not stay for a few days and have a fan meeting while you’re here? You must have gotten pretty close to the viewers.”

“Staying dead for a few days might cause a commotion…”

“Oh, I’ll take care of that. Don’t worry.”

Lately, I have often thought about meeting the viewers. I was curious about the Celestial Realm too.

“Okay.”

I couldn’t miss this opportunity. The manager had mentioned that broadcasting seemed to be a burden for me. This would be a good chance to take a break.

“Then you’ll need a guide. Let’s see… Most viewers would volunteer to be your guide. Do you have anyone in mind? I’ll talk to them first.”

I answered without hesitation.

“The manager.”