The Villainess’s Guide to Winning the Male Lead

“Huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Suddenly?”

“Today.”

“Really, just like that?”

I nodded. I had created an opportunity for a date; they should be thankful. I wondered why Finley would react this way.

“What about Selena? What did she say?”

“She’s getting ready now.”

“What’s this all about?”

Finley, looking flustered but unable to suppress a grin, seemed to be pleased. Oh well.

I handed Finley the tickets.

“And you’ll be Selena’s partner for the ball entrance. Good luck with that.”

I patted Finley’s shoulder in an encouraging way and left the office, leaving him in a daze.

[OnlyFinley has donated 1,000 points!]

– You’re the best

[PleaseShakeACarrot: Lucky Finley lol]

[asdf: This will be fun]

[Gold2: Aren’t we going to watch?]

“Of course, we are.”

[AsparagusCharm: I thought you were sending them alone?]

“Starting the shadowing broadcast now.”

[Manager: ?]

[asdf: Wow]

[Stress: This is great lol]

[Manager: What are these exclamations? Are you out of your mind?]

The manager appeared in the chat after a while, immediately starting with complaints. But they had a point.

Of course, that didn’t mean I was going to listen to the manager.

“I should take Bates with me.”

Having died once, I had learned to be cautious. Now that the resurrection points had risen to 40,000, dying again would be too costly. I needed someone to protect me.

I had given Bates a day off after a while. It was regrettable to call him back, but what could I do? If it was an escort job, it had to be done.

I went to Bates’s room and knocked on the door.

“Sir Bates―”

I called out cheerfully, but there was no answer from Bates.

Knock, knock.

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.

I almost banged on the door, but still no response.

‘Is he asleep?’

Just as I was about to try opening the door, urgent footsteps approached.

“…What’s the matter?”

There was Bates, not in his uniform since it was his day off.

He seemed to have rushed over; his tie was flipped over his shoulder.

“Did you come running because you knew I was looking for you?”

“That’s not it. I thought I had a day off, what’s the matter?”

“I’m giving you a surprise vacation.”

I had anticipated this and even got extra tickets for the performance for Bates and me.

When I showed him the tickets, Bates’s face was painted with confusion.

“…Are you saying we should go?”

I nodded. Bates seemed to have a lot to say but chose not to.

“Are you going?”

“If I say I don’t want to, will you not go?”

“No.”

“I figured…”

Bates seemed resigned, almost as if he expected this. Then, he murmured to himself,

“When have you ever listened to me, my lady?”

He had gotten used to this side of me.

* * *

We proceeded as planned and shadowed Selena and Finley. We were now in the bustling city center.

I had to hastily secure the tickets for today’s show, so it ended up being at a venue in the bustling area. I could have spent more money, but I wasn’t in a position to ask for an allowance, so I settled for what was available.

We hid behind a wall and watched Finley and Selena looking at a pamphlet.

Bates seemed full of dissatisfaction. Even for someone who doesn’t easily express emotions, his discontent was palpable.

I asked Bates,

“Are you unhappy because I called you on your day off? I’ll pay you more.”

“It’s not that.”

Bates replied with a blank expression.

“I don’t understand why, after such incidents, you’d still want to go out.”

He must be referring to the carriage accident.

Ordinary people would hesitate to go out after such an incident. But I was not ordinary.

“You like that about me, don’t you?”

“How do you even get to that conclusion?”

“Shh!”

I quickly covered Bates’s mouth with my hand as I felt Finley glancing around. Bates’s lips moved as if he wanted to say something but then settled down.

Finley looked around once more and then entered the theater with Selena.

That was close. I sighed in relief and said,

“Let’s go in.”

“……”

Bates quietly followed me.

We found seats a reasonable distance away from the pair.

‘Opera.’

It wasn’t a field of interest for me. I had never seen one before. I just picked something seemingly sophisticated from today’s shows.

The duration of the performance seemed incredibly long. I wondered what I’d do if I fell asleep.

‘Wow…’

Contrary to my worries, even to someone like me with no interest in opera, the performance was impressive.

I had reserved one of the most famous shows. It seemed like following the public’s choice paid off halfway.

Suddenly, I felt someone’s gaze and turned my head.

Bates, who seemed to have been intently watching me, flinched as our eyes met.

‘Was he watching me the whole time?’

I couldn’t tell how long he had been looking.

I smirked at Bates and whispered,

“You should watch the performance.”

“…I know.”

“Have you fallen for me?”

“No.”

Bates answered firmly.

“Let’s focus on the performance.”

Embarrassed, I chuckled and returned my attention to the show.

The performance lasted a good while before finally coming to an end.

Finley headed to a nearby coffee house with Selena. It wasn’t mealtime yet, so it seemed like they were just killing time. They could have chosen somewhere more upscale, but it seemed like Finley was being considerate, not wanting Selena to feel uncomfortable.

I exclaimed enthusiastically,

“Let’s go, Sir Bates!”

“Do I really have to… Oh, fine.”

Bates resigned himself and followed me.

He grumbled but still followed along, which made it enjoyable to bring him. Too much compliance can be boring, after all.

We took a seat where we could see the pair comfortably.

I ordered coffee, while Bates opted for tea.

It’s unusual for someone to choose tea in a coffee house. Curious, I asked,

“Don’t you drink coffee?”

“No.”

I was surprised. It was the first time I met someone who couldn’t drink coffee.

Some people can’t handle caffeine due to their constitution.

“You must not drink alcohol either.”

“It’s more like I choose not to.”

Such a virtuous person. I wondered what he found enjoyable in life. Of course, I didn’t drink alcohol either.

Since the conversation had come this far, I decided to probe a bit about our twelve thousand points.

“What are your hobbies, Sir Bates?”

“Hobbies?”

“Like, what do you do on your days off?”

Bates pondered for a moment before responding.

“…I just lie down.”

“Wow.”

He was just as uninteresting as the manager.

As I looked at him with pity, Bates seemed a bit annoyed.

“You don’t do much on your days off either, my lady.”

I couldn’t argue with that. I wasn’t particularly fond of going out.

Thinking back on my previous life, I didn’t really have days off. I was too busy earning money to have any time to rest.

I wondered if Bates was the same, always devoted to his work. Thinking that made me feel a bit sorry for him.

I chuckled and suggested,

“How about we make going out our hobby from now on?”

“……”

Bates didn’t respond. He didn’t seem particularly keen on the idea.

“Didn’t you enjoy today?”

“I suppose.”

“Say you had fun.”

“…I had fun.”

“Let’s do this more often.”

“Yes……”

Pressed by my status, Bates reluctantly agreed. This way, I was gradually getting closer to the twelve thousand points.

* * *

For the rest of the time, I let Finley and Selena enjoy themselves, and Bates and I returned to the duke’s mansion. I wanted to respect their time together. Though, considering we had already followed them around, this courtesy might be meaningless now. It was the last bit of conscience I had.

Bates offered to escort me to my room. On the way there, he asked me,

“What are your plans for the entrance, Lady?”

Right, I had decided for Selena, but hadn’t thought about my own.

Now that I too was attending, I needed a partner.

“Well, maybe I should enter with father.”

The Duke Erpeso might not like it. But that wasn’t my concern. I had no other options now.

“……”

Bates hesitated. It seemed he had something to say but couldn’t.

“What’s wrong?”

Bates cleared his throat before speaking.

“If it’s alright with you, Lady, I would like to accompany you for the entrance.”

Bates?

It didn’t bother me, but I couldn’t understand why Bates, who usually seemed to avoid being with me, would make such an offer.

I asked him, half in doubt.

“Is this a confession?”

“Please.”

Bates grimaced as if to say ‘give me a break.’ Apparently, that wasn’t the case.

“With the ball being such an event, there are many dangers involved. I prefer not to leave your side.”

That was overprotective.

He had been nagging me all day to be careful. Now it seemed he planned to do the same at the ball.

Seeing my slightly irritated look, Bates explained,

“You do get involved in accidents quite frequently, Lady.”

That was true. Sometimes I deliberately caused trouble, but often I just happened to be involved.

It was a blessing for a broadcaster, but for a commoner, and especially for my escort knight, it could be worrying.

‘The Landon family, what’s their title?’

Considering he boldly offered to accompany me, he must be proud of his family.

Being part of the Grand Duchy and immediately assigned as an escort knight, his family must have a considerable standing.

Curious, I looked at Bates.

“So, Sir Bates, which family does your household belong to?”

“Pardon?”

“Your domain.”

In this world, commoners didn’t have surnames. Only nobles with a household had a name after theirs.

“The Landon family doesn’t exist.”

“Pardon?”

I stared at Bates and asked, perhaps in doubt,

“…A fallen noble?”

“No.”

Bates replied nonchalantly.

“The Landon has never been an existing family to begin with.”