The Villainess’s Guide to Winning the Male Lead

[OnlyFinley: Wait, this sound]

[MadelineTastesGood: ??]

[PleaseShakeACarrot: Could it be a Porbel?]

Porbel?

As I was trying to decipher what they meant, the owner of the name appeared before my eyes.

“…….”

Then I remembered.

Porbel. The name of a huge monster resembling a bear.

I recall in the original story, several knights of the Heyward faction were killed by this creature. The names of the monsters were too complex to remember each one.

[asdf: What are you thinking, run away fast lol]

[NyamNyamoo: Jihaㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Run awayㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

[OnlyFinley: Seeing it live is so much scarier than in the novel…….]

[Manager: Hey, what are you doing]

[Manager: Run]

As I stood there frozen, facing the monster, people started frantically typing in the chat.

I thought I might be able to sneak away quietly since there was some distance between us.

But the moment I took a step, Porbel looked directly at me.

Ah.

I’m doomed.

I froze in place.

[Gold2: Hey!!! Snap out of it!!!]

[MadelineTastesGood: Manager, do you have a resurrection pass ready?]

[Manager: Ah, preparing it now]

[MadelineTastesGood: Good]

[PleaseShakeACarrot: Noona, don’t dieㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

Even knowing there was a resurrection pass, facing a monster dozens of times my size, I couldn’t help but feel terrified.

While I was lost in fear, one thing snapped me back to reality.

[asdf donated 1,000 points!]

– Run

It was the refreshing sound of a donation notification.

I immediately started to run as soon as I regained my senses.

‘But running like this, I’ll be caught soon.’

Even as I ran, I knew it was futile.

But I kept running. I had received 1,000 points, after all. As soon as I got the points, I started moving as instructed.

[SaltNPepperCat: Don’t stress too much, you’re going to die anyway]

[LLoading: No, you can do it!!! Run!!!]

[FlowerFlute: ㅠㅠ]

[Manager: Added it to the shop]

[Manager: 10,000 points]

[asdf: She hasn’t collected 10,000 points yet]

[Manager: Credit possible]

[PleaseShakeACarrot: That’s too harsh, bro;]

[Gold2: Is that really an angel?]

[Manager: They;]

Selling it for 10,000 points. It was still a long way to gather that much.

While rushing to collect points, the thought of getting into debt was daunting. I had no idea when I’d be able to gather enough points if I started owing. As that thought crossed my mind, my feet moved even faster.

But no matter how fast I ran, I was still in Anais’s body, which lacked physical strength. Soon, my legs started to give out, and I slipped and fell on a patch of snow and ice. I landed hard.

[OnlyFinley: OMG she fell!!!]

[SaltNPepperCat: Wow, this is fun lol]

[LLoading: Nooooㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

[Gold2: Ah]

The monster was rapidly approaching me, and with my legs failing, it was hard to get up.

I was in a critical situation.

“…….”

I blinked and quietly looked at the chat window.

“…I’ll buy a resurrection pass.”

[Manager: It’s 10,000 points, customer]

I had unnecessarily exhausted myself. With no other choice, I decided to take it on credit this time.

Then, a flurry of donation notifications popped up.

[PleaseShakeACarrot donated 500 points!]

– For Noona, to help buy the resurrection pass…….

[OnlyFinley donated 500 points!]

– Me too…….

[Gold2 donated 100 points!]

– Sorry, I haven’t collected much points yet…….

[NyamNyamoo donated 200 points!]

– Contributing a littleㅠㅠ

[asdf donated 1,000 points!]

– Close your eyes

“Thank you, everyone…….”

Just as I was about to purchase the resurrection pass with the sympathy of many.

I heard the sound of horse hooves nearby.

I hesitated to touch the store icon.

Turning my head, I saw the silhouette of a person on horseback beyond a large tree.

Then, the Porbel charging at me was suddenly cleaved in two.

“……?”

I gaped in astonishment.

“Ha.”

A man’s voice echoed from beneath his helmet.

He made sure to stab the bisected monster again with his sword, causing black blood to splatter onto the white snow.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

Following the sound of horse hooves, dozens of knights appeared behind the man. It seemed he had rushed ahead of them from a distance.

‘…Your Highness?’

I sat there, still stunned, watching the scene unfold.

The man then looked in my direction and approached me on his horse.

“It’s strange. No one should be here in this place.”

He said that and then removed his helmet.

Revealing the man’s face.

[LLoading: Wow]

[KongKongCorin=3: !!!]

[OnlyFinley: There he is!!!]

His black hair and the mysterious purple hue swirling in his eyes.

‘Kabir.’

It was Kabir, the male protagonist of the novel.

I never expected to meet him like this. It seems the teleportation coordinates were set near the duke’s mansion after all.

Kabir looked at me quietly.

“Your attire suggests you’re not from this territory.”

I should have dressed warmer. The lie of being a local was out of the question now.

Kabir scrutinized me with evident suspicion, pointing the tip of his sword at me.

“…Who are you?”

It was suspicious for someone to be alone in the woods near the mansion, especially dressed so thinly.

Should I reveal my identity, or not?

Honestly revealing that I was a lady of the Erpeso ducal family might lead to contact with the duke’s house, so I chose to hide it for now. If I got caught immediately, there would have been no point in running away.

I came up with a plausible excuse.

“I was captured by a monster, and when I came to, I found myself here.”

“What monster?”

Kabir frowned and asked.

[Gold2: Isn’t there that monster? The one that looks like a giant eagle and kidnaps humans]

[Isaac: Corsmas]

[asdf: Corbato]

[Isaac: Oh]

[PleaseShakeACarrot: Right, Corbato lol]

“…It was a huge eagle-like monster.”

“It must have been a Corbato.”

One of the knights nearby spoke up. Kabir nodded.

“The most troublesome monster.”

He seemed convinced and sheathed his sword.

“I’m partly to blame for the lax monster management, so I’ll ensure you’re safely returned to your home. Where did you come from?”

I couldn’t just go back now. I had spent a hundred points and even bought a scroll.

Desperate not to return, I quickly spoke.

“Well, I don’t quite remember…”

“You don’t remember where you lived?”

Kabir narrowed his eyes, clearly skeptical.

While I struggled to come up with an answer, the chat window lit up.

[OnlyFinley: There’s this red, round berry that causes short-term memory loss if eaten!!!]

[asdf: Fiorichi berry]

“…I was so hungry wandering the mountains that I ate some red, round berries, and since then, my memory is hazy.”

“You must have eaten Fiorichi berries. What bad luck.”

Kabir clicked his tongue. Thankfully, he seemed to buy the story.

It wasn’t supposed to be an open-book test. This was almost like giving away the answers. Progressing through this novel with these knowledgeable viewers made things a lot easier.

“Judging by your clothes, you appear to be a noble lady…”

Our eyes met – his purple gaze meeting mine.

Kabir, who had been intently observing me, finally spoke.

“…Could you be a lady sent from the Erpeso ducal family?”

It was possible for him to think so, considering a woman was expected to be sent from the ducal family to the duke’s mansion soon.

“Erpeso ducal family? I don’t know. I’ve never heard of it.”

I feigned ignorance. Since I had already claimed memory loss, I decided to stick with that story.

The knights around Kabir began murmuring among themselves.

“There’s a possibility she might be the lady.”

“I heard that the Erpeso Duke also has black hair like this lady.”

“Black hair is too common to be sure.”

Kabir decisively cut off the knights’ speculations. Black hair was indeed very common in this region, so that alone wouldn’t confirm my identity as a noblewoman.

“Let’s take her to the mansion for now. The rest of you, follow me, and you, take care of this lady and come back slowly. Stay alert, just in case.”

“Yes, understood.”

Kabir then climbed back onto his horse and left without hesitation, followed by the other knights. Now, only one knight was left in front of me, the man Kabir had instructed to care for me.

The man dismounted and approached me, extending a friendly smile and a helping hand.

“Can you stand up?”

He had brown hair and blue eyes, a handsome man with a gentle demeanor.

His face seemed familiar, especially his soft manner of speaking.

The chat window was buzzing with similar feelings of recognition.

[LLoading: Is that Eric?]

[Yellow Rose: The one who died early on?]

Upon hearing the name Eric, it clicked.

He was the kind-hearted young man who first approached Selena, who was struggling to adapt to the grand ducal house. He had shown great kindness but tragically lost his life trying to save Selena from a monster attack.

His early exit in the story had made my recollection foggy. Despite reading the novel thoroughly, cramming didn’t guarantee perfect recall.

The chat was divided between those confirming him as Eric and others suspecting he might just be an extra. Eric’s role as a supporting character left room for doubt.

I accepted the man’s offered hand and stood up. He then took off his coat and draped it over my shoulders.

“Heyward territory can be quite cold, can’t it?”

His demeanor was much warmer compared to Kabir. I nodded my head in thanks.

“I would prefer to offer you a more suitable escort, but unfortunately, we only have one horse at the moment.”

“It’s fine.”

I was just grateful for the ride. It seemed like the mansion was quite a distance away. Walking would have taken a long time.

With the man’s help, I managed to get on the horse.

“…….”

Suddenly, the man’s gaze shifted to my ankle.

He stared at it intently for a long time. Puzzled by his fixed gaze, I asked.

“What’s the matter?”