I'll Just Live On As A Villainess

A banquet was held to welcome the Knights, but I was absent from all those kinds of gatherings in order to avoid an awkward meeting with the fishes.

‘Perfect.’

In this way, the Knights could stay in peace until they returned to the capital.

Of course, it didn’t take me long to realize it was an illusion.

“I haven’t seen you in a long time, Evaria Oberon.”

Before I knew it, two of Catherine’s fishes were standing in front of me. Lyndon Geraint with his shining black hair and Eli Roytz with bright sky blue hair. Their hair was wet as if they had just come out of the bath.

‘Oh, I don’t want to deal with the fishes. I just wanted to stay in my room as planned.’

The problem was that I was shaken by Emma’s words that there was a good hot spring not far from the mansion. The hot spring also contained mineral salt, which is good for skin as well as fatigue recovery. I was stuck in my room to avoid tiring situations, but I was still tired and felt heavy. I couldn’t help but be moved imagining myself drowning in warm hot spring water.

“Erelle is famous for its hot springs as good as the bitter cold. Many people came looking for hot springs in Erelle from afar after hearing its reputation.”

It seemed that these fishes from the capital knew the existence of hot springs. I thought all the Knights would be distracted by the Wyvern subjugation, but I didn’t think they could afford to stop by the hot spring.

“I heard you arrived at the mansion. But I didn’t expect to meet you two here. Aren’t you busy with subjugation?”

“It’s not yet before we start a full-fledged subjugation.”

Lyndon answered briefly and scanned my appearance. The feeling of being observed openly was obviously not pleasant, but I didn’t want to make a fuss by pointing it out for no reason.

‘I don’t care what they say, I just hope they disappear quickly.’

It was not difficult to listen to their blabbering through one ear and out the other. It was a skill that I naturally developed after living in society.

Before crossing over here to Evaria’s body, I was an office worker working for a trading company. I was a veteran at ignoring my boss’s useless nagging, so I was confident that I could do that no matter what anyone said.

“You look pretty good. It’s not like someone who turned the capital upside down.”

“Well, yes.”

“Don’t think people will forget quickly just because you’re hiding in a place like this.”

“Oh, yes. I don’t think so.”

“Or, you aren’t planning another ridiculous incident here, are you?”

“Well. No, that’s not the case.”

If the opponent is this bland, you will feel like hitting cotton.

‘They wouldn’t get what they came here for, so of course they would stop.’

Lyndan frowned and closed his mouth tightly at my insincere response. As expected, it was best not to respond to those who wanted to pick a fight.

“May I go if you’re done with what you have to say? I’m here to take a hot spring bath.”

“A hot spring bath, what a good life you’re living.”

‘This is a strong enemy.’

He didn’t give up and started a quarrel even though I reacted so insincerely. I couldn’t help it. If it doesn’t work listening with one ear and spilling it with the other, I have no choice but to treat the other person as they want. I sighed and swept up my hair.

“Are you so dissatisfied with my good fortune?”

“Of course, it would be unfair if a human being who tried to bring one’s life to the abyss is living a nice life, wouldn’t it?”

“So her life fell into the abyss? I don’t think so.”

Rather, the female protagonist was enjoying her life with all the excitement. In the past, there were many people who could not easily approach Catherine because they were conscious of Evaria, the daughter of the Duke and the fiancée of the Crown Prince. Evaria was the real power in society.

But now things are completely different. Now that Evaria’s engagement with the Crown Prince has been broken, and she was driven to far North from the capital, so the social world was Catherine’s sole stage.

“Does the result matter? Isn’t it important that you are the human being who had that kind of mind and planned to actually implement it?”

“That’s why I said I would live quietly from now on. And to fulfill my promise, I came to Erelle.”

“You want us to believe that you, Evaria Oberon, will live quietly? That’s nonsense. You must be plotting something else.”

“Your Highness, don’t you want to let the sinners give another chance in becoming good? Do you have this idea that once a bad guy is a bad guy forever? Your Highness who thinks of the people of the country can’t be this narrow minded.”

‘How can you be so petty to seek revenge for such a small matter Your Highness?’ Lyndon’s expression hardened as he had noticed my hidden meaning.

He showed everyone he is the weakest one, but he is also aiming for the throne. He is a threatening existence to his brother the Crown Prince, and he is destined to die someday if he fails to become a king. As I dug into the right weak spot, he became a honeyed mute. I wonder if I poked the wound that hurt too much, but this was the only solution.

Then only one fish was left. I smiled satisfactorily and looked at Eli. Do you want to play a game with me too? When I looked at Eli with that expression, he only bowed slightly with an expressionless face.

‘As expected, he won’t be rude to a Lady.’

If so, there was no reason for me to poke him. I spoke in a peaceful manner, pointing to the back of the two men.

“I think we’re done greeting each other. Would you please step aside? You two are blocking my way to the hot spring.”

It was finally time to soak in warm hot spring water.

* * *

‘This is it, this is it.’

I relaxed in the hot spring water. The air was cold, but the water was warm. There was no separate heaven than this.

[But Harry, why are you so far away?]

Harry was sitting on a rock in the distance and looking at the mountains. When there were only two of us, the mouth that always chattered around was closed.

[It’s comfortable here.]

[But you’re too far away. It’s uncomfortable to talk like this.]

[I can hear your voice. What’s the problem with that?]

[I can’t see your face. It’s uncomfortable to talk to someone whose face I can’t see.]

Considering how far he sat, Harry’s face looked as small as my fingernails. Although we talk through telepathy, it was better to talk face-to-face.

Harry, who had been silent for a while, wiggled a little closer to me. But he was still far away. Harry’s face that looked as small as a fingernail now became as big as an apple. He was still a long way off anyway.

“I still can’t see your face.”

Harry hesitated at my words and came a little closer. Now his facial expression was visible but blurred.

“No, come closer! Is this a game you’re playing that I don’t know? When I call Harry, Harry will come little by little like rat poop?”

“How could that be?”

Harry came up to me with a sigh. It was more distant than usual, but now I could at least see his face. Harry’s face was red, perhaps because of the heat of the warm hot spring. As soon as our eyes met properly, Harry gibbled and turned his head.

“Hey. Have you got no shame? Showing yourself to a man huh?”

“Harry. I don’t understand what you’re talking about…….”

I squinted at Harry.

‘If I look at his reactions right now…….’

“Are you shy?”

“Oh, I’m not!”

“What do you mean, you’re clearly shy. What’s so embarrassing about this? It’s just a body.”

Harry freaked out again as I raised my arms and waved them over the water. When I saw him hiding behind a tree, I was dumbfounded and laughed.

“Why do you act as if you’re the one who is undressed? I’m the one who took off my clothes. And I’m not even fully naked anyway.”

I took off my dress, but I wore thin clothes that I wore underneath because it was an open-air hot spring. It was less see-through, so no one couldn’t even see the inside.

“That’s unexpected. How can you be shy about this?”

“I’m not shy!”

“Then come closer.”

“…….”

As expected, Harry couldn’t come near.

“Wow, Grandpa Harry, you’re pretty innocent for your age.”

“I told you I’m not a Grandpa! Come out now. It’s time to go back.”

Harry huffed up behind me as I grabbed my stomach and laughed. He lightly lifted me up and pulled me from the hot spring. As he flicked his fingers lightly, my whole body dried up in an instant.

“What?”

Harry coughed with a proud face as he looked at my dumbfounded expression.

“I evaporated all the water on your body with heat. It looks easy, but if I don’t control the fire delicately, the opponent will be roasted. It’s something only I can do because I’m like the Great Wizard of Blue Flame.”

Normally I would have criticized Harry’s smugness, but this was truly amazing.

“Wow. Nice dryer.”

I was purely impressed. Harry then responded immediately and asked with curious eyes.

“Dryer? Who’s that?”

“Uh, the dryer is not a person’s name…… It’s something that dries the water…….”

It was hard to explain because there were no machines in this world. Harry frowned as he roughly glossed over the words.

“Is this what you call a person who dries? There’s no way this is possible other than me. Even if there is, they won’t dry as perfectly as I do. So I’m the best dryer.”

“No. That’s not what a dryer is like……”

Harry stomped and complained as I hurriedly shook my hand and tried to make him understand.

“What? You’re not saying I’m worse than the dryer you know, are you?”

“No way. There’s no dryer that dries the water perfectly like Harry.”

“As expected. I’m the best dryer!”

“So it’s not that…….”

‘Dryers aren’t human. It’s a machine that dries your hair.’ I couldn’t explain it that way. In the end, I decided not to correct Harry’s misunderstanding and let it go.

“……yes, Harry is the best dryer in the world.”

“Yes, yes. I knew it.”

He’s so proud. So what? He won’t even know what a dryer is for the rest of his life.

‘He would jump out in anger if he knew what a real dryer is.’

I walked towards the mansion with a smile on my face. However, as I walked back the way I came to the entrance of the hot spring, Harry hurriedly turned into a dog and warned me.

[There’s someone.]

As soon as Harry’s warning was over, I found a person with striking light blue hair in the front. It was none other than Eli Roytz.

‘Why is he here again? Didn’t he go back earlier?’

When I looked at Eli wondering what he was up to, he bowed his head silently, as he had when he first encountered me at the entrance of the hot spring, and disappeared in the direction of the mansion.

‘What? Why the hell was he here?’

He just stared at my face and went back, I don’t think he had any other business. I stared blankly at his back, wondering why he came here. I wasn’t the only one who looked at Eli’s back for a long time.

[That guy.]

Harry pointed to Eli, who disappeared with his chin.

[Is he someone related to the royal family?]

[How did you know that?]

[Oh, he looks like the subordinate of the punk who summoned me in the past. His name was Jen Roytz. That’s why I thought he must be a descendant.]

[Really? He looks like him?]

[He looks like that too, but more than that, the way he always behaves…… He was as silent as the guy that left. I thought he mute at first. He started talking to me after 3 months of my contract with the punk king. I was so surprised that I almost fainted.]

There was clearly a lack of description about Eli. Thanks to this, even a new unit called ‘Eli’ was openly used within the Royal Knights. 1 Eli meant he had spoken a word, 2 Eli meant he had spoken two words.

‘There was also an episode in which the members of the Royal Knights were surprised that they thought the sun rose in the west because it was the day of the 3 Eli.’

So, it meant that he usually only spoke in 1 Eli or 2 Eli. Isn’t it a disease?

‘Harry talks too much.’

If I mix their tendencies in half, wouldn’t it be average? Harry, who didn’t know what I was thinking, poured out the story as excitedly as usual.

[As expected, blood can’t lie. The descendants of the fool were all fools, and the descendants of the man who didn’t talk, don’t talk either. Is that family’s characteristic to get sword skills instead of words?]

Harry’s voice, which evaluated Eli, contained a strange excitement. His favorable attitude toward humans was very unfamiliar. He always complained to me about how distrustful humans are. When I stared at Harry in amazement, he shrugged his shoulders as if it were a natural reaction.

[He’s strong. Strong people are fun. I like funny people.]

[Are you saying I’m not fun because I’m weak?]

[You’re definitely not funny. Not because you’re weak, but because you’re not ambitious. If you start a big war, I’ll be more interested in it than anyone else. How about becoming a fun person?]

‘Yes. I was wondering why this story suddenly popped up.’

Harry had a great knack for connecting every conversation to murder or war. Instead of answering, I walked toward the mansion with a sigh.

[Should we start a war?]

Harry hurriedly followed behind me as I shook my head.

[Let’s start a war shall we? After killing tens of thousands of people, I will stay quiet for a while and won’t whine about killing anymore. How about it?]