Lady Misfortune: Daddy, I'll Be A Righteous Villainess!

What Maximilian means by grounded is that Lady can only go to school and straight back home every single day for one whole month. 

That means no afterschool get-togethers, no detours, no playing outside, and no shopping at the bakery to grab some cookies. It sucks. Not only is she getting rid of the chance to develop her social life, but she is also being deprived of leisure time. To make things worse, she has to study right after getting back, and she has to do it until dinner arrives. It really, really sucks. There is no way she will be able to keep up with all of that.

And more than anything, such a strict schedule might hinder Lady's scheme. 

'This is my grand elementary school debut. If I want to be a righteous villainess who is feared by all, I should have already finished establishing my place in the academy by the time the heroine makes an appearance. My goal is to have a formidable and domineering image. For that to happen, I must build up my notoriety starting from this point forward…' she thought as she entered the classroom, all set to attend the first day of formal classes.

'For the first part of my evil scheme, I have to be social enough to gather followers!'   

Which, unfortunately, turns out to be easier said than done. 

Once she got to her seat in the middle row, she felt her classmates staring at her with scorn and derision.  She completely forgot that it had only been a day since she slapped one of them without an ounce of restraint. Perhaps, if she paid enough attention earlier, she would have heard some nasty things about her on her way there. But that is no longer necessary since she can now clearly see how they are all avoiding her like she is a plague.

It seems that being grounded will not be the only hindrance in Lady's scheme. 

'How can I make friends at this rate?! Much less, gather followers?!'

This sucks. This really, really sucks.

She messed up big time. Her grand elementary school debut is doomed.

"Why the long face so early in the morning?" she heard a certain someone say, making her perk up in surprise and snap out of her brooding. 

The only thing that's good about all of this is that Lady is seatmates with Fallon.

At the very least, she has someone by her side, and if she is going to be honest, she cannot ask for anyone else to be her companion at this dire time. Unlike her, however, he has already earned the respect and admiration of most of their classmates. Even though he always appears like this tiny little emo boy, he is still quite the charismatic one.   

"Oh, I see. Nobody here wants to approach you, huh?" Fallon guessed out loud.

"Yeah. They probably see me like a jungle girl or something," Lady sighed, frowning. 

"Now, who told you that?"

"Can't you see how wary they are of me? They look like I'm going to pounce on them at any moment and scratch their faces like some wild animal." 

"Tch. Let them be. They're just jealous."

"Jealous of what? That I slapped a big-mouthed unicorn?"

"That they can't be as brave as you. Believe it or not, most of the students in this academy are literal brats. They always stick to this so-called status quo. Those with higher status get to boast all the time while those with the lower status have to suck up to them. That being said, it's very unusual to see someone stand up for themselves. It's once in a blue moon. To our classmates, you may be the first to ever do that."

"O-Oh."

She could not help but blush at how he just tried to encourage her. Even though he can be sharp-tongued sometimes, that bluntness of his makes his words more meaningful. What he had said this time had even helped her come up with an important realization.

"Say, is being rare and unique can earn me some friends?" Lady asked.

"I think so. Just don't overdo it. No one wants to be friends with a weirdo," Fallon replied.

Then, she'll just have to pick her friends herself. Simple. If no one wants to approach her, she will approach them. But she'll have to make sure that whoever she'll choose will fit her standards. Not everyone can qualify as a friend to the righteous evil flower, after all. 

'Right then! Let's go hunt some friends!' 

---

For their first class, their homeroom teacher, Mr. Richards, introduces himself once more and explains the basics they need to know. 

Since it's their first time attending elementary school, most of them are still rather nervous and anxious. There are some who don't even know how to behave – such as the likes of a certain Lady Mireille who very nearly earned a Thorn. Putting that into consideration, his lecture takes a while. 

'By the way, he reminds us to never be late to any classes, though he is late himself.'

After the drawn-out discussion, Mr. Richards asks the students to introduce themselves next. 

Since this is an elite school, the number of students is only half of those from an average school – less than thirty, most probably. Still, Lady can't remember all of their names. It will take a while for her to memorize them. But she does remember some faces. Aside from Hartigan who's apparently glaring daggers at her for the most part of the class, she recalls his three loyal supporters who're responsible for the rumors that caused her to be ostracized.

What makes them kind of unforgettable is that they remind her of her three other cousins who are at a higher grade level.

'The vice-leader is cheeky Chester while the henchmen are cheeky Erwin and cheeky Kyle. Don't their names make for a perfect title that can rival the 'BRATS'? Since they're so compatible, I'll be dubbing them 'CHEEKY' from now on.' 

Satisfied with her petty vengeance, she decides to let them off the hook. For now at least.

After Hartigan and the gang introduced themselves, there is this pretty girl named Belle.

Her name suits her perfectly. She's an actual belle with short lavender hair that's tied into pigtails, delicate lashes framing two hazel-brown eyes, and an overflowing amount of cuteness. Not only is she beautiful, but she is also elegant.

"It's a pleasure meeting you, everyone. My name is Belle Daenerys. I'm looking forward to getting along with all of you."     

Once she finishes her introduction, the boys turn into love-struck fools. Several of them are even clapping. Such a reaction can only mean one thing if she considers the reality that this world has come from a fictional story – and that is, this Belle might soon become the most popular girl in school. She might even be a worthy rival to Sarah in the future. 

'Daenerys, huh? That surname sure does sound familiar, though. Where did I hear it again?'

In any case, Lady should try to befriend Belle. 

It'll be great to get along with someone of influence. Though she's still not sure if she's capable of becoming a side villainess, she can already see that she'll get to top a social circle. 

'Alright! It's my turn! Finally!'

Eventually, a perfect chance to make a grand elementary school debut has come.

Even though she has suffered a blow to her reputation because of a certain unicorn-haired brat, Lady Mireille is a girl who doesn't know when to give up. It's time to salvage said reputation.

First, stand up as gracefully as possible – without making any noise. Make sure to stay poised and composed. Then, give a gentle and polite smile. Start introducing oneself in a soft tone – not too quiet, but not too loud either. Once finished, sit back down without forgetting to be graceful. 

'Okay, I can do this!

With that, Lady stood up – just as gracefully as planned. Fallon simply looks on, wondering what's with this sudden change of behavior.

"Good day to all. My name is Lady Mireille. I just turned six last year. My hobbies are eating cookies and admiring bees. I hope I can be friends with you all~!" 

She did it. It's the perfect introduction. She even added somewhat of a cheerful tone at the end. That way, not only does she sound elegant, but she sounds friendly too.

But then, as she is about to return to her seat, someone suddenly raises a hand.

'Oh? A question? Are they curious about me? Hehe~! I guess I did a good job with my introduction then, huh? Alright, let's hear it!'

Lady grins, all prepared to answer. That's until she realized that it's actually Hartigan. 

"Is working out part of your hobbies too? You seem awfully strong."

Freaking male lead ruining her grand elementary school debut. 

Of course, it had to be him. He'll get back to her in one way or another, and judging by the mocking look on his face, he's starting to do it now. 

"I'm not sure where exactly you've gotten that idea from, but as you can see, I'm a little lady~ Of course, I don't do no work-outs. I don't like getting all sweaty and stuff. But I do take strolls with my grandparents from time to time. We do it for hours. So, perhaps, it can be considered as exercise?" 

With a 'do-not-pick-a-fight-with-me-you-brat' expression, Lady intrepidly answered Hartigan.