The Villainess’s Tiny Sidekick

I had no choice but to be flustered.

After all, this was a face I was seeing for the first time in my life.

Once more, I checked the face reflected in the mirror. Is this a dream? No, wait. More importantly….

“……Why is she so pretty?”

Porcelain skin that looked as if it had never touched a single ray of sunlight. Pitch-black hair that created a stark contrast against it.

It was a beauty reminiscent of the ball-jointed dolls I used to play with as a child.

“Oh, Lady Regina has sent an invitation.”

“What? Regina?”

My admiration for the face was short-lived; the moment I heard that familiar name, a chill ran through my entire body.

Regina was the main antagonist of and a villainess who tormented Amy relentlessly.

“……Hold on.”

Why is that specific episode coming to mind right now?

◎ Johann: Evelyn Louis, the culprit behind the Crown Princess’s poisoning, is hereby sentenced to death. ◎

“No way.”

“Miss?”

Fragments of memory began to piece themselves together in rapid succession.

◎ Regina: Yes, I planned the whole thing! I bet Evelyn didn’t even know it was poison? Hahaha! ◎

“…….”

◎ Amy: Your Highness, what should we do? Because of me, Lady Evelyn is…. ◎

◎ Johann: Her death was inevitable. But in exchange, you are alive, Amy. ◎

“This is insane.”

I finally remembered. What kind of person Evelyn was.

◎ Amy: Don’t you even feel sorry for Lady Evelyn? You were friends. How could you do that to your closest friend…. ◎

So… it means I’ve been possessed by the villainess’s best friend.

The person people around the female lead hate the most after the villainess herself. A person who ultimately gets stabbed in the back by said villainess and faces execution.

“Wait a minute.”

As my thoughts reached that point, the developer’s email I read before falling asleep flashed through my mind.

[We plan to introduce a feature that deletes external factors that interfere with the female protagonist’s happiness….]

“…….”

I think I’m well and truly screwed.

“……No.”

“Yes? What do you mean ‘no’?”

“Noooooooo!”

A desperate wail echoed through the silent Duke’s estate.

Regina Rochend. A villainess with a beautiful face but a personality that was anything but.

She was someone who didn’t hesitate to interfere with everything Amy did, even going as far as attempting murder by poisoning.

‘And Evelyn is that villainess’s best friend.’

No, it would be lucky if she were just a friend. Apparently, Evelyn’s role was to be executed due to a false accusation framed by the villainess.

Even if she was an extra, she was clearly a villain. To put it precisely, she was something like a “petty villainess” or a “sidekick villainess.”

“Of all people, to be possessed by Evelyn….”

“Pardon? Miss, what did you say?”

Being cast as a petty villainess in a world where you’re eliminated if you interfere with the heroine’s happiness.

For a moment, I felt lightheaded, but I quickly shook my head and clenched my fists.

“No, they say even if you’re dragged into a tiger’s den, you can survive if you keep your wits about you.”

I just need to ditch this rotten rope right now and jump ship to Amy’s side.

They say if you do a hundred bad things and then do one good thing, the person is even more moved, right?

She might even thank me for finally taking her side.

“Maybe I could even become Amy’s best friend….”

Of course, to do that, I’d first have to distance myself from Regina.

Pushing the creeping worries aside, I slowly looked around. The maid who had woken me earlier was preparing breakfast.

Ding.

◎ Would you like to check character information? ◎

‘……!’

At that moment, a system window suddenly appeared. It was a translucent window that looked exactly like the sudden quest from earlier.

Terrified that I might get caught, I covered my mouth and firmly pressed the ‘Yes’ button.

The character information was activated.

◎ Name: Emma ◎

◎ Occupation: Evelyn’s personal maid ◎

◎ Characteristic: Good at washing dishes ◎

Brief information about the maid was listed on the window. Name and occupation. They were perfect categories for getting a handle on a stranger.

‘Characteristics…… what is that?’

Except for the useless detail about her being good at washing dishes, that is.

I tapped around to see if there was more information, but it wouldn’t budge. Apparently, this was everything.

‘Still, not bad.’

Just finding out the personal maid’s name was quite a harvest. I couldn’t exactly call her “Hey, you” forever.

After clearing my throat slightly, I called out the maid’s name.

“Ahem, Emma?”

At that moment.

◎ Would you like to activate the likability gauge? ◎

“Miss, did you call?”

“Huh? Oh, no.”

It was character information earlier, and now it’s likability?

As if determined to engrave the fact that this was inside a game into my mind, the systems of an otome game were being faithfully utilized.

While gauging the maid’s reaction, I cautiously pressed the ‘Yes’ button.

Beep.

◎ error! ◎

◎ This character cannot be courted. ◎

“Huh?”

◎ error! ◎

◎ error! ◎

◎ error! ◎

I tried pressing it several more times, wondering if it was a system glitch, but the status remained the same. Error? A character that cannot be courted?

‘Wait. Can a maid even have a likability gauge?’

Thinking about it, it was only natural that I couldn’t check her likability. In an otome game, the target you’re supposed to win over isn’t a maid.

Only the male leads are allowed to have a likability gauge.

‘Then does that mean I can also court the male leads?’

At that moment, a fanfare sound signaling the correct answer echoed, and a single book appeared with a poof.

Compared to its flashy appearance, it was just an ordinary-looking book.

‘Do I have to get used to these chaotic effects too?’

Shaking my head, I placed my hand on the book. Then, with grand background music, the book vibrated, and the pages began to turn automatically.

◎ ~ <Heart-Thumping! Love in the Imperial Palace> Guidebook for Beginners ~ ◎

‘A guidebook?’

◎ Welcome to the player who has arrived here. ◎

◎ You will proceed with the game as ‘Evelyn Louis’ of the House of Duke Louis. ◎

The guidebook was, literally, a manual for this game.

◎ Court the male leads within the limits of not interfering with the female lead’s happiness. If the female lead’s unhappiness exceeds the threshold, the data will be reset. ◎

As mentioned in the email, the key seemed to be preventing the heroine’s unhappiness.

‘They call it a “reset,” but it just means they’ll kill me.’

Pressing my forehead, I flipped to the next page.

◎ You can also court the other two male leads. View an ending by courting the male leads and escape this world. ◎

‘If it’s the other two…….’

Does it mean the two black silhouettes that were said to be under development?

Well, they might not have been revealed in the game, but they must exist within the story.

However, nothing was known about those two—not their appearance, names, or occupations.

‘How am I supposed to court them when I don’t even know who they are?’

Then, as if answering my words, the next page unfolded.

◎ The system window will react when you meet a male lead. Meet them in person to activate the likability gauge. ◎

In person? So you’re telling me to run around on my own two feet to find the male leads?

“…….”

The vast territory of the Empire flashed through my mind for a moment, but I decided to set that aside for now and read the next page.

◎ You do not necessarily have to press the buttons. Just think of your desired option. ◎

‘Thinking, huh.’

In short, a selection would be made just by thinking about it without having to press a button.

I immediately thought of the phrase, ‘To the next page.’

◎ -END- ◎

“What.”

Is this the end? I tried pressing the system window with all my might, but it didn’t budge.

This was incredibly stingy for “mercy” shown to someone who had suddenly dropped into another world. And such an abrupt conclusion, too.

“Was the development budget lacking……?”

Since it didn’t seem like anything else would come out no matter how much I pressed, I leaned back against the bed with a thin sigh.

“Fine, let’s do this.”

I nodded while clenching my fists. I’m someone who has seen the ending 23 times. There’s no way I can’t clear it once, right?

Besides, since I knew the game’s story, it was like I had a cheat code of sorts.

“……Wait.”

At that moment, a chilling thought suddenly crossed my mind.

‘If I court Johann, won’t Amy become unhappy?’

the goal of this game is Amy’s happiness. What if I court the person who is supposed to fall in love with her?

◎ Amy: Your Highness, do you no longer love me? ◎

◎ Johann: That’s how it turned out. Because I’ve fallen in love with Evelyn. ◎

◎ Removing factor interfering with the female protagonist’s happiness. Target for removal: ‘Evelyn’. ◎

“No!”

It was just my delusion, but it was a perfectly plausible scenario.

Even so, I couldn’t give up on courting. They said I could only escape this world by seeing an ending.

“To court a male lead without touching Amy…….”

At that moment, a sentence from the guidebook I read earlier came to mind.

◎ You can also court the other two male leads. ◎

“Right, there’s them.”

I tapped the bed with my fist and bolted upright.

Those two have not yet appeared in the game. Therefore, courting them has nothing to do with Amy’s happiness. Since they aren’t Amy’s men yet.

“First, let’s find those two.”

I had to find two men whose whereabouts and lives were completely unknown.

It was a solution so vague it was unrealistic, but there was no other way. That was the only breakthrough to escape this godforsaken world.</Heart-Thumping!>