The Villainess is the Villainess [LitRPG]

Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.

- Malcolm X.

There was nothing quite like a crisis that could be manipulated to one's advantage—especially if that crisis had been carefully orchestrated. After the initial uproar died down and an investigation got underway, Seraphina and her mother, the Duchess Anaselena, marched straight to Principal Hegandia's office the very next morning. As her daughter was the "target" of the mysterious bolt, the Duchess de Sariens demanded special treatment: a randomly assigned roommate was simply out of the question. Furthermore, using their momentum, they were able to push forward a few more "recommendations" for this year's intake of students and staff.

Principal Hegandia was left with little choice in the matter. Anaselena made her position brutally clear by proclaiming she had "foreseen" some rather grisly consequences if he refused her unconditional requests. The principal knew full well that a threat from the Duchess, even veiled behind talk of prophecy, was still a threat. It was times like these that Seraphine was glad for her mother's fierce love.

And so, Seraphina's new roommate would be her loyal lady-in-waiting, Eloise, while Miriam would occupy the neighboring room. By a twist of fate, Desdemona de Savant would share Miriam's quarters, a pairing that made Seraphina's lips curl into a calculating smile. She resolved to either recruit the de Savant girl into her growing circle—or break her completely and keep the whining hound on a tight leash.

It would be an easy thing, for Seraphina knew full well the de Savant family's long-hidden secret.

Yet all was not entirely in Seraphina's favor. Now that her mother had wielded such blunt force on her behalf, Seraphina found herself under even tighter surveillance by both Academy Guards and the City Guard. She would have to tread carefully and be on her very best behavior. To complicate matters further, Anaselena had purchased the deed to the house that had served as her temporary accommodation before the term started with coin gained through proxies on the local exchange. It was a statement that her mother, through basically "cheating," could achieve anything Seraphina had done so far with little to no effort.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

The Duchess had also made it clear she'd be staying in Meridian whenever she pleased—to indulge in the latest fashions, or to visit her daughter when the fancy took her. Seraphina found it all rather distressing, though she kept her misgivings hidden behind a poised smile.

And now, Seraphina stood at the threshold of her new domain in the Academy's southern dormitory: a cramped second-floor room with whitewashed walls and a single high-set window. The light and a chilly breeze filtered in through the glass, illuminating two wooden desks beneath. A pair of narrow beds, draped in coarse cotton sheets, sat at opposite corners. Despite having expected something spartan, Seraphina felt her heart sink at the sight of the barren space. Beside her, Eloise looked positively green, her own regrets bubbling to the surface.

"I must say, Lady Seraphina, I really was not expecting this," Eloise complained, her voice trembling slightly.

Seraphina's pulse quickened with a stab of resentment, but she kept her features perfectly schooled. Though she had mentally prepared for it, the place did indeed look more like a cell in a monastery than a bedroom in a prestigious academy. "You're quite right," she replied coolly. "This simply will not do. I'll have new furnishings brought in at once to make it livable."

"But isn't that against the rules?" Eloise asked, eyes wide. "Aren't we all meant to be… equal?"

Seraphina offered a slow, cunning smile, her golden hair catching a stray beam of afternoon sunlight. "Yes, my dear Eloise, yet some of us are more equal than others. And I fully intend to be the first among equals." She gestured pointedly to a ragged splinter jutting from the corner of one of the desks. "Why, look at this. A deadly trap, I daresay."

"But—" Eloise began, pausing just as she realized the game Seraphina was playing. "You are quite right, Lady Seraphina. This is clearly another attempt on your life. The staff of the dormitory should be thrown into the stocks!" Her tone turned mock-serious, but the laughter dancing in her eyes betrayed her amusement.

"Precisely," Seraphina agreed, pretending grave indignation. "But perhaps I can be merciful. In exchange for our forgiveness, the Academy will have no choice but to grant us the privilege of bringing in proper furniture and decorations… post haste!"

Their shared giggles filled the spartan chamber, echoing against the whitewashed walls. For a moment, they reveled in the power that came from privileged positions, the innocent knowledge that even the strict regulations of the Academy could be bent if one applied the right kind of pressure. And Seraphina, as always, knew exactly how to apply it.

Yet for some reason, the girl felt that she was forgetting something… or somebody.