The Villainesses in the Romance Fantasy Novel Became Obsessed with me

How could things have gotten so complicated?

I had planned to talk with Bluebell today and cheer her up.

But as usual, my plans were torn to shreds.

“Explain yourself, Damian. What’s going on here? Why’s the princess from a neighboring country sitting next to you, acting all chummy?”

Bluebell demanded an explanation, her fists clenched.

It felt more like a threat than a request.

For the sake of my life, I opened my mouth to speak.

“Well, I came out first to wait for you, but then suddenly Charlotte—”

“No. I’ll explain Damian.”

Charlotte abruptly interrupted me.

She smiled at me and then turned to Bluebell.

“Bluebell, do you know who lives next door to you?”

“No, I don’t. Should I?”

“It would be good to know. I live next door. You talk to yourself a lot, don’t you?”

Bluebell’s expression turned menacing.

“Are you saying you eavesdropped on me?”

“I didn’t mean to, but your voice carried over, and I couldn’t help but hear.”

“Damn it! Who eavesdrops and then butts into someone else’s plans! Get lost!”

Bluebell spat out angrily.

However, Charlotte showed no intention of backing down.

“Why? Can’t we hang out together?”

“I had plans with Damian. Why’re you intruding? Get lost!”

“It’s more fun with more people. I also want to be with Damian. I have things to talk about.”

“Do it later!”

“I want to talk now.”

“Damn it… She doesn’t understand… Damian, tell this woman to leave…! She won’t listen to me at all…! Ugh! My head…!”

Bluebell put her hand to her forehead and appeared genuinely distressed.

‘So you know how it feels when someone doesn’t understand you, Bluebell.’

Forming a bond of shared frustration, I decisively stood up from the bench.

It was a good time to try transforming Charlotte, but today wasn’t the day.

“Sorry Charlotte. You need to go back today. Bluebell doesn’t want you here.”

“Can’t I just walk behind you?”

“No. Bluebell said no. Let’s talk another time.”

“Alright then…”

Charlotte stood up from the bench with a dejected look. As she walked away with hunched shoulders, her silhouette appeared pitiful.

Watching her leave, Bluebell finally relaxed.

“She finally left. I can’t believe someone like her lives next door to me. It’s terrifying just thinking about it.”

“Bear with it, Bluebell.”

“No. Why do I always have to be the one to bear with things? Are you saying she’s more important than me?”

“It’s because you never bear with things. Never mind. Let’s stop talking about this.”

To calm Bluebell down, I grabbed her hand.

“Let’s just have fun. Sitting here is a waste of time, right?”

“You’re right.”

Even though she was grumbling, Bluebell didn’t let go of my hand.

We decided to enjoy our day together.

‘… She hasn’t given up.’

As we walked away, I felt like there was a shadow following us.

***

Bluebell seemed to be making up for lost time and thoroughly enjoyed our time together.

If you ask how I knew this instead of Bluebell, it was evident from her behavior.

“Hey Damian, try this. It’s sweet and delicious!”

“… I prefer bitter things.”

“Shut up and just like what I like!”

Nom!

The cake was mercilessly stabbed by Bluebell’s fork. As she handed it to me, the taste bombarded my mouth.

The chocolate cake from the cafe was overwhelmingly sweet.

Personally, I preferred something like matcha cake that was both sweet and bitter.

However, Bluebell loved sweets that instantly lifted her mood.

“Our tastes really don’t match.”

“You need to adjust to mine. Starting today, you’re going to train to eat sweets with me. Got it?”

Why did she want to change my taste?

I liked things the way they were.

I looked at the chocolate cake offered by Bluebell and shook my head.

“Eat it.”

“…”

“Eat it. If you don’t, I’ll eat it all and get fat. Don’t you care if I die from my stomach bursting?”

“Hmm. That wouldn’t be good.”

Nom!

I reluctantly took another bite of the chocolate cake.

Seeing this, Bluebell smiled in satisfaction.

She seemed pleased with the idea of changing my taste.

Still, I thought it was fortunate that Bluebell wouldn’t gain weight from eating so much.

‘Although it’s not nice to say… If Bluebell did gain weight, her notoriety would increase.’

To be honest, Bluebell’s relative beauty kept her infamy in check.

She constantly cursed, belittled others, compared herself to them, and laughed with her friends.

Despite this, her notoriety wasn’t that high in the academy.

In fact, I was considered more infamous than Bluebell at the moment.

“Open your mouth, Damian. The cake is coming in.”

“…”

“Do it. Today’s the day you cheer me up. Open up.”

“Ah.”

Once again, I accepted the cake from Bluebell.

Seeing me eat like a baby bird, Bluebell seemed to shake off the gloom from her recent kidnapping.

She needed to frequently alleviate her deep-seated melancholy in such ways.

‘Given her family background and her innate disposition towards depression…’

Anyway, her current condition would work much better at alleviating her melancholy than what was described in the novel.

Back then, without any support, she was too anxious and preoccupied with belittling others.

Now, she seemed more relaxed and her fiery temper had subsided somewhat.

As I pondered those thoughts, Bluebell burst into laughter.

“Pffft. Look at that. Sitting alone in the cafe? They must not have any friends.”

“…”

In the past, she would have gone over and picked a fight.

This level of mockery was bearable.

I decided to tolerate Bluebell with a generous heart.

However…

“You shouldn’t say things like that out loud, Bluebell.”

“Why? It’s true, isn’t it?”

“Even if it’s true, it can hurt someone’s feelings. And if they retaliate, it could lead to a fight. It’s not a good behavior—”

“Fine! I won’t say it then! You talk too much!”

Bluebell shouted.

But since she agreed not to do it next time, I could see she was slowly changing from her villainous ways.

Watching Bluebell improve gave me peace of mind.

At that moment.

“Damian, do you think those two over there are dating?”

Bluebell suddenly looked downcast.

She pointed to two students eating parfaits and cuddling.

‘This is bad.’

Relative deprivation.

Seeing someone seemingly happier than her triggered Bluebell’s depression again.

She bit her lip in dissatisfaction.

“Why do they look happier than me? Damian, what about me?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do I look happy to you?”

She asked with eyes full of sorrow, questioning if she appeared happy.

I pondered how to answer.

‘How can I guide Bluebell to a positive outcome?’

This depression was caused by constant comparisons and appeared at the worst times.

How could I positively influence Bluebell?

The answer didn’t take long to come to me.

“With me around, shouldn’t you be happy?”

“… You’re the one who ran away and left me, and now you say that?”

“I told you, it wasn’t running away. Besides, there’s nowhere for me to run now. We attend the academy together. We’re even in the same department.”

Hearing that we would be seeing each other every day, Bluebell seemed to gain strength. She revealed a bittersweet yet sweet smile.

“You’re right. You’re here with me, Damian. If you stay with me, I think I’ll be a bit happier.”

So…

“I’ll let it slide this time. But there won’t be a next time. If you run away from me again…”

We both die.

“If you die, we’ll die together, and if I die, I’ll remain in your memory forever. There’s no next time. Be careful, Damian.”

“… I understand.”

Was that a relief?

‘She’s letting go of the fact that I ran away last time.’

There wouldn’t be a next time, but that was still not bad.

I’d finally returned to the positive side with Bluebell.

“I hope everything with you is always sweet. I don’t want any more bitterness.”

Though it felt like I was being leashed, I was satisfied.

——-

Bluebell and I spent a pleasant(?) time together until evening.

We went to a cafe, strolled in the park, and talked.

We discussed past events, present matters, and even the uncertain future.

Every time, I exhausted myself trying to suppress Bluebell’s gloom.

‘Now that I think about it, there was something about Bluebell’s family…’

I didn’t forget, but I couldn’t remember.

My memory couldn’t be wrong, so I tried to think of the reason.

‘Ah! I remember now.’

The author.

That foolish person dropped hints but never followed through.

The story touched on Bluebell’s depression and how it affected her fief, but never explored the root cause of the depression affecting the women in her family.

‘That’s why the author received so much criticism. I was one of them as well.’

It was a deeply moving story, but as a reader, I had the right to criticize.

Reflecting on it, I realized I might have been a bit harsh.

‘Could it be that’s why I ended up in this world? No way, there were harsher critics than me. They wouldn’t single me out for this.’

It must be a coincidence.

I thought to myself as I automatically responded to Bluebell’s words.

On the way back to the dormitory.

“Are you not listening to me again!?”

Thud!

“Ow!”

Bluebell kicked my shin hard.

“Pay attention when I’m talking to you!”

The reason was my lack of attention.

Enduring the pain in my shin, I glared at Bluebell.

“It really hurts, Bluebell.”

“So what? You want to hit me like the old days? Go ahead! Hit the head that got smacked by the kidnappers last time! Just try it!”

“… We’ll see in a week.”

If she kicked me again, I wouldn’t let it slide.

I decided to transform her through discipline once more.

I then escorted Bluebell to the girls’ dormitory.

“Go in and rest. See you on Monday, Bluebell.”

“… I don’t want to go in. Can I come to the boys’ dormitory?”

“Do you think you can?”

“… I guess not. I know! I’m not stupid!”

The dormitory guard watched with a satisfied expression as I bid farewell to Bluebell.

Ignoring the embarrassed looks, I quickly fled.

I couldn’t afford to run into Nadia or Yuri.

‘It wasn’t a bad day. Bluebell’s transformation progressed quite well. Her swearing; her habit of comparing herself to others, her emotional deprivation, her depression, and her overly self-consciousness—if we can solve these issues…’

Bluebell might be able to integrate into normal society.

Reflecting on my thoughts and feeling like I had cleansed some of my past misdeeds, I concluded it had been a good day.

As I headed back to the dormitory to rest, I felt someone approaching quickly from behind, as if to put a final touch on the day.

‘She’s still here? I thought she left midway…’

I turned to face the approaching figure.

“What is it, Charlotte?”

“You’ve finally finished talking. I’ve been waiting, Damian.”

“Until now? While following us?”

“Following? That’s a rude thing to say to a princess. I just wanted to talk to you.”

Charlotte approached with a gentle smile, hiding her true intentions behind it.

“I said I wanted to apologize for saying I was disappointed in you last time.”

“I didn’t really care about that.”

“But I do. I need to apologize properly. I’m sorry, Damian.”

Charlotte bowed her head in apology.

“You’re different from me. I misunderstood. I’m sorry, Damian. It won’t happen again.”

And then, going a step further, she knelt before me under the streetlamp’s light, as if it were a stage.

“I’m sorry, truly sorry. I’m sorry for thinking you were like me. You don’t deserve that. I made a mistake. I’m really… really sorry…”

Charlotte knelt on the rough ground and continued to apologize excessively.

‘She’s completely lost it.’

I immediately tried to lift her up, but Charlotte resisted and kept apologizing as if she had committed a grave sin.

“Stand up, Charlotte…!! What are you doing…!? It’s not that serious…!!”

“I’m really… Sorry… I was wrong. I need to be punished. If not… I can’t endure it… I’m sorry for considering you as the same as me, Damian. Can you… punish me…?”

Desperately, she clung to my arm as I tried to lift her.

With sparkling eyes, she looked at me as if I were her savior.

“Please punish me… I deserve it… Please punish me in any way… I need to be punished…”

Charlotte’s gentle personality had split, and watching her, I could understand why her personality had crumbled.

‘Without a personality to bear the guilt… She wouldn’t have been able to endure it…’

Looking at me as if I were her savior, Charlotte desperately sought punishment, standing at the edge of a metaphorical cliff.

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…”

Her disoriented apologies echoed through the academy, revealing her deep desire for redemption.

Translator’s Note; Thank you for the patience and continued support! The regular release (5-7 chapters/week) will begin henceforth. Please don’t forget to leave a review on NovelUpdates.

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