I'm a Villainess but So Popular

Episode 7

Translator : Missme Editor : Aru

“Uh…Uh…”

When she couldn’t say anything more, the second prince turned around and tilted his head at Rachel.

“That’s right, I’m the Second Prince. Is there something wrong?”

There is.

Moreover, it’s a lot!

I have no idea why he’s doing this to me now, but later he’s going to bring me to trial with a bunch of people who tried to hurt the heroine!

And in that trial, I’m going to be sentenced to death!

“Well, that’s not true, but…..”

Of course, Rachel, who doesn’t know what’s going on inside my head and about the original story, stuttered, saying, “There’s no problem.”

“That’s enough, then.”

The prince fixed his gaze on me immediately, looked straight at me and said,

“Then, Yerine, can you talk to me?”

Why are you suddenly calling me by my name?

Did I already hurt the favourite heroine? Is that why that prince is going crazy and trying to take care of me without anyone knowing?

When I reached that point, I realized that all I had left was The Thirty-Six Stratagems.1)

Yerine was strong. I don’t know how strong she is exactly, but considering the size of the fire lit at the appointment ceremony, it was clear that Yerine had more magic power than other children.

But there is no way I can beat the imperial family at the apex of the empire. In fact, in the original work, the Second Prince was described as a very strong wizard.

And even if I fight and win, I will be taken to a dungeon for attacking the Second Prince.

“Ex… Excuse me…..”

When I opened my mouth that couldn’t even open, and answered, the prince looked at me with big eyes.

“You’ve got the wrong person!!”

After shouting loudly that could be heard by the whole venue, I ran away to the passageway behind the platform.

I could hear people buzzing, the embarrassed voice of the official, and Rachel calling my name, but I ignored them all and ran along the dim passage.

When I entered the passageway and fell from the entrance, the sound around me calmed down a lot.

I thought I succeeded in running away, so I organized the situation in my head.

The prince’s reaction was so strange that I was mistaken for a moment, but no matter how much I think about it, it is unlikely that Yerine has already met my favourite heroine.

Yerine and my favourite heroine are the same age, and since they first met when they were 18, I still have a year to spare.

And the Second Prince is the same age as Yerine, and since he met my favourite heroine when he was 18, he will not know her yet.

Also, if he was the second prince with a fiery temperament who cared so much about the heroine, he must have dealt with her when she touched the heroine.

‘Yes……he’s not the kind of person to contact in such an irrational way.’

Then, why is he suddenly bringing that nonsense up to me?

At that moment, thunderous cries struck me in the ear and echoed in the aisle.

“Yerine! Hold on a second!”

My heart sank. Looking back, a black-haired man in uniform was running.

“Hee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee!”

What is this? Why is he following me like that?

Is he mad because I spoke informally to him?

But, even if that’s the reason, it’s too much to come after me like this!

Turning to the right, I rushed into the waiting room where the prospective successors had gathered before the ceremony.

I didn’t have the energy to run anymore. When I looked back, thinking that I should roughly find a way out and leave here, he was standing right at the door.

“Crazy…”

Why is he so fast……!

Panting, leaning against the doorway, he stretched out his long right arm to me in a slightly cracked voice.

“Yerine, please wait a little bit. I’m not trying to hurt you–”

But I thought the situation was dangerous, and the moment the prince stretched out his right arm, I sensed it to be a threat.

Eventually, without hearing him back, I instinctively closed my eyes and came up with a magic circle in his head.

One of the four elemental magic of the Spade, the Magic Circle that invokes the magic of air.

Soon I heard a thud, and my eyes opened along with it.

When I came to my senses, the Second Prince was already flying far away and lying on the floor.

“gasp.”

I thought I was doomed, so I closed my mouth.

To hurt a precious royal family.

Is this really okay?

“Hey, hey!”

I grabbed my head and approached the prince who staggered and shouted in a hurry.

“Sorry, I’m so sorry! I don’t know…I didn’t mean it, it was unintentional!”

It’s a lie, actually.

It was intentional.

I couldn’t help it because I thought the prince would attack me if I stayed still.

“Are, are you all right, Prince?”

As I approached the prince with all sorts of fuss, the prince opened his closed eyes and smiled.

“I, I’m all right, Ugh–”

“Ugh, you’re bleeding on your head!”

“No, it’s okay…I don’t care…”

Wiping a stream of blood through his black hair, the prince looked down at my palm and looked up at me with a slightly tasteful glancing, and said,

“……I don’t think it’s okay, actually.”

said inwardly, touching his tingling forehead.

I can’t believe I hurt the imperial family’s body. It’s like a death sentence.

There is no other way but to beg or roast and boil the prince.

“I’m so sorry, Prince…..”

Looking at me like that, the prince spoke calmly.

“No, because that’s also my fault for not assuming that you may not really remember me. It’s possible for you.”

“Why did someone who knew it act like that?” was filled to the top of my throat, but I endured it.

Then the prince changed his posture, rubbed his eyes and muttered in a low voice.

“Yerine, I’m Cassius, the Cassius you used to play with, don’t you really remember?”

After hearing the name Cassius, it really became clear. He is the one who later fell in love with the original heroine and followed her around with all kinds of obsession, and who made the biggest contribution to making me die because I touched him wrong.

That’s how I can only think of information related to the novel, but the memory of Yerine related to Cassius never returned.

In this way, Yerine must have regarded him as a complete stranger.

“I don’t remember at all, Prince. You’ve mistaken me for someone else…”

But Cassius immediately gave a firm answer.

“No, it can’t be.”

That’s what Cassius said, and with his warm hand, wrapped around my cheeks.

He looked at me for a long time as if he wanted to keep my features in his eyes, and handed over the purple hair that had fallen before my eyes with a gentle touch.

“You don’t know how much I’ve been…..”

The golden eyes, which used to be sharp, were loosened, and transparent things like tears fell for a moment.

Only then did I realize. Cassius was really missing Yerine.

“Prince…”

“I’ve been looking for you, but you’re trying to run away again. You say you can’t remember. It’s all pointless.”

When I saw him with a look of despondency, he looked so pitiful, I began to feel really sorry for him.

I didn’t know what to say, so I opened my mouth.

“Prince, I’m sorry–”

“Now, did you say you’re sorry?”

At that moment, the tearful expression that I had just made went away, and Cassius, who had a sharp look like a hawk, was staring at me.

“If you’re really sorry, shouldn’t you show it in action, not words? What do you think, Yerine?”

Cassius deliberately spoke emphasising at three letters of my name and rolled up the corners of his mouth to give me a fishy smile.

‘Oh, this is the wrong move.’

“Even though it’s my fault, it’s true that you used magic to hurt me. What would happen to you if I went up there and told you that the successors of seven families had attacked the royal family?”

I thought it would come like this.

He’s up to something using that fact. I don’t know what it is.

“…….”

“This is enough for you to know what I’m talking about.”

Sighing heavily, I folded my arms and opened my eyes thinly.

“Yes, honestly, it was wrong of me to magically fly a decent person. What do you want?”

“As expected, you’re quick to grasp the situation. None of that has changed.”

said Cassius, tidying his clothes.

“First of all, there are two things. When you say you can’t do those two favours, our negotiations break down.”

“Yes, I understand. Tell me.”

Cassius grinned and folded a finger.

“First, call me Cassius, not ‘Prince’ or ‘Your Highness’.”

Surprised by his unexpectedly simple proposal, I asked back.

“That’s it?”

“Yes, that’s the first one.”

In fact, it was a very simple proposal that nothing could be heard.

And I don’t think it’s a matter of threatening and proposing like before.

Eventually, he shrugged and waited for Cassius to say the following:

“Okay, so what about the second?”

“To allow me to meet you, at least once every two days.”

While nodding still, I was surprised and asked back loudly.

“Once every two days?”

In my words, Cassius answered calmly in a low-pitched voice.

“Yes, once every two days.”

I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.

Meeting a person who is going to kill me every two days. Isn’t this dangerous?

“You’re not telling me to come to the capital every two days, are you?”

“No. I’ll go to the Spade Dukedom.”

“But then…… calling you Cassius is so hard and…… once every other day just too much–”

Stuttering and blocking my pouring words, Cassius waved his fingers from side to side.

“I can’t help it. I think you want an article titled ‘<i>The Second Prince confirmed to be critical in condition after being attacked by the Spade Successor</i>’ to be widely written.”

“……:

I had no choice but to accept the negotiations by biting the bullet.

“The negotiations, I accept…..”

“You should be. I was going to do it once a day, but I shortened it.”

This scary bastard.

“For your information, if you try to break the deal after today, I’ll tell everyone everything that happened today, just you know.”

Wow, he’s definitely an obsessive man. In the original version, he showed the end of his obsession with the heroine until the end.

But why is he so obsessed with me?

“Yes…”

“Let’s get out of here now if you know. We should also enjoy the festival.”

“Wait a minute. I have a question.”

Cassius, who was about to turn around and step out into the hallway, looked at me with his eyes wide open at my words.

“Why are you doing this? You’re making those threatening remarks, and you’re making a suggestion, um–”

To be honest, I thought it was cute, but if I say it as it is, I think I’m going to die, so let’s find another word.

But Cassius opened his mouth first before I could find a suitable expression.

“I don’t care if you don’t remember. I just want to stay by your side and start over.”

When I saw him with his eyes below and a lonely look for a moment, I felt sorry again.

So I patted him on the shoulder and handed him a handkerchief.

“First of all, wipe your blood with this. And go up there and get the treatment.”

“Treatment?”

“Yes, you should be treated. Otherwise, you’ll get a hole in your head.”

Cassius burst into laughter at my words.

“It’s alright, this much, I can handle it.”

“What do you mean it’s alright? Don’t be stubborn and get the treatment. Oh, don’t say I attacked you when you were being treated.”

“That’s what bothered you…… Anyway, I’m fine.”

Of course, it’s better than before now, but I couldn’t figure out what the hell was alright with the blood flowing out of his head.

Maybe he read that look on my face, Cassius grinned and closed his eyes.

“Look carefully.”

Soon after, he closed his eyes, a mass of golden chunks poured out of his head and covered the wound.

And the blocks of light melted away like snow.

When I closed my mouth in surprise and looked at the injured area, the wound area looked as if it had not been injured at all.

“I’m specialized in healing magic.”

Cassius said cheerfully as he walked out of the room first, leaving me standing in a daze.

“No, wait, then I didn’t have to be threatened in the first place! Isn’t this a scam?”

“I’m going to the Duke of Spade tomorrow, so keep that in mind. I just need to see your face, so don’t prepare for the luxury.”

“Excuse me, are you listening? Cassius!”

I called his name several times, but Cassius slipped out.

But I can’t let him run away!

Catching up with him at the maximum speed, I grabbed him by the shoulder and said,

“Excuse me, for now. I’m not kidding. I’m being serious.”

On such a day, Cassius answered, looking down.

“What is it? Tell me.”

“I’ll keep my word. But rather than tomorrow, can you come the day after tomorrow?”

Cassius tilted his head and asked.

“Why? You’re not going to move in between the days, are you?”

“Oh, no. Take it easy.”

“Then what’s the matter?”

I looked at the golden eyes looking at me.

Then rolled up the corners of my mouth, with a gentle smile.

“I have to break up my engagement.”

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1) The Thirty-Six Stratagems is a Chinese essay used to illustrate a series of stratagems used in politics, war, and civil interaction. Its focus on the use of cunning and deception both on the battlefield and in court have drawn comparisons to Sun Tzu’s The Art of War.