I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Maria…

Yes. I had to admit it.

She was beautiful.

After gifting her my favorite hair essence and instructing her to apply it diligently every day, her once unruly hair now gleamed with a radiant shine.

The skincare products I had gifted her also worked wonders, leaving Maria’s rough skin now soft and supple.

Clad in the meticulously chosen dress and shoes, and adorned with the extravagant emerald jewelry borrowed to her, Maria was truly a beautiful woman.

“Bianca, Miss.”

Her shyly blushing expression was nothing short of enchanting.

“Is it really him who will escort me?”

Blushing cheeks made her even more lovely, and her sparkling eyes accentuated her beauty.

The face of a girl in love was more beautiful than anything else.

“Yes. It’s Winkaiser.”

With a gentle smile, I nodded to Maria’s question. Meanwhile, my mind was elsewhere.

Did I, too, wear such an expression, not knowing anything, throbbing with excitement?

I groped through the uncertain memories of the past, trying to concentrate on the present to escape the reminiscing.

“It feels like a dream.”

With a blissful expression, Maria twinkled her eyes.

“It’s not a dream; it’s reality.”

Trying to shake off the intrusive memories of the past, I concentrated on the reality before my eyes.

“I asked him because I have some knowledge of Winkaiser. I thought he would be a perfect partner for your debutante ball.”

“Oh, no! He’s more than perfect! He’s truly wonderful!”

“Yes, he is. That’s why I asked him.”

I emphasized the word “asked.” I briefly considered adding “especially,” but it seemed too overt, so I held back.

“Thank you so much, Miss Bianca. I don’t know how to repay this favor’s.”

Even without emphasizing it, Maria seemed to feel more than enough gratitude.

She had become more beautiful thanks to me, the protagonist of the grand debutante ball, and her partner was the man she had fallen for at first sight.

It was natural for anyone to feel grateful.

“How can I ever repay such kindness?”

She tightly held onto my hand, which she had grasped before.

And now, the sparkling gaze she directed at me seemed to be filled with gratitude.

“Frankly, at first, honestly, though you were very beautiful, your initial impression seemed a bit cold. It was a bit frightening when you didn’t say anything.”

“Is that so?”

It was a fact that standing silently could give off that impression, something I was already aware of.

“Yes. But the more we talked, the warmer a person you revealed yourself to be.”

Still holding my hand firmly, Maria continued speaking.

She seemed genuinely moved by my gift.

Although it was a planned move to impress her, it appeared to have a more profound impact than I anticipated.

“You are truly a perfect lady, Miss Bianca.”

With sparkling eyes, Maria spoke while holding my hand.

“….”

Could this be part of her strategy? I thought briefly, unable to say anything.

She had articulated the vague word I had wanted to become since my youth.

With sparkling eyes that seemed like she had fallen in love, tightly holding my hand, and blushing deeply.

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes. Miss Bianca, you are indeed a perfect lady!”

Her response remained the same even when I asked again.

With a radiant smile and a nod as if to say words alone were not enough, she spoke.

‘A perfect lady.’

“To become such a perfect lady, you must have put in a lot of effort, right? That’s truly impressive.”

Her following words made me pause for a moment.

No one had ever said anything like this to me before.

“Why do you think that way?”

“Huh? Isn’t it obvious?”

Rather, Maria looked at me as if my question was strange, widening her eyes.

“Look in the mirror.”

She pointed to the large mirror I had brought with me to find the best match for Maria’s debutante dress among my jewelry.

“It’s not easy to stand as straight as Miss Bianca does.”

Standing right beside me, Maria said so.

Her posture was a bit less refined compared to mine, which was something I took for granted from a young age.

“Only that? The nobles’ social dances are too complicated, and table manners are too challenging. I barely managed to memorize the correct use of the fork, and now I have to memorize the knife!”

Maria exclaimed with evident frustration. Her slightly furrowed expression looked quite comical, making me smile involuntarily.

“Miss Bianca must be perfect in dancing and manners, right?”

“Yes.”

I stated the fact. My dance was perfect, and so were my manners.

“But that doesn’t just happen overnight, you’ve been working hard for a very long time to get to where you are today, Bianca.”

“Exactly.”

“That’s why you deserve to be called a perfect lady.”

Maria smiled brightly.

“Thank you.”

I said what Maria needed to hear, and I said it.

Her beaming smile and heartfelt praise made the words come out of my mouth.

The first thing I did after she left was to check my bookshelves.

There might not have been any light, but I could have missed it. Hastily pulling out the book and opening the first page, familiar words greeted me. I turned a few more pages in hopes of finding something different, but the stories remained unchanged.

There was no change.

Nothing had changed.

“Was it just a delusion?”

I genuinely thought I had impressed Maria, and I believed she felt it too. However, her thoughts on this book still seemed insufficient.

With sparkling eyes and a gaze of admiration, Maria, who once looked at me, still seemed capable of killing me.

“A perfect lady….”

I quietly contemplated the words that came out of Maria’s mouth. It was a term I hadn’t uttered for a long time, as it had become too juvenile.

“A perfect lady.”

As if collapsing, I lay down on the bed. Falling asleep like this would bring back the dreams of a very long time ago—a dream where a beautiful child, the hope of the future, emerged.

***

“Uh, what should I do?”

Maria asked with a slightly trembling voice. She turned her head to face me, and her expression looked even more fragile than butterfly wings.

“I-I’m too nervous.”

Maria habitually brought her index finger towards her mouth, and as I turned to look at her, her nail tips seemed a bit uneven, perhaps already bitten.

“Yes. You will be nervous.”

While I looked away, Maria’s nail tips were already uneven. When I gestured to the maid waiting by the side, she quickly took Maria’s hand, and her nail tips began to be tidied up again.

“Anything for the first time makes you nervous.”

“Is that so? I guess I’m normal then.”

“Yes.”

“I wish it would end quickly.”

As if her mouth was dry, Maria found water with her free hand. The cup, half-filled with water, quickly emptied as Maria gulped it down.

“Just follow what you’ve learned.”

Smiling slightly, I stood up again.

As I walked over to Maria’s side, she looked up at me, her lips slightly parted and her expression still tense.

I reached out and brought my hand to the corner of her mouth.

With my fingers, I lightly wiped away the traces of lipstick that had been smudged by drinking water earlier.

“Ah…!”

As my smooth and moist fingers touched Maria’s lips delicately, her breath brushed past my hand.

When our eyes met, Maria blushed slightly.

Thinking she might be embarrassed about the smeared lipstick, I kindly smiled as if it were nothing.

“T-Thank you.”

Maria, with her face slightly lowered, managed to express her gratitude.

“You’re welcome.”

Watching the maid finish tidying Maria’s nails, I subtly shifted my gaze toward the door.

It seemed like the right time for him to come…

Knock, knock.

As if he had read my thoughts, a knock echoed.

No, it wasn’t that. I had read his actions.

Since he had never broken a promise and knew exactly when to bring the lady, it was easy to guess when he would arrive. He behaved according to my speculation.

“It seems he’s here.”

“I-Is it Lord Ricardo who has come?”

Maria asked, surprised at the news that the person she had been waiting for had finally arrived.

“Yes, probably.”

“Oh my, I’m so nervous.”

While the maid went to open the door, Maria whispered in a low voice, visibly startled.

Her voice trembled like a kid’s, and her face turned pale.

Considering the intense lipstick application, her lips underneath probably had turned slightly blue.

“Maria, miss.”

“Yes, yes.”

Seeing the heavily tense Maria, I chuckled with a smile.

“Do you know?”

“What?”

“Today, you’re truly beautiful.”

As she widened her eyes and looked at me, I smiled brightly again.

“So, there’s nothing to worry about. Even if you makes a small mistake, everyone will be too captivated by your beauty to notice any minor slip-ups.”

Then Maria’s face gradually reddened.

When it seemed she couldn’t blush any further, she lowered her face deeply.

“L-Lady Bianca is truly kind.”

With a slightly choked-up voice, Maria murmured, her head bowed.

Hearing Maria’s voice, I, too, felt a lump in my chest.

Perhaps because her words contained sincerity.

Even though that darn book might not acknowledge it, at this moment, Maria genuinely appreciated me.

And I was well aware of that.

Something was slowly developing between us, just at this moment.

“Smile Love”