I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Side Story One - The Past (1)

Side Story One – The Past (1)

”Ah!”

It was entirely Bianca’s mistake.  

Red liquid dripped onto the white shirt of a young boy, and little Bianca froze in place, holding the half-full glass of tomato juice.  

The five boys and girls present were all staring at Bianca. No, the boy covered in tomato juice wasn’t just looking at her—he was glaring.  

Under his sharp gaze, Bianca’s small hands stiffened even more, and her little lips pressed into a tight line.  

“What do you think you’re doing?!”  

Bianca’s shoulders slumped even further as the boy bellowed and jumped to his feet.

Even at that moment, the red stain on his white shirt kept spreading.  

It was truly an accident.  

Bianca had not meant to spill tomato juice on the boy’s clothes.  

The dining table was too high for Bianca, and the chair was too low. The cup was too big and heavy, and the tomato juice she wanted to drink was filled to the brim.  

Moreover, the boy had been sitting too close to her, and just as she reached for her juice, he leaned toward her.  

So, it wasn’t entirely her fault—at least, that’s what Bianca believed.  

“Umm…”  

But she knew she had to apologize anyway. After all, she was the one who spilled the juice.  

Even at nine years old, Bianca understood that much.  

“Does the Croft family not teach proper table manners?”  

“See? This is why they shouldn’t have let someone so young join us.”  

When Bianca turned toward the voices, she saw the smug face of the marquis’s daughter, pretending she hadn’t said anything. Beside her stood the count’s daughter, smirking slightly.  

Though older than Bianca, they were still children—noble children, raised sweetly and pampered, believing themselves to be the prettiest in the world.  

They hadn’t yet learned to guard their words, though they would soon enough.  

Bianca bit her lip.  

She couldn’t apologize.  

If she apologized now, they might think it was because the Croft family failed to teach her proper manners. They might assume that her family didn’t know how to raise a proper lady.  

That wasn’t true.  

Bianca received lessons in etiquette every day, studied hard, and learned how to be a proper lady. Even though she was still young, she knew this was expected of her as the marquis’s daughter.  

“Bianca! Apologize to me right now!”  

The boy lifted his head high, shouting again.  

On his face was a mixture of self-importance and a subtle expectation, hoping Bianca would bow her head in apology.  

Seeing that expression only made Bianca’s stubbornness flare.  

“No.”  

She couldn’t apologize. If she did, it would mean she had lost.  

“What did you say?”  

The boy’s voice was filled with disbelief.  

“It wasn’t my fault.”  

“Oh, really? Then what? Did the tomato juice magically fly onto my clothes on its own?”  

“Well, no… but it still wasn’t my fault.”  

“Then whose fault was it?”  

“…”  

Bianca had no answer. Though she insisted it wasn’t her fault, she knew deep down it was her mistake.  

However, nine-year-old Bianca just couldn’t bring herself to admit it.  

“Whose fault is it, then?”  

The boy yelled again, and Bianca began to feel a bit scared.  

Before coming to this tea party, her mother had told her someone very important would be attending. She said the guest would have pink hair and that Bianca should be especially polite to him.  

Her mother had even reassured her, saying, “My little Bianca is a smart and lovely young lady, so I know you’ll do just fine.”

But now, the boy in front of her, angry and fuming, had pink hair fluttering lightly, like petals in the breeze.  

‘What do I do?’  

Not only had she spilled red tomato juice on someone she was supposed to impress, but she had also made him angry. Naturally, Bianca was terrified.  

But she refused to show it. She pressed her lips together tightly and tried not to let her fear show.  

“Calm down, Asel.”  

A voice cut in between the two children.  

It wasn’t the oldest in the group, but it belonged to the tallest and most mature one—the host of the house.  

He patted Asel’s shoulder lightly, as if the whole thing was no big deal.  

His demeanor toward the prince was casual, as if they were long-time friends.  

“You can just change clothes. I’ll lend you something.”  

“But, Ricardo!”  

“I know, I know. My clothes will be too big on you.”  

“That’s not the point!”  

Asel burst out angrily, and the other children giggled.  

“If the size is the problem, I’m sure we can find something smaller. It’s not like I’ve always been this tall.”  

Without waiting for a reply, Ricardo tapped Asel’s shoulder again, then rang a bell on the table to summon a servant waiting outside.  

“Clear the table… No, actually, prepare a new setting in the garden. I was planning to show off the garden my mother so lovingly tended. And Asel needs to change clothes.” 

“Yes, young master.”

A servant escorted Asel away, and while the rest of the children moved to the garden, Bianca stayed seated at the table.  

She stared at the stain of spilled tomato juice on the tablecloth.  

“Why are you still here, Bianca?”

The voice was gentle.  

“Why… Did you stand up for me?”  

“Was it wrong to do so?” 

Ricardo asked, smiling warmly.  

“Not exactly, but…” 

“Sorry. Was the chair too low for you? I knew you were attending today’s gathering, but I didn’t think to account for that.” 

Bianca’s eyes widened in surprise—Ricardo had guessed her thoughts so perfectly.  

“Why do you apologize so easily?”  

“Because I failed to be considerate of my guests.”  

“But apologizing means losing, doesn’t it?”  

Bianca let her honest thoughts slip without knowing why she felt compelled to share them.  

“Mother says only losers apologize. A proper lady shouldn’t need to apologize if she behaves perfectly from the start.”  

“I see. The Croft family certainly has strict teachings.”  

Ricardo nodded calmly.  

“That means you’ll become an excellent lady one day, Bianca.”  

“Huh?”  

“You’re receiving such strict training even at your age. You’ll grow up to be a wonderful lady.”

Ricardo’s bright smile seemed to light up the room.  

And that was the moment Bianca fell in love for the first time.  

* * *

“No.”

“Bianca!”

Her mother’s stern voice made Bianca’s shoulders tense for a moment, but she quickly squared them again. She remembered her mother’s advice: ‘A lady must always carry herself with confidence.’

Bianca decided to correct her mistake instead.  

“No, I don’t want to.”

“This isn’t about politeness, young lady.”  

The Marchioness of Croft sighed softly—a graceful sigh that made Bianca look at her mother in awe.  

‘I need to practice sighing like that!’ Bianca thought to herself.  

“Tell me, what is it you don’t want?”

The Marquis of Croft, who had been silently observing his wife and daughter, spoke gently.  

“I don’t want to get engaged to Asel.”  

Though Bianca uttered the name of the imperial crown prince, neither her father nor her mother scolded her. They knew that over the past year, Bianca and Asel had been allowed to address each other by name, despite their rocky first meeting.  

In fact, it had been the crown prince himself who insisted on being called “Asel,” though Bianca had complied reluctantly.  

“Why not? If you get engaged to Crown Prince Asel and marry him, you’ll become the crown princess. One day, you could even become the empress. You know what an empress is, right?”  

“Yes. She’s the highest-ranking lady in the empire.”

Though Bianca was only ten years old, she understood things well. And even when she didn’t fully understand, she had learned to pretend that she did.  

Bianca spoke with confidence, though she wasn’t entirely sure what it truly meant to be empress.  

“You’ve always wanted to become a splendid lady, haven’t you? If you marry the crown prince, you’ll become the most important lady in the empire.”  

“But I don’t want to marry Ashel.”  

Bianca’s face scrunched in genuine distaste.  

From Bianca’s point of view, her feelings were perfectly justified.  

Asel was just a year older than her, yet he acted so superior, constantly bragging and throwing his status around. Their first meeting had been awful—he had demanded an apology from her with a raised voice and an angry expression.  

She had nearly sworn off pink as her favorite color, just because of the way his pink hair had fluttered annoyingly in the light that day.  

If anyone asked Bianca to name the most insufferable person she had ever met, Asel would top the list without question.  

And now they expected her to marry him?  

Absolutely not. 

“We hoped that getting to know each other from a young age would help you grow fond of him, but it seems to have had the opposite effect.”  

“But Bianca has been attending noble gatherings regularly over the past year. She seemed to enjoy them—she even picked out her dress and ribbons herself.”  

“I didn’t do it to impress Ashel.” 

Bianca grumbled, frustrated that her mother hadn’t understood her all along.  

“Oh? Then were you trying to impress someone else? I suppose there were many pretty girls at those gatherings, and naturally, you’d want to look your best.” 

The Marchioness made the comment casually.  

“Ricardo.” 

But Bianca didn’t miss the chance. She quickly blurted out the name she had wanted to say all along.