In the world of "How to be a Villaness" there are four gallants that you can conquer. One of them, obviously, is a prince and the main love interest. His name is William Ashbourne, who can make anyone fall in love just by existing. His honey-colored hair shines in the reflection of the sun, his hazel eyes lighten two shades when he smiles, giving them a beautiful golden color. But he also has a righteous character that he has no problem showing when someone bothers the people he loves, including Anika.
That's why now he takes her by the hand and places her behind him, looking at me as if I were the real threat when the reality was more than different.
"Will, please wait," Anika said. " Hosui didn't do anything wrong."
" You don't have to cover her up, Ani. It's obvious that she can't contain her evil impulses, all thanks to that pagan magic she uses. She's certainly dangerous."
"I don't think Hosui is the culprit this time, " the number 2 prince spoke, to my surprise "Lady Elizabeth, why do you have an empty bottle with you?"
Basil Davenport, son of the Earl of Eusilon (the kingdom where we live) and successor to his title and several lands of great commercial importance, would soon be forced to marry a girl of the same status. But, if his route is followed in the game, Basil gives up his noble title to be with Anika and live together in a small house in an adorable village.
He has an enviable mental acuity, he is able to notice many things that other people do not. He has dark hair and black as night and his eyes are brown like the sunset on a beach. He has a mole on his neck near his jugular and Anika becomes a little enthusiastic about that mole in the game, she leaves kiss marks in that place without caring about anything.
Because of this insight he instantly realized that Elizabeth had been the culprit of all this, however the redhead would not miss the opportunity to blame me for everything.
"Lord Basil, please do not misunderstand the situation. This bottle was in Hosui's hands, I took it from her because I am outraged by her actions."
I rolled my eyes, I am already tired of this ridiculous situation. I began to leave my seat and walked towards the exit but William grabbed my arm to stop me, although there was no strength in his grip.
"This will not end without punishment, Hosui Lockwood. I will take care of speaking with the principal"
Then I felt a burning fire that was born in my chest and rumbled throughout my body, I had not realized it, but black flames emanated from my shoulders and arms, causing William to suddenly let go of me and stand on guard. I hated being called by a surname that wasn't mine, especially knowing the story of what had happened. Fury took over me for a few seconds, enough to scare the entire class. I turned to William who already had the other princes making a protective wall around Anika who looked at me with pity.
"My name is Hosui Yoshino, don't forget it, useless prince."
William was the second prince of the Eusilon throne, so he didn't have the need to inherit his father's crown, but he still had to maintain an exemplary reputation and not have any kind of "indecent" approach with any commoner. After his graduation, he must marry Elizabeth, whom he saw as incapable of doing any misdeed, for some reason. They had grown up together and the redhead had always been a good girl when she was around him, that's why William believed in the good girl mask that Elizabeth had put together. They are both pathetic beings.
And if you were wondering what Anika's ending would be if she chose William, well, it's not too hard to imagine, right? She marries the prince and becomes a princess despite the thousands of obstacles the royal family put in their way they achieve their happy ending together.
Elizabeth is exiled from Eusilon and nothing more is known about her.
My black flames ceased after a few seconds, as I saw the horror in the looks of my classmates and the hostility in William's eyes. The other princes had protecting Anika as their priority and looked at me as if they were watching a wild wolf about to attack. Basil had that gleam of uncertainty in his eyes that made me squint. I left the classroom, there was still half an hour before classes started and I had to change clothes so I went straight to the locker room.
Montville Academy had a locker room for women and for men. Each was as large as an apartment and had all the amenities of one, from bathrooms with showers and Jacuzzis to vanities for touching up makeup. The changing rooms were spacious, with a thick curtain, a couch and a coffee table, as if it were a space for having meetings rather than getting dressed.
I went to my locker and grabbed my second uniform, I always had an extra change of clothes because this wasn't the first time something like this happened. I went into a stall to change out of my wet clothes and I also took a towel from my locker to take off. As I was getting dressed I heard someone enter the locker, I ignored him and went on with my things.
"You're not from here, right?"a male voice that I quickly recognized said.
It was Basil.
"Lord Basil, this is the women's locker room, you can't be here unless you want me to tell everyone that you're a pervert."
At that, Basil snorted. "As if anyone would believe you, especially to you."
He had a point.
I finished dressing and came out from behind the curtain holding my wet clothes. I was surprised that Anika hadn't come with me to change as she was wetter than me.
"That's strange, I thought Miss Anika would also come to the locker room to change her wet clothes."
"There's no way William would let her be alone in a room with you" Basil said as he sat down on one of the available armchairs "She's in the women's bathroom. I was sent to get her clothes from her locker."
"That doesn't make sense. Why would they send a man to the women's locker? Why didn't they ask one of her girlfriends?"
"Because Anika doesn't have any girlfriends." There was an awkward silence that only lasted a few seconds after that. "Besides, the only girl here is you. You don't pose that much of a danger."
"I think you underestimate me, Lord Basil" I said with a giggle.
"As far as rumors go, you're no threat, no one will believe you. That's why I'm calm."
I sighed, for some reason talking to this guy took away all my will to live. I decided to go to my locker and put away my wet clothes and I would come get them before I went home. Once I did I turned to Basil.
"If the talk is over, I'll go back to class."
I started walking passing by Basil until I reached the door. I was about to open it when he asked me the first question he asked me when he entered the locker room.
"You're not from this world, right?"
I froze in place. How did he know? What basis did he have to suspect that? And in any case, what was the best strategy at this moment? Pretend to be insane? In anime, the protagonists never said they came from another world so as not to be taken for crazy, they simply limited themselves to accepting it and living their new life. But the question was, what would happen if they revealed that secret? They could very well be treated as crazy, but what if not? Wasn't it a good idea to have an ally in this world?
I've always been known to throw myself off the cliff without knowing what was below, I let myself go and I hope that what awaits me in the end is a deep sea where I can dive in and swim out instead of sharp stones ready to pierce me. Well, that trait of mine is not going to change not even now that I've been reincarnated in another world.
I turned to Basil and analyzed him with my gaze he looked calm, self-assured, but also... anxious for some reason. I sighed because it wasn't something I could talk about in the academy locker room.
"Would you like to come to my house after class? We'll welcome you with open arms. Also, we can talk about this in a more private place, without prying ears."
The invitation seemed to surprise Basil, I think it wasn't because of the invitation itself, but because I was practically agreeing with him in preferring a more private place to talk. The black-haired boy smiled gracefully and nodded, I still don't know what his real objective is, but I won't mind killing him if he becomes a nuisance.