Oh sh*t...I'm the villainess!

Okay, think Aiko think. 

By some miracle of the isekai gods, Aiko was now living in the universe of A Lady's Love, which was quite possibly the worst otome game to ever exist. At least she wasn't the weak main character Ella, but being the villainess wasn't exactly her idea of an easy life. She could always just avoid interacting with Ella, but since the two would eventually end up in the same social circles, it might reflect badly on her to do so. Besides, after obtaining Alexandra's memories, Aiko was determined to live a better life. Alexandra had spent her life squandering her potential. Now that Aiko had a chance to live as Alexandra, she wanted to prove to the society that women could be equally as successful as men.

But first, she needed to avoid the game's bad ending. There was no hope of becoming powerful if she was exiled or killed. For that, she needed information. Aiko—no—Alexandra began to plan out her strategy for surviving in this new world. 

First, she needed to understand the world she was living in. According to the memories and her knowledge from the game, she lived in a kingdom called Iridia. Unfortunately, this world is not as technologically advanced as the one that she came from, but that is because the people have magic. Magic in this world can be characterized as elemental magic, driven by the amount of mana in one's body. Every person has a primary elemental attribute, which is unlocked at a young age. Alexandra's primary attribute was air, as it was for every Sinclair. The amount of mana is also hereditary, with nobles having strong concentrations of mana in their bloodlines. In order to supplement magical power, magic crystals are used to power magical devices or enhance one's own spells. 

Society here resembles Europe in the Middle Ages, with peasants, knights, and nobles. People of lower statuses had to speak deferentially to people of higher statuses. As a duke's daughter, Alexandra had one of the highest statuses amongst her peers. Unfortunately, the patriarchal society meant that she was doomed to endless tea parties and trying to get married into a good family. However, Alexandra planned to break that mold and blaze her own trail. In order to prevent her exile, she would have to gain the admiration and favor of the peasants, peers, and people of higher status. It was imperative that she become favored by the Crown, so that even if somehow things went awry and Nicholas tried to exile her, it would be harder for him to do so. It would also be a good idea for her to train her magic. If anyone ended up becoming violent, she would need to be able to defend herself. 

Secondly, she needed to understand the game A Lady's Love. Although she didn't play for long before tossing the game out of frustration, months of listening to Kana gush about the characters gave Alexandra all the information she needed. There were four playable routes: the Prince, the Knight, the Duke, and the Wizard.

"Ai-chan!" Kana shouted. "I've just started this new otome game. The male lead is so cute! His name is Prince Nicholas Aelius..."

The Prince: His Highness Prince Nicholas Aelius. Second Prince of the Kingdom of Iridia and fiancé of Alexandra Sinclair. A frivolous blonde-haired blue-eyed playboy, he charms every woman he comes across. His capricious nature is spurred by a desire for attention and his envy towards his brother, the Crown Prince. When he meets Ella at his birthday ball, he is immediately interested in her lowly upbringing and spends the whole night by her side, neglecting his fianceé and sparking the rivalry between Alexandra and Ella. Meeting Ella stops his playboy tendencies and he eventually annuls his engagement to be with her.

"I finally started the second route!" Kana cheered. "Sir Antonio Gladia is so quiet and standoffish, but I know I can crack him!"

The Knight: Sir Antonio Gladia. A prodigious knight and the Prince's personal guard. His dark hair, eyes, and skin make him popular among noble ladies.  Even though he is quiet and solemn, he has a heart of gold and a soft spot for commoners, having been one himself. He encounters Ella when he saves her from a group of bandits. Her soft and gentle personality lures him out of his shell. Alexandra does not really interact with Ella in this route.

"Ooh, Elias Sinclair!" Kana skipped over to Aiko. "I just started his route and he is so annoying at the beginning, but I'm sure it'll get better!"

The Duke: Lord Elias Sinclair. Heir to the Sinclair Duchy and younger brother of Alexandra Sinclair. His fiery hair and cool grey eyes are a perfect fit for his brash and arrogant nature. He received constant praise when he was younger, and thus grew up extremely entitled. At Alexandra's debutante ball, he meets Ella and is dismissive at first, but many coincidental meetings eventually draw the two together. He is moved by her generosity and when Alexandra tries to bully Ella out of spite, he kicks Alexandra out of the house.

"Ai-chan, you really HAVE to play this game, it's so good!" Kana begs for the fortieth time. "I'm playing Xavier Lancaster's route now. He's such a complex character!"

The Wizard: Xavier Lancaster. A genius mage. His silvery white hair and purple eyes are a result of his overflowing mana. Not much is known about him as he tends to keep away from people. Kana did not finish the route before Aiko's accident so there is no further information.

After thinking about all of the characters, Alexandra decided that Nicholas and Xavier posed the greatest threats to her life as this character. Antonio and Elias's routes didn't really affect her if she chose not to interfere so it would be a simple matter of not bullying Ella. However, if Nicholas and Ella were to get together, Alexandra could be threatened just by being his abandoned fianceé. As for Xavier, there was barely any information, so Alexandra needed to be cautious. 

Out of the four playable characters, the only one that Alexandra could actively affect would be Nicholas. And there was only one way to ensure that she would never be affected by his actions.

She had to break off the engagement.