We travel to the Smith home by carriage. To be honest, I don’t really like riding in carriages. My butt hurts after sitting in one for long periods of time. Oh, I know—I’ll ride on horseback! Once we return home, I’ll start practicing horseback riding. But the scenery of this kingdom really is idyllic. Ahh, if only this world had cameras. I could also use it to capture plenty of moments of my badass-villainess glory, too.

“Ali? Is something wrong?”

Albert peers into my eyes with concern. Oh, shame on me. I got so caught up in my own fantasies, I must have looked like an airhead. That’s no way for a villainess to behave. In moments like this, I must say something cutting and cruel. Hmm…I can’t think of anything. It seems like I still have a long way to go.

I decide to giggle it off. How convenient that I’ve got a Mona Lisa smile.

“You know, Ali, you’ve changed,” Alan says, staring hard at me.

“In what way?”

“In every way,” Alan and Henri answer in unison.

Huh, have I really changed that much? Well, I suppose Alicia was spoiled rotten before. A perfect little spoiled rich girl, yet she made no effort to become a villainess. I wonder what would have become of her if she never gained my memories? Just thinking about it horrifies me.

Albert’s eyes take on a somber look as he says, “I know it’s a little late for this, but…what made you become so earnest?”

“Earnest?”

I tilt my head in confusion. Me? Earnest? Is that how I seem to others?! Oh dear, when did I mistakenly give off such an impression?

“Surely you jest. I am simply doing the bare minimum.”

I force a smile and deliver the line in a manner sure to dispel all doubt and misunderstanding. Albert looks a bit stunned by my response, but he finally murmurs, “Ah, I see,” and smiles at me.

When I get out of the carriage, several almost-blinding rays of light rain down upon me. Is this Finn’s house?!

Give it to light magic. I’ve never seen a house shine like this before. My eyes are twitching from how bright it is, and part of me wishes I brought sunglasses. But of course, those don’t exist in this world.

“Al, Henri, Alan! Welcome to my home!” The boy smiles and runs over. “Thanks for coming, Alicia! I asked Alan to bring you along so I could chat with you.”

Light practically radiates off Finn’s face as he speaks. Ah yes, this is the smile that enslaved the heart of every shotacon in Japan. How sweet.

“Thank you very much for the kind invitation.” I lift my skirt and curtsy. Finn then tells me I needn’t be so stiff and formal, but a villainess never lets her guard down.

We are escorted to the parlor.

“After you.”

Finn opens the giant door for me, and I thank him as I set foot into the room. Inside, Curtis, Eric, Gale, and Duke are all sitting on a large sofa.

This is starting to become a problem—I’ve been bumping into these guys a lot lately. A villainess isn’t supposed to be sociable.

What’s this? A map spread on the coffee table… Why is there a map? Oh no, am I going to be exiled? Are we at the end of the game already? Did I do something that evil? Then again, if I did evil without realizing it, that would make me a truly top-class villainess. It’s been a surprisingly short journey, I suppose…

Then I hear a knock at the door. It slowly opens, and when the person finally enters the room, I feel my spine go ice-cold.

What is the king doing here?

It’s not a fake, right? It’s definitely the real king. I mean, he has an amazing presence.

The boys all bow their heads, and I follow suit at a delay. Wait a minute, did I commit a crime so heinous that the king himself is coming to see me personally?

“You may rise.”

His dignified voice reverberates through the room, and we all look up. He may be on the older side, but he’s still easy on the eyes. His blue eyes are a bit darker than Duke’s.

The king stares at me for a moment before smirking and saying, “So you are Alicia.”

Wow, what a mature smile. Such confidence! So cool!

“Good day, Your Majesty.”

I give the king the same formal greeting I gave Finn earlier.

“I have heard much about you,” the king says.

“About me, Your Majesty…?!” My voice cracks, betraying my surprise.

“May I ask you a few questions?”

I stupidly answer yes, not really understanding what he’s talking about. Then the king lowers himself onto the sofa, and the boys follow suit. Wait, am I the odd man out?

I stand there, watching them all.

The king stares at the map briefly before turning it toward me. Unless I’m imagining things, his wise eyes seem to be intent on testing me.

The king speaks slowly. “Where do you think Durkis stands in the world?”

The question is so sudden that my brain screeches to a halt.

Uh, what did he just say? Where does Durkis stand? Why would he ask me that? There’s no way I can answer that. Doesn’t he know I’m just an eight-year-old girl? (Only on the outside, of course. But still.)

Hold on. Could this all be a test to see if I’m suitable to be a villainess? Yes, it must be. Otherwise, there’s no reason for the king to waltz in here out of nowhere and start asking me questions.

I look at the map on the table. What is Durkis’s standing in the world…?

Though the same can be said for every kingdom, I suppose I should say that Durkis has many problems. After all, I did read about it in my books.

Wait, that’s probably exactly what I should be saying! Like, tell the king his own kingdom sucks to his face! Textbook-perfect villainess right there.

“Your Majesty, I’m afraid that while Durkis is indeed a major superpower, I cannot, in good faith, call it a good kingdom.”

I look the king in the eye and stand tall as I say my piece. The king’s face clouds over.

Of course he’s upset. An eight-year-old girl just dissed him. Oh my, Prince Duke? Why do you look so amused? Aren’t you the king’s son?

“In what ways is Durkis a bad kingdom?”

Excuse me? Here I am, surrounded by handsome older guys while my king interrogates me—what kind of torture session is this? Then again, a true villainess never buckles under pressure. At supersonic speed, I connect the dots between everything I’ve read and reply.

“At a glance, our economy appears to be thriving. But upon a closer look, you will notice a huge wealth disparity between the rich and the poor. Roana Village, in particular, is in dire condition. With the possibility of an uprising looming on the horizon, it would be wise to put more energy into improving our fiscal policies.”

The king’s eyes widen. He grunts in surprise and begins to stroke his beard.

“Tell me, then—what would you propose as a solution?”

Are you still asking questions?! Come on, there’s no way a kid could answer something so complicated.

Or could it be that he’s trying to assess my aptitude as a villainess?! It has to be! A true villainess would surely give an unorthodox answer to such a question.

“Why don’t we help Laval’s vassal state, Carvella, gain independence?”

Everyone’s expressions calcify. I’ve seen that look many times since regaining my past life’s memories. And I’m honestly sick of it. Can’t we all start making silly faces now and then to mix things up?

Gale’s intelligent eyes are round behind his spectacles. He turns to me and says, “Helping Carvella gain independence is one thing, but we cannot take them under our wing.”

Thank you, Gale. I was hoping somebody would feed me that line.

“Exactly. That’s why we won’t.”

“Then what would we do?” the king asks, his eyes widening slightly.

Okay, now this is where a villainess can shine! I correct my posture and look the king directly in the eye.

“We would put them in our debt.”

“Put them in our debt…?” Eric mutters under his breath.

His tone is just as stern as his fiery red hair. He doesn’t seem to understand what I mean. But Albert, Gale, Duke, and the king all understand perfectly.

“Carvella’s primary source of wealth comes from its gold mines. We can propose a deal that will free them from Laval’s control. Perhaps framing it as commerce or a trade deal will make the arrangement sound much more favorable. As a result, we can put Carvella in our debt as they gain independence. Then we use that wealth we gain to boost our economy and reduce the wealth gap.”

Taking advantage of another country’s weakness is a proposal a goody-goody heroine would never even think of. If I keep this up, there will be unavoidable friction between me and the heroine, launching me on the path of becoming a peak villainess!

“How intriguing. So we would make use of Carvella…” The king looks at me, eyes full of hope. Um, what’s with the gaze, good sir?

“Precisely, Your Majesty.” I smile. Other nations are nothing more than tools to serve our own—so sayeth the villainess.

“I very much enjoyed chatting with you, Alicia,” the king says. And with a gentle smile, he rises to his feet.

“And I you, Your Majesty.”

I give a soft curtsy. Not to toot my own horn, but I’m very good at curtsying. Sloppy form would make me a laughingstock, you see. Every little detail can prove fruitful or fatal to a villainess.