The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 17
“You’ve worked hard so far. With how you are now, you should have no trouble reaching your first goal.”
“This is all thanks to your grace, Master.”
A month had barely passed since Alicia’s tumultuous experience in Rubid Village.
Alicia knelt down with her head bowed, like a knight greeting the king.
Her long hair cascaded down her back without a tremble in her posture.
“I received excellent help from a skilled teacher in both magic and swordsmanship, and Master has given me all the support I needed. I will perform in a way that meets your expectations.”
“That’s only right.”
It was just a week away.
Alicia and I had successfully met the enrollment criteria without any difficulty and were admitted without issue.
And in a few days, the official opening ceremony of Academia would begin.
I would bring all the changes and embed the entire experience into Academia. Would the characters from the novel show the reaction I expected, or would they surprise me in unexpected ways?
“Master… did something amusing cross your mind?”
Alicia rose from her seat, her head tilted curiously.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just feel a sense of accomplishment with your incredible progress.”
“I feel embarrassed… I’m still lacking.”
A humble expression from Alicia. Compared to her peak in the novel, there might be a gap, but if this was the start, I had high hopes for the results when she crossed the finish line.
“Humility is a good virtue, but it’s a hindrance for you.”
An overly low sense of self-esteem. Though she had slowly begun to recognize her worth and recovered, the path to full confidence was still far off.
“You’ve worked hard all this time. You’ve demonstrated excellent results, not just based on talent.”
“… thank you.”
Alicia’s ears flushed red like autumn leaves, as if she had never been praised before. Clearly, she was sensitive to praise.
“So today, I want to reward you for all your hard work. I hadn’t planned on doing this originally, but considering you’ve shown excellent results, don’t refuse.”
“…”
“If you don’t answer, I’ll put a hole in your forehead.”
Startled, Alicia trembled briefly.
“… I gratefully accept Master’s intent.”
Hmph. She had changed quite a bit since I first met her.
“Okay, let’s leave without further ado.”
“Do we need to go somewhere else?”
“Well, if we’re shopping, we have to go outside.”
“I’m not sure I understand…”
“I’ll save the explanation for later. Just follow me.”
***
The bustling crowd and the myriads of goods—a festival of color and sound. Alicia displayed surprise in her eyes, wide as saucers.
“Master… there are so many people! More than in Rhodes City! I’ve never experienced anything like this…!”
“… enough with those round eyes. You’re supposed to be a member of the esteemed Schugenhartz family, aren’t you?”
“Ah… I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to appear foolish. I’ll return to my usual self.”
Snap-!
Alicia smacked her own cheeks hard. The sound was loud enough to make her wince, but she said, “I’m fine!” and looked at him with determination.
“… I meant to maintain your dignity, but you’re being bizarre. Still, I guess it works.”
Vargan took Alicia’s hand, leading her forward.
The people around them cleared a path, recognizing Vargan’s status from his attire and demeanor.
Seeing this many people was already a new experience for Alicia, but having all these people cleared a path for them felt unusual, too.
Hmph.
But…
It was all good…
Too fast!
He’s walking too fast!
Maybe because of his long legs or his fiery temperament, but he was walking at such a pace that she was being dragged along.
Alicia couldn’t keep her thoughts to herself anymore. She spoke cautiously, trying to slow him down.
“Master…! Could you maybe go a bit slower?”
“Time is money.”
“… I’ll try to speed up.”
Alicia hurried to match Vargan’s pace. Her steps faltered slightly due to their difference in heights, but she managed to keep up. They walked side by side. Their height difference gave them a slight variation in stride, but they shared a similar sensation.
Vargan’s hand felt cold as ice, but at times like this, Alicia sensed a bond between them. Big, long, outstretched fingers were tightly wrapped around her hand.
Wait a minute.
This felt like holding hands…?
Alicia suddenly sensed something strange.
Her palm started to sweat as she noticed the physical contact. Her heartbeat quickened. The sensation of holding a man’s hand for the first time was unusual.
It wasn’t a feeling of romantic attraction or infatuation, but now that her awareness had shifted, it felt awkward to walk along like this.
One woman and one man.
Holding hands and walking down the street.
People’s attention was focused on them.
Thinking like that, she started to feel embarrassed. At the same time, her mind couldn’t come to its senses, and she became confused.
What… wait! Wait a second!
It felt like she was blushing?!
Was she maintaining her composure? She hoped she wasn’t blushing.
As her thoughts raced, her temperature rose, the area around her neck warmed, and her breathing became labored.
She wanted to let go to calm down, but Vargan gripped her tightly and it was impossible to break free.
Maybe his face would give some clue. She glanced up at him because he was so tall that she had to look up. And.
“This…”
Their eyes met, and he paused for some reason before stopping and releasing her hand.
Alicia quickly withdrew her hand, massaging it as he continued to stare. Vargan’s gaze felt cold and piercing as he watched her.
“Your fantasies continue endlessly. I can’t take this any longer. I told you not to lust after your Master. No, this is the owner’s fault. I’ll have to correct you properly.”
“Master?! I swear it wasn’t anything like that! I… didn’t have inappropriate… thoughts! I swear!”
‘I didn’t feel like that at all!’
Alicia cried out in her mind.
It wasn’t that she was thrilled by him or anything. The first time she held a man’s hand, she was indeed nervous, but… wait, that would mean she was nervous around him. There was something that felt ambiguous, though she couldn’t outright deny it… oh, how should she respond?
“Sorry…”
It was appropriate to apologize if it was ambiguous.
It was indeed nerve-wracking, so she felt a bit unjustified, but she decided to apologize.
She took the stance of apology, which she often adopted, by standing upright and stopping her trembling. It was her most perfect posture.
“… a pervert who often lusts after and even secretly spies on her master while training is now my exclusive servant. What a predicament.”
“… I’m terribly sorry.”
She always ended up apologizing.
So unfair…!
***
“Oh my~ you look amazing! You always look so beautiful, no matter what you wear!”
“Thank you… ugh.”
Indeed.
Given that she was the heroine, her beauty stood out. She had been wearing rags or the clothes of servants up until now, but when dressed up, she could outshine most noble ladies.
“You’re lucky to have a good lover who buys you clothes. You must be happy~”
“T-that… he’s not my lover…”
“That guy is my servant. Don’t get any false ideas.”
“Oh… I see. You two look so good together. I must have been mistaken.”
The shopkeeper tried to defuse the situation with a guilty expression. She hurried to get another outfit, claiming it was the latest popular fashion and suggested Alicia try it.
“Come on, put this one on. You’ll surely look stunning.”
“Uh, uh… can I, Master?”
I motioned for her to try it on, and Alicia, nudged by a push, went to change. She had been doing this each time.
It was a reward, so she could just relax and enjoy it.
“How many outfits has she tried on so far?”
I asked one of the other attendants nearby. It must have been around an hour since we entered.
“Including the one she’s going to try on now, that’s a total of seven.”
“Seven outfits…”
I wasn’t sure how many outfits women need. More was always better, but I was sure she only needed a few essentials.
“Was the outfit she tried on earlier a dress suitable for a formal occasion?”
“Yes, it was. It was designed by the most popular designer these days. It’s a piece many nobles from the Count’s family frequently purchase.”
“I see.”
Since she had mostly tried on casual clothes so far, she definitely needed formal wear. That was the main purpose of our visit here.
Clack, clack.
Before I knew it, Alicia had come back with shoes clicking. This new dress she wore looked quite extravagant, so her expression was more awkward than the previous ones.
Her pale face looked flushed like ripe peaches.
“How does she look? Isn’t it too beautiful? It feels like a heavenly angel descended to the mortal realm.”
The shopkeeper praised with a bright face. Sure, it was a pricey outfit, so she was glad to sell it.
“… I’m embarrassed.”
Alicia’s voice was quiet. She was pretty on the outside, but the inside wasn’t matching.
I glanced from head to toe.
Well… the packaging was flashy, so the content must be precious.
“Alicia, do you like the dress?”
“About the cost…”
“What?”
“… there isn’t any hint of it in my mind. I really like it. It’s the most beautiful dress I’ve ever worn. Truly.”
She wasn’t lying. She had been quite transparent from the start.
“I’ll pay for it.”
“Y-yes, yes~! I’ll double-check the outfits she’s tried on so far.”
“No need.”
I had seen enough.
“Then… which clothes would you like to buy?”
“I’ll take all of them.”
“But Master…! Are you sure, that’s…!!”
The shopkeeper quickly feigned a genuine expression as she calculated in her head and gave a sincere smile, which looked the most authentic so far.
“Thank you⎯⎯!”
***
The day darkened.
Various store lights lit up the street.
After leaving the clothing store, Alicia struggled under the weight of her packages. Her eyes darted between me and the clothes.
“I’m rewarding you for your hard work. Did you expect me to buy just one? That is disrespectful to your Master.”
“Sorry… no. I’m really thankful.”
She had a lot to say, but she refrained from doing so since I warned her earlier.
Her eyes, which were busy, stopped moving and Alicia’s slender fingers fidgeted as they hastily moved.
How could I not know what she was thinking when she expressed it with her whole body?
It seemed like there was a need to divert her attention.
“Next week is soon.”
“Yes…? Yes, next week is Academia’s entrance ceremony.”
Within these six months, I did everything I could so that I could move without any problems in my future schedule. Everything would go smoothly according to the plan.
“My actions aren’t meaningless. Despite being a servant, you’ll attend Academia as a member of the Schugenhartz family.”
“Yes.”
“So, I gave you suitable attire. While Academia has its own uniform, you can’t rely solely on that. You can’t blemish the family’s reputation.”
This wasn’t for her benefit; everything I did benefited myself.
“Rest assured, I’ll fulfill your expectations.”
“It’s the obvious.”
The curtain would soon rise on the grand stage. Thinking about the upcoming event, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“All preparations are complete.””