I, The Villainess, Will Seduce All The Heroines Instead
Chapter 97: The Heroine & The Villainess Are The Same

Chapter 97: The Heroine & The Villainess Are The Same

Verena felt power surge through her. Thanks to Beatrice’s experiments, Saphira had leveled up and could now sustain their fusion longer, an extra two minutes for every level gained.

Saphira’s growth didn’t rely on the individual’s mastery whose magic they absorbed, but rather the connectio of their Natal Chart to their Zodiac. As long as Verena could handle the cosmic threads and control the infusion, they could master any magic together.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION!]

[▶ Current Level: 4]

[▶ Fusion Duration: 8 Minutes]

"DON’T TELL ME YOU WERE THE ONE WHO KILLED THOSE GUARDS WHEN YOU WERE KIDNAPPED?!"

"Yes. Yes, I did," Evelyn said calmly, her hands pulsing with destructive thread energy. It gathered again, coalescing into a glowing sphere that looked less like magic and more like a eraser, humming with the promise of head deletion.

[Time Remaining: 10 Seconds]

Verena’s feet launched off the ground before she even finished thinking.

The moment she dashed forward, she opened her inner gate to the Weave, drawing the surrounding energy from the Evelyn’s threads like a whirlpool. Energy surged through her chest, spiraling down her limbs as Saphira’s mark lit up like a brand. Her breath turned sharp, her steps feather-light.

"EVELYN!"

She stole its calm, underlying harmony, then sliced clean through Evelyn’s spell. The magic unraveled mid-air, and Evelyn gasped, stunned by the sudden disruption.

[Time Remaining: 0 Seconds]

[Congratulations! You have successful avoided a murder!]

"Verena?!" Penelope yelped, scrambling off the stunned Evelyn and darting behind Verena. "P-Please protect me from that psycho!"

[System Notification: Friendship Update!]

[Target: Penelope Vexian]

[+15 Friendship Points Earned!]

[Affection Points: 36]

"C-Calm down..."

"Verena? Why are you protecting her?" Evelyn asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Don’t worry, Evelyn... I was the one who told her to apologize to you."

To be fair, Verena had wronged Evelyn for quite a while bullying her and violently scrubbing her out of the plot like a bad draft. It made no sense that the girl got attached so fast.

"O-Oh!" Evelyn suddenly brightened. "Well, if it was your idea, then I forgive her!"

"No! You’re not supposed to forgive her that easily!" Verena snapped.

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE ON MY SIDE!" Penelope cried, absolutely betrayed.

"The point is that you apologize, and she gets to be mad about it! That’s the emotional arc!"

Evelyn tilted her head. "Oh! Then I don’t forgive her!"

"THAT’S NOT THE POINT!"

Even if Evelyn was less dependent now, she still treated Verena like a savior. People with anxious attachment were exhausting, overanalyzing every crumb of kindness.

She was so used to cruelty that the bare minimum felt divine... and made her dangerously delusional.

Still, Verena saw it as her responsibility annd her mission to correct those twisted thoughts. So, without hesitation, she dropped to her knees, the cold marble of the gym biting into her skin. The other two girls froze, stunned.

"I’m sorry, Evelyn... I treated you horribly too."

"V-Verena!" Evelyn gasped, immediately kneeling and cupping Verena’s face gently. "It’s okay! I forgive you!"

"Don’t..."

Because it wasn’t just her who was wrong. Verena was tired of the cliché where the villainess is painted as the monster for being angry, when the male lead would cheat and the so-called heroine kept handing him the scissors.

"I’m not the only one in the wrong here. You tried to seduce Raphael too, didn’t you?"

"I—" Evelyn paused, guilt flashing in her eyes. "Yes... but I don’t love him anymore!"

"That’s not an excuse. You can’t keep clinging to anyone who gives you a scrap of attention!"

This was just another form of love. Loud, maybe, even scolding, but love nonetheless. Verena had promised to love more clearly, more honestly. Not by feeding into sick coping habits, but by stopping them. Besides, Evelyn did almost kill Penelope.

"I’m leaving now," Verena said, standing up. She gently patted Evelyn’s head before pulling Penelope away from the almost-murder scene.

"Hey..." Penelope muttered, eyes fixed on the floor.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION!]

[Congratulations! You have made her question her life!]

"What?..."

"Thank you."

"Hmph. You’re both the same anyway, except Evelyn’s at least a little lovable. You just look... obnoxious."

SLAP!

Ow...

***

The first volume wasn’t even over yet, and Verena was already juggling two heroines like it was a part-time job. At least things were finally moving without her dragging everyone forward. Evelyn was even recruiting heroines on her own now.

But that nagging feeling wouldn’t go away. The event where Evelyn gets kidnapped by Norvan... it hadn’t happened yet. And with Evelyn finally gaining independence, that could be a big, flashing death flag. Verena still remembered the timeline where Norvan killed her right outside the dorm.

"You look like ssssshit," Saphira hissed.

"Thanks for noticing?"

"Yeah, you do look like shit," Sera said, leaning casually by Verena’s dorm door, arms crossed. She immediately noticed the red slap mark on Verena’s cheek and let out a grin. "Damn, another girl slapped you? You really are a piece of shit."

Maybe I really am a piece of shit...

Verena hadn’t even fully processed that Sera was technically one of her heroines now. Just like with Evelyn, she’d have to win her over. Though to be fair, she wouldn’t exactly call what happened with Evelyn seduction.

That word felt too... hookup-culture-coded.

"You just assumed it was a girl?" Verena smirked, pointing an accusatory finger. "Jealous, hmm?"

"W-WHA—?!" Sera’s face went crimson. In the next second, she growled and chomped down on Verena’s finger.

"AGH?! W-Why do you keep biting me?!"

"Because you deserve it!" Sera huffed and turned away.

A sly smile curled on Verena’s lips.

Her experience as a former HR manager taught her one universal truth: people who were easily pissed off... were just as easy to fluster.

She placed her bitten finger on her tongue, licking it. "Mmm... well, at least my blood tastes good."

"Th-That...!" Sera’s whole body trembled. "THAT WAS AN INDIRECT KISS, YOU PERVERT!"

"Me? A pervert?" Verena chuckled, leaning down to meet Sera’s eye level. "I wasn’t even thinking about it like that. Sounds like you’re the one with the dirty mind, hmm?"