I, The Villainess, Will Seduce All The Heroines Instead
Chapter 77: The Major Villainess Is Attempting To Steal Me?!

Chapter 77: The Major Villainess Is Attempting To Steal Me?!

"FINALLY! EXAMS ARE OVER!"

Verena stretched her arms out like she was about to ascend into the heavens.

Oh no. It was happening again.

That bittersweet post-exam feeling. Not pride. Not joy. Just... relief.

The kind of relief that made her want to collapse into a beanbag and evaporate.

Her toxic trait had always been never feeling actual achievement, but the relief that it was over.

"Verena," a voice called.

She turned, already prepared to be hit with more academic nonsense.

A woman in a dark cloak stood behind her. But the moment the hood slightly tilted back, catching sight of that familiar wavy blonde hair. It was none other than...

Penelope?!

The girl had actually shown up to school?

"What is this," Verena muttered under her breath. "A redemption arc?"

Penelope looked weirdly calm. No fire, no venom, no dramatic hair flips.

"Can I talk with you?" she asked.

Oh boy.

There were plenty of students milling around as witnesses, just in case Penelope tried to dropkick her behind a pillar. Although, something was off.

Verena narrowed her eyes. Every instinct screamed walk away, but curiosity tugged harder.

[SYSTEM ALERT!]

[Warning: VILLAINESS ROUTE INCOMING!]

[Detected Activity: Unauthorized Character Shift!]

[Current Status: Villainess Penelope has entered a Divergent Love Protocol.]

[Intent: Attempting to STEAL Conduitor Verena.]

So, after that little dramatic display, it was now official: the Major Villainess had shifted her attention... to her.

According to the system, Penelope had officially entered the "Attempting to Steal Verena" Route.

Though honestly, Verena wasn’t even sure "steal" was the right word.

From Penelope’s eyes, it looked more like tragic longing and martyrdom, not malicious intent.

Still, the system didn’t lie.And Verena was not about to add another girl to her "Accidental Harem" starter pack.

She had exams, emotional trauma, and zero room left on her emotional hard drive.

"Let’s go somewhere," Verena said, already moving before Penelope could get dramatic in public again.

She led her through the outer wing of the academy, past the Herbology Greenhouses and through the astrological sculpture garden, where marble statues of the Zodiacs loomed in judgment.

They ended up at the old planetarium tower, a quiet, starlit observatory rarely visited during the day.

The echoes there were soft, the air filled with dust and the scent of forgotten scrolls.

Perfect for rejecting someone politely.

"I’m truly sorry, Verena... I’ve been kicked out of my family. They said I’ve brought shame to the household..." Penelope sniffled, dramatic as ever.

Verena raised a brow. "Okay... and what exactly do you want from me?"

"Our friendship! My father demands it!"

...Friendship?

The word fell from Penelope’s lips like it had never once lived in her dictionary.

Her tone wasn’t warm. It was cold, clipped, offended. Like "friendship" was a favor beneath her pride, but she had to do it anyway. This wasn’t about reconnection. This was damage control.

Ah.

Raphael probably dumped her. Or, worse, refused to grovel at her perfectly pedicured feet.

"I see," Verena said, nodding sagely. "Then I shall now drag you into my self-progression arc."

"Self... progression what?"

They were both villainesses, after all.

But if Verena was a villainess in her redemption arc, Penelope was still stuck in her messy, pre-character-development prologue.

Penelope had always been a spoiled little rosebud, coddled in luxury but starving for her father’s affection.

Her siblings had magic and talent. Penelope had beauty. So she sharpened it into a weapon.

She was gorgeous. The kind of girl who made princes trip on their own capes.

Except Raphael.

Raphael was immune. Raphael didn’t kneel.

And Penelope? She didn’t want love. She wanted submission. His. Everyone’s.

Classic. Tragic. A little annoying. But... still just a kid playing at power.

They were both trapped in the same stupid cliché of a romance novel.

If this were a real story with actual nuance, a healthy friendship could probably unlock both their character development trees like a JRPG side quest.

But alas, here came one of Verena’s most toxic traits:

She hated everyone. And yet, she desperately wanted everyone to improve.

Ugh. Classic HR manager behavior. Judgy on the outside, but secretly handing out emotional performance reviews with goals like:

Stop being a brat.

Learn empathy.

Unclench.

She didn’t want to fix Penelope.

She just wanted her to suck less.

Verena wasn’t sure why she was doing this.

Somehow, she found herself dragging Penelope across the school grounds like she was some kind of stray dog in need of a home.

Well, at least a self-improvement home.

Penelope was basically a spoiled child in a grown-up’s body, and Verena was so over it.

"Come on, Penelope, stop dragging your feet," Verena snapped as Penelope hesitated at every corner. "There’s no turning back."

"I never asked for this," she muttered, but her words were more defensive than anything else.

She was trying to play the victim card, but Verena wasn’t having any of it.

"Too bad," Verena replied, rolling her eyes. "And if you think you’re gonna get away with being a miserable, self-absorbed brat forever, think again."

Penelope huffed but said nothing, so Verena just dragged her along until they reached the courtyard where Beatrice and Clarina were already hanging out.

"Uh... Verena," Beatrice said slowly, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Clarina raised an eyebrow, her arms folded. "You’re bringing her here?"

Penelope stiffened, but Verena didn’t give her the chance to back out.

"Oh, you don’t have a choice. We’re all hanging out together. Penelope, meet Beatrice and Clarina, my very trustworthy friends who will help you on your journey of self-improvement," Verena said with the biggest grin, as though she were introducing a new puppy to the pack.

Beatrice and Clarina exchanged looks, both clearly not thrilled about this development, but Verena wasn’t about to let them out of it.

She had already dragged Penelope all this way; the least they could do was try to make it work.

Penelope, still sulking, flopped down on the bench beside them, her presence a clear tension in the air.

The girls didn’t say much at first, giving each other sideways glances and barely hiding their discomfort.

But Verena wasn’t going to let this die so easily.

She sat between them, forcing the interaction forward.

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