I, The Villainess, Will Seduce All The Heroines Instead
Chapter 80: Befriending The First Villainess

Chapter 80: Befriending The First Villainess

Verena knew exactly what kind of beast she was dealing with.

In the novels, Penelope was a textbook thrill-seeker.

Daddy issues courtesy of her emotionally whiplash-inducing father, a.k.a. the Emperor himself.

Hot one day, cold the next.

Truly, this girl was raised by a Scorpio in every sense of the word: dramatic, intense, and allergic to emotional stability.

Penelope’s eyes narrowed. "What on earth are you talking about?" she snapped, somehow both offended and confused.

Classic Penelope, wounded by words she didn’t even fully process.

Verena calmly dabbed at her lips with a handkerchief like a Victorian lady who’d been sneezed on by scandal. "You say you never wanted to be my friend," she said, voice cool, "yet you kissed me?"

"H-Hey!" Penelope’s jaw dropped. "Why did you wipe it off?!"

"Darling, it wasn’t exactly consensual. And you always go on and on about respect. So where exactly was the respect in that?"

Penelope looked personally attacked, which, fair, because she was. Her hand flailed, caught between indignation and possibly trying for another dramatic gesture.

"Besides," Verena added with a smirk, "you kiss like someone trying to win a fencing match. All teeth and ambition."

"Y-You—!" Penelope sputtered.

She was left speechless. Equal parts furious, flustered, and possibly impressed.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

[To avoid upcoming Death Flags, it is strongly advised to befriend all registered Villainesses within all arcs.]

[Progress with Penelope: In Progress]

[Note: Avoidance is not an option. Resistance will trigger additional chaos events. Good luck, Player.]

So I really have to befriend all the villainesses, huh?

Well... it could work in her favor.

One of the villainesses was a Conduitor, just like Anastasia.

A few others were straight-up evil, two were dangerously petty, and one was basically a walking lawsuit.

It wasn’t just the heroines trying to drag her into death flags. The villainesses were also time bombs in high heels.

And now she had to play nice. Befriend them. Basically, build her own little League of Evil Exes, but make it friends edition.

So exhausting.

But... a small smile curled on her lips.

She’d always loved villainesses when she was younger. There was just something about them. The eyeliner? The dramatics? The tragic backstories delivered in candlelight?

Let’s be real. Villainesses were just... prettier.

Even if some of them were borderline feral.

Out of all the villainesses, Penelope was by far the easiest to read.

"Let me guess," Verena said, sipping her tea like she’d seen this episode before, "you’re trying to sabotage me so you can shine in the spotlight instead, right?"

"H-How did you—?!"

Bingo. Classic Penelope.

All beauty, all tradition, and not a single thought bouncing around in that head beyond pretty girl must win. She basically confessed her entire evil plan without realizing it.

Verena leaned in with a pitying smile. "Don’t worry. I can train you. Real good."

This wasn’t her first rodeo. Just another emotionally neglected nepo baby who thought drama was a personality trait. Another candidate for her Performance Improvement Plan, now with extra glitter and trauma bonding.

"Deal."

Somehow, despite barely escaping whatever fever-dream mess that kiss-turned-catfight was, Verena had just officially befriended someone who had been actively plotting her downfall five minutes ago.

The sky was blushing with the first rays of dawn as she left the school building, trudging toward her dorm like a soldier returning from the front lines.

First Penelope, the scheming peacock. Now she had to face the dorm’s resident Chihuahua-on-caffeine, Sera.

She took a deep breath at the door, hands on her hips, mentally preparing for whatever emotional chaos was waiting on the other side.

"Alright... here we go."

WHAP!

The moment she opened the door, a pillow flew at Mach speed and smacked her dead in the face, leaving behind a suspiciously fiery sting.

"OW, what the hell?! Was that pillow laced with chili powder?!"

From inside, a familiar high-pitched voice screamed, "STUPID BITCH!!"

Yep. Definitely the Chihuahua.

"What do you mean I’m the stupid bitch?!" Verena shouted, rubbing her face. "You’re the one throwing cursed pillows!"

"Why and how are you always almost dying?!" Sera snapped back, hands flailing in the air. "It’s like you’ve got a death wish on discount!"

...Fair point.

Verena sighed. "Okay, yes, I may have gotten kissed by a certified lunatic today. But did you really think beaning me in the face would fix that?!"

"Oh... right," She scratched her cheek, awkwardly avoiding Verena’s glare. "Sorry, I just... I don’t really know how to, uh..."

"...Express emotions without violence?" Verena deadpanned.

"Exactly!" Sera beamed.

There was an awkward pause. Two socially damaged gremlins were staring at each other like they were both allergic to vulnerability.

"...Do you want a hug or something?" Sera finally asked, voice weirdly soft.

Verena looked horrified. "Like, an actual hug or a ’knife-in-the-back’ hug?"

"Regular! Platonic! No stabbing!" Sera waved her arms like she was warding off a ghost.

"Okay, fine. One. Hug."

They shuffled toward each other in the most uncomfortable, stiff-arm fashion imaginable, like two Sims trying to figure out social interaction.

Sera awkwardly wrapped her arms around Verena’s shoulders. Verena patted her back like she was burping a baby.

It was weird.

It was awkward.

It was... kinda nice?

"I still hate you," Sera mumbled into her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah. I hate you more." Verena smirked.

And for now, that was close enough to love.

Then Verena felt something... wet.

She glanced down—and saw Sera’s face mashed against her shoulder, suspiciously glistening.

"Wait. Are you crying?!" she pulled back, alarmed.

"I’M NOT CRYING!" Sera barked, clearly crying.

SLAP!

Later that night, after recovering from the whiplash of that interaction, Verena changed into her practice shirt and headed to the arena.

It was time to train. Time to focus. Time to emotionally dissociate like she always did.

And also maybe hunt down Raphael, because even if he did her filthy, she needed to start rounding up people who could be useful. Enemies to allies to pawns. Whatever worked.

The moon was high, casting silver streaks across the arena sand.

And there he was.

"Verena..." Raphael turned toward her slowly, sword lowered, voice broken. "You’re here..."