I, The Villainess, Will Seduce All The Heroines Instead
Chapter 88: To Love You More Clearly

Chapter 88: To Love You More Clearly

She pulled Evelyn down behind the curtain without a second thought, ignoring the puzzled stares from the other candidates.

So what if they were watching?

Let them wonder why the cold-hearted Verena was suddenly cradling her supposed rival.

"V-Verena?..." Evelyn blinked, half on the verge of tears, half stunned. "Y-You said you wouldn’t talk to me anymore..."

"I know," Verena sighed, brushing some hair from Evelyn’s face. "But hey... sometimes, even a little support makes the pressure suck less, right?"

It hadn’t even been that long ago. It was just yesterday when Verena had held Evelyn’s lifeless body for five days straight, stewing in grief, rage, and the kind of regret that made her soul rot itself.

She couldn’t stand it. No matter how much Evelyn annoyed her with her dependence, cutting her off had been cruel.

To love meant offering a shoulder. And to be loved? It meant letting yourself lean on one.

She wasn’t in love with Evelyn. No. But the ache of loneliness had gnawed at her long enough.

So Verena leaned in, lips brushing gently against Evelyn’s forehead. A rare, tender gesture. "I don’t hate you. I never did. I’ll always be your good friend, okay? Remember what I showed you? Your future. So go claim it."

A few students audibly squealed.

One girl clutched her chest like she’d just been hit by a stray arrow of love.

Thank the stars Norvan wasn’t around to witness this. He would’ve exploded on the spot.

"What the hell is happening right now?..."

"Bro, I’m just trying to run for treasurer and now I’m third-wheeling in 4K."

"Why is this turning into a romcom?! This is miting de avance, not miting de lovers!"

"I swear, if one more person gets emotionally fulfilled before I do, I’m flipping this podium."

All Evelyn ever wanted was someone she could healthily lean on.

Someone who wouldn’t make her feel small for needing support, and wouldn’t demand her soul in return.

In the novel, her fate had always been twisted between two male leads: Raphael, who sought to lead her, and Norvan, who sought to keep her.

But neither had the strength—or the heart—to teach her what love truly meant.

With them, dependency became a cage, not a comfort.

It wasn’t that needing someone was wrong. It was needing the wrong people that left her broken.

What Evelyn needed wasn’t a prince to rescue her, or a captor to hold her still.

She needed someone who would simply stand beneath the tower, arms outstretched—not to tell her when to jump, but to catch her if she ever chose to fall. So the landing wouldn’t hurt so much.

[System Notification: Affection Update!]

[Target: Evelyn Ashbourne]

[+10 Affection Points Earned!]

[Affection Points: 70]

She still had no idea what the affection points actually meant. For all she knew, they could be charting her descent into doom with a cute heart-shaped graph. One thing was clear though—just because they went up didn’t mean the bad side didn’t scale with it too. Feelings were complex. Messy. Like algebra but with more crying.

"I’ll go ahead now..." Evelyn said with a shaky smile, trying to be brave.

And then immediately almost tripped on her own feet.

Verena flinched behind the curtain.

"Goddamn it."

With a snap of her fingers, she subtly reached into the second world and yanked on Evelyn’s fate thread like she was adjusting puppet strings. She didn’t control the girl. Not exactly. Just... nudged things a little.

Suddenly, Evelyn’s heel caught the edge of the stagem, but instead of falling flat on her face, she miraculously turned it into a confident twirl. The crowd blinked.

"That was... cool?"

Verena grinned.

Action inducement: minor flair of charisma—activated.

As Evelyn kept talking, Verena kept tugging tiny threads—straightening her posture, calming her breathing, making her voice ring a bit louder. With each subtle touch, Evelyn grew more confident, until she didn’t need the help anymore.

By the end, Evelyn was smiling.

Verena, now half-collapsed from magical exhaustion, muttered, "You better get applause for this... I’m dying back here."

***

Days later, the results of the Miting de Avance were finally posted.

Bold, shiny letters etched magically across a floating, shimmering crystal board in the center of the academy’s atrium.

The space was packed, shoulder-to-shoulder with students from every department.

Magical spotlights swirled, music flared from some overly enthusiastic bard club kid, and then the final tally appeared, letter by glowing letter:

RESULTS — VICTORY.

"WE WON!!!"

The entire Eclipsor candidate team exploded into cheers. Confetti spells erupted.

Elara screamed something unintelligible and started climbing a statue.

Cassian looked like he was about to faint—again—but this time from happiness.

Their treasurer cracked a smile. A terrifying one.

Meanwhile, Verena stood a little off to the side, arms crossed, a subtle smile playing on her lips. She wasn’t looking at the victory. Not really.

Her eyes were locked on the second name below the headline:

Evelyn Ashbourne — Top 10 Overall Candidate Scores.

A quiet victory.

She smiled, just a little.

"That’s my girl."

"I’m so happy for you!" Beatrice squealed, throwing her arms around Verena in a celebratory hug, nearly knocking both of them over.

Before Verena could respond, a new voice chimed in.

"C-Congratulations..."

They all turned in surprise—Penelope stood there awkwardly, offering a stiff little nod like a dog trying to be polite at a cat’s party.

"Y-Yeah... congrats," she muttered again, glancing sideways.

The air tensed for a moment.

Then Evelyn walked in, eyes wide, brows furrowed in confusion as she took in the bizarre sight. Penelope? Speaking to Verena? Without a fight? Was this some kind of alternate timeline?

"W-Why is she—?"

"Oh, her?" Verena laughed a little too quickly. "She’s my prisoner now. I threatened her. Classic intimidation. Totally legal."

"H-Hey! When was I ever your prisoner?!" Penelope sputtered, scandalized.

"Since now," Verena said sweetly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders like a proud villainess showcasing her latest acquisition.

Evelyn, oddly enough, looked relieved—almost smug, even. Her eyes sparkled with dangerous satisfaction as if world balance had been restored.

"...Oh," she murmured, nodding approvingly. "Good."

Penelope gave Verena a look that screamed why is she smiling like that? but Verena just grinned wider.

Clearly, Evelyn hadn’t entirely outgrown her morally questionable era yet.