I Have Become a Beautiful Trash Villainess

After weathering a storm, I returned home only to find another unwelcome guest.

 

“Lady Estra is here. Oh, I guess now that she’s married, she’s Lady Villorant.”

 

Mary’s report made me narrow my eyes.

 

Lady Estra—was she the same woman I had ripped the dress of in the past?

 

“Why is she here?” 

 

“The Villorant family is incredibly wealthy. They even own lands next to the Listane estate.” 

 

Sure, but why did she come to my house, of all places? I asked inwardly 

 

The cloying, almost theatrical lilt in her voice

 

And soon enough, I got my answer.

 

“Vaaaan, long time no seeee!”

 

The cloying, almost theatrical lilt in her voice made me feel like the lunch I had just eaten was rising in my throat.

 

The culprit who had startled me was now casually linked arm in arm with Evandel.

 

“I heard you went to the palace! Did you see my brother?”

 

“I didn’t get to see Lord Louis this time.”

 

With a practiced ease, Evandel shook her hand off as if it were nothing. But Lady Estra, as if possessed by a leech, immediately grabbed his arm again.

 

By the way, Lord Louis—that name sounded familiar.

 

Oh, I remember now. He was the one who spoke to me in that steaming train whistle-like voice at the Crown Prince’s birthday party.

 

No wonder this young lady has such a loud voice; it must run in the family.

 

“My goodness, how can a married woman act like that?” Mary grumbled, her voice laced with disapproval. 

 

Watching the girl from the side, I whispered softly so only Mary could hear;

 

“Are you sure Estra actually likes Evandel?”

 

“That’s what people used to say. Doesn’t look like much has changed.” 

 

Mary clicked her tongue, clearly unhappy about something. But I tilted my head and asked,

 

“What if… she actually likes me, not Van?”

 

“…What?”

 

“Look.”

 

I pointed at the way the girl was behaving.

 

“Every time she does something, she sneaks a glance at me.”

 

“…”

 

This wasn’t an overestimation of my self-importance. Ever since she hooked her arm with Evandel’s earlier, she had been subtly checking my reaction every time she touched him.

 

At this point, it really seemed like she’s interested in me.

 

“…That’s a unique interpretation. And… plausible.”

 

Mary, who initially had her doubts, started agreeing when Estra looked at me for the sixth time.

 

“It’s not good to have prejudices, Mary.”

 

“……It’s not so much a prejudice as it is strange to like someone who tried to feed you to a dragon…”

 

The word “dragon” reminded me of a fact I had forgotten about.

 

Oh my, how have I forgotten about that until now?

 

“Speaking of which, what happened to Yong-yongi?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“My pet dragon. Where did it go?”

 

Attila Rojas has a pet that no one else  possessed—a terrifying beast so fearsome that it’s not quite accurate to call it a pet. It’s a magical creature, the most powerful of its kind, specialized for killing: a Mardragon.

 

Unlike classic dragons, which often possess intelligence, magical abilities, or polymorph skills, Mardragons are creatures of pure aggression and destruction. In fact, they might be even more dangerous due to their lack of communication capabilities. And to give such a creature a cute name like “Yongyongi”—that was truly something only the princess would do.

 

“Don’t you remember? After Lady Estra almost died, it was sealed away in the royal palace. It’s practically common knowledge across the nation.”

 

“What?”

 

As soon as I thought about Yong-yong, a headache throbbed through my head, making me feel nauseous. At the same time, memories of the mardragon’s details came rushing in, as if someone were yanking them from my mind.

 

Ah, right. Yong-yong was sealed.

 

Attila adored the mardragon. After her husband, Yong-yong was probably the thing she cherished most. After all, Evandel was the one who had gifted it to her.

 

Though it’s difficult to manage an adult mardragon, they’re generally trainable when they just hatched, and before they go through imprinting. Of course, that’s if a powerful overseer is there to handle any of the beast’s unpredictable actions.

 

On the day Evandel earned his Dragon Slayer’s title, he discovered a mardragon egg in a lair. He presented it as a gift to the princess and supervised both its hatching and training.

 

In other words, Yongyong was like family to the princess, having raised it alongside Evandel.

 

So why did she use her treasured creature to threaten people?

 

Well, after mastering some control over the dragon, the merciless Atilia began to use it against anyone who dared to cross her. Even a dog can occasionally cause trouble, so it’s absurd to think that a creature as powerful as a mardragon would be under perfect control.

 

In the end, Yong-yong caused harm to Estra. Fortunately, it didn’t result in any serious injuries, but it was a close call, and considering the victim was the beloved daughter of Duke Danyork, the repercussions were immense.

 

All the trouble fell on poor Yong-yongi, who was sealed away at a time that coincided with its hibernation period. That happened four years ago.

 

“Now I see that she’s just showing off. No matter how much she teases me, she knows I can’t do anything to her now.”

 

“I get that, but I don’t understand why she always needs to taunt you like that.” 

 

“It’s probably the easiest way to get a reaction out of me.”

 

I couldn’t bring myself to criticize her because I probably would have used the same tactic if I were in her position. After all, Attila only cared about Evandel.

 

But it’s a pity. Right now, I have no interest in Evandel at all.

 

“What’s going on, Your Highness?  You’re just sitting there quietly. Have you decided to completely ignore me?”

 

As expected, when I maintained my indifferent attitude, Estra stopped her advances toward Evandel and approached me instead. Her neatly groomed eyebrows were furrowed in a rather sulky manner.

 

“If you’re going to pretend not to see me, why should I acknowledge you?” 

 

“……Oh, dear.”

 

As she flustered at my unfamiliar response, I noticed Evandel glancing at me from a distance before heading upstairs.

 

Why is he just leaving? Is he really leaving me to deal with this woman alone?

 

I looked back at the unwelcome guest with a tired expression. And Estra, with her bonnet pulled down, made a sulky face like an upset hamster.

 

“Since you’ve seen who you wanted to see, why don’t you go home?”

 

“It’s been a while since I last saw you, so why are you treating me like this?”

 

“We’re not really in a relationship to have cozy conversations, are we?” I asked back.

 

“……Did you eat something bad? Why are you acting so strangely? You’re scaring me.”

 

Even though I was stating the obvious, she still looked at me with her eyes wide open, as if she didn’t understand.

 

On top of that, she muttered to herself; “She seems to be in worse shape than I thought. I came to check on her after hearing news about the new princess but…”

 

…I felt like I just heard a very strange combination of words. It must have been my imagination, right?

 

Filtering her last comment through my own thoughts, I was about to speak again to the unwelcome guest when, at that moment, Luna came down the hallway, following the butler.

 

She was already dressed in different clothes, perhaps having unpacked her things.

 

Estra’s eyes widened as she stared at the newly appeared figure.

 

“Is she… the new princess?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Why is she here?”

 

That’s what I’d like to know too.

 

I sighed in response, leaving the rest to her imagination. Estra didn’t even look at me, as if she hadn’t expected an answer at all.

 

With a boastful sneer directed at Luna, she pressed on with the intensity of someone making a declaration of war.

 

“Are you really planning to play nice, sisterly games?”

 

“Is that a problem? I’m really happy to have an older sister!”

 

“My goodness, the audacity is beyond words. Did you learn that from your slut of a mother disguised as a priestess?”

 

“…….”

 

Why was she acting like this? Was it really necessary to be so hostile at the first meeting?

 

Even considering her already rotten personality, that was harsh even for her. It was almost on par with Attila.

 

Yet, despite the insulting remarks, Luna simply smiled brightly, replying;

 

“No, actually, I learned this from your husband.”

 

“……What?”

 

“If you want to get close to someone, you should spend a lot of time together. Lord Villorant has been visiting the temple more frequently these days.”

 

Her tone was gentle, but the words had a sting to them.

 

The implied meaning made Estra furious; her face was so red that it seemed she could break a bone at any moment.

 

“That rotten son-of-a-b*tch!”

 

Earlier, when I asked her to leave she had been so quick to scold me, but as soon as she heard Luna’s words, she stormed out without saying goodbye.

 

In a way, it was quite rude, but I didn’t find her actions unpleasant; she seemed more consumed by the intent to confront and kill her cheating husband than by any reckless belief in her father’s background or arrogance.

 

So, I simply offered a distant prayer for the Count’s soul.

 

“Oh! She left so quickly that I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye,” Luna mused.

 

“……True.”

 

It’s actually more awkward for me now that Estra left; I thought as I glanced at Luna, who was still smiling brightly, wondering what made her seem so scheming in reality, despite being portrayed as a warm and kind character in the book.

 

Was it really just a coincidence that she touched upon Estra’s weaknesses earlier?

 

“Sister, I caught a glimpse of the courtyard through the window earlier, and it looked so beautiful. Would you like to have tea there with me?”

 

“I don’t want to—”

 

I instinctively started to reject her, but paused when the Emperor’s words echoed in my head.

 

[If you take good care of Luna, I’ll allocate a budget to you again.] 

 

Ah, being forced to bow to money, even as royalty in a class-based society, was truly infuriating.

 

Frowning, I still managed to respond steadily.

 

“Okay.”

 

I didn’t know what her ulterior motives were, but I planned to keep it short and straight to the point.

.

.

.

“Didn’t you ask me to have tea?” I casually asked, glancing at the dark brown liquid in the cup. 

 

Luna smiled sheepishly as she replied;

 

“Actually, I prefer coffee more.”

 

“Then why didn’t you say so from the beginning?”

 

“I’m sorry if you don’t like it. I was worried you might criticize me for pretending to be high and mighty just because my status has risen.” 

 

After the conquest of Ondia, tea became widely popular among commoners, while the upper class began to obsess over coffee. It seemed that if people knew that some commoners enjoyed coffee, they would be criticized for trying to mimic the nobility.

 

“Enough, tea or coffee, it’s all the same.”

 

Both were bitter anyway.

 

As I absentmindedly fiddled with my cup of coffee , Luna smiled at me again.

 

“I like coffee because it’s strong. I feel like it hides all my flaws.”

 

Her voice was filled with a strange self-deprecating tone that felt quite different from earlier. And as I looked at her in confusion, she smiled again and lifted her head, saying:

 

“Actually, I met Lord Crest while I was in the palace.”

 

“…Dexter?”

 

“Yes, and he told me that you’re preparing for a divorce.”

 

“……”

 

How can someone look so serious yet have such a loose tongue?

 

Who on earth would bring up someone else’s divorce on a first meeting, especially when it hasn’t even been finalized yet?

 

“It’s a bit awkward to say this since we just met, but…” Luna trailed off.

 

“…What is it?”

 

The words that followed made me doubt my own ears.

 

“I have my sights set on my brother-in-law.” 

 

“….?”