I Have Become a Beautiful Trash Villainess

I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, but I must have been a dog slaughterer in a distant past.

And it’s not just one or two, but probably hundreds. 

Because unless it was a sin of that magnitude, there’s no way my second life would be plagued by family drama like this.

I’ve always been curious.

If you don’t have money, you can earn it. If your face is ugly, you can fix it.

But what do you do with a shit-show of a family?

.

 

.

 

.

 

“Mary, does this look like a face capable of cooling down even a thousand years of repressed lust?”

The maid who was helping me with my hair suddenly stopped and locked eyes with me in the mirror. If I were to describe her expression in one word, I’d say her face looked like she had just heard some rare bullshit.

“Not even Lady Esther would say such a thing.”

“Who is Lady Esther?” I asked.

“Your Highness tore her dress during the banquet, don’t you remember?”

“……”

It just keeps coming, doesn’t it? I clicked my tongue in admiration for Attila’s onion-like heroic story.

“Why did I tear a perfectly good dress? Surely I did not do it in front of people?”

“Of course it was in front of people. You probably did that because she asked why His Excellency didn’t ask her for a dance?”

As Mary’s words fell, a sharp memory rushed through me and the incident she was describing came to mind.

Ah, right.

The party at that time was hosted at  the Danyork Duchy, Esther’s family, and was an event tailored especially for her. And as customary in gatherings for unmarried ladies, it was expected for eligible bachelors to dance with her.

Well, only if they were unmarried.

“It was worth tearing,” I remarked.

“To be honest, yes. If you had stayed quiet, you might have burst from anger.”

It was unknown whether Lady Esther actually had any interest in Evandel or not. However, it was clear that her main intention was to get under Attila’s skin.

She might have been one of the antis created by the princess’s bad temper.

“I hope those vultures don’t cause any trouble today,” I said 

But even as I spoke those words, I couldn’t help but feel how contradictory they sounded.

And no wonder, considering today’s event was the Crown Prince’s birthday party. In other words, I had to meet Attila’s family, the people who belonged to the highest echelons of vultures.

“I can’t believe I failed to get a divorce and ended up having to go to that place.”

In the end, the divorce papers never came.

I must say, that guy was truly a benevolent husband, even turning a blind eye to adultery.

I understand he’s emotionless, but still, shouldn’t he at least pretend to listen a bit after such an extreme protest?

“Try dressing me up nicely. Who knows, maybe today I’ll meet a nobleman who’ll help me with my divorce,” I ordered.

I wasn’t serious, of course.

It was impossible unless I met someone who could take me to another country.

Plus there’s no way anyone would approach Attila, the woman who was famous for her psychopathic behavior.

“It’s been a while since you’ve attended an official ceremony. What dress would you like to wear?” Mary asked before showing me the five candidates she had picked out. 

At first, I enthusiastically looked through them with a curious mind, but that curiosity didn’t last long. 

And after a few minutes, I quickly got bored and answered half-heartedly.

“Give me anything. If possible, something that isn’t pink. Why is everything pink anyway?”

Personally, I preferred neutral colors over bright ones. 

I wasn’t fond of bright and flashy colors, yet out of the five options, a whopping four were pink.

“You’ve really changed.”

“What?”

As I stared at Mary with a puzzled expression over  her cryptic words, she gave me a faint smile and replied, “You were known for sticking to only pink… ….”

Ah. Right.

The reason Attila became a pink maniac was simple. It’s because Evandel liked pink.

If my memory served me right, it was a color he complimented her on, saying it suited her well. That’s why the princess, who wanted to win his favor, always wore pink day and night ever since then.

“From now on, don’t even bring out anything pink. I’ll never wear it again.”

Although I preferred neutral colors, I did not dislike any other color specifically. However, as of today, I’ve decided to hate pink.

I shouldn’t pay any attention to something liked by an unlucky idiot.

“To say such things even after looking at this face, what a clueless fool.”

“I guess His grace said that because you look so saintly,” Mary quickly interjected, saying things that didn’t sound like herself, perhaps to calm me down. 

And it worked.

Realizing that I was getting overly upset, my anger gradually subsided.

Ridiculous. Why would I care about what that guy has to say in the first place?

Gathering my emotions and distracting myself with various thoughts, I slipped into the final chosen dress.

“The magical carriage is ready.”

Conveniently, the butler informed me at the perfect moment. And after applying perfume one last time, I followed his lead and descended to the first floor.

Since the palace was far away from this estate, a magical carriage was necessary. After teleporting to the capital, I was planning to ride a prearranged carriage to enter the palace.

“.…”

However, besides the family wizard, there was one more unpleasant face at the destination.

Then, refusing Evandel’s offered hand, I spoke sharply, “Enough. There’s no need to be so formal.”

Why would a person who usually didn’t care whether I went first or not suddenly want to escort me?

But as soon as I got to the carriage, he retorted with displeasure.

“As awkward as it may be, since today is the imperial palace’s banquet, we should play the part of a married couple.”

“….”

“It doesn’t matter now, but I hope you will pay attention to it later for your reputation’s sake.”

My reputation, huh? Since when did he ever care about that?

Didn’t the story of a princess being ignored by her husband already spread across the whole continent?

Of course, I didn’t care about it either. So I chuckled, mocking his words.

“You know I don’t care about that kind of thing, right? Besides, I’m going to undermine my dignity even more at this banquet. There better be plenty of cuties waiting for me.”

But Evandel’s answer to my provoking words was unexpected.

“…Looks like you broke up with Tony.”

“…What?”

As I asked for clarification, a low hum sound suddenly filled the air, announcing that the magic carriage was activated.

Startled by the unfamiliar phenomenon, I instinctively clung to the person next to me.

“Aahhh!”

“.…”

I was so shocked that I didn’t even have time to think about whose chest I was embracing. I just held onto his shirt tightly and buried my face in it.

I felt dizzy and nauseous due to the effects of magic that I was experiencing for the first time. It was so bad that even my vision became blurry.

After a while, I was barely able to stand on my own, sobbing like a wounded animal.

“Ugh, I can’t do this twice.”

Instead of helping me, that good-for-nothing husband of mine just mumbled something and started walking ahead.

“…Anyone who sees you would think it’s your first time taking magical transportation.”

Glaring at his back, I gritted my teeth.

You useless bastard, just wait and see.

I was a bit worried about what would happen if I couldn’t remember the palace, but thankfully, everything fell into place as soon as I got here.

At first, passing through the main gate felt a bit unfamiliar, but soon enough, memories started to clear up like fog lifting.

“Gosh!”

“Oh my goodness…”

And the scrutiny that started as soon as we got off the carriage didn’t seem like it was going to stop any time soon.

Attila, whose husband was of the highest rank, was often confined to the estate even during the social season, and the only time she visited the imperial capital was on the royal family’s birthday.

As a result, many people who had only heard rumors of the elusive princess were seeing her in person for the first time.

Everyone, from servants to nobles, they all approached with curious eyes, only to be left speechless and back away. And even though the royal family’s members were considered celebrities, the behavior of some felt almost disrespectful.

As the same reaction continued, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of being in a zoo, like a monkey on display. It was only then that I realized that the people back at the estate were the weird ones; they had already gotten used to Attila’s appearance.

Feeling sorry for Evandel, who ended up receiving a bunch of stares alongside me, I tossed a playful remark.

“You must be proud to have such a beautiful wife.”

But is there really anything to feel sorry about? Maybe having him, the male lead, by my side made me stand out even more.

” I didn’t contribute anything to your Highness’s appearance, so why should I be proud?”

“Uh….”

As usual, his tone was insolent, but considering his words, he made a valid point.

Now that I think about it, if anyone were to feel proud, it should be the Empress who gave birth to this face. But knowing her indifference towards her daughter, she probably never felt any pride regarding Attila.

“It’s comforting to know you’re so straightforward. I hope you’ll be just as clear in your calculations when the time comes to divide our assets later on.”

“…..”

“Why no response? Don’t forget I brought a lot of dowry.”

“You’re going to use it to repay your gambling debts, right?” Evandel finally replied.

…Wait. Didn’t he already pay those off?

Feeling like I had missed out on some crucial information, I anxiously  grabbed his arm. But just as we reached the entrance to the banquet hall, the herald’s thunderous announcement signaled our arrival.

“Presenting Her Highness the Princess and the Marquis of Listane!”

Once again, all eyes were on us after the announcement.

Honestly, is today the day to receive a lifetime’s worth of stares all at once? Unintentionally empathizing with the life of a celebrity, amidst the buzzing voices of people, I felt a sense of unease.

“That’s the princess?…”

“The rumors weren’t exaggerated!!!”

“Even with such beauty, the Marquis doesn’t waver?…”

As I listened to conversations filled with both admiration and mockery, the already uncomfortable atmosphere became even more unbearable. 

In my heart, I wished I could just leave after making a quick appearance in front of the Emperor.

“Captain, it’s refreshing to see you in attire other than your formal uniforms!”

Not long after we entered, a young man approached Evandel in a familiar manner. Judging by the way he referred to him as “Captain,” it seemed like he was a subordinate who had been close to him before he inherited his territory.

Approaching with a warm smile, the young man suddenly widened his eyes upon noticing me.

“Oh my, is this the person we’ve only heard about?…”

“Roan, you should show proper respect to Her Highness, the Princess.”

“Oh yes, of course,” The young man called Roan answered before nervously greeting me. 

Uncertain of how to respond, I just nodded briefly.

He kept glancing at me before whispering something to Evandel.

“This is my first time seeing such a beautiful woman!”

“… … Sir Roan…” Evandel warned.

Did he think he whispered that?

Maybe it’s because of my naturally prickly disposition, but it didn’t come off as amusing, especially since I heard everything.

Looking uncomfortable throughout the conversation, Evandel eventually dragged him away to somewhere else. At first, I thought it was a relief not to have him around, but soon my thoughts changed.

Being left alone was so awkward, I felt like I was dying.

“Poor thing.”

“She’s so obsessed with her husband…”

“ I heard she personally took care of her rivals one by one before getting married.”

Furthermore, the whispering became even more intense.

Due to my personality, I had no close companions, and standing alone silently started to feel irritating.

So, I absentmindedly fiddled with my hair and repeatedly smoothed out the creases of my wrinkle-free dress.

For some reason, I was overly conscious of where to place my hands, where to look, and so on.

And because of that, I completely forgot.

I forgot who this banquet was being held for.

“Who’s that? Such a distinguished face. How come it appears just when I’m about to forget about it?” a voice suddenly said.

“….”

I did wish that someone would come and talk to me, but this person was not the one.