Magic exists in this world, but only the nobility can use it. Well, a commoner who can use magic will make an appearance later in the story. But let’s set her aside for now. As for me—Alicia—naturally, I can use magic.
The Williams family is a noble house that specializes in dark magic. There are five elements: dark, light, water, wind, and fire. I said specialize, but the degree to which anybody can wield it varies from person to person.
Of course, my goal is to master dark magic. I’m going to become the number one villainess in this world, so of course I have to learn how to cast spells with ease. Starting tomorrow morning, I’m going to wake up early and hole myself up in the library to study magic.
“Good morning, Rose!”
My handmaiden Rozetta’s eyes go wide as saucers as I fly out of my bedroom. She looks as if she’s seen a ghost. To be fair, I’ve never woken up early or even bothered to greet her before—it was unthinkable of me. I was arrogant, selfish, and such a chronic complainer that my entire family was sick of me.
Looking back, Alicia sure was coddled by everyone around her. That’s why she let herself go soft… But that version of Alicia is in the past now. Starting today, I’m going to be very strict with myself. Farewell, my former self. I shall never be you ever again.
I spot my brothers training with their swords in the garden. Is this something they do every morning? I ought to take a page out of their book.
With that thought circling in my head, I stare at the boys. The eldest, Albert, is twelve years old, and my other brothers, Henri and Alan, are ten. Unlike me, all my brothers are wildly gifted. Well, I guess that’s understandable when your father hammers a hero’s education into you from birth.
Since my elder brothers will be romanceable characters when they get older, they’re all ridiculously beautiful. When Alicia thought the heroine stole her brothers away, she bullied the girl until her siblings cut all ties with Alicia. Ahh, what a badass. But I can’t exactly remember what Alicia did to torment the heroine in the actual game. Well, that’s okay. I’ll just have to figure out how to bully her in my own way.
The longer I watch my brothers practice the sword, the more I want to try it myself. In my past life, I loved sports and was pretty athletic. Of course I didn’t have any experience in sword fighting, but that’s exactly why I want to give it a shot. If I’m gonna be a villainess, I gotta be physically strong, too.
“Brothers! Teach me how to use a sword.”
My brothers freeze at the sound of my voice. Oh my, what a rare sight. Please, boys, don’t stare at me so. You’re making it look like I just said something crazy. Wait a minute…are girls not allowed to carry swords in this world?
“Ali? Do you have a fever or something?” Albert asks, his eyes still wide.
“I’ll have you know I am perfectly healthy.”
“Um…why do you suddenly want to learn how to use a sword?”
For all his initial surprise, Albert quickly smiles at me. He might be my brother, but he’s still drop-dead gorgeous. Please don’t flash that smile without thinking. You’ll break so many hearts.
I turn to Albert, smile sweetly, and say, “I wish to become stronger.”
“That’s a lie,” Alan and Henri say in unison.
That’s twins for you. They’re in perfect sync. And poor Albert’s face freezes over with shock at my answer. I know I said I wanted to become stronger, but it’s more that I want the strength to bully the heroine. Maybe I need to elaborate.
Albert studies my expression and places a palm against my forehead. Um, rude? I don’t have a fever. I’m trying to be serious here.
Henri’s and Alan’s faces line up to sandwich Albert’s. Even though we’re related, gazing at these three handsome faces at once still makes me blush.
“Hey, Al, what should we do?” Henri asks.
Albert frowns slightly and closes his eyes. Then after murmuring something under his breath, he opens his eyes and smiles, sweet as ever.
“Okay.”
Um, Albert dearest? Even though you murmured that like a mosquito, I still heard you. You said, “We all know she’ll just quit.” I’ll have you know when I set my mind to something, I follow through. I’ll overcome any obstacle in my path to becoming the world’s greatest villainess.
“Thank you very much.” I beam, and my brothers stare back at me, eyes full of doubt.
“Okay, Ali. Before I train you, you need to build some basic strength and stamina.”
I sort of saw it coming, but Albert didn’t teach me the sword on day one. I agree, though. Having basic strength and stamina is important.
“Here’s your daily routine: a hundred sit-ups and fifty push-ups.”
Albert delivers his command with a smile. And maybe it’s just me, but something about that kind smile looks a bit frightening. Still, I feel like a hundred sit-ups and fifty push-ups will be easy. In my past life, I did three hundred sit-ups, a hundred push-ups, and a hundred squats on the daily. I dabbled in rhythmic gymnastics, you see. So I could even do stuff like backflips and back handsprings in my sleep… Though I’m not sure I can do them right now, since I don’t have much muscle.
“Dang, Al’s a sadist.”
“He’s already given Ali an impossible regimen to follow.”
I can hear Alan and Henri gossiping. An impossible regimen, you say? It might have been impossible for the former Alicia. But now that I’m Alicia, it’ll be a piece of cake. To be fair, my brothers don’t know anything about me gaining my past life’s memories.
“Understood, Brother. So if I build that strength, you will teach me the sword. Correct?”
“Yes. If you can keep it up for a week, then we’ll talk.”
A week?! Does he seriously think I can’t keep this up for just a week?
“Please don’t patronize me,” I snap and march away.
Ooh, that line I just delivered sounded just like a villainess. This is the first time in my life I’ve ever given my brother a look of contempt. Alan and Henri were staring at me with their jaws slack. Did you see that? Your sweet little sister who was always content to follow her brothers around just glared daggers at the eldest son. I’m going to keep polishing my villainous gaze just like that.
With a spring in my step, I make my way to my next destination: the library.
Some say that, excluding the royal library, the Williams family library is the biggest of all the noble families. I believe it. It’s big enough to get lost in.
Shelves twice as tall as I am seem to go on endlessly in every direction. What’s more, the library is two-storied.
Actually, this is my first time being here, even if I include the time before I regained my past life’s memories. I don’t even have an idea where the books on magic might be. What shall I do…? Well, I guess I’ll start off by just randomly wandering around.
Fairy tales, botany, zoology, medicine… Nothing! I can’t find a single book related to magic. And it’s not like I can just ask someone. I want to do this in secret.
Then I grab the botany book in front of me and read it cover to cover within an hour. And what a wonderful read it is. This world has all sorts of really cool plants! There are flying plants and even ones that emit light! Nothing like the plants in my old world. I guess I’ll just stick with botany books for the rest of the day.
Forgetting my search for grimoires, I begin to pore over every book about plants and their effects.
“Lady Aliiicia?”
I hear Rozetta’s voice in the distance. It’s only then that it hits me: I’ve been reading books for over ten hours. I was so engrossed in them I skipped lunch.
I glance at the clock. It’s just six. Time for dinner.
“Lady Aliiiiiciaaa?”
Hearing Rozetta call for me again, I set down my book and count the number of volumes I’ve finished. One, two, three… Twenty-three books. I read twenty-three books in ten hours. But it took a whole hour to read the first one… I suppose my reading speed increased.
Grrrrrmbl.
My growling stomach booms through the library. Putting everything to the side, I run for the dining hall.
After dinner, I retire to my bedroom. And that’s when exhaustion finally washes over me.
My parents and my brothers were all startled by my appetite. Well, I did eat three times what I normally eat.
I would love to just lie here and doze off, but I have to complete my training assignment. I start with my sit-ups, but this honestly feels like a slog. I have no muscles right now, so even fifty sit-ups is enough to wear me out. But I can’t give up. Not now. A villainess needs the endurance of a boar!
I somehow manage to finish the set of one hundred sit-ups. It feels gross to do that right after a big dinner, but the push-ups should be a breeze.
I was wrong. Even ten push-ups are enough to make my arms shake.
Why are my arms so feeble? I guess a seven-year-old’s physical strength is practically nonexistent. On my twenty-third push-up, I collapse to the floor and can’t find the strength to get back up. But this is my all-important training to become a first-class villainess.
I steel my resolve and somehow manage to finish the set of fifty.
All those calisthenics have woken me up, so I might as well try my first back handspring in years. I’m tiny, and this room is pretty big, so I can probably go for three in a row.