Villainess one shots

Education

I walk to the front of the room and pick up chalk. As I write on the board, I could hear the whispers behind me. I finally turn around, chalk now on the desk. 

"Today we will be talking about relationships. I am your teacher-"

"Why are you talking like that?" 

"Shush Nette, she's in one of her moods."

The three blonde-haired girls before me were my younger sisters: Annelise, Annabelle and Annerose. These triplets were now fourteen years old and were catching eyes from passing boys. As their beloved four years older sister and the first daughter, I need to school them on what to look for in a boy. 

"I am your teacher right now but since I do agree that I'm not a teacher, you can just call me Annette. Now, as you may know, there are many different types of men in this world, but only 5% of them are nobles and only 2% of that 5% are decent men. And that's putting it loosely," I say.

"That little?" Annette says.

"Definition is loose. Listen girls, men from your age to about 22 only want one thing from a woman and it's nothing good. There are the few rare cases of course which is why I'm going to teach you the signs to look for in order to bag yourself one."

"Why can't we just let father know who we like. He can just make them marry us," Annerose asks.

"Having your father as the king is a huge benefit but it's also a burden. Because we are princesses, we cannot falter for second best. We need to marry into affluent households. The lowest you can go is a marquis. Even then, it depends on what you want. If you're fine with arranged marriages or you want to find a man of your own. Having a choice is a rare advantage you guys get."

"What's the thing that boys want from us?" Annabelle asks.

"To put it in the most innocent way possible... a doll," I answer.

"A doll?" 

"Yup. Whether it's a doll to look pretty or serve for another purpose, most men have that need to feel in control so they treat women as possessions. Naturally, your husbands will be different because you are of a higher status of them, but they will still try and undermine you should you pick the wrong guy to marry, and remember, marriage is always the end result."

"What if you don't want to get married and just want to date?"

"Then you can. But only the normal things like eat together or perhaps see a play together, there should be no physical intimacy unless you're serious. And even if you are, the contact should be kept to holding hands and dancing together at balls. Eventually, you are going to want to settle down once you hit your twenties and before then, you should be sure to not make any mistakes that could cost you in the future."

"Why can't we be more intimate?" 

"Would you want a cake that has already been eaten?" I ask.

"No."

"A woman should be pure before marrying. The same goes for a man. None of your future husbands should be dirtied before marrying you. Because unfortunately if you guys do a mistake together then there is no contraception to prevent another mistake from happening such as pregnancy. Not having any contact altogether erases uncertain futures like that," I say.

"So... how do we find a good man?"

"At this age it's about protecting yourselves from men until you're an adult. The things you have to look for are what I call red flags," I say as I draw onto the board.

"Red flags? Like the flag for war?" Annerose asks.

"Kind of. Men are incredibly stupid simpletons. They want power but neither have the brains nor the capacity to deal with the responsibilities that follow. They think that they're amazing people for not cheating and for showing loyalty to their significant other when that's the basics of the basics on what to do."

"Oh, I get it! They think that just because other men are cheating on their lovers that they're amazing for not doing that," Annelise says.

"Exactly! One point for Annelise! Women want a lot of things from men and men think that we're greedy for that. But the things we ask for are the simplest things. We want stability, loyalty and responsibility. We don't want to worry about having to starve just so we can afford to pay taxes. We don't want to see our lover with another woman, it hurts all the same. If a woman gets pregnant and is worried whether the man will leave her then they shouldn't have done anything in the first place!"

"That's why marriage is important?"

"Yes. Marriage is the most important thing for a woman. It's stability that is backed up by the law. If a woman is with child and the man decides to leave her then he is required by law to pay the woman a large sum in order to care for her child plus monthly child support. A man can't simply leave if they're married. He is forced to take responsibility. This is why if you think a man is trying to weasel his way out of marriage then just drop him, he's not ready for commitment."

"But Annette, what if you don't want to get married at all?" Annabelle asks.

"If you don't then that's okay. You girls have older siblings. Even if Alexander doesn't wish to inherit the throne, you have me. I'll make sure to let you guys do whatever you want. It's your life. I'm more than willing to take up responsibility if it means you girls can live happy lives based on your own choices."

"That's not fair on you then! Are you okay with having an arranged marriage?" Annelise asks.

"Of course I am. I'm not really bothered with things like love. I'm perfectly happy with a mutually beneficial marriage. So long as I receive loyalty then I won't get too hung up on the lack of love. I've lived this long without it and I'll be too busy as queen to even care," I say. 

"So... is brother Alex the same as the men you say?" Annerose asks.

"Alex is different. He already has a woman he loves and he is genuinely kind to her. They both have the goal of marriage so he is everything women this age and day want. And because he has sisters, he knows how horrible it would be to hurt a woman," I say.

"So Alex is a good guy!" 

"Yep, he is. Now, here's the list of things you need to watch out for. These are the red flags. There were so much to talk about that I wrote it down in the form of a 20-page booklet! One for each of you!" I say as I slam the thick booklet on their desks.

"What?! This is so thick!" Annerose exclaims.

"We really have to read all of this?" Annelise asks.

"Yup, and no leaving until you do!" I smile.

"Ugh, no fairrrr," Annabelle groans.