I'll Become a Villainess That Will Go Down in History

Chapter 15

"Demand their gratitude....?" Eric-Sama quietly repeats my words, making a face like he doesn't understand what I mean by that.

Albert-Oniisama, Gayle-Sama, Duke-Sama, and the king, however, all look thoughtful as if they know exactly what I'm trying to say.

As expected, clever people catch on fast.

"Calverra's main tax source is gold. So if Calverra is indebted to us, that means that we should be able to enter into an advantageous agreement regarding their lucrative gold trade. And with that influx of gold, we'll be able to stimulate our economy and help lessen the economic gap between the upper and lower classes."

Simple, but effective! Plus, you'd never see a saint offering up a solution that leverages support for political or monetary gain.

And since the heroine is also a saint, if I can continue to express these sorts of political opinions and stratagems, I'll surely be put at odds against her in the future.

As of now, I am right on track for becoming the best villainess ever~!

"I see."

For some reason the king is giving me a look as if I had surpassed all of his expectations. But why is he looking at me like that?

"So then, your suggestion to support Calverra's bid for independence was not made out of any sort of compassion.... Or benevolence-"

"None at all," I promptly1 assure His Majesty.

I smile brightly as I say this, happy that I was able to emphasize this point. A villainess has no use for compassion, benevolence, charity.... We only make a move when it would benefit us in some way or another.

"It's been fun being able to talk with you," the king says giving me a kind smile and standing up from the couch.

"I also had a pleasure conversing with you, Your Majesty," I reply, giving him a small bow.

Incidentally, I'm quite pride of my bowing abilities, if I do say so myself. Up until not very long ago, I had only the bare minimum of etiquette instilled in me, but I thought that such a lack would lead to unbefitting behavior for a villainess, so I have been desperately studying and practicing my manners in the mean time.

I figured that if I can't bow beautifully and gracefully, people would surely look down on me for it. A villainess's every move and gesture is bound to reflect on her character and reputation after all.

And I can't stand when villainesses let themselves be looked down upon.

Once the king had left the room, I let out a sigh of relief.

Phew, that was bad for my heart.

But at least with that performance, I think I should have well surpassed the requirements for acting as a high class villainess, right?

"Were you nervous?" Duke-Sama, who had been watching me with a gentle expression on his face, asks after seeing me sigh.

They truly are father and son; now that I look at him closely, I can see many of the king's features reflected in Duke-Sama's handsome face. What a good looking family they make.

But now that I think about it, didn't Duke-Sama from the game actually hate Alicia quite a lot.....?

If I recall, every kind word he said, every gentle expression he showed, they had all been aimed at the heroine...

I wonder if there's going to be some sort of development in the future that ends up causing his current treatment of me to change...?

"Yes," I reply with a slightly wry smile, but I instantly regret having given such an answer.