Prologue: The Final Boss and the Villainess
“Why, you’re Milly Asteara, right?”
The voice came as Milly sat alone in the academy garden, reading a book.
Milly looked up with a start and tucked a strand of her glossy black hair behind her ear. Her profile was so breathtakingly beautiful, it was as if a portrait had stepped out of its frame and into reality. At the moment, though, something felt subtly off, just enough to raise a quiet alarm in her head.
That’s odd. I usually notice when someone approaches, Milly thought. And yet, she hadn’t sensed a thing.
Letting out a quiet sigh at her own lapse in vigilance, Milly turned around with practiced poise.
Standing there was another girl, wearing a strangely bright and cheerful smile. Milly recognized her face, though she didn’t know the girl personally. She was a student who often made waves around campus; Milly was pretty certain this was the daughter of a count.
“Angelina Grey—the villainess.”
Milly muttered the name, the syllables barely clinging to the edge of her memory. The so-called villainess responded with a radiant smile.
Angelina Grey, the eldest daughter of Count Grey, had been a mystery ever since she first enrolled at the academy. Most notably, she had the baffling habit of referring to herself as avillainess, a title that left her fellow students thoroughly confused. Milly had no idea what it meant either, but according to Angelina, she already knew the future and could twist the world to her will.
Milly recalled overhearing one of Angelina’s close friends—the protagonist, was it?—grumbling to others with a weary look. Apparently, Angelina had a habit of unloading her delusions on anyone she was close to.
“My! I’m honored you know who I am,Lady Asteara.”
“I’m not a lady anymore.”
Angelina covered her mouth in mock surprise, as if she didn’t already know.
The Asteara ducal house—Milly’s family—had been stripped of its title just a month ago. By now, the entire Kingdom of Aviria knew about it. The academy had been buzzing with the news. There was no mistaking it. Angelina’s use of the word
