Unfortunately, I'm an Evil Villainess

Chapter 57 - First Ball (II)

Lady Catherine Bryant had gentle waves of golden hair and bright green eyes shining with naivety. Her features were perfectly innocent, like a pure angel, untainted by the sins of humanity. A true female lead.

Yet something was off. Her outfit and makeup were too mature, an elegant dark blue dress that dampened the childlike liveliness that would've suited her best. It wasn't as awful as what Annalise described to me about the debutante, and I knew it was only a matter of time before she found her style and unlocked her full potential, but I enjoyed knowing she was currently no match for me at all. I smiled, disguising a smirk.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Catherine. I'm friends with Lady Bryant, and she speaks most highly of you."

I could see why she was noticeable and 'not like other girls'. With her lack of training, she possessed none of the usual grace expected of high society, but I supposed it could be argued that it enhanced her cuteness. The distinctly unrefined way she held herself plainly made her stand out, though that was both good and bad.

I instinctively looked down on her, like my brain recognized her posture as that of a commoner. She obviously didn't belong here, and I intended to correct that. My preliminary assessments today would tell me exactly what strategy to use.

"Lady Bryant is so kind! I really appreciate everything she's done for me!"

Her smile was blindingly sweet, almost stunning me for a moment despite my mental preparations. Ah, such was the power of the heroine. My intuition informed me that this was the most guileless girl in the world, but after my initial reaction, I needed logic to make sure.

However, first, I needed to get rid of Kyle. Lady Bryant's lack of affection was no secret to the rest of the world, and he was raising an eyebrow in question. My stage wasn't a place for any side characters I couldn't completely control, though I did see an opportunity I could pursue in the future.

"She is wonderful, indeed. Lord Kyle, Damian said you were near an important discovery?"

Smiling, I gently glared at him. My brother just couldn't stay away, but at least this was better than him coming in person. Kyle scratched his head guiltily, knowing me well enough to understand my message.

"He wanted to see what Lady Catherine was like, that's all. Now that I know how lovely she is, I can go tell him, so I'll be on my way."

While I did not appreciate him saying anything of the sort to my brother, I nodded. It would be a problem for another time.

"Tell him I'll be sad if he doesn't focus on his work. Good night."

After saying goodbye to Catherine, Kyle departed, and I was left with the girl that could be my mortal enemy. This was going to be fun.

"Please excuse my brother and his friends. He likes playing around too much when he could be changing the world, so it's best if you just ignore it."

"Oh, all right. Your brother is so lucky to have you!"

I noted that she didn't seem to mind in the slightest that I was advising her to stay away from an extremely powerful possible ally. I decided to probe more.

"You flatter me. So, how are you settling in? It must be hard, coming back to your family after so long."

"It is, kind of! Everyone is so kind to me though, so I can't disappoint them."

"Disappoint who? Surely they all understand?"

"Unc- Father. He brought me back, so I have to prove I'm worth it!"

She had been about to say Uncle, but a sudden look of terror flashed across her face, so unexpected of such a lively girl that I almost missed it. The baron likely instructed her to not talk about 'Uncle' much, since it wouldn't look good for her to be very attached to a peasant, and his real identity as the supposedly dead valet may come out.