The Villainess Should NOT Outshine the Main Protagonist!

Chapter 20: The Culprit

After classes concluded, I decided to wait around—more so, 'lurk' under a desk until nightfall. It was here, nestled in the shadows of the classroom, that I planned to catch the culprit.

Positioning myself strategically, I could oversee the spots where Lydian's desk and belongings were most frequently targeted. The wait was tense, but it wasn't long until I heard footsteps approaching.

A girl entered the room, her demeanor cautious as she glanced around. Clearly, she didn't expect anyone else to be present. She approached Lydian's desk, her hands holding a tattered book, poised to act. That's when I emerged from my hiding place, startling her.

"Who are you, and what do you think you're doing?" I spoke up calm yet assertive.

The girl froze, her surprise morphing into stark fear. After a moment's pause, she squealed, "EVELYN? Please, don't take me to your dungeon and eat me!"

Her outburst, though laced with fear, drew a deeper sigh from me. It was clear she was tangled in misconceptions, not just about me but about the whole situation.

"There are no dungeons, and certainly no eating," I reassured her gently, my tone softening as I realized she needed comfort more than confrontation. "It's obvious you've been the one behind these acts of bullying, so let's start with your name and go from there."

"My name is Sophie," she stammered, her eyes darting nervously. "I... I'm sorry! I was just trying to... make things right."

"Make things right?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow. "By doing what exactly?"

She looked down, her voice barely a whisper. "I thought if I could undo some of the damage, maybe Lydian wouldn't suffer as much, and maybe my guilt would go away."

"But why do it in the first place?" I probed, seeking the deeper truth beneath her actions.

Sophie's face crumpled as she struggled with the weight of the question. "My family has a low status... I just thought maybe if I helped those who seemed powerful, it would change things for me, for my family."

"Emily Koster..." I observed quietly.

"How did you—" Her voice trailed off in shock.

"It's clear, Sophie. You thought that by aligning yourself with Emily or doing something in her name, it might elevate your status. But this isn't the way," I explained, keeping my voice firm yet empathetic.

Tears welled in Sophie's eyes. "I just wanted to be noticed, to be someone here at the academy. My family... we've never been a part of the upper nobles, and I thought this might change that."

She hesitated before asking, "Are you going to tell Emily about this? Or even the school?"

"I won't tell either," I spoke softly, seeing the genuine remorse in her eyes. "It stays between us."

"Really? But what if I do it again?"

I raised an eyebrow, the dim classroom light casting long shadows across the floor. "Do you plan to? You know I will eat you if you try."

"I won't! I promise I won't," Sophie quickly assured, her voice a blend of relief and fear.

"That's good. Remember, your actions from here on out will speak louder than any promise," I told her firmly. "If you truly want to change, then let your actions show it. Help Lydian, support her, and make things right. Not for status or recognition, but because it's the right thing to do."

Sophie nodded earnestly, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I understand. I'll try to be better, to do better. Thank you for giving me this chance, Evelyn."

"Good girl, you are now dismissed."

With that, she hurried out of the classroom, her steps a bit lighter than when she had entered. I lingered in the now-quiet classroom, reflecting on the exchange. The tattered book Sophie had intended to return to Lydian's desk lay forgotten on the floor, a silent witness to her attempt at amends.

+++

"It really doesn't seem like you Evelyn..." Ethan remarked as we strolled through the dimly lit corridors of Mystic Academy, reflecting on the events that had unfolded. "Usually, you'd be the first to set things straight by the rules. What made you decide not to rat Spohie out to Emily or even the school?"

I glanced at him, then back at the floor, feeling a wave of something indefinable wash over me.

"She may have been me..."

As the villainess, I was supposed to be the one who bullied Lydian.

Ethan paused, his steps slowing as he tried to absorb the depth of my words. "What do you mean?"

I spoke, glancing at him with a slight shrug, "Let's say, hypothetically, in another version of this game—this life—I was the one sabotaging Lydian instead of helping her. What if my circumstances had driven me to desperate, dark actions? Could I really turn someone in for doing what I might have done under different stars?"

"I've never met them before but my family is supposedly corrupt. What if my actions were a reflection of their desire—to appease the higher class? What if, in another life, I succumbed to those pressures and became something... less than admirable?"

"What if I weren't level 100... I would be, without a doubt, bottom class. Even if I grinded, Lydian would eventually outmatch me and defeat me like a boss battle in a game where the odds were stacked against me from the start," I mused, the dim hallway around us seeming to echo the gravity of my thoughts.

"I'm not sure I follow... that sounds awfully elaborate for something hypothetical. But, it doesn't change that you showed mercy and gave Sophie a chance to change," Ethan said thoughtfully. "That's more than what many would have done."

I sighed, feeling the complex layers of my thoughts and emotions. "Sometimes, understanding someone's context changes everything. Sophie's actions weren't excusable, but they were understandable."

Maybe the villainess was more than a developer's tool to stir conflict in a game. Maybe she was a mirror to the struggles and darkness within us all. That thought made me pity her, and in some way, pity myself too."

A/N: This chapter is slightly unfinished... (reminder to myself to expand it.)