The Villainess who has Reborn Five Times

Chapter 2

"Odette!" Rachelle said with a tiny blush on her face. Her voice turned softer as she her confidence wavered, like she was scared of me, "Can I call you Odette? I... I hope it's not too forward of me. But I really want us to be close sisters, Odette." She smiled docilely with her misty lavender eyes.  

Before I could say anything, Father said, "Of course you can, Rachelle. We're all family." He smiled dotingly at her and eyed me meaningfully. 

I took a sip from my cup of tea and smiled, "Of course, Rachelle. We're all family."

The wedding yesterday went by peacefully. Rachelle became the talk of capital with her stunning red dress, showing off her porcelain white complexion and deer like lavender eyes. I chose a simple dark blue dress, no longer stupid enough to think I could put her down by wearing a similar dress like what I had done in my first life. 

I decided to stay as an innocent by-stander for now. I would no longer run away, it's proven not effective. I would no longer throw away myself and my pride just to please Rachelle, all that led to was me being used as a shield when danger came. 

Came to think of it, my time acting as an antagonist to Rachelle in my second life was the happiest among my four lifetimes. Maybe I should consider acting as a villain again? Best live happily than to suffer if I had to repeat this over and over again. 

I knew it's not Rachelle's fault, she was just simply blessed by gods. And I was the one in the wrong even if in the end I received more punishment than I deserved. I admitted I was just not a good-natured girl. I liked comparing myself with people around me and became a bitter, unlikable monster when people turned out to have it better than me. I never once appreciated what I already had. Thanks to someone pointing that out in one of my past lives, I had become very familiar with my own fault. 

I decided to just follow the flow of life for now. 

"Odette, what are you doing today? Let's hang out together! If... if you don't mind of course." Rachelle smiled shyly. "I don't know anyone here." 

"Odette, bring Rachelle with you. Go meet some friends," Father commanded.

"Hannah is having a tea party tomorrow. I'll bring Rachelle with me." 

I remembered Hannah's tea party. No matter what I changed, how I behaved, Hannah's tea party was an event that never changed. Rachelle would be humiliated there. No matter how hard I tried stopping the humiliation from taking place, it was like a fixed plot in a novel, it would always appear right along the track it was supposed to take place. 

If I did not partake, the head of the group of people who humiliated Rachelle would become the heiress of another prominent family. If I took the side of Rachelle and tried to defend her, my well worded defense would be turned around so it seemed like I was subtly making sarcastic comments at Rachelle. Same rumors about how I hated my stepsister would spread the next day. I tried hiding once so that I would not be involved in the humiliation all together. When I returned, Rachelle would blink her watery deer like eyes and stared at me with silent condemnation. Everyone with eyes would then start to think I was the one ordering my friends to do this.

There's no getting away from this. No matter what I did, two things would come out of this tea party. Rumors would spread about me hating Rachelle and Rachelle would be saved from humiliation by one of her suitors.

From my experience with my last life, I could still be friend with Rachelle after this incident, but whether if she had been secretly hating on me, I had no idea. 

What should I do this time? What if I didn't bring Rachelle to the tea party? In some lives I was forced by Father to take her there and after awhile I conceded because I wanted to humiliate her in the party like the evil stepsister I was. In other lives, I thought without me instigating the farce, the humiliation would not have taken place. 

Of course not. I knew better now. There were some major events that must happen no matter what. They were like cornerstones of a building. Like the tea party where Rachelle must be humiliated and thus meeting one of her suitors. 

Wait... suitors? Come to think of it, all those cornerstones involved Rachelle and her strings of suitors in some ways or other. 

Could I change that? What if Rachelle was not able to meet her suitor number one in the tea party? Suitor number one was Lord Hank, the son of a Duke. That duke was a powerful priest serving the god of thunder. 

Our country had different temples serving different gods. Every noble family had a god they served. The nobles send their offspring to study in the temples. The offspring that were chosen would become the priests or priestess of that temple. Usually the process of choosing priests and priestess involved them battling each other with their magic. People in our continent, unlike those living on the continent across the sea, could practice sorcery or magic which become more specialized after learning in a temple. 

Most of our country's power was divided and held among the priest and priestess of different temples. That's why aristocrats always sent their children to the temples, in the hope that their children would become a priest or priestess. By coming to power, their family would also become more powerful. My family once had hope for me, but sadly I was not particularly gifted in magic. That's why in the end they turned to the more talented Rachelle even if she was not family by blood. 

Back to Lord Hank, he was actually betrothed to Lady Florence from a young age and words had it that they were getting along really well. But he fell in love at first sight with Rachelle. Lady Florence was one of the priestess candidates for her god. On the day the final choosing had taken place in my previous lives, a letter that Hank had written about breaking their betrothal reached her. This affected her badly, she had been injured in the process and had lost the match. She did become a priestess, second in command to her opponent, but her face was scarred after that match.

It's really a tragedy. What if Hank didn't meet Rachelle in the tea party? Then Florence would not be distracted in her choosing a few days later. Their betrothal would end one way or another. Hank would meet Rachelle sooner or later and fall in love. But what if I could delay their meeting until Florence's choosing was over? It's really not worth it losing your place and your face for some fickle guy. 

But how could I stop this tea party from happening? 

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Author's note

Second chapter! We have more info on the country Odette is living in! And of course also Odette's stepsister, Rachelle. What is Odette planning? 

Odette has lived through all those lives. Those lives are really her past, even though for everyone else it's like a reset for them. Hope this made sense! 

Thank you for reading this story. Do tell me what you think! Hope you like it!