I was reincarnated into the world of the otome game 'Rosalian Chronicle' as Mia Rosalian, the villainess. In the game, she's executed after being condemned—an utterly garbage role. But I know this world's rules, the love interests' weaknesses, everything. If I use my head, I can avoid the bad end.
At first, I planned to live quietly. But wait, as a commoner I couldn't do anything. So I used my past-life knowledge and schemes to take the top spot at the Royal Academy, crush the nobles, and climb
The Villainess's Rise to Power. - The Struggle for the Top Seat and the Saint's Fangs ~Confession in the Courtyard, the Butler's Murderous Intent~
The moment she passed through the main gate of the Royal Academy of Alventia, Remilia Rosalian felt the difference in the air against her skin. It was nothing like the cold, clear air of Vernheim. The splendor of the royal capital, the fervor of the young students, and above all, the nasty undercurrent of aristocratic society drifted about like an invisible mist.
(So this is the stage of that game...)
Her glossy black hair, reaching down to her waist, caught the morning light and gave off a bluish sheen. Her right eye was a deep red like blood, her left a purple that seemed to dissolve the darkness of night. Those mismatched eyes gazed up at the magnificent stone school building. Students who had just finished the entrance ceremony, clad in uniforms of various colors, were buzzing about in their respective factions.
"Well then. The real show begins here."
Behind her, a butler stood at perfect attention. Cyan Crawford, his deep violet-blue hair swept to one side, his deep jade-green eyes quietly lowered. His black butler's uniform was without a single wrinkle, and his every nerve extended to the tips of his fingers wrapped in white gloves.
"My lady. The venue for today's competition for the top rank is the Great Hall in the East Building. There is about half an hour remaining until it begins."
"I am aware. More importantly, what of that girl's movements?"
"Lady Mia Celestia is already in front of the Great Hall, chatting amiably with several children of noble families. She appears to be steadily spreading her reputation as a candidate for saint."
Remilia's lips twisted, just slightly.
"Such a hard worker, as always. How diligent of her, so soon after enrollment."
She gently touched her fingers to the silver butterfly necklace at her chest. Her grandmother's keepsake. The cold sensation quietly sharpened her mind.
(I know better than anyone that that girl is an upstart who rose from commoner origins. Stripping away her saintly mask is something I could do at any time. But now is not yet the time)
The competition for the top rank. At the Royal Academy, this exam held immediately after enrollment each year essentially determines the hierarchy for that year. Whoever takes the top rank gains the right to an audience with the king and priority for the official post of their choosing. Their voice in aristocratic society also rises dramatically.
(With my knowledge of the game from my previous life, I know the exam contents, the examiners' quirks—everything. There is no element of defeat anywhere)
Remilia began walking down the stone-paved path leading to the East Building.
---
The Great Hall was already wrapped in heat and excitement. Nearly two hundred new students sat clustered by family lineage. In the front, those from prestigious noble houses had claimed their positions, while in the back, lower nobles and the very few commoners permitted to enroll as scholarship students sat huddled together.
On the examination platform set up in the center of the hall, a large crystal ball was placed. It was a magical tool for measuring mana.
"Hey, look. That's the Rosalian witch."
"A commoner upstart calling herself a margravine. The nerve of her."
"Look at those eyes. Different colors on the right and left... creepy."
Whispers meant to be heard reached Remilia's ears. She didn't change her expression in the slightest, walking toward the front seats. Cyan casually walked half a step behind her. His jade-green eyes silently pierced through each person who had whispered, one by one.
"My lady, your seat is here."
The moment Remilia sat down, the air around her instantly tensed. The young ladies nearby slightly drew back, as if looking at something filthy.
(I've been bathed in gazes like this countless times in Vernheim. It's nothing new at this point)
The examiner took the platform and announced the start of the competition for the top rank.
"The entrance examination of the Royal Academy of Alventia shall now commence. First, we will conduct the mana measurement. Come forward in order and touch the crystal ball."
Students came forward one by one and touched the crystal ball. The system was designed so that the quantity and attribute of their mana surfaced as light within the sphere. The children of prestigious noble families produced high mana values one after another.
"Next, come forward."
The moment Remilia stood, the atmosphere in the hall changed. Two hundred pairs of eyes stabbed into her back. Curiosity, mockery, and just a hint of fear.
She stood before the crystal ball and quietly extended her right hand.
(The Black Evil Eye must never be discovered. I'll suppress my mana output to thirty percent of normal. That will be enough)
The instant her fingertip touched the crystal ball, a deep violet-blue light swirled inside the sphere. It was dark-attribute mana. That light was far denser and deeper than those of the other students.
"...Dark attribute, mana value, Class A. This is... astonishing."
The examiner's voice trembled slightly. A stir spread through the hall.
(Class A. Well, I had intended to suppress it to about this level, but the standards of this world are lower than I thought)
Remilia returned to her seat with an expressionless face.
---
Next came the written examination. Ancient magical theory, political science, history, magical theory. Remilia's pen moved without hesitation. The knowledge of the game she had played over and over in her previous life, combined with the practical insights she had cultivated over these twenty years, filled her answers in perfect form.
(The question about the cause of the collapse of the ancient Kingdom of Astelia. In the game, the correct answer rate for this question was under ten percent. But I know. The key to the collapse was a power of the same lineage as the "Black Evil Eye." It began when the ancient king lost control of his own power and it went berserk)
She wrote out the explanations from the game's strategy guide in her own words on the answer sheet.
After the exam ended, while waiting for the results to be announced, Remilia gazed at the courtyard from the hall window. The old fountain and the well-tended rose garden. A scene she had seen countless times in the game's event scenes.
(In that courtyard, in the original work, the prince and the heroine fall in love. But I am here now to break that script)
"Oh my, Lady Remilia. Good work today."
Suddenly, a voice called out from behind her. She turned to find a girl standing there, her fluffy pink-tinged ringlets swaying. She blinked her clear, water-blue eyes innocently, making a dimple on her right cheek as she smiled. The saint candidate, Mia Celestia.
"Oh my, Mia. Good work to you as well. Your practical holy-attribute magic was wonderful."
Remilia returned a perfect noble lady's smile.
"Oh no, you flatter me. I heard that your written exam was flawless, Lady Remilia. How impressive."
Mia clasped both hands in front of her chest and directed a gaze of respect toward Remilia. But Remilia had not missed it. Deep within those water-blue eyes, a sharp light had flashed for an instant.
(This girl hates me enough to want to kill me. And yet, this perfect saint's mask. Just as in the original—no, even more two-faced than the original)
"By the way, Mia. How did your written exam go?"
The moment Remilia asked that, Mia's smile froze for just an instant.
"I-I... well, ancient magical theory was a bit difficult for me. I can't manage the way you do, Lady Remilia."
(Fufu, hit a nerve, didn't I? You failed miserably on the written exam, didn't you? I can just see you seething beneath that saint's mask right now)
"Oh my, is that so? But your practical holy-attribute magic really was wonderful. That must be your talent."
Remilia deliberately offered kind words. Lulling the enemy into complacency was also part of strategy.
"Thank you, Lady Remilia. I shall continue to devote myself."
Mia bowed briefly and hurried away. Watching her retreating figure, Remilia smiled quietly.
"...Devote yourself, she says. I wonder whose mouth those words are coming from."
---
The exam results were announced that afternoon. On the bulletin board in the Great Hall, a parchment with the rankings was posted.
"Top rank, Remilia Rosalian."
The moment the examiner read it aloud, the hall fell silent. And the next instant, an uproar exploded.
"A commoner upstart is top rank...?"
"Impossible. There must be some mistake."
"But did you see those written exam answers? Those were the real thing."
Remilia walked proudly through the buzzing hall. Her scores were top rank by a wide margin over second place and below. Mia Celestia had scored high on the practical holy-attribute magic, but her written exam had dragged her down significantly, leaving her at tenth place overall.
(With this, I've secured my voice within the academy. Now, how to use this position)
---
From the next day, classes at the academy began. Remilia immediately observed the faction structure within the academy. With her game knowledge from her previous life, she had a complete grasp of which house belonged to which faction.
(The children of powerful nobles are already gathered around Mia. That girl's saintly appeal and her hostility toward me are uniting them)
During break, Remilia spotted several children of lower nobles gathered in the hallway, looking troubled.
"Oh my, is something the matter?"
When she called out to them, they all flinched at once.
"L-Lady Margravine Rosalian... Our apologies. We've caused a disturbance."
"There's no need to apologize. If you have troubles, please tell me."
Remilia wore a soft smile. At that, their tension eased slightly.
"Actually... we've been ordered by the upper nobles to do their class assignments for them. If we refuse, we don't know what they'll do to our families..."
Remilia listened and nodded quietly.
"If that's the case, it's simple. I shall tutor you. Once you can complete your assignments on your own, you'll have a legitimate excuse."
Their eyes went wide.
"Huh... you would do that? For lower nobles like us...?"
"Of course. I evaluate people by ability, not by lineage. You have the chance to build that ability."
From this day on, Remilia began using her lunch breaks and after-school hours to teach the children of lower nobles. Her teaching method was extremely practical, combining the study techniques from her previous life's exam preparations with her game knowledge.
"The ancient magical theory exam always draws from this range every year. If you master this, you can at least get a passing grade."
"Amazing... I've never had such an easy-to-understand lesson before!"
Gradually, children of lower nobles and fallen nobles began to gather around Remilia. They came to look up to her not as "the commoner upstart witch" but as "a pioneer who carved her own path through ability."
(Mia's isolation tactics aren't going as she intended. Rather, my support base grows stronger by the day)
---
After school. Remilia was walking alone in the courtyard. She stopped by the old fountain. The twilight light dyed the rose garden crimson.
(In the original work, in this courtyard, the prince and the heroine's love begins. For me, it's the place where the countdown to condemnation begins)
"Remilia."
Suddenly, from behind her, a low, heated voice spoke.
Remilia felt her heart leap. She turned to find a young man standing there, his golden hair like gathered sunlight swaying in the wind. His clear, sky-blue eyes gazed straight at Remilia. The silver earring on his left ear glittered in the sunset. The First Prince, Ren Alventia.
"I've finally gotten to speak with you alone. I've been looking for you."
Ren slowly approached Remilia. There was a weight to his steps that allowed no argument.
"Prince Ren. What business do you have with me in a place like this?"
Remilia took a step back. A cold sensation ran down her spine.
(Those eyes. They're not
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