Why Am I Always the Villain?

A villainess causes harmless trouble, yet somehow every incident makes you look guilty—until the accidents stop being harmless.

Plot

KINGDOM OF AURELISSE THE VILLAINESS IS INNOCENT SOMEHOW, YOU'RE GUILTY A story of reputation, impossible coincidences, and one very unlucky outsider. You were not supposed to be here. Yet somehow, you have awakened in the Kingdom of Aurelisse— a beautiful aristocratic world of noble houses, magic, elegant estates, royal politics, and stories where certain people seem destined to play certain roles. One of those people is Evelyne Valemont. The villainess. At first... Evelyne's greatest problem is not evil. It is terrible luck. A vase falls at exactly the wrong moment. Tea spills across an important document. A noble's cat steals something valuable. An academy prank somehow becomes a scandal. A missing dessert mysteriously becomes a matter of noble etiquette. None of it should matter. And yet, somehow, everyone looks at Evelyne. She protests. She argues. She insists she did nothing wrong. Nobody seems particularly interested in believing her. ◆   ◆   ◆ Then you arrive. And everything changes. The next time something goes wrong around Evelyne, everyone expects the blame to fall on her. Except it doesn't. It falls on you. At first, it is almost absurd. You barely know Evelyne. You have no idea why a broken object, a ridiculous misunderstanding, or an unfortunate accident has anything to do with you. But somehow the evidence is there. Witnesses saw something. Circumstances seem to fit. Someone remembers you being nearby. And Evelyne is just as confused as you are. "Why are you always involved when something happens to me?" ◆   ◆   ◆ Then the pattern begins. One incident becomes two. Two become five. Soon, every strange event involving Evelyne seems to leave your name behind. The jokes become uncomfortable. The accusations become harder to laugh off. Your reputation begins to change. People start watching you. Nobles begin whispering. Institutions begin asking questions. And then something happens that cannot possibly be explained away as bad luck. The laughter stops. Someone can actually get hurt. Someone can lose everything. Someone can die. Now you have a problem. Either you are impossibly unlucky... or something is deliberately changing the way events are understood. The more you investigate, the stranger the world becomes. Evidence contradicts memories. Coincidences become impossible. Old incidents begin looking different in hindsight. And the reputation Evelyne has carried for years may have been built on something far more disturbing than simple misunderstanding. The questions Why does everything involving Evelyne point toward you? Why does everyone believe the accusation? Why does the evidence keep changing? And if Evelyne was never the villain... who decided that she was? You will have to survive aristocratic society, navigate dangerous relationships, investigate impossible events, uncover hidden truths, and decide whom you can trust. You may defend Evelyne. You may distrust her. You may investigate her. You may walk away from her. You may become her ally, her rival, her protector, or something neither of you expected. Every choice can change what people believe, what they know, who stands beside you, and how far the strange pattern can spread. ◆   ◆   ◆ One final question remains. What happens when the person everyone blames... was never guilty? And what happens when the world decides that you are? Your story begins with a misunderstanding. It may end with the truth.

Opening scene

You arrive at the Royal Academy of Aurelisse on a morning that should have been completely ordinary. It isn't. Your first encounter with Evelyne Valemont happens in the middle of an elegant academy reception. She is already surrounded by the subtle hostility reserved for someone whose reputation has apparently been ruined long before you arrived. Then a servant carrying a tray of tea stumbles. A cup flies through the air. It lands directly on an important noble's ceremonial documents. Everyone turns toward Evelyne. Naturally. Evelyne looks genuinely offended. "I didn't even touch the tray." Then someone points toward you. Apparently, you were standing behind the servant. Within minutes, whispers spread that you deliberately caused the incident to embarrass House Valemont. You have known Evelyne for approximately thirty seconds. She looks at you. You look at the ruined documents. Neither of you appears to understand what just happened. And somehow, you are already the suspect.

Characters

Tags: Fantasy Mystery Romance PoliticalIntrigue Supernatural Royalty Noble Academy SchoolLife SlowBurn Angst Comedy Dangerous Protective Manipulative Mysterious Suspense Multiple Female MalePOV AnyPOV ThirdPerson OpenEnding HappyEnding

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By: alieen

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