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What!? Just what can Albert-Oniisama be thinking? I have not even the slightest desire to get along well with Liz-san. If the two of us become good friends, then that will automatically disqualify me from being the villainess.

Perfect! I want to become great friends with Alicia-chan! Liz-san exclaims while smiling like an absolute angel at me.

As I thought, Im no good at dealing with that sort of expression. Please dont expect me to like you just because you smile affectionately at me.

But I dont have any desire to become friends with you, Liz-san.

At my words, that beautiful smile stiffens and she blinks those huge emerald eyes of hers in my direction.

Alicia-chan, have I done something wrong?

No, not at all. But youre the heroine, and Im the villainess. The two of us need to always be at odds with each other, ready to tussle or at the very least get into an argument.

The two of us definitely cannot become friends.

Question marks appear in everyones gazes as they stare at me.

Hm? Did I really say something that unexpected?

Ali, you two havent even had the chance to talk much. So theres no way you can know if youll be able to become friends or not, Albert-Oniisama says smiling encouragingly at me. So why dont you just try talking with her for a while? Get to know each other?

Seems like a pointless endeavor if you ask me. I doubt wed find anything in common even if we talked for hours.

However, if my options are to have a conversation with her right here, right now, or to go to town on a date with her, then my choice will obviously, overwhelmingly be the former.

If we dont have to visit the town together, then Im willing to share a conversation with Liz-san.

Liz-sans face lights up at my words. Albert-Oniisama also sighs in relief at my admission.

They want me to chat with her that badly?

Alicia-chan, what sort of sweets do you like?

Macarons.

Macarons! I like those too! Then, what about pretty flowers?1

I also find the way you say pretty flowers quite off-putting. Is there any need to specifically add the word pretty before flowers?

I dont have much interest in flowers.

Oh. I see. I really like wild daisies.2

Of course you do.

Their meaning in the language of flowers is wonderful as well! Its

True love.

Liz-san looks startled as I chime in.

It also signifies sincerity, reliance, and trust. Liz-san, the meaning seems to fit you just perfectly, I say, smiling snidely. I try to leverage the full force of my sarcasm behind the remark. Though, I dont know why I bother since Liz-san never seems to notice such nuanced minutiae.

Even though you say you have no interest in pretty flowers, you still know what meaning they hold?

I read about it in a book once.

Then, when you were reading, did you never come across any pretty flowers that stood out to you?

Like I said, I have zero interest in flowers. In herbs? Sure. But flowers? Not a whit.

But Liz-san is staring at me with an excited twinkle in her eye. I cant let her down when shes looking at me so passionately, now can I?

I liked Lily of the Valley, I tell her, smiling smugly.

In the language of flowers, Lily of the Valley signifies purity and that happiness will come back once again. Its a flower with a truly lovely meaning.

Yes. And I find them especially charming since they have such a meaning regardless of the fact that they are toxic enough to poison you to death.3

The whole room falls deadly silent. Even Liz-sans happy expression becomes cramped and uncomfortable.

It was a truly villainous line, wasnt it? I was actually able to bring a spasm to that perfect little heroines angelic face with it. Thats one for the books for sure!

Thank goodness I decided to read that book on flowers anyway. I thought I would never have a use for such knowledge in my entire life. I saw no reason that knowing about flowers would help me in my pursuit of becoming a villainess, but looks like it turned out to be useful after all.

Its always good to have unexpected tricks up your sleeve.

Alicia-chan, whats your favorite color?

The one who ended up breaking the silence first was Liz-san.

Even though shes smiling much more naturally now than a few moments before. Liz-san, your expression still looks quite stiff, you know?

And just how long does she want to keep this question corner going for?

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T/N: Thanks for all the comments last chapter!! Its so fun seeing all the different opinions and points of view!

Also, this has got to be one of my favorite chapters~ The whole Lily of the Valley line was actually a zinger! I almost didnt think Alicia had it in her hahaha. I cant wait for more Alicia/Liz interactions!! What do you guys think? Is that villainessy enough for ya? Or still too childish for your tastes?

Flower Notes for the Chapter:

1Liz doesnt actually say pretty flower. She says ohana instead of just hana which means she is adding an honorific to the word. Since theres no such grammar in English, I went with adding the word pretty since I figured it produces a similar response of Why would you say it like that!?

2Liz specifically says that she likes marguerites the best, but I called them wild daisies for a couple of reasons. One, marguerite could sound somewhat pretentious, so I dont think it fits Lizs image. Two, I thought that the term wild daisy would be easier to understand for readers who, like me, might not be well-versed in flowers. And three, because one of the species that goes by the name marguerite, Leucanthemum vulgare, is considered a weed. Since calling it wild can also carry the connotation of being a weed, and because it feels very heroine-esque for Liz to be able to find even weeds beautiful, I thought this translation was the most fitting. Was I overthinking this? Maybe a bit. So feel free to tell me your thoughts on my choice! I can always change it back to marguerite!

3Just in case you were wondering, I looked it up and Lily of the Valley is extremely poisonous. If children or animals ingest it, they will probably die. But if you are an adult and you dont eat enough to actually die, then you are likely to experience blurry vision, diarrhea, vomiting/nausea, disorientation, drowsiness, headaches, red skin rashes, excessive salivation, and/or sudden alterations in your cardiac rhythm. But hey, Alicia can at least probably cure that skin rash for ya! (Im just kidding. Please dont eat it! XD)