The Unsung Otome Villainess 2 - or 'It takes someone listening to change things for good while being the 'bad' one' (Standard Otome Derailed by SI!Soul advising the villainess)
The Quintia Akademia was considered by many a majestic education established which sought to improve the qualities of those that held potential.
Aurelia was one of the many students that wasn't just accepted by pedigree, but predisposition for the Fire element that her family was known to have mastered as their primary source of power.
But where the might of fire would suggest a fiery temper and an unfit mindset to rule the country, Aurelia's father and many ancestors of hers had gone through the long hardship of shouldering a fair amount of the country's burdens many times in history.
Magic wasn't necessarily a telling sign of one's personality, this much she had long understood by studying the modest necessary to achieve sufficient grades to her expectations, but the girl found her new 'friend' and her talent to be quite concerning.
Eurydice, or Eury as she liked to be called, was a complete dolt. No preparation on magical training, no understanding of it- it was like she was some sort of unwashed troglodyte or something when it came to magic.
This is rich coming from someone that struggled with Magic despite having a tutor.
Oh be quiet!
The commentary was not undeserved. Aurelia's pride was one thing that wasn't as absolute as many rivals of hers may expect- she was a girl that had long set herself ambitions and dreams and those excluded the necessity to waste her time with simpletons.
Yet, beyond the inexperience shown by the clumsy peasant girl, Aurelia saw… something peculiar- the reason why she was hired, that is. It wasn't just the insane amount of magic stored in her body, but the fact she had… the affinity of Light as her main talent.
It was ludicrous, and yet suspicious too. It wouldn't be the first time for a Light-user to be admitted to the Akademia out of consideration to the Saint Patron of Light, Lord Arthurus Solaren. But Aurelia had to double-check with some of her trusty 'friends' if Eury was indeed a mere peasant.
After all, most of the Light-users were generally nobles tied to the Regulus Family, a branch dynasty of the Solaren as the main family had gone extinct after the Desolation of Shadows two centuries ago.
Which then explained why one of the heirs to the Regulus family, Albert Antichi Regulus, was seen chatting with Eury. The girl was a stuttering mess, even with the clear instructions Aurelia gave her a polite interaction, she still stumbled on her speech.
The peasant was lucky that Albert was one of those that loved to rub shoulders with the filth, or else he would have paid her no attention and used her behavior as reason to humiliate her. Albert was a friend to Prince Marcus, having been on a positive note for far longer than Aurelia had been with her fiance.
They were childhood friends after all, but while that may have been reason for cordiality up until a few days ago, the young noble lady picked up with ease that the two were growing distant to one another. The reason? Eury herself.
Not by choice, that much Aurelia was capable of seeing with her own eyes by being this close to her, but it was simple to perceive how a clueless oaf such as the smaller girl was clearly infatuated with both kind young men. Thus, competition unfolded and brief bouts of aggression were noticed by fellow students.
See? Let them kill each other and you will be fine.
One of them is my fiance, you cretin!
Yeah, and I am still questioning your sanity for sticking to that brain-dead prince.
She wanted to shoot that one back too, but she felt somewhat upsetted by her beloved as of recently. John had told her a right thing about this plan of action, that the prince would have had no reason to refuse sharing some time with her as they usually would despite the fact Eury was still a threat to their relationship- if he loved her, then he would have pushed aside these silly and fleeting thoughts to bestow her with some of his free time.
John's logic turned into a cruel development: the prince was purposely avoiding her. Not always, not frequently, but the disinterested looks on his face made these few times she was around to spend some quality time with him somewhat… upsetting. He was clearly smitten, the fool, and he had to be taught a lesson.
Which is why Aurelia dove deep into what John's logic was all about: if she was to keep around quite frequently around Eury, the prince would have no chance to do anything brazen and discourteous. Sounded like a reasonable plan. Or would have been a lasting one too if not for the fact that the peasant girl had to do something that put her in a very bad spot.
As mentioned just briefly when thinking of Albert, the young man was one of the heirs. There were two more heirs to be precise.
The eldest child, Lurco, was long out of the Akademia and was currently serving to the Royal Court as one of the military advisors in the Royal Army, while the other one, the individual that had decided to start a duel with someone that was unprepared to fight in one.
Hence why, after a dreadful high-paced stroll through the school's building, Aurelia was staring at quite the unpleasant sight: Eury was screaming for help while clumsily dodging numerous small orbs of darkened light. Giggles could be perceived from one of the room corners, and Aurelia's forced smile broke in a genuine scowl.
The last heir, or heiress in this case, was Lucretia Almeria Regulus. Even shorter than Eury, flatter than her, but a vicious mutt with her childish behaviors and ruthless actions. Despite her young age, she had been enrolled into school after passing a special tutorship test that confirmed her impressive magical affinity as holder of the 'Dark Light'.
Another aspect of the Regulus family was how it became a branch of the Solaren Family. The eldest grandson of the Saint, Regus, was caught interacting with a female demon, a high-tier one at that which hailed from the bloodline tied to one of the demonic clans that once helped the Dark Lord to rise up in ancient time.
The shame was partly deflected by the decision of the Saint himself as he proclaimed to 'not condemn the decision of love' but to 'sever the impurity on the basis of the implications'. Thus the Regulus Family was conceived.
Years had gone by since that tale and while some stigmas still existed against those that were born with the 'Dark Light' affinity. Slightly more powerful than light itself, it lacked its purifying factor and was seen as a 'neutral affinity at best'.
Beyond the context, a situation as heinous as the one she was looking at drew a quick snap of fingers as flames erupted right behind Eury and burned the spheres of magic on the spot. The sudden heat and the flashy sight drew the attention of the many students that had been witnessing this scene.
Most of them were neutral, but they had kept away from helping due to the visible presence of the 'Fierce Regulus Clique'. It wasn't an official name, but students gave it such when what was left of the students following the charismatic Lurco decided against following Albert as his 'successor' in the Akademia due to his 'softie personality'.
Lucretia fit perfectly with the mindset pushed forth by the older students still loyal to the Regulus Family, so she had a fair amount of allies.
None of which is fireproof.
John's remark stirred a much-needed smile as Eury came running at her, head firmly pressing on her bosom and sobbing loudly reaching her ears. She may be a troublesome thorn for her to bear with, but that didn't mean Aurelia was up to let the peasant suffer to someone that wasn't her.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Lady Belnadas," Lucretia greeted chirpily, but failing to hide the irritation at seeing her fun ruined so suddenly. "I didn't expect such a rude visit from you."
"The same could be said about your foolish grasp of the school's rules in enacting illegal duels."
"Bah!" The brat remarked flatly, sounding irked now more than before. "The peasant begged for it by trying to appear shy and cute to get my stupid brother to involve our family with her."
"Oh? So, I suppose help is only for children who need to hold their brother's hand in secret."
A major nerve for Lucretia was her relationship with her brother. She hated him and he cared for her. Thus creating many teasing rumors of their real relationship.
She does appear to be a brocon.
A 'what' now?
A brother-lover. An incest-perpetrator. An Habsburg-larper-
I got it… wait, what was that last one?
An obscure reference to a noble family back home- focus back on the issue.
"Y-You think you can just come here, bust my bubble and humiliate me like this?"
"I am quite certain you were doing that yourself, Lady Lucretia," Aurelia rebuked firmly.
"Truly? Then how about you prove this to me with a duel? Unless, of course, that you are afraid of a 'brat' like me, Lady Aurelia," The cheeky rebuttal held Aurelia in a furious hold inside her head, but she couldn't get an ideal solution on it.
Accepting the deal would put her at risk. Dark Light was still more powerful than mere Fire, and accepting a duel with a Regulus could bring shame to her family name. No, that wouldn't do. Yet, refusing the duel demand would be seen as cowardly without a proper-enough reason.
This little- I have to return the favor somehow.
…
I have said that I have to return-
I heard you the first time, I was just thinking about it.
And?
What's your opinion on making a dolt less dolter?
It really hurt her to think of that notion, but Aurelia could see the point. It was true that Dark Light beat many standard elements, but Light was still the strongest and the one that could be mastered with ease.
Plus, it would give her the chance to not only dodge the duel by proposing another as a vouching party for Eury, but also set the peasant to be more reliant in terms of influence and social interactions.
Yes, this would do- but she will have to also set her up for the fight. And that was going to take roughly…
"I refuse on the ground that you offended someone else that has all the rights to face you in a duel. I want you, Lucretia Regulus, to face Eurydice Melana in a duel."
Eury pulled her head out of her chest. "H-Heh? But I am not- not good at magic!"
"Fuh~! You want to humiliate her or something? Sure, I accept the duel- now, make way so I can-"
"I wasn't done yet, Lady Lucretia," Aurelia sharply interrupted. "You two shall face in a week from now as a proper duel requires the time to prepare and make space to accommodate a duel within both dueling partner's free time."
…
Lucretia growled, yet conceded to this. "Fine! But I will make sure to come for you next, Belnadas."
Aurelia merely grinned, but while many would think of it as a sign of confidence, deep within the blonde was pulling at her hair as she knew now that she had to not only get Eury to go through training but to motivate her to not do anything stupid in the middle of it.
There was not going to be a chance of her ruining things again with her sheer stupidity.
AN
Eury will have 'fun' mixed with pain (due to training), while Aurelia is soon to face... dilemmas.