No ones pov
The mansion didn't look like a Villainess home which mentioned in book anymore.
The hallways used to be full of huge gold and silver decor, but now theyre replaced by simple cozy decors. The scary portraits of her ancestors were gone. In their place, Vivien hung paintings of sleepy cats, forests, and a weird frog playing a violin. She liked that frog a lot, it made her feel peaceful.
She got rid of the red carpets and put down soft, fluffy ones. The house went from a dark dungeon to a cozy home. She even changed the kitchen, swapping the fancy silver for wooden spoons. On the table, she kept a fruit basket.
Vivien was finally decorating the house exactly how she had always dreamed of.
She even went into the weapons room and changed things there. Instead of leaving the guns like the way it was, she decorated them. She put cute stickers on the handles and tied little pink ribbons around the barrels. To her, they looked much better that way.
The guards and the maids were totally confused. They thought she had lost her mind. One butler even cried when she moved a giant dragon statue to the basement to make room for a bookshelf full of romance novels.
But no one dared to say anything. They were too afraid to ask why their lady, who used to be so violent was now just sipping tea, reading books, and putting ribbons on weapons.
Vivien took a bite of toast and sighed. Everything was perfect.
Or so she thought-
"Peace," she whispered, looking at a vase of daisies. Just as she was about to smell the flowers-
BAM.
The door slammed open and a maid ran in.
"Lady Viella!!"
Vivien nearly inhaled her toast. "WHAT NOW?!" she yelled, then started coughing hard.
The maid was in hurry "T-The party!"
Vivien blinked. "Party?"
"Lord Dante's party!" the maid wailed. "it's today!"
Vivien's brain froze. The toast she was holding fell down.
That party! It was the worst event in the whole book.
"No. It cant be possible!!!" Vivien whispered. "I thought since it was postponed, I didn't have to go anymore. That was supposed to be my lucky break!"
It had been a week since she woke up in this world. She had been so busy decorating the house that she had completely forgotten about the plot. She was too focused on her new home.
"It's back on," the maid said, holding up a black invitation. "Tonight."
Vivien jumped out of her seat.
"I'm not ready! I haven't practiced my role yet! I didnt even made any plan duhh!!!"
like always the maid looked at her as if she was speaking some ancient language.
She clutched her shawl. "This is such a betrayal. God, you are really testing me."
She had been so happy with her unlimited money and unlimited moisturizers that she forgot the drama that was waiting for her ahead. Now, she only had a few hours to get ready for a night she was sure would be a disaster.
The maid watched her lady's drama. She was positive her lady had finally lost it.
"I got an idea," Vivien said suddenly. "Tell them I'm sick."
"...Sick?" The maid looked at her, confused.
"Yes!" Vivien pointed dramatically. "Tell them I have a rare disease. Something mysterious, like... emotional tuberculosis."
The maid blinked. "That's not even a real thing."
"It is now."
"Miss, you know your family won't let you skip this. It's too important."
Vivien narrowed her eyes. "What if I pretend to faint? or maybe hospitalize myself?"
"No," the maid said flatly. "They'd just carry your body into the car and prop you up with sunglasses on."
"...They would, wouldn't they."
The maid nodded. "They did it to your cousin Gio when he faked being sick."
Vivien flopped back into her chair. "Of course they did. This family is too much crazy."
the maid nodded her head.
She stared at the ceiling for a second. Then, she sat up with a look of determination.
"Fine. If I can't lie, I'll prepare myself instead."
"Prepare how?" the maid asked.
"I will blend in the party" Vivien declared, walking towards her closet. "I'll wear the dullest colors ever. I'll become a background character like those people in books you know"
She yanked out a plain gray dress and some flat shoes.
"i will just ignore everyone, focus on eating yummy foods and if anyone tries to talk to me i will just just pretend i dont know how to talk."
"My lady, you can't do that. It's lord Dante's party. Youre his fiance! You are definitely going to catch everyone's attention."
Vivien looked at her boring gray dress and smirked. "Not when they don't even recognize me."
The maid sighed and followed her, knowing there was no stopping her now.
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Later that night, Vivien threw on a pair of glasses.
Checking her reflection, "I totally look unrecognizable now. No one can know my identity yah."
The maid watched with total concern as Vivien started applying the world's most boring lipstick. She intentionally skipped the fancy powders and liners. Wanting her face to look as flat as possible. She even messed up her hair slightly, hoping to look untidy. instead it gave her a messy bun look
She looked down at her dress. It was a simple, gray silky fabric with no lace and a high neckline that covered everything. It fit her body well.
"I don't want to be important tonight. I want to be ignored. Just enough to stay alive.."
"Ah, my lady" the maid started, looking at how the soft gray color actually made ladys skin and eyes stand out. "The dress is plain, but it makes you look very-"
"i know. Very ugly now shh. Let me be ugly in peace," Vivien snapped, cutting her off.
As the car was being prepared, Vivien grabbed her purse and got ready.
"I will not talk. I will not slap anyone. will just sip juice quietly and chew small food or maybe big hehe"
She walked out of the room dramatically.
Behind her, the maids whispered. "But she looks even more gorgeous like this. The plain clothes matched her so well. i never seen her like this before. "
Vivien didn't listen. She was too busy convincing herself she looked like a background extra.
As she got into her expensive black car, something inside her stirred. She was officially going to meet the man she had only read about in books. The one who was supposed to kill her.
She took a deep breath.
Tonight she was walking into one of the most important scenes in the novel. The one where she was supposed to be hated and humiliated. But maybe... if she kept her head down and avoided the male lead's intense eyes, she could survive.
She looked out the window and whispered
"Vivien... I mean, Viella. You gotta do it. just get over it tonight and survive i guess."
And yet, fate had other plans awaiting for her.
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TO BE CONTINED.