The Villainess’s Male Leads All Failed
isla
악녀의 남주농사는 망했습니다 Jun 20, 2026 41 views
Chapter 2
The additional information was displayed as two bars, each with a maximum value of 100.
When I checked them, this was what I saw:
Affection: 30 Morality: 15
[ADMIN: Due to the constant lectures you have received since your younger brother was born, your Morality stat has been adjusted.]
[The higher a character's Affection, the greater the chance they will listen to you.]
[However, if their Corruption Level is high, this may produce the opposite effect. Please exercise caution.]
[Total Corruption Level: ?]
[You may spend Coins to view Corruption Levels.]
...Adjusted?
Putting aside the fact that my own biological brother only had an Affection score of 30 toward me, the reward for all those years of painstaking nagging amounted to a mere Morality score of 15.
The cost-effectiveness was absolutely terrible.
As for the Affection explanation...
It was easy enough to understand if I thought about all those obsessive male leads in romance novels who never listened to the heroine no matter what she said.
I should only raise it enough that they listen to me moderately.
Raising my real brother's Affection all the way to the maximum...
Just imagining it was horrifying.
Anyway, it seemed that increasing Morality would lower the overall Corruption Level. Naturally, the system had chosen the most evil possible approach and locked the Corruption stat behind a paywall.
This thing is a monster born from capitalism.
[Coin: 3]
The status window showed the three coins I had earned from completing the previous quest.
At the bottom, a golden button labeled "View Corruption Level" sparkled enticingly.
It was obvious enough. Press the button, spend a coin, and the Corruption Level would be revealed temporarily.
But I left it alone.
Resources like this always came back to haunt you if you spent them recklessly in the early game.
Ding!
What now?
[QUEST: A new quest has arrived — "First Meeting"]
[Meet the male protagonist, Adrian, who is currently locked in the basement and starving, within 24 hours.]
[Main Quest. Failure Penalty: "Death of the Pale Poison Rose"]
[TIME LIMIT: 23:59:58]
"...What?"
The moment I saw the window floating before my eyes, I froze.
"Death of the Pale Poison Rose."
That was undoubtedly referring to Rohesia's gruesome death from the original novel.
Poison would spread through her body, turning her skin blue as she collapsed in agonizing pain.
And Adrian would stand there, watching, mocking her death.
But now I was being told that if I failed to meet Adrian within the next twenty-four hours, that would become my fate?
No matter what I did afterward?
You damned status window!
You unethical, exploitative status window!
The Bellas Ducal House, Adrian's family, had almost no connection with the Utel Marquisate.
To begin with, the Utel family had stepped back from politics after earning distinction through alchemy, remaining in government only through honorary positions.
So how was I supposed to meet Adrian immediately?
Especially when he was imprisoned in a basement somewhere?
"Rohesia."
Still trembling, I turned my head.
Erden, wearing the same indifferent expression as before, held something out toward me.
It was a small bottle filled with black liquid.
"What's that?"
"You seem to have hit your head harder than I thought. But don't worry."
I stared at him.
Our nearly identical green eyes met.
"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"
"It's a potion I made myself. It should help calm your nerves."
As the eldest son of the Utel family, Erden had been studying alchemy ever since he learned to walk.
By the time he became an adult, his talent would fully blossom.
And then he would drug the heroine, Lexia, and proceed to commit all sorts of suspicious acts...
"..."
The sheer distrust in my gaze made his pupils twitch slightly.
Ding!
[ITEM: Alchemy Potion created by 13-year-old Erden.][Effect unknown.]
A brief description appeared when I looked at the bottle.
I accepted it, but there was no way I intended to drink it immediately.
Medicine should come from pharmacists.
This was a potion made by a child.
Besides, I wasn't even sick.
Hiding the little bottle in my palm, I asked,
"Hey, Erden."
"Yeah?"
"I want to go outside. There's something I want to buy at the market."
First things first—I needed to leave the mansion if I wanted any chance of reaching Adrian.
I braced myself, worried he might say something like "Drink that potion first."
Instead, he said something entirely different.
"You can't go out right now."
"Why not?"
"We have a guest."
"A guest?"
"The Duchess of Bellas, I think."
"...!"
The current Duchess of Bellas.
Adrian's stepmother.
The very woman responsible for locking him in that basement.
This might actually be easier than I thought.
As expected for a ten-year-old child, I needed Father's permission before leaving the estate.
And since Father was currently entertaining a guest, going out wasn't possible.
But my focus had already shifted elsewhere.
Why bother sneaking out when a direct ticket to the Bellas estate was sitting right inside my own house?
"I want to see the guest too!"
I deliberately spoke like a ten-year-old.
To my surprise, Erden immediately turned around without much interest.
"Sure. Do whatever you want."
That little brat...
Since I looked healthy again, he was probably planning to return to the alchemy homework Father had assigned him.
Still, his little sister had literally collapsed moments ago.
Shouldn't he show at least a bit more concern?
Hmm...
Judging by his Morality score, talking about it probably wouldn't help.
"Erden."
The boy stopped just before opening the door and looked back.
"You came here to give me that potion because I collapsed?"
"Yeah. Why?"
Even so, considering Erden's morality was scraping the bottom of the barrel, the fact that he had gone this far for his sister was commendable.
"Thank you."
If someone did something good, they deserved to hear it.
I smiled warmly.
Immediately, a notification sounded.
[SYSTEM: Erden Utel's Affection has increased by 1.]
* * *
My mother, the Marchioness, had died giving birth to me.
As a result, the direct family of House Utel consisted of only three people.
Father, the Marquis of Utel.
Erden.
And me.
Despite housing only three family members, the mansion was enormous.
Partly because the family had to maintain the dignity expected of founding contributors to the Empire.
And partly because the Utels were renowned masters of alchemy, making the estate a bustling center of alchemical research.
What exactly was alchemy?
Within the world of The Sacrifice of the Thorned Broomflower, there were two forces capable of defying the laws of nature and creating change.
The first was Holy Magic, overseen by the Magic Tower.
A power said to have been gifted to humanity by the gods and angels who loved mankind.
Mages learned from angels and incorporated magic into every aspect of daily life.
As a result, human civilization flourished, and the Magic Tower accumulated immense wealth and prestige.
The second force was alchemy.
A discipline dedicated to studying and controlling matter through human effort alone.
Unlike Holy Magic, which could only be used by those born with talent, alchemy was open to anyone willing to devote themselves to research.
And when people thought of alchemy, they thought of Utel.
And when they thought of Utel, they thought of alchemy.
Leaving the residential section of the mansion, I saw researchers walking through the halls in robes bearing the Utel crest.
"Lady Rohesia."
Whenever they encountered me, they paused and greeted me respectfully.
I waved back as I walked.
Then I quickened my pace until I was practically running.
I didn't know why the Duchess of Bellas had come to see Father.
But if she finished her business and left before I got there, I would be in serious trouble.
"Huff... huff..."
Why did this damned mansion have to be so unnecessarily huge?
After cursing internally and hurrying through corridor after corridor, I finally heard voices coming from the reception room.
Thank goodness.
The guest hadn't left yet.
"I've already told you everything I can."
Father's voice.
"Please, Marquis Utel."
A woman's unfamiliar voice.
That had to be the Duchess of Bellas.
Judging by the conversation, she was the one making a request while Father was refusing.
Maybe I should stay hidden and gather more information first—
A soft sound interrupted my thoughts.
Something sparkled in the corner of my vision.
"What now?"
I muttered quietly.
A small popup appeared.
[SYSTEM: Acquire the necessary skill and overcome the situation!]
Oh.
As expected of the status window.
At least it wasn't expecting me to solve everything with my bare hands.
Following the white arrow, I opened the skill menu.
Unlike the simple status page, a lengthy list appeared before me.
Most entries were grayed out, but several skills that could be unlocked immediately with skill points glowed in soft gold.
[SKILL: Eavesdropping — Passive]
[Increases your ability to perceive conversations you are not participating in.]
What kind of shady skill was that?
Not that I could say it was completely useless...
But it wasn't what I needed right now.
Instead of listening in, I should be figuring out how to reach Adrian.
[SKILL: Charm]
[A powerful weapon against people who find you adorable.]
...
Although I remembered my previous life as an adult, my current identity was still much closer to ten-year-old Rohesia Utel.
If I used this on Father, it might be useful whenever I wanted permission to leave the estate.
Considering how these quests were being handed out, I had a feeling I'd be making many trips to meet male leads in the future.
My gaze bounced between the words "Available Skill Points: 9" and the list below.
Then another skill caught my eye.
[SKILL: Deception]
[An earring if hung on the ear, a nose ring if hung on the nose.]
This was even worse than Eavesdropping.
Wasn't the entire point supposed to be preventing the protagonists from becoming villains?
Why was the system trying to raise me into a professional con artist?
As I stared suspiciously at the screen, it flickered impatiently, as though urging me to hurry.
Ah!
Startled, I focused quickly and selected a skill.
Apparently, the "hurry up" mentality from my previous life hadn't disappeared even after reincarnation.
Having chosen my skill, I crouched in a secluded corner and listened carefully.
"I already said there is no such thing!"
Father's voice thundered from inside.
During the brief moment I'd spent choosing a skill, the conversation between the adults had apparently escalated.
"Anything! Whatever you want, I can give it to you! In this Empire, the only thing I don't possess is—"
At that moment, another set of footsteps approached the reception room.
Peeking out slightly, I recognized Hieronymus, the chief alchemist of the Utel family.
I hurried behind a large rose planter beside the door.
Thankfully, my small frame made hiding easy.
Without noticing me, Hieronymus knocked on the door.
"My lord. A message has arrived from the Imperial Palace."
Father immediately stepped out.
Hieronymus whispered something into his ear.
Father's expression grew noticeably colder.
"I'll go at once."
The shadow of his tall figure stretched over my hiding place before disappearing down the hallway.
"Duchess Bellas, please excuse me for a moment."
After politely asking for her understanding, Hieronymus followed him.
I waited until all signs of their presence disappeared, trying to calm my racing heart.
