Isn’t Being A Wicked Woman Much Better? - Chapter 21

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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Chapter 21
While everyone descended into chaos, Isidore Visconti brushed past the crowd surrounding me with effortless grace and approached with long, purposeful strides. His legs were so lengthy that the distance between us closed in mere seconds.
“Where are you going?”
Isidore asked the question in a gentle, affectionate tone, his eyes crinkling into crescents.
“What business is it of yours?”
Flustered by his relentless assault of charm, I averted my gaze and responded hastily. My throat tightened with tension, and ironically, my voice came out low and threatening.
“I was thinking we could have tea together if you’re free.”
“It looks like there are quite a few people over there who would be happy to have tea with you.”
I gestured toward the cluster of onlookers huddled together. They didn’t dare approach me out of fear, instead whispering among themselves and stealing glances in our direction.
“You don’t need to worry about other people.”
Isidore tilted his face forward slightly and spoke in a hushed murmur. His deep, resonant voice reverberated through my ears.
This man is a complete fox.
“…Do I really look like someone who cares what others think? Are you genuinely oblivious, or just pretending to be?”
Struggling to gather my scattered thoughts, I lashed out with sharp words.
“Ha!”
He suddenly laughed, as if something amused him greatly.
What? Surely this isn’t one of those scenarios…
The tired trope where he says something like, “You’re the first woman who’s ever treated me so coldly.”
“I’m busy, so I’ll take my leave.”
I pushed the absurd fantasy from my mind and turned to walk away.
“What a shame. I was hoping to discuss the Social Club with you.”
The Social Club?
I stopped dead in my tracks. His unexpected proposal had piqued my interest considerably.
If it was a club affiliated with the heir of the Visconti House, it would surely be a worthwhile place for me to join. Moreover, since Isidore wasn’t mentioned in the novel, I was certain his club wasn’t Aracron.
‘But why doesn’t Isidore appear in the novel at all?’
With a face like that, he should be a main love interest even on a high-speed train.
In any case, since Isidore wasn’t one of Miya’s backup options, I had no information about him whatsoever.
‘I have no idea what he’s plotting. I should ask Master to gather intelligence on Isidore Visconti.’
I hesitated with my back still turned to Isidore, then glanced over my shoulder. While I couldn’t discern his true intentions, I couldn’t simply dismiss an offer regarding the Social Club.
“…I need to get to class now. We can talk later.”
“Yes. Let’s talk later.”
Despite my vague dismissal, Isidore’s eyes softened into crescents as he smiled knowingly.
‘Gasp…’
That face really is dangerous.
Resolving once more to ask Master for an investigation—even if it would cost me dearly—I quickened my pace toward the Magic Education Building.
* * *
The Magic Education Building exuded a damp, oppressive atmosphere. It felt unsettling, reminiscent of when mana was forcibly channeled through my body.
I was reminded once again that Deborah Simour’s body had poor compatibility with mana.
‘Without ability, there’s no solution but money.’
Reaffirming the necessity of gold coins, I crossed the corridor lined with mana stones inscribed with lighting magic.
Today’s lesson was on magical formula theory. Since I couldn’t handle mana, I had no choice but to structure everything around theoretical subjects. But learning theory alone without practical application felt as futile as clapping with one hand.
I entered the classroom with an inward sigh, and the bustling chatter died down as fearful gazes fixed upon my cheeks. I found it oddly comforting how quickly I was becoming accustomed to such looks, and I settled into an appropriate seat.
Without a single slip, I seemed to be playing the villainess rather well, and that realization brought me a strange sense of relief and ease.
Shortly after, a man in a black robe ascended the lecture platform alongside the Teaching Assistant, his face haggard and drawn. The exhaustion etched into his expression, the dark circles beneath his eyes from sleep deprivation, the hunched posture—something about it triggered an inexplicable sense of déjà vu, and I narrowed my eyes.
‘Why does this mage reek of engineering student energy….’
Come to think of it, Beleck had also been holed up in the Magic Tower for some time, barely showing his face. When I casually asked one of the servants, she mentioned that he’d run into problems with the artifact he’d been working on.
When I happened to pass him in the corridor last week, he’d rushed past as if he couldn’t even be bothered to argue with me—could he have simply been that exhausted?
‘Perhaps being a mage is a 3D profession no less demanding than engineering.’
I found myself entertaining a rather rational suspicion: wasn’t my lack of talent for handling mana actually a blessing?
Thud!
While I sat there with these suspicious thoughts, the Teaching Assistant standing beside the mage pulled out a stack of handouts and dropped them all at once onto the table.
The mage gestured lightly at the handouts with his chin.
“What you see here are the formulas you must master this quarter. If you lack the will to study independently or your logical thinking is weak, you’ll find it difficult to keep up.”
The mage spoke in an irritable tone. His sharp warning sent anxious glances rippling through the students.
‘Sigh.’
After encountering only mild-mannered tutors, meeting this spicy professor dampened my mood considerably. It felt like returning to my previous life.
“Today we’ll just conduct a light test and call it a day. Submit your answers and you’re free to leave.”
The mage who’d essentially skipped teaching the lesson left the classroom at a brisk pace, leaving only the Teaching Assistant behind.
‘A formula test out of nowhere….’
Throughout the break, I’d attended lessons on magical circles, and since Deborah despised magical formulas most of all, there were barely any fragments of information about them remaining in my memory.
‘Since I can’t solve it anyway, I’ll just kill time and leave.’
What a waste of time. I didn’t even understand why I was here in the first place when I couldn’t sense mana.
‘Honestly, I want to quit.’
But in the past, Deborah had insisted so stubbornly on entering the School of Magic, so if I suddenly changed my mind, the Duke would never simply agree.
‘How do I escape?’
While I was contemplating a safe exit strategy, the Teaching Assistant began writing the quiz on the blackboard with the scratching sound of chalk.
‘Hmm?’
Looking at the problems written on the board, I felt like I might actually be able to solve them, so I picked up my quill. I wrote down the answers and submitted my answer sheet first, then left.
* * *
“Why is this answer sheet filled with nothing but the correct answer, with no working shown?”
“It’s Lady Deborah’s answer sheet.”
At the Teaching Assistant’s explanation, Kyle, the professor of magical formulas, furrowed his brow and clicked his tongue.
“She intimidated another student and copied only the answers. Exactly as the rumors say. How on earth did someone so pathetic come from the Simour Family?”
If the Simour Family’s twin heirs inspired despair in mages with their monstrous talents, then Lady Deborah posed a serious question: how could she possibly share the same bloodline as those elite twins?
“This is infuriating.”
Kyle threw her answer sheet to the floor and grumbled in a sharp tone.
Calling her out to scold her felt risky since she was the Magic Tower Master’s cherished daughter, and he worried the backlash might land on him. But letting it slide felt unfair to other students, and it felt like his authority as a professor was being undermined.
He irritably scratched his head.
“I should call her in and say something. Cheating isn’t allowed. Damn it. I’m not a babysitter, and I’m already swamped—do I really have to teach such basic things?”
“However… Lady Deborah submitted her answer first and left, so if you point out cheating, she could use that as evidence against your accusation.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Even working through the formula as quickly as possible takes at least fifteen minutes, but she solved it in five.”
“Ah, I see. She must have guessed and gotten lucky. Lady Deborah certainly has extraordinarily good fortune.”
“Indeed, sir.”
“Well, it’s not just luck. She’s pretty enough, I suppose. Though she comes across as too domineering for my taste.”
“I’m not particularly drawn to that type either.”
“She should just kill her personality and marry into a good family. What’s someone who can’t even handle mana doing here? There are people out there grinding their mana circles and memorizing formulas desperately just to get into the Magic Research Institute.”
Kyle muttered irritably, kicking at the lady’s answer sheet with the tip of his shoe.
* * *
The moment I arrived home, I summoned an attendant and ordered preparations to visit the Library in the annex. I had grown curious about whether I had truly understood and solved the formula correctly.
‘It’s quite substantial. Though compared to a university library, it’s rather modest.’
The Library operated by the Simour Family existed only as the faintest memory in Deborah’s recollection. It was a testament to how thoroughly this body had distanced itself from books.
The moment I appeared in the Library, the eyes of the man stationed there widened considerably. My arrival seemed entirely unexpected to him.
“Lady Deborah. Is there a book you’re searching for?”
The man asked in a suspicious tone. Judging by how he didn’t seem particularly intimidated by me compared to other servants, his standing within the family was apparently not insignificant.
Then again, being a Librarian meant he had received higher education. He was likely the son of an influential retainer.
“I thought I’d browse for now.”
At my response, the man glanced at the high heels I wore and released a short sigh. His expression was as if he were dealing with a thoughtless child.
“If I may offer a word to spare you the trouble, Lady, this Library is primarily composed of historical texts and magical treatises of the Empire. We do not stock the romance novels that are fashionable among ladies.”
What? What’s with his tone?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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