Why Did I Become the Villainess?

 "Csille, welcome to Couture Dream. It looks small compared to the Boutique in the Vrawyth Kingdom. But I made sure that the ambiance of the place brings peace to every guest who looks around."

 Since I don't have anything to do, Aunt Aveline asks Pax Dea to show me around her boutique. 

 And I didn't expect that it would look like this. Although it's not big compared to other boutiques, but the interior design of the place is really amazing. It gives off a homey vibe. You can see that the owner of the boutique is very keen on details and makes sure that everything is in place.

 I walk towards the dress that is on the racks and check it. I gasp when I see how beautiful the dresses are. Each dress has its own theme, which makes it different than other dresses I have seen before. There is something with their dresses that stands out from dresses made by other designers.

 I look at Pax Dea. "Are you the one who design this? It's all beautiful. I have never seen something like this."

 I don't know what made it stand out for me. It's as if I can feel the theme of each dress. There's this autumn inspired dress, and it reminds me of the time when Rufus and I liked to play every Autumn when we were still young.

 Pax Dea smiles at me. "Yeah, I don't have much personnel in my boutique because I like to be hands on in my business. I was the one who designed every dress you see here. I was also the one who made it. Do you want to see my workplace?"

 She's the one who designs this? And she's the one who also creates this dress? That's amazing. Her creations are even comparable with the dress that the famous designer in Vrawyth made. 

 I let Pax Dea show me her working place. Her boutique is a two story building located at the heart of Alderrdeen City. I heard from Aunt Aveline that Pax Dea's dresses are famous in the fashion industry in Alderrdeen. Most wealthy person wears her dresses.

 Pax Dea's working place is on the second floor. It is also where they store the stocks of the dresses. 

 "Most dresses I made are limited editions. We don't do a mass release because I don't want my designs to be common. I only made three to five copies of each design. This is where we put some of our stocks." 

 Pax Dea showed me their stock room, and I was amazed by how many dresses were inside the stockroom. I bet Pax Dea spent a lot of time creating these dresses.

 "Are you the only one who made this? How long does it take for you to have this stock of dresses?"

 Pax Dea smiles at me. "Yeah, I am the only one who did this. I hired a dressmaker before, but I wasn't satisfied with the quality of dress she made, so I only let her work here for a month. After that, I didn't hire anyone else. I was afraid they would lower the quality of my dresses."

 I look around at the dresses hanging on the racks. This is amazing. Pax Dea is the same age me, but she has already successfully built her own boutique with her own abilities.

 My hand stops on a dark blue dress. It's almost black in color. It is a Princess line dress that has a turtle neck. The dress isn't the typical bustle style dress, and instead, it focuses more on slender, cylindrical silhouette. It has balloon sleeves on its half part, and it becomes fitted on the other half. It's actually pretty simple, but its design is what it made unique. It has small diamonds embedded on the dress, making it look like a starry night sky. 

 "Do you like it? It's one of the dresses that I consider my greatest creation. However, when I tried to put it on display, people didn't like the color. They find it too dark for a woman's dress. Since then, I have just stored it here. If you like it, you can have it."

 I look at Pax Dea in disbelief. How can she just casually give a beautiful dress like this? And to those who said it's too dark for a woman's dress, are they blind? This is definitely a piece of art. 

 "I'll just pay this. I don't think I can accept this for free. It's too beautiful. I'll feel guilty if I just take it for free."

 Pax Dea smiles at me. "What are you saying? You're the only person who complimented that dress. It's already enough payment for me. I also think this would suit you more than anyone else. Please, accept this Csille. I never gave anything to you after you came here. Consider it as my welcoming gift and my graduation gift to you. Would that make you feel better?"

 I look at the beautiful dress and to Pax Dea. "How can I say no to you and to that dress? Okay, I will accept it. However, if I find any dress I like here, you will let me pay for those."

 Pax Dea pout. "But I'm planning to give you some more dresses. Come on. It's the first time we have spend time with each other. Can you let me spoil you a little?"

 I cling to Pax Dea's arms. "Nope. Business is business. Even if I am your cousin, I still need to pay for what will I buy because it's business. Do you want to lose profit?"

 "Who cares about profit if you're the one whom I will give the dresses?"

 However, no matter how much Pax Dea insists on giving me dresses for free, I still pay for it. In the end, she only gave a big discount. The only dress I have for free is the starry night princess dress.

 After showing me around her boutique, Pax Dea brings me to a tea party with her friends. 

 A blonde short haired lady welcomed us the moment we arrived in a private garden. Pax Dea told me that her friend is the owner of this garden. 

 "Dea, you're finally here. We have been waiting for you for mor—"

 The blond lady stops her words and looks at me. She frowns, and her eyes widen after a few seconds. She then does a curtsy. "Lady Csille!"

 Pax Dea stares at the lady confusedly. I walk towards the blond lady and help her stand up. "You don't need to do a curtsy to me. I am only from a noble family and not a royalty. Also, you are Pax Dea's friend. How can I let you do that?"

 The blond lady looked at me. Disbelief is clearly written on her face. She then looks at Pax Dea. "Dea, this is..."

 Pax Dea walks beside her. "Máire, this is my cousin, Csille Lauretré. You can call her Lady Cs—"

 "It's Csille. You can just call me Csille. Pax Dea's friends are my friends too." I immediately correct her. Pax Dea smile at me gratefully.

 "You heard her. You can just call her Csille." She then stares at me. "Csille, this is my friend Máire Ellise, she is the owner of this garden. She's a famous florist in our City, and just like the Foulqueret Family, her family is also into business too."

 Máire bows her head a little. "It was nice meeting you, La—. I mean Csille." She then looks at Pax Dea. "Why don't the two of you come inside first. Clymene is already waiting for us inside."

 Máire led us inside her beautiful garden. Although her garden cannot be compared to the Vrawyth Palace's garden, it is still beautiful. I even see some flowers that can only grow in Alderrdeen City.

 Pax Dea probably noticed the attention I am giving to the flowers. "It was Máire who planted these flowers. She was also the one who designed the landscape. Isn't it beautiful?"

 I nod my head at Pax Dea. It is really beautiful. I suddenly miss the Vrawyth Kingdom. The Palace's garden where Prince Fraser and I used to spend our time. 

 We stopped in front of a gazebo where a beautiful black haired lady was sitting. She has clear green eyes. 

 The green eyed lady immediately stands up when she sees us walking. "Dea, Máire, who is—"

 She stops talking for a couple of seconds before she smiles at me. She then bows her head. "Lady Csille, I didn't expect to see you here. I am Clymene Flaccus."

 I smile at her. Clymene is calmer than Máire when she realizes who I am. Pax Dea's friends are indeed exceptional. 

 "It was nice meeting you, Clymene? Can I call you Clymene? You can also call me by name in return."

 Pax Dea clings to my arms. "Clymene, you can just call her by her name. She's my cousin, so you shouldn't worry."

 Máire gestured her hand to one of the vacant seats. "Csille, please sit. We're having a tea party today. What tea do you like to drink? I can brew it for you."

 Pax Dea pulled me to sit beside her. She then looks at me. "I remember, didn't you know how to do the tea ceremony, Csille? I heard from my Mother that you even placed first in the Tea Ceremony in Grand Exemplary Competition five years ago. Can you show us how to do a proper Tea Ceremony? Although Máire is knowledgeable in Tea Ceremony, she only knows the basic."

 I look at Máire and Clymene, and they all agree with Pax Dea's suggestion. Having no choice, I started to do the Vrawyth Tea Ceremony.

 Máire, Clymene, and Pax Dea are all intently looking at what I am doing. After a few minutes, the tea was finished brewing, and all that was left to do was pour the tea into their teacups.

 I gently poured the tea into each of their teacups before I sat on my chair. Pax Dea immediately takes a sip on her tea. 

 "Csille, how did you make it taste like this? I haven't tasted tea like this before. Even my Mother's tea can't be compared to the tea you brewed." Pax Dea laugh. "Now I understand why Aunt Marcelle was always bragging about your tea every time she visited our house."

 Máire and Clymene also complimented my brewed tea. I just smile at them and drink my tea.

 "Dea, please excuse me, but I was wondering. How did you become cousins with Csille? Everyone knows who is Csille is. She's the only heiress of the Lauretré family of the Vrawyth Kingdom. She is also the future Queen of Vrawyth. How come we didn't hear from you that you're connected with Csille?" Máire suddenly asks.

 Pax Dea looks at me apologetically. "I'm sorry, Csille. I forgot about your identity. Is it okay for me to disclose to them about our connection?"

 I smile at her and nod my head. What else can I do? She already mentioned that I am her cousin. Also, I think Máire and Clymene are both trustworthy people. So, I don't see anything wrong with it.

 Pax Dea sighed. "My Mother and the Countess of the Vrawyth Kingdom, Countess Marcelle, are siblings. Since my Father is from Alderrdeen City, they decided to move here and live a simple life. In order to avoid other people from trying to use our family to have a connection with the Lauretré family, they decided to keep it a secret. It's the reason why no one knows that the Vrawyth's Countess is my Aunt."

 Máire and Clymene nod their heads. They now understand why they only know Dea's relationship with Lady Csille. 

 If the Foulqueret Family lets other people know their connection with the Lauretré family of the Vrawyth Kingdom, people from the Alderrdeen City will definitely try to be close to them. The peaceful life they wanted will definitely be taken away from them. 

 It's now making sense to both Máire and Clymene. And they feel grateful because Dea let them know about that secret.

 Csille looks at Dea and her friends. It's the first time she had a conversation like this with other girls. In the Vrawyth Kingdom, the only girl I was closed with is Princess Paislee, and she is even disguised as a girl. So, I never know how it feels like to have a group of friends of the same gender.

 I spend the rest of my day drinking tea and talking to them about almost everything. It was so fun that I didn't realize that it was already late. 

 Aunt Aveline was so worried about Pax Dea and me that she almost sent Brother Ernest to look for us. It's a good thing she didn't get mad at us.

 I look outside my window. I didn't sleep with Pax Dea tonight and slept in one of the guest rooms. 

 "It will soon happen.. The disastrous fate of Csille Lauretré will soon unfold."