Reborn as the Villainess

Felix, who had been shouting about beating his brother just moments ago, now obediently stood up. As the girl led him upstairs, he couldn't help but brag, "Hey Ellie, wasn't I awesome just now? I've studied Taekwondo, you know. I'm a fourth-degree belt!" "Sure, Felix. You were something else," Ellie replied, her tone flat

"You bet," Felix laughed, his voice dripping with bravado. "If Samuel didn't need his face for the cameras, I would've mopped the floor with him. I could beat him around like a rag doll, one punch after another."

Eleanor could only sigh, remaining silent. She didn't need to look to know Felix was practically strutting around, his ego inflated to the size of a hot air balloon.

Samuel listened to these words with growing irritation. He snorted in disgust, "The nerve of this guy, bragging about how he could've wiped the floor with me. With his measly fourth-level Taekwondo? What a joke. The more Samuel dwelled on it, the angrier he became. He slammed his fist into the couch in frustration.

Suddenly, a sharp sting shot through his palm. Opening his hand, Samuel discovered a fresh cut across his palm. It must have happened during the scuffle with Felix, a careless scrape he hadn't noticed in the heat of the moment.

Samuel's gaze wandered involuntarily towards the staircase, but Felix and Eleanor had already vanished.

Beside him, Gloria sat contentedly munching on fruit prepared by the maid. She swung her legs, engrossed in the TV show, seemingly carefree. Noticing Samuel's distant look, she turned to him with a puzzled expression. "What's eating you, Samuel?" she asked. Samuel pressed his lips together, clenching his fist to hide the small cuts. "It's nothing," he muttered.

Samuel brushed off the minor injury, refusing to make a fuss. Unlike Felix, who'd whine over a paper cut, he wasn't about to play the drama queen. He scoffed inwardly at the thought.

Picking up on his mood, Gloria blinked and perked up. "Hey, check it out! Your new show's costumes are killer. It's like they were tailor-made for you. Look, your fans are saying you outshine Gregory by miles!"

"Is that so?" Samuel glanced disinterestedly at the TV. His once-favorite character now seemed dull and lifeless. A heavy weight settled in his chest, making it hard to breathe.

*****

Samuel hesitated at Eleanor's door, his hand poised to knock but never making contact. His mind raced with second thoughts.

'What was I thinking?' He berated himself silently. 'Andrew sent a maid to call us down for dinner. Why did I volunteer? What am I even doing up here? What if this new sister thinks I'm trying to butter her up? And Gloria... She might get the wrong idea. Eleanor's door wasn't fully closed. Through the gap, he could clearly hear voices from inside.

"No way." Felix's voice came, tinged with disgust. "That's so lame. I'm a tough guy, remember?"

Eleanor's sigh was audible. "Well, it's all I've got. Take it or leave it"

"It's childish," Felix grumbled. "They'll never let me live it down

"Fine, forget it then," Eleanor said, the eye roll evident in her tone.

"Wait, wait!" Felix backpedaled quickly. "I'll take it. The green one, I guess. 09:58 Wed, Nov 6 BB.

Felix grimaced at the green-band-aid plastered on his hand, its cutesy kitten design clashing with his self-image. "This is so lame. There goes my manly vibe," he grumbled. Eleanor couldn't help but roll her eyes as she cleaned up the first-aid supplies. A teenager worried about his "manly vibe"? Give me a break,' she thought.

"Try to keep it dry for a few days," Eleanor said. "Use a wet wipe if you need to clean your hands."

Felix nodded. "Got it."

After cleaning up, Eleanor stood up. "..

on, it's almost dinner time. Let's head downstairs."

slumped over his desk. "I can't." He whined. "My hand's still throbbing. It's too

At the mention of dinner, Felix dra

painful. I'll pass on dinner tonight."

The thought of seeing Samuel's face downstairs was enough to kill his appetite.

Normally, he'd jump at the chance to go down and rough Samuel up again. But now, with Eleanor's band-aid on his hand,

quite a waste.

he'd hate to risk rubbing it off. It would w

Eleanor, oblivious to his true thoughts, took his complaints of pain at face value. "Does it still hurt? Come here, let me blow on it. That'll make it feel better."

She remembered how, back at the orphanage, the matron would comfort her this way after every shot.

Eleanor wasn't sure if the method actually worked, but thinking back now, she couldn't recall the pain at all. Instead, a warm, fuzzy feeling of happiness filled her. So, she figured, it must work somehow.

Felix was surprised by the unexpected kindness his random cry had earned him. His eyes lit up as he eagerly moved closer, extending his hand.

Eleanor gently blew on the spot where he was hurt. "Feel better?" she asked softly.

Felix was about to nod when he suddenly paused. "Hmm... It still hurts a little..." he mumbled.

Eleanor could only lean down and blow on it a couple more times.

"It's better now, but there's still a tiny bit of pain..." Feli

said but was cut short by a light smack.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

Eleanor tapped him on an uninjured spot. Don't pushy Eleanor tapped him on an uninjured spot. "Don't push your luck" she said with a smirk. "Come on, let's head downstairs."

"Okay," Felix replied, thoroughly soothed by Eleanor's attention. He opened the door with a grin, only to find a figure blocking the doorway. His smile vanished instantly as he recognized who it was. "What are you doing here?" Samuel's face flickered with embarrassment. He hadn'

expected Felix to open the door so quickly. Fortunately, his actor's training kicked in, and his expression smoothed over instantly. "Andrew sent me to call you for dinner downstairs."

Felix, still irritated, replied coldly, "Got it." He then turned to Eleanor, saying, "Ellie, let's go down together." His protective stance suggested he feared Samuel might mistreat Eleanor the moment he left.

Samuel gave them both a cool glance, hands in his pockets, "Whatever," he said dismissively. As he turned to leave, he felt a small tug on his sleeve. A soft, sweet voice spoke up. "Felix, you go ahead. Samuel and I will be down in a minute." Felix's eyes widened, looking at Eleanor as if she were a traitor. "What? Y-y-you..." he stammered, pointing at her with a shaky finger. He looked like a husband who had just caught his wife cheating.

Eleanor sighed, thinking Felix was being way too dramatic. "Felix, it's just for a moment. Can you give me three minutes? If I'm not downstairs by then, you can come up

and get

me."

Felix crossed his arms, refusing to budge. "No way. Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of me."

Eleanor's lip twitched as show stubborn Felix was. "Alright, how about this," she said, "I'll give you my word.

Three minutes, tops. You can

time me."

Felix clenched his jaw, clearly wrestling with the decision. Finally, he let out a cold snort. "Fine. But just three minutes, got it? I'm starting the timer now." He whipped out his phone and opened the stopwatch app as if afraid he'd lose a second. Eleanor could only stare at him in disbelief.