I, The Villainess, Will Seduce All The Heroines Instead-Chapter 14: Social Status

From the looks of it, something had just tried to take control of Anastasia. The way her body jerked, the twitch of her fingers, the unnatural movement like she was resisting invisible chains.

It was clear that whatever had happened wasn't normal.

Now, Anastasia was glaring at her like she had just committed a crime.

"So you do know?"

"I—I didn't!"

The moment the students saw Anastasia's body twitching unnaturally, the whispers turned into screams.

"Witch!"

"Monster!"

"She's cursed!"

They didn't need proof. The fear in their eyes had already made up their minds.

"No! Wait—!"

Her voice barely had time to leave her lips before it happened again.

That awful, gut-wrenching sickness surged through her body, seizing her limbs like unseen hands were gripping her from the inside. But this time, she wasn't the only one.

Every student who had tried to move froze. Their bodies locked up, their expressions twisting in horror as if something invisible had wrapped its fingers around their throats.

After a few seconds, they were released.

A collective gasp, a sharp inhale of relief - freedom. The moment was brief, fragile, teetering on the edge of something unspeakable.

But Anastasia had already stepped forward.

"You—!"

Verena barely saw it.

A sharp, searing light. A flash of silver. The glint of a blade moving faster than thought.

It was strange.

She was suddenly seeing the ceiling.

Why was the world tilting like that?

The students were screaming again. But their voices were growing distant, muffled, like she was hearing them from underwater.

Oh.

That was her body.

Still standing.

But... why wasn't she in it anymore?

Ah.

So she got decapitated.

"Norvan, why did you-"

"Please, lady Anastasia, it was..."

Finally, she could no longer hear anything.

...

...

"Agh!"

She jolted, gasping, sweat slick on her skin as she inhaled sharply, too sharply, like someone who had just surfaced from drowning. Her lungs burned. Her whole body trembled.

"H-Hey! Are you okay?!"

A hand gripped her arm, grounding her back to reality. It was familiar. Warm. Real.

Her wild gaze darted around. The academy grounds. The cobblestone path. Beatrice and Evelyn standing in front of her, staring with concern.

She wasn't in the academy hallways anymore.

She wasn't headless.

She was... back?

[You've used up one out of eight regressions! You have six left.]

She died. Again.

"Sorry, I..."

Verena trailed off, gripping her own wrist to steady herself.

Two deaths. Two. And she had barely even nudged the plot forward. At this rate, what happened if she lost all her lives? Would she just cease to exist? Game over? The end?

Where did it all go wrong?

Most likely, it had everything to do with this very moment. This conversation, this interaction. That's why she was sent back. Again.

Verena took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay composed. She couldn't afford to falter. Not now.

Alright. Think. What's the problem?

Before all this, she had been a human resources manager, mediating workplace drama, defusing conflicts, making sure Jeff from accounting didn't quit just because Mike from sales microwaved fish again.

If she could handle that, she could handle one emotionally fragile heroine.

She glanced at Evelyn, taking in the signs.

Fidgeting hands. Downcast eyes. A slight pout.

Everything about her screamed abandoned puppy.

Alright, let's break this down.

Step one: Identify the issue.

Evelyn had been fine before, but then she saw Verena with Beatrice.

She felt replaced.

In the novel, Evelyn was deeply insecure, desperately clinging to any scrap of security she could get. She had latched onto the male leads because they gave her attention. And now, It seemed like she had started to latch onto Verena.

Step two: Address it without making it worse.

Verena smiled, keeping her tone light but firm. "Evelyn, you've been acting off. What's wrong?"

"W-What? N-Nothing's wrong! I'm fine!"

Classic. The 'I'm fine' defense. It was almost too easy.

Step three: Guide her to the truth without making her defensive.

"Eve," she said, lowering her voice just slightly, like she was letting her in on a secret. "I know when someone's upset."

Evelyn peeked up at her through her lashes, fidgeting even more. "It's just... I thought we were... close."

Bingo.

Verena nodded, her expression softening. "We are close. You don't have to be scared of that changing just because I talk to someone else."

Evelyn's lower lip wobbled. "I...I..."

There it is.

She sighed and gently flicked Evelyn's forehead. "Dummy. Friends don't just disappear because they make more friends."

Evelyn blinked up at her, looking startled, like no one had ever told her that before.

Beatrice, who had been standing awkwardly on the sidelines, joined in, "Yeah, Evelyn! There's enough Verena to go around."

"Please never phrase it like that again," Verena groaned. "And besides..." she paused, firmly placing her hands on Beatrice's shoulders, giving her a little shake. "Both of you can be friends too!"

Both of them blinked.

It was inevitable, really.

Out of all the heroines, Evelyn was the first to get along with the eccentric former ugly duckling.

Both were nerdy, both had their fair share of social struggles, and both had a trauma-to-personality ratio that was concerning.

Granted, Beatrice was far more extroverted, so this was basically fate playing its hand.

Beatrice grinned, ever the ray of chaotic sunshine. "Yeah! We can totally be besties!"

"...Really?"

"Of course," Verena said smoothly, giving her a nudge. "Besides..." She smirked. "Didn't you want to start your own reading group? Your very own team?"

At Irasios Academy, everyone belonged to a group, it wasn't just a social norm, it was a requirement.

The academy mandated that students form teams, and these weren't just for casual camaraderie.

Each team was built around a shared interest, a defining trait that became their identity.

These teams didn't just exist for fun, they competed.

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

And in a school where reputation was everything, your team wasn't just a club. It was your social status.

"Y-Yeah, I do!"