Why Did I Reincarnate as the Heroine When I Wanted to Be a Villainess?

Chapter 31: The Famous Plan

Kael spent the next ten minutes trying to understand the plan.

Unfortunately, the plan involved Seraphina.

This made understanding it significantly harder.

"What do you mean famous?"

Seraphina looked offended.

"What do you mean what do I mean?"

"That answered nothing."

"I know."

They had returned to the inn.

Mostly because sleeping outside was free.

But sleeping inside was significantly less uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, comfort cost money.

A fact Seraphina was beginning to take personally.

She sat cross-legged on her bed.

Kael sat across from her.

The atmosphere resembled a military strategy meeting.

If military strategy meetings involved dramatically poor decisions.

"We need money."

"Yes."

"People give money to famous people."

"Sometimes."

"Therefore we become famous."

Kael stared. freēwebnovel.com

Seraphina stared back.

Confidently.

"That’s your entire plan."

"No."

"There’s more?"

"Of course."

She paused.

"There isn’t."

Kael dropped his face into his hands.

"You’re impossible."

"Thank you."

"It wasn’t a compliment."

"Still counts."

Outside the window, morning sunlight slowly filled the room.

The town was already waking up.

Merchants shouting.

Children running.

People beginning another normal day.

Seraphina hated normal days.

Normal days usually expected responsible behavior.

"We should find actual work."

"No."

"We need money."

"I know."

"Then why no?"

"Because work sounds unpleasant."

Kael looked like he was experiencing physical pain.

"You spent an entire afternoon failing jobs."

"I prefer to call it research."

A knock interrupted them.

Both froze.

Then looked toward the door.

Another knock.

Seraphina immediately pointed at it.

"You answer."

"Why me?"

"What if it’s responsibility?"

Kael opened the door.

The innkeeper stood outside.

Holding a folded paper.

"Oh."

Seraphina relaxed.

Not responsibility.

Just a person.

The innkeeper handed over the paper.

"Town festival starts today."

Silence.

Then Seraphina slowly smiled.

The innkeeper noticed.

Immediately regretted everything.

"No."

"What?"

"No."

"You don’t even know what I’m thinking."

"I don’t need to."

He left before she could say anything else.

A wise man.

Seraphina looked at the paper.

Then at Kael.

Then back at the paper.

"Destiny."

"No."

"Destiny."

"No."

She unfolded it.

The annual town festival.

Food stalls.

Games.

Performances.

Competitions.

Vendors.

Visitors from nearby villages.

And most importantly—

Prize money.

"Oh."

Kael knew that tone.

That tone never meant anything good.

"No."

"There’s prize money."

"No."

"Kael."

"No."

"Kael."

"No."

"KAEL."

"No."

She folded the paper dramatically.

"Fine."

The speed of her surrender worried him far more than the argument.

"What’s the real plan?"

Seraphina smiled.

A terrible sign.

"Let’s go."

The festival occupied nearly half the town.

Colorful banners stretched between buildings.

Crowds filled the streets.

Music drifted through the air.

Children ran everywhere.

Vendors shouted over each other.

The entire place felt alive.

Seraphina loved it immediately.

Three minutes later she had already collected six free food samples.

"How."

Kael genuinely wanted to know.

"I smiled."

"That’s not an explanation."

"It worked."

Unfortunately, it had.

The bakery owner had offered a sample.

Then the fruit seller.

Then another merchant.

Then somehow a fourth.

Seraphina proudly carried her collection.

"This is economics."

"No it isn’t."

"It is now."

They continued deeper into the festival.

A crowd had gathered near the center square.

A large stage stood there.

Performers moved across it.

Musicians.

Singers.

Entertainers.

Seraphina stopped.

"Oh."

Kael immediately became suspicious.

"No."

"Why do you keep saying no before I talk?"

"Experience."

Reasonable.

A man climbed onto the stage.

"Attention!"

The crowd quieted.

"The festival competitions begin in one hour!"

Cheers erupted.

The man continued.

"Archery!"

More cheering.

"Racing!"

Even more cheering.

"Cooking!"

Excited applause.

Then—

"Storytelling competition!"

Seraphina froze.

Kael noticed immediately.

The expression was familiar.

Dangerously familiar.

"No."

"What?"

"No."

"I haven’t said anything."

"Storytelling."

"Yes."

"No."

"Kael."

"No."

She pointed dramatically.

"I literally have another life worth of stories."

That was unfortunately true.

Movies.

Shows.

Books.

Memes.

Internet disasters.

An entire world of content nobody here had ever heard.

Kael realized this.

His expression slowly changed.

"Oh no."

"Oh yes."

Thirty minutes later—

Seraphina stood backstage.

Kael still wasn’t happy.

She was thrilled.

Around her stood competitors.

Travelers.

Bards.

Merchants.

A retired soldier.

One elderly man appeared to have brought three notebooks.

Intimidating.

Not because of the notebooks.

Because he looked prepared.

Seraphina wasn’t.

Preparation was for cowards.

The announcer stepped forward.

The competition began.

The first contestant told a heroic war story.

The crowd loved it.

The second told a romantic tragedy.

Several people cried.

The third somehow combined both.

Impressive.

Then it became Seraphina’s turn.

She stepped onto the stage.

The crowd watched curiously.

A few people recognized her from yesterday.

Not ideal.

One child immediately pointed.

"It’s the juggling disaster!"

A devastating attack.

Seraphina ignored it.

Mostly.

She took a deep breath.

Then remembered something.

A memory.

A couch.

Her old home.

Her previous life.

Sitting with friends.

Watching videos.

Laughing until somebody nearly fell off the couch.

The memory lasted only a second.

Then it was gone.

Seraphina smiled.

"I have a story."

The crowd waited.

"It’s about a man."

Pause.

"A very stupid man."

The crowd immediately became interested.

Excellent.

She began telling one of the funniest stories she could remember.

Not exactly.

Not copied.

Just inspired.

Changed to fit this world.

Within minutes people were laughing.

Then more people arrived.

Then even more.

A merchant nearly dropped his basket laughing.

One old woman laughed so hard she needed help sitting down.

The crowd kept growing.

Kael watched from the side.

Surprised.

Then less surprised.

Because this was actually one of Seraphina’s strengths.

She wasn’t the smartest person.

She wasn’t the most responsible.

She definitely wasn’t the most practical.

But when she wanted attention—

She somehow always found it.

The story ended.

Silence.

Then applause exploded through the square.

Loud.

Genuine.

Unexpected.

Seraphina blinked.

Then smiled.

A real smile.

Not a villainess smile.

Not a dramatic smile.

Just happiness.

For a moment she almost looked younger.

The judges whispered among themselves.

Eventually results were announced.

Third place.

The retired soldier.

Second place.

The notebook grandfather.

Then—

First place.

"Seraphina."

The crowd cheered.

Seraphina froze.

Then immediately pointed at herself.

"Me?"

The judge looked confused.

"Yes."

"Oh."

She had not planned this far ahead.

A small pouch was handed to her.

Prize money.

Actual prize money.

Real money.

Money she had legally earned.

The concept felt unbelievable.

She stared at it.

Then at Kael.

Then back at the pouch.

Then at Kael again.

"I did it."

"You did."

"I have become economically valuable."

The judge nearly choked.

Kael looked exhausted.

The crowd laughed.

And for the first time since leaving the laboratory—

Their money problem looked slightly less terrifying.

Only slightly.

Because the moment Seraphina gained confidence—

She immediately pointed toward another competition board.

"Oh."

Kael’s soul left his body.

"There are more."

"Absolutely not."

Unfortunately for him—

The day was still young.