Pleasure To Be The Menace! [3. Favorite flavor: Cold]

[Chapter 3]

Rae stands at the gates of the prestigious academy — the same one she remembered from the novel.

Students chatter around her in groups, laughter ringing out, but she walks through them like a ghost.

Raevyn Iblis Delacroix/Rhinedottir[FL]

/In the book, this place was all sunshine and perfection for the Female lead/

Raevyn Iblis Delacroix/Rhinedottir[FL]

/For me? It’s just another cage, with better wallpaper./

Raevyn Iblis Delacroix/Rhinedottir[FL]

/I wonder if the female lead is like alive or something/

Raevyn Iblis Delacroix/Rhinedottir[FL]

/I'll gladly take my revenge on the male lead on behalf of my mother/

Her silver hair catches in the wind, drawing some glances, but instead of pride, her shoulders hunch slightly. She heads straight for her classroom, no greetings, no smiles.

[Inside the Classroom] Random Classmate #1 (whispering): “That’s Celeste Delacroix's daughter, right? The brat?” Random Classmate #2: “Yeah, the one who almost got the driver fired last year. I heard she smashed a window in the gym.”

She sits, pulling out a notebook. She doesn’t doodle, doesn’t look around — just stares at the blank page like she’s somewhere else entirely.

Raevyn Iblis Delacroix/Rhinedottir[FL]

*sighs*

[Break time]

While everyone rushes out in pairs, Rae stays seated. She pulls a plain bread roll from her bag and eats in silence. No one invites her to join them. She doesn’t ask.

Random Classmate #3 (passing by): “Guess she’s too good for the cafeteria.”

Raevyn Iblis Delacroix/Rhinedottir[FL]

*Dryly, without looking up* Guess you’re too loud for the hallway.

They scoff and leave. Rae’s face stays expressionless, but her grip on the bread tightens for a moment before she forces her hand to relax.

Raevyn Iblis Delacroix/Rhinedottir[FL]

/Why am I so tired?/

[After School – Walking Home Alone]

Her chauffeur waits at the gate, but Rae waves him off. She walks instead, taking the long way back. The streets are busy, but she doesn’t notice much — her mind is tangled in old memories.

Raevyn Iblis Delacroix/Rhinedottir[FL]

/Fifteen years old. Stabbed in the back by a man who was like my brother— literally./

Raevyn Iblis Delacroix/Rhinedottir[FL]

/Guess no matter the world, I’m still the villain in someone’s story./

Raevyn Iblis Delacroix/Rhinedottir[FL]

/Ironically even my mother is a villainess/

She stops at a convenience store, buys a small bottle of juice, and heads toward the park near the mansion. There’s an empty bench under a tree — her first quiet all day

She sits, sips her juice, and stares at the sky. The clouds drift lazily, mocking her restlessness.

Raevyn Iblis Delacroix/Rhinedottir[FL]

/In the novel, the male lead finds the female lead. So many good peaple found her even though she was a bad person/

Raevyn Iblis Delacroix/Rhinedottir[FL]

/In my story.... no one's coming/

Her phone buzzes — a text from Elias

Elias Lin[Celeste's Assistant]

Be home for dinner 📩

A short and cold message

Rae smirks bitterly and starts walking back. Her shadow stretches long in the setting sun, looking more like a stranger than herself.

Rae pushes open the massive front doors of the mansion. The faint echo of her own footsteps greets her first.

She drops her bag by the side table and looks around — the place feels like a luxury museum: spotless, cold, and far too quiet.

From the hallway, voices drift closer. Elias appears first, in his immaculate suit, followed by Celeste in a suit. Both are clearly in a hurry

Celeste Nyx Delacroix[Mother]

Elias Lin[Celeste's Assistant]

*Glancing at her, flat tone* You’re late. School ends at three.

Raevyn Iblis Delacroix/Rhinedottir[FL]

*dryly* Noted. I’ll alert the press next time I’m on schedule.

Elias’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t bite. Celeste’s eyes pass over her briefly — no smile, no warmth — before she slips on her gloves.

Raevyn Iblis Delacroix/Rhinedottir[FL]

/Wow. Straight from background extra to invisible furniture./

Celeste Nyx Delacroix[Mother]

*checking her phone* We’re going to the investor’s gala. Dinner’s in the fridge

Raevyn Iblis Delacroix/Rhinedottir[FL]

*light sarcasm* Ah yes, my favorite flavor — cold.

Celeste’s gaze flickers to her at the remark, but she says nothing. Elias adjusts his cufflinks, clearly impatient.

Elias Lin[Celeste's Assistant]

Make sure you don’t cause trouble while we’re gone.

Raevyn Iblis Delacroix/Rhinedottir[FL]

*Deadpan*I'll try not to start any wars.

Neither reacts. They head toward the front door. Rae stands there, watching their backs retreat down the hall, her lips pressing into a thin line.

Door closes. Silence swallows the mansion again.

Raevyn Iblis Delacroix/Rhinedottir[FL]

*Leans against the wall*

Raevyn Iblis Delacroix/Rhinedottir[FL]

/Not even a ‘how was your day.’/

Raevyn Iblis Delacroix/Rhinedottir[FL]

/Then again, I’m not sure they even know what my voice sounds like when it’s not being snarky./

She drags herself to the kitchen, finds the neatly wrapped dinner plate in the fridge, and sets it on the counter. She doesn’t eat right away. Instead, she sits at the table in the dark, watching the condensation bead on the glass of the fridge door.

[To. Be. Continued]