Highlights
- Claire and Rae successfully subdue a Chimera at the academy by combining their powers.
- Lene and Lambert face punishment for their treasonous actions, but Claire convinces the king to exile them instead of executing them.
- Claire's maturity is shown as she forgives Lene and her relationship with Rae strengthens as they fight together.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for I’m in Love With the Villainess, Episode 9, "My Master Will Never Change," now streaming on Prime Video.
With a revolution underway and the entire magic academy in disarray, I’m in Love With the Villainess’ narrative has been rattled by constant new developments. Lambert and Lene have been identified as the initial culprits behind the unrest, yet the addition of an anonymous character as the actual perpetrator adds a layer of intricacy to the entire ordeal.
Claire and Rae are able to deter the initial wave of violence, quelling the unrest and thwarting the masked man’s plans. While the actual culprit roams free, Lene and Lambert have been met with punishment for their act of treason, meaning the death penalty is imminent. However, it is now up to Claire and Rae, the kingdom’s saviors, to alter the course of events.
10 Isekai Anime To Watch If You Like I'm in Love With The Villainess
Fans of I'm in love With the Villainess can check out these similarly satisfying isekai anime.
The Villainess Becomes the Savior
The primary assault on the academy was led by a Chimera, a magical beast with a lion’s head and a snake as a tail. With high magic immunity and resistance to most attacks, the Chimera was the perfect offensive weapon to wreak havoc, even going as far as taking out a few nobles. Rae and Claire valiantly took on the beast, trying their best to subdue it before other students became engulfed in the conflict.
Since Chimeras are immune to most magic types, Rae and Claire had to get creative to find a method that bypassed its resistance. For this purpose, the two combine their powers, with Rae amplifying Claire’s powers with water magic and the latter using her extremely concentrated magical ray. While the threat of the Chimera had been subdued, the actual perpetrator still remained an issue.
The masked man even went as far as almost killing Claire, though his actions were thwarted by Prince Thane’s last-minute intervention. However, Thane had to take the blow, getting stabbed by a knife laced with a deadly poison. The prince’s life would have surely ended if it weren’t for Rae’s in-depth knowledge of the game, as she was able to immediately nullify the poison and keep his life out of danger.
Lene and Lambert’s Punishment
The brother-sister duo were at the center of this revolution, with Lambert actively fanning the flames of rebellion and Lene putting a knife to a noble’s head. However, these crimes are only those obvious on the surface, as the two are guilty of much more than just conniving against the kingdom. Their incestuous relationship is another aspect of this entire predicament, and it was largely the reason behind Lambert’s role in the revolution.
However, this crime was committed behind closed doors, and only Claire and Rae are aware of their love. For now, the crime they are on trial for is their act of high treason against the Bauer Kingdom, as conspiring against the kingdom with a foreign nation is viewed as the highest offense. The initial punishment for the two and their entire family was the death sentence, as nothing less could suffice for the kingdom’s safety.
I’m in Love With the Villainess Ventures Into Another Controversial Trope
I’m in Love With the Villainess takes a unique approach to a played-out anime trope.
Despite their betrayal, Claire still wished to save Lene from her grim fate, and her audience with the King due to her act of courageousness served as the perfect opportunity. She was able to convince the king to lessen their punishment on behalf of the Aurousseau family’s contributions to the kingdom, albeit Prince Thane’s intervention is what truly struck through with the king. After constant persuasion, the King reduced the sentence to merely exiling the Aurousseau family from the Bauer Kingdom.
Claire’s Unraveling Sentiments
The entire ordeal has rattled Claire to some extent, especially by the loss of a trusted friend. In these moments, Claire’s character development truly shined through as she has dealt with the matter with tact and maturity. Instead of throwing a fit and disowning Lene entirely, Claire took her emotions and perspective into consideration, and sympathized with her situation rather than shunning her out entirely.
Before being exiled, Lene was given a chance to speak to Claire, and the latter chose to convey her wish to meet again in the future, meaning she had forgiven Lene entirely for her act of treachery. Rae also extended her kindness to Lene by giving her several recipes from the real world, allowing her to survive by selling those recipes to restaurants and gourmet connoisseurs.
Claire’s maturity doesn’t only extend to Lene, as her feelings towards Rae Taylor have also shifted significantly. Saving the academy together has cemented the two as a duo, and their chemistry only continues to improve as they fight alongside each other. Claire is also safe from the revolution, although it’s too soon to confirm anything, as this seems to be the beginning of the turmoil within the Kingdom. The current events are an indicator that Rae has successfully altered the game’s course, although there’s no telling if this will eventually work in Claire’s favor.