7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life

Episode 4

If there was any one thing that we might expect Rishe to have learned throughout her many lives, it's that nothing is ever as straightforward as it ought to be. She seems to have that all figured out when it comes to Arnold and Theodore, although she's a bit surprised that Arnold already has her number. That's likely because, in each of her six prior lives, he killed her in one way or another with his little war, so assuming he's got logical thought processes and a solid head on his shoulders is a good way for her to die at his hands a seventh time. We could also argue that anyone who would commit patricide and then start a world war isn't all that great at thinking things through calmly, so his assertion that he'd rather give her conditions than boundaries directly refutes that assumption. She's surprised because he's not behaving in ways that make sense based on what she's lived through before.

That's similar to the issue with Kain Tully, her former mentor in her first life. Because her interactions with him before were based on him teaching her his ways, she believes that she'll be able to use that to forge a relationship with him and the Aria Trading Company just by calling up that knowledge. So when he flatly turns her down, she's shocked. She did everything just the way first loop Kain taught her and she's the crown-princess-to-be of a powerful nation – why on earth would he refuse to work with her? The answer may lie in the fact that while she remembers him, he doesn't remember her. As far as Kain's concerned, she's just some random princess who for reasons unknown (and therefore suspicious) wants to use his company for her wedding. If it's not outright bizarre, it's at least a little weird, and Kain hasn't gotten as far as he has by taking up all of the strange offers he's gotten. Rishe, he implies before later outright stating it, has to prove to him that her offer is both the real deal and something that will ultimately benefit the Aria Trading Company. If she can't do that, he can't be bothered to give her the time of day.

Rishe enjoys matching wits with Kain. He throws her off with his first refusal, but she quickly regains her feet and sets out to do what she has to to forge this relationship. Kain's impressed, too – not only does she take the bull by the horns, but in dying her hair quickly and thoroughly, she shows both attention to detail and that she has a product he might want at some point. If nothing else, she shows him that she's not just playing around and is the real deal, and that's something that he can, and does, appreciate.

It's something that Arnold likes about her as well, and we can see how she's beginning to influence him in his interactions with other people. The scene where he's about to tell a courtier “because I said so” is changed when Rishe makes a pertinent gesture at him, causing him to backtrack and explain his reasoning. We see from his body language that he's uncertain of the wisdom inherent in following her advice, but the way that the courtier quickly calms down lets him know that his way isn't the only way. Maybe Rishe can prevent the upcoming war just by helping Arnold become a little more aware of the people around him.

Whether or not that includes Theodore, his younger brother, is an open question. For a man willing to let his fiancée gad about town to tell her to stay away from his own brother, there must be something else going on, and yes, Theodore practically screams, “Hi, I'm evil!” (That or “Hi, I'm Vanitas,” but I think we all know which they were going for.) We've seen the scars on Arnold's neck and shoulder (and I love that he's comfortable unbuttoning his shirt around Rishe so that they're visible) and know that he'll kill his father if history repeats itself, so a lot is going on in his family that isn't good. Is Theodore an active part of it? Or has Arnold simply been raised to believe that he is to foment bad blood between the brothers? Rishe likely got her questions as well, since she went to the chapel knowing full well which brother sent for her. We'll have to hope that this isn't a case of her expecting something to be straightforward and it turned out to be more complicated and dangerous than she ever imagined.

Rating:

7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.