Literature / She's so Cheeky for a Commoner

Claire scoffing at her lover-to-be, Rae.

"This world really isn't fair, is it? We can't even freely love who we want to love."

— Rae Taylor

As sole daughter and heiress to the François name, Claire prioritizes her duties above all else. Upholding stability in the wake of slipshod meritocracy policies, furthering the Finance Minister's legacy, wooing a beautiful prince—her life is a course charted by forces far above her head.

And then that cheeky commoner appeared.

Despite her own best efforts, Claire is gradually enamored with the heroine whose romance offers a chance to grow past the villainess role this world seems desperate to slot her into. But what's Forbidden Love in a land rife with tradition, classism, and political machinations eager to end their story before it even begins?

Released in May 2021, She's so Cheeky for a Commoner (平民のくせに生意気な！) is a P.O.V. Sequel to sapphic novelist Inori's (いのり｡) I'm In Love With the Villainess, retelling its story through the lens of titular love interest Claire François. Like the original, it was initially published as a Web Serial Novel on popular Japanese site Syosetu, with an approved English translation by sephallia.

Inori would later novelize the story in 2022, releasing its third and final volume in September 2023 whilst Seven Seas Entertainment released its English translation of Volume 2 in April 2024. Though further adaptations of the P.O.V. Sequel have yet to be announced, many events once exclusive to this story would be included or referenced in Aonoesu's (青乃下) manga adaptation of I'm In Love With the Villainess.

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She's so Cheeky for a Commoner contains examples of:

• Abusive Parents: Like his political rivals, Clément Achard leaves much to be desired as a father.
  • Deeming Catherine a lesser child due to her peasant mother, the marquee is so insistent on preventing his daughter from forming friendships and political ties her maid, Emma, needed to trick him into allowing her to keep a wheelchair gifted by Lambert. Clément even withheld treatment for her leg despite the injury ensuing from ordering Catherine to participate in the François assassination attempt, leaving his daughter an amputee.
  • Even his son, Kristoff faces social isolation as none of the aristocracy—especially not the Academy Knights, which to bolster the infamous marquees' influence by association. Clément is later revealed to be forcing Kristoff to abet his human trafficking ring.
  • As in the original, Salas Lilium uses the "Alter" personality he installed in his daughter, Lilly to further his political machinations, including an assassination attempt on Yu once the chancellor realizes she's seriously considering Rae's crosswise cure.
• Ascended Extra: Once minor background characters with only passing mentions beyond the first arc, Pepi and Loretta's relationship with Claire and role in Bauer's politics affords the Girl Posse greater focus and their own character arcs.
• Beta Couple: Both Pepi & Loretta and Yu & Misha's relationships develop alongside Rae & Claire's, the former couple's bond being a mainstay of this spinoff's Euclid arc as the latter's moved to the background outside the brief Church arc's retreading.
• Blow You Away: Pepi aids Loretta with wind blades in their defense of Euclid, and later employs Misha as a tutor to bolster her long-range combat skills.
• Cast Full of Gay: Like the original, the majority of cast members are queer women. Dole François and Salas Lilium are the only exceptions with their own POV swaps.
• Daddy's Little Villain: Doubly subverted by Claire growing past her villainess nature—opposing her classist father and even working against the aristocracy during Rae's secret service tenure. Said father, being a Good All Along benefactor of the revolution conspiring with Rae to change his daughter for the better.
• Determinator: To Claire's continued befuddlement, Rae courts her like a woman possessed: professing their love at every (in)opportune moment, besting the noblewomen with promises not to throw in the towel as her sole demand, worming her way into a personal maid position, and even upstaging Manaria at the Scales of Love—and that's just what she's aware of. Catherine urges Claire to stop taking the commoner for granted, noting any normal person would've moved on by now.
• Disabled Snarker: Catherine often exploits her sharp wit to both tease Claire and goad the fellow noblewoman into being more forthcoming with her feelings, much to their chagrin.
  Catherine: But Rae's a girl, you know? Don't female friends tell each other they like one another all the time?"
  Claire: This is different. Rae isn't a female friend. She's something more sp—"
  Catherine: With a fat grin on her face. "Go on. She's what now?"
• Doomed by Canon: Catherine Achard's absence from the original story despite the pivotal role she plays Claire's life does not bode well for her post-Revolution survival chances.
• Dub Name Change:
  • Zig-zagged with "super" aptitude, the strongest tier of magic once localized to "ultra-high" in the I'm In Love With the Villainess translation, but reverted for this story.
  • Salas Lilium's "prime minister" title has been similarly reverted to "chancellor".
• Foregone Conclusion: As a P.O.V. Sequel, much of the overarching plot is already known to readers. Thus, the narrative elects to gloss over them whenever Switching P.O.V. would prove redundant.
• Like Mother, Like Daughter: To Clément's disgust, Claire exhibits many of her mother's admirable traits when petitioning the marquees to support a more appropriate sentence for Dede Murray, an attendant of Yu's given merely five days confinement for scortching a protestor. Ever the Opportunistic Bastard, he exploits her admiration of the late Melia to narrowly prokove an altercation before Lene intervenes.
  Clément: “Hmph. It would seem Dole and Melia suffered great misfortune when it came to their daughter. You only inherited Melia’s thorns. How regrettable.”
  Claire: "You take that back! Do you realize who I—?"
  Clément: "Do you realize who I am?! I am the twenty-eighth head of my house, Clément Achard. I've overlooked your transgressions out of respect for House François but I can make no further excuses".
• Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter: Equal parts cute, innocent, and kind-hearted, Lily Lillum quarrels only when Claire underminds her position as Rae's supposed lover-to-be. That, and whenver the Ax-Crazy alter-ego Salas implanted renders her Brainwashed and Crazy.
• Military Brat: Despite being a gifted pianist, Loretta hails from the deeply militaristic House Kugret and is expected to become Bauer's first female soldier.
• Never Gets Fat: Being a shut-in loner with a missing leg and concerning addiction to sweets does little to sully Catherine's slender figure.
• P.O.V. Sequel: To I'm In Love With the Villainess. Alongside Claire's perspective is her best friend and newcomer Catherine Achard, story arcs for Pepi and Loretta, and a litany of other events unseen or glossed over in the original story.
• The Strategist: Loretta assumes command of Euclid's forces against the ghost ship, to great success. Though she's heartbroken to have non-soldier deaths under her command, her troops laud the quick thinking and empathy other nobles would never spare for commoners and adventurers.
• Switching P.O.V.: Though Claire remains the main protagonist, the limelight is much less bound to her than Rae in I'm In Love With the Villainess.
  • Volume 1 offers additional perspectives from Dole, Rae, Misha, and Lambert.
  • Volume 2 features several interludes detailing Pepi & Loretta's adventures in Euclid, along with brief swaps with Rae, Salas, and Misha.