“Clara is…”
Elvan, who had just been thinking about her visit, slightly lifted his waist and muttered her name softly.
He had met her when they were children.
The girl, who was the niece of the Second Queen, would come to the castle as a playmate for his frail half-sister. His first impression of her, as the daughter of a high-ranking noble, was that she was a “scary girl.”
Her gaze and words were strong, and she possessed the education and pride of a high-ranking noble. She was polite to Elvan, who was a prince, but he felt as if he was being looked down upon, and he found her difficult to deal with.
When Elvan met Clara again a few years later, she seemed to have had a falling out with Elena, and unlike before, she was shadowed like a different person. However, Elvan was slightly intrigued by her “shadow.”
As the daughter of a high-ranking noble and close in age, Clara naturally became Elvan’s fiancée.
At that time, he was ordered by his father, His Majesty the King, to conquer a Large-Scale Dungeon. This was originally supposed to take place after graduating from the academy, but this time it was to take place before entering the academy. To dispel his anxiety, Elvan rode in the same carriage as Clara to the site, but he was bewildered by her age-appropriate “weakness.”
Nobles grow quickly due to their high Mana, and their words and actions are expected to be appropriate. The higher the noble, the more they develop a spirit commensurate with their appearance.
The weakness shown by the former princess of the old royal family saved Elvan.
For Elvan, who had been separated from malice without malice by his mother, who was a former Viscount’s daughter, it was painful to be asked to act like a Crown Prince, and he forced himself to talk to his friends Mikhail and Rookwell.
Clara’s weakness was closer to that of a commoner than a noble lady, and by sympathizing with such weakness and caring for her, Elvan was able to have confidence in “protecting someone” for the first time.
Even if it was a relationship where the weak licked each other’s wounds, Elvan was saved and began to think that he could spend his life with Clara.
But… when did that collapse?
Alicia Melsys, the Viscount Mercis’ Daughter. He met that girl when Elvan was in his second year at the academy.
Her innocent words and actions were not those of a noble lady, and the more genuine nobles frowned at her attitude, and she stood out so much that she was conspicuous.
The reason she stood out was also due to her appearance. Contrary to her childlike figure like a commoner, she possessed a bewitching beauty that was so eye-catching that she began to cause problems with several male students within a few months of entering the academy.
She began to show herself to Elvan as well, and most of their encounters were blocked by Mikhail and Rookwell, but Elvan, who had gained a little confidence from the Clara affair, thought that he could guide even someone like her.
Was that a mistake…? He still doesn’t know.
The surrounding evaluation of Alicia Melsys was completely divided.
Like Mikhail and Rookwell, those who treated her as a suspicious person approaching the Crown Prince, and the daughters of middle-ranking nobles or higher, had a terribly low opinion of her, but most of those who interacted with her without any colored glasses were naturally drawn to her.
Elvan was no exception. He could not help but be aware of a slight confusion and a different “shaking of his heart” in her pampering, which seemed to “understand” his suffering, and in her words that affirmed everything Elvan wished to be recognized for.
He became estranged from his sister Elena, who criticized her and himself, and from Mikhail and Rookwell, and began to act with Licia, as he had begun to call her, and Amor, and distanced himself from Clara, whom he had wanted to protect.
At Licia’s request, she obtained Divine Protection from the royal family’s Large-Scale Dungeon, and Amor and Nasanitaru became so engrossed in her that they drowned in her even more bewitching appearance.
Every time Elvan saw Licia, he felt a mist in his head and a desire to believe in her. However, the Gift Elvan had obtained and his feelings for Clara kept him from crossing the final line.
“Clara…”
“El-sama…”
Clara, whom he had met after a long time, looked thinner than he remembered, perhaps because she had gone through many hardships.
Even so, she looked more beautiful than before. Her strong eyes showed a brilliance with the weakness she had shared with Elvan at that time, rather than the “strength” as a noble lady that Elvan had previously found difficult to deal with.
“Could you… listen to what I have to say?”
(I wonder if Clara is okay…)
Rookwell, who had sent his sister to Elvan, left the Prince’s Palace without meeting his former friend.
Clara, who had previously distanced herself from even his family, seemed to have regained her composure, perhaps because her feelings had settled.
Come to think of it, his family had forced Clara to do too much. The seat of the First Queen, the legal wife. His aunt, who was originally supposed to be the First Queen, became the Second Queen, and his father, who was her brother, and his mother, who was a friend of his aunt, both believed that it would be Clara’s happiness to become the First Queen.
But that was not the case. Clara wanted to be the First Queen because her family wanted her to.
Dandole sought Clara to be the First Queen in order to save his aunt, who was mentally ill…
Because he knew that, the kind Clara had to want to become the First Queen.
Rookwell discussed the matter with his parents and grandfather and decided to let Clara have her way.
As a result, even if Clara could no longer stay in this country, Dandole would support them (・・) with all his might.
Of course, it was not just out of family affection. Dandole, who had been unable to give up on Clara becoming the First Queen, had been unenthusiastic about supporting Princess Elena, who was a member of his bloodline, but from now on, he would fully support her in order to save Dandole’s face.
“…Haa.”
Rookwell couldn’t help but sigh.
Elena becoming queen was not good news for Rookwell, who wished for her to marry into the Dandole Family.
Rookwell is the heir to the Dandole Family. He has been training to become the Commander of the Knight Order someday. There should be many problems with Elena becoming queen and him becoming her royal consort. Rumor has it that the Third Prince of the Calfaan Empire is also a candidate for royal consort.
If his friend, who is intelligent, could come up with a good idea…
“Things are tough over there too… Good luck, Mikhail.”
“You mean, that child is really…”
Belt, who had returned to the Royal Castle with the elite of the First Knight Order as escorts because there was a need to deal with the aftermath, immediately returned to the Melrose mansion. His wife’s eyes widened at the news, and she dropped the shawl she had draped over her shoulders.
“Yes, Her Highness the Princess told me directly.”
Belt nodded quietly, holding his wife’s shoulders.
Alicia, the orphaned child of his youngest daughter. Unlike that Saint, whom he had no choice but to protect while doubting her, his real granddaughter might be coming back.
The fact that Belt, the prime minister, had left a large amount of cleanup to his attendant Oz and returned to the mansion to tell his wife first, must have meant that he was quite distraught, even though he appeared calm on the surface.
The surrounding servants who heard the story rejoiced as if it were their own, and some of the older ones were even teary-eyed. The rightful princess of the old royal family, the Melrose House, was returning. That had been the Melrose House’s long-cherished wish for the past decade or so.
However, among them, Mikhail, who was as distraught as his grandfather and had returned to the mansion in the same carriage despite being a close aide to the Princess, stood blankly in the corner of the hall.
“Aria is…”
He had felt something close to her from the first time they met. He was more convinced than surprised to hear that Aria was the daughter of the aunt he admired.
The Holy Church, the largest sect on this continent, does not recommend marriage between cousins. However, it only does not recommend it, but it does recognize it.
Even so, as a tacit understanding among the nobles, it was customary to refrain from doing so even between cousins if they were in the same family to prevent mistakes from happening.
Although they are cousins, there is no problem with Rookwell, who has a different family name, becoming Elena’s royal consort, and if Aria enters the Melrose House as Alicia, it will be difficult for Mikhail to be with her.
“Even so…”
Mikhail is now a close aide to the Princess, and he understood that his strategy was effective in making Elena queen. To deny that would be to insult their resolve.
“Even so…”
Mikhail’s voice, muttering the same words as before with a different meaning, quietly faded away.
“Aria is!? Why!?”
“It’s already been approved by Her Highness the Princess and His Excellency the Prime Minister. Accept it.”
“No way…”
Theo let out a pathetic voice, hearing the shocking truth from his mother, Sera.
Theo used to be the Saint’s bodyguard and combat butler, but since she started acting strangely, the Melrose House, fearing being consumed, relieved him of his duties, and now he was completely behind the scenes.
Theo had hoped to work as Her Highness the Princess’s combat butler, just like Aria, but his appearance would give that girl with abilities close to “charm” an excuse to approach, so his wish was not granted.
Still, dreaming of being in the same place as Aria, he even acted as a liaison for Aria, who had started acting independently, but after hearing about Aria’s origins, which he had heard were from an orphanage, he was at a loss, realizing that taking responsibility was not enough.
“…It’s because you said you’d become stronger than Aria,” Sera said.
“Ugh…”
Theo fell silent, unable to utter a word, faced with his own mother’s gaze and words mixed with exasperation and pity.
From Sera’s point of view, Aria clearly only saw Theo as a “younger brother,” but she still thought that if he had confessed or done something to make her aware of him sooner, he might have had a chance.
Even if it was sympathy or familial love, if he had just gotten her consent, there was a possibility that he could have done something even after it was revealed that Aria was the main family’s princess, if Aria herself wished it.
If that were the case, Sera would have had the opportunity to obtain both her successor and someone to inherit the house at the same time, but she couldn’t help but sigh at her son’s incompetence.
“Is there still no way…”
The son himself was muttering such things, still not giving up, but there was virtually no way to have the main family’s daughter adopted into the branch family of a Baron, especially with Aria being unaware. She appreciated her son’s enthusiasm, but before he did something strange to the main family’s princess, she had to set him straight.
“Theo. If the matter that caused you to say ‘responsibility’ comes to light, the Shadow Unit might request my purge, you know?”
“…………Eh?”
“It’s finally coming true… ‘My’ dream.”
The girl named Licia muttered with a dreamy expression, sipping the tea brewed by her exclusive maid.
She had forgotten her real name. It had no value to her.
Her mother was a nasty woman who deceived men and made them pay, almost like a prostitute. Most of the men she thought were her father were either swindlers or underworld figures. She never thought of them as parents, but she could still be grateful for the beauty and the skills to use it that they gave her.
Her heart didn’t move when those people died in a monster attack. They didn’t give her love, only saw her as a pawn to earn money, and she grew up without knowing how to love anyone.
So, when they died, she rejoiced that her real life was about to begin.
The girl wanted to be the “happiest” person in this world more than anyone else.
What is happiness? The girl, who didn’t know how to love, thought that “being loved by someone” was happiness.
She had learned the art of being loved from the woman who was her mother. However, her behavior as a “woman” aroused the antipathy of other women, isolating her from them, and at the same time, she learned to exploit the opposite sex who were captivated by her beauty.
Then, while she was being forced to do volunteer work, after the old woman who managed the orphanage was killed, the girl obtained “fate.”
That “Magic Stone” contained the passions of a certain woman.
The trajectory of a story set in this world. It showed the path for Licia to rise to the top and become the Heroine (happy).
The procedure for manipulating multiple men. The events, called events, even described the darkness in the hearts of the men to be captured, and she captured their hearts one after another, as if taking a test with the answers known.
There were times when the “answers” didn’t work on those who were wary of Licia from the beginning, but she eventually decided that she only needed the person who could make her the happiest in the end.
When Licia received the stored “knowledge,” the Magic Stone became just a fragile stone, and only a small Magic Stone remained in her hand…
“Colette-san. Did you get the necessary knowledge?”
The shrunken Magic Stone was in the hands of a devil. The last piece of knowledge seemed to be information about a different world that Licia couldn’t understand, and the Nightmare was analyzing it.
“Yes, my lady. The ‘proof’ for you to be ‘happy’ has been obtained.”
Colette, who had become the vessel for the Nightmare, smiled faintly at the question from Licia, her new Contract Holder.
The content of the contract was to cooperate in order for Licia to be happy.
The price of the contract was Licia’s soul after she became happy.
Because she had obtained the woman’s “knowledge,” Licia knew that making a contract with a devil was dangerous. Even so, Licia wanted the greatest “happiness,” even if it was just a fleeting firework.
“For that, I’ll give you the souls of the people of this country too.”
“Yes, my lady.”
There is no eternal happiness. If it’s going to fade someday and become ordinary happiness, I’ll cut out the best happiness in this world and put it in a frame.
“My lady, it’s almost time.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Nasanitaru’s funeral will be held from now on. It’s small for the grandson of the Temple Head, but it’s fitting for him, who hasn’t done anything in this world unlike him in the Otome Game, and it’s better than “him” not even having a funeral.
Amor’s frozen corpse still remained above the Temple. It was a stain on the Saint faction, but for the King, who wanted to treat him as having died of illness, its presence made it difficult for the Holy Church to politically interfere.
There’s no way to stop Licia, as the Saint, from participating in the “Graduation Party,” the final stage of the Otome Game, to give her blessing.
Is Elvan not coming because of his [Gift]? He never revealed his Gift to anyone until the end, but with Licia’s Gift, he can’t hate Licia.
“Now, let’s pray. For our beloved Amor and Nasanitaru.”
“…Cough.”
Carla, crouching in a dark forest that was one of her hidden bases, coughed up blood.
Carla’s enlarged Magic Stone, which possessed All-Attributes, was compressing her heart and eroding her life force, but more than that, the unreasonable actions that could be called a forced march had damaged Carla’s body.
But she was used to the pain. Suffering was normal.
She just needed to hold on to her life a little longer. She had already finished preparing for that.
Carla reached out to the “moon” floating in the night sky without even wiping her bloodstained lips.
“Ah… I feel so good…”
And so, the last and greatest “stage” begins–.
The final stage, the Graduation Party, is finally starting.
Who will be the winner!
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The threat of the Ash-Covered Princess attacking the peaceful Orc village. …Huh?
The third volume of the book will finally be released next weekend.
The first volume of the comic adaptation will also be released, but it seems that some people have already obtained it.
Please stop by the bookstore next weekend!
There is also the latest information at the end of the third volume, so please look forward to it!