(It’s finally here…)
Hearing the words “dissolution of the engagement” from her fiancé, Elvan, Clara felt a thorn-like pain pierce the depths of her heart, even though she knew it was coming.
The venue was filled with not only relatives of the graduates but also members of noble families with ancient bloodlines, gathered to celebrate Crown Prince Elvan’s coming of age. His sudden announcement caused a stir among the assembled nobles.
Patricia, the duchess’s daughter who was never meant to be queen in the first place, also looked pale, but she seemed somewhat relieved.
As for Carla, who seemed to be enjoying herself, understanding her feelings was something no one could easily do.
Clara had been resisting the “Otome Game” fate all along. But that chain of fate entangled her heart, turning her into the “Villainess,” and now Elvan was trying to break off their engagement, just like in the Otome Game.
But this wasn’t the “world of an Otome Game.” It was a world where people with wills lived, changed by human hearts, a world inhabited by living beings.
Clara, who had only recently regained her memories of her past life, believed that this world was an Otome Game and was convinced that it would proceed according to the game’s story.
Because of this, she feared that she would suffer a terrible fate that would cost her life and that she would die young in this life as well. Clara, in order to eliminate the “Heroine,” engaged in the same evil deeds as Clara in the game, aware that she had caused trouble for many people.
However, there were also people who stood by her side.
The former members of the Assassin Guild, whom she had initially picked up to use, believed in Clara and risked their lives for her.
Her family also had some minor misunderstandings, but unlike in the game, they were able to reconcile early on, and they understood that Clara did not want to be queen.
And…
(El-sama…)
Clara’s heart ached at the sight of his pained expression as he announced the dissolution of the engagement to them, his fiancées, at this “graduation event.”
The Clara of the Otome Game was weak-hearted. Because of her pride as a noble lady, she tried to be perfect and isolated herself, unable to rely on anyone.
Even from the current Clara’s perspective, that in itself wasn’t an evil deed. She feared that the heroine, a former orphan, would become queen and support the weak Elvan, so she took on the role of “villain” for his sake.
But there was no “love” there…
What Clara had was a sense of duty as a noble that chipped away at her heart, and that created a misunderstanding, unfortunately causing Elvan’s heart to drift away.
Clara’s aunt, the Second Queen, who had the same sense of duty and resisted in the same way, stopped at the last step, but the Clara of the game couldn’t stop.
The Clara in this life was weak-hearted. The common sense she had gained as an ordinary person in another world made Clara weak. But because she couldn’t bear the pressure of being a noble lady and showed that weakness, Elvan, who had the same “weakness,” reached out to her.
It was salvation for both of them. To those like Elena, a pure-blooded royal, or Carla, who had lived to kill, it might have seemed like an unseemly display for a noble, but for Clara and Elvan, it was their only salvation.
But because of that weakness, Elvan was ensnared by a “poison flower” disguised as a lovely bloom, and he began to distance himself from Clara out of guilt.
In the midst of that strange atmosphere, Clara clasped her hands together as if in prayer.
(Even so… I believe in you.)
＊
(It starts here…)
Elvan mustered the last of his courage and steeled himself.
As Elvan turned to face the venue amidst the murmuring crowd, the noise subsided slightly, and he began to speak slowly, as if surveying the room.
“Some of you may be wondering why I have suddenly said such a thing. …It is not the fault of my former fiancées. The reason I have come to think this way is because of the existence of ‘her’.”
The “girl” at whom Elvan directed his gaze—Saint Lichia—smiled sweetly at Elvan’s words.
The nobles, “Bewitched” by her appearance and reminded of her existence, wore expressions of understanding.
“She… Miss Alicia Melsys, entered the Magic Academy last year and has been a comfort to me, who has been troubled as a Crown Prince and as a member of the royal family. She understood the suffering that I had never told anyone about and gave me the words I had always longed to hear.”
The people became quiet and listened intently to what Elvan was saying.
The old noble families who believed that Elvan, as the eldest son, should become Crown Prince, frowned at the content but were convinced, while the noble families who had sided with Elena, considering him weak, looked dubious, and the Aristocratic Faction nodded in satisfaction.
“It’s okay to be myself as I am…. Those words, as if I were being guided, made me take notice of her.”
“El-sama…”
A murmur calling out an “affectionate name” inappropriate for this occasion, with His Majesty the King present, escaped from Saint Lichia, but the people, upon seeing Licia’s figure, felt the deep connection between the two of them before they could frown at the disrespect, and they let out a sigh-like breath.
“Even then, feeling my lack of power, Miss Alicia Melsys proposed something to me. She delved into a deep and arduous Dungeon, overcame hardships with her companions, and finally, as a result of that, I was able to obtain a [Gift].”
A commotion arose from the surroundings at Elvan’s words, [Gift].
To the general public, “Gifts” were the stuff of fairy tales, and it was said that countless heroes of the past had sought them and brought peace to the world with their power.
Had Elvan become a hero with the power of that Gift? If so, wasn’t he still the right person to be Crown Prince? Such thoughts crossed the minds of the nobles.
“And Miss Alicia Melsys also faced those hardships together, and with this achievement, she was granted the title of ‘Saint’ by the Holy Church.”
People’s gazes gathered on Licia. The image of a young Saint helping a hero came to mind, and Licia smiled slightly shyly at the people’s admiring eyes.
After hearing this much, no one could help but be convinced. Even if there were those who felt a sense of discomfort at such an unbelievable story, those doubts disappeared just by seeing the Saint’s smile.
There are stories of people demeaning someone to replace their fiancée, but Elvan was giving his own reasons and trying to dissolve the engagement with sincerity. There was no sincerity in the act itself, and the fiancées were met with sympathetic gazes, but even so, it was more likable than forcibly replacing the fiancées by taking advantage of the Crown Prince’s authority.
Everyone understood. This occasion was for the “dissolution of the engagement” and the “new engagement.”
So, who would be the new Crown Prince’s fiancée? Who would become the next Queen Consort?
From a political standpoint, it would no longer be possible to form ties with powerful domestic nobles, which seemed like a bad move in terms of domestic affairs, but if they were to form ties with the neutral faction within the country and the “Saint,” who would become a symbol of public opinion as well as the Holy Church, then even neighboring countries would have to acknowledge it.
People’s gazes once again gathered on Saint Licia, and just as she was about to take a step forward with tearful eyes, overwhelmed with emotion—
“…Clara…”
Elvan knelt not in front of Licia, but in front of the red-haired girl on the stage.
“I’m going to lose everything, but… will you stay with me forever?”
“…Yes. Yes, Elvan-sama!”
Without even wiping away the tears that streamed down her face, Clara descended from the stage and knelt down as if to take Elvan’s hand, responding to his unadorned words.
Why would she take the hand of someone who had once dissolved their engagement? Everyone in the venue was stunned by the sudden turn of events, and even the members of the royal family, who had been looking at Elvan with stern faces, faintly smiled, while a girl’s murmur escaped.
“…………What is that?”
＊
It was a faint, small voice, but it resonated more loudly than expected.
Saint Licia. If it had been the usual her, she would have noticed it immediately and been able to smooth things over, but Licia didn’t even do that and pointed at Clara.
“Why her (Clara)?! That person is not worthy of El-sama!”
Although she was a “Saint” recognized by the Holy Church, Licia’s statement demeaning a high-ranking noble caused another stir from the surroundings, but Licia smiled slightly and used the gathered attention to her advantage.
“The Holy Church has found out that that person has connections to the Underworld and used her forces to try to take my life! There’s no way someone like that can become queen!”
The gazes of the people gathered on Clara, and she felt them shrink back as the eyes that had held sympathy turned to loathing, influenced by Licia’s “favorability.”
(What is going on!?)
Licia wore a confident smile as she called out to the “devil” she had contracted.
She had become a Saint just as in the game, and had raised Elvan’s favorability to the maximum. She knew his inner darkness from the start. By using all of it and affirming him, he had danced in the palm of her hand as if it were amusing.
The power of “Bewitchment” and the existence of the “Nightmare” that Licia had obtained. With that, and that woman’s knowledge, there was nothing she couldn’t do.
For that purpose, she had used Amor and Nasanitaru as pawns, and with their power, she had even interfered with the consciousness of the people, perfectly arranging the steps for her to become the Crown Princess.
Even so, the slight feelings that remained for her (Clara) should have been perfectly overwritten by Licia’s Divine Protection and the power of the Nightmare.
Why, then, at the very end, would Elvan not choose her? As Licia was perplexed, unable to understand the reason, she heard the voice of the devil.
《–No problem–》
The devil said that he had anticipated this. Hadn’t he had that woman’s “Magic Stone” examined by the devil for times like this, and used the “knowledge” gained from it to have the Saint faction verify it, anticipating Clara’s last struggle and collecting evidence?
(…That’s right. Exactly.)
She couldn’t gather evidence for things that deviated from the game’s content, but if it went according to the game, even if the death penalty was difficult, she should be able to bring it to the point of expulsion from the country.
Clara cannot become Queen. If that happens, there is no one more suitable than Licia. From the perspective of aristocratic common sense and public opinion, if you think rationally, that’s how it should be.
But–
“I don’t know if that’s true. Some of it may be true. But if she is to be charged with a crime for that, I will bear the same crime.”
Elvan was not moved by Licia’s words, and strongly embraced the trembling Clara.
“El-sama…”
Licia narrowed her eyes as she glared at the sight of the two of them gazing at each other, and Elvan made a complicated face and bowed his head to Licia.
“…I am grateful to you. It is true that I was saved by your words, even though it turned out this way. But what I needed was Clara. Clara needed me, not as the Crown Prince, but as me. Besides…”
Elvan took Clara’s hand and looked at Licia with pity.
“You cannot become Queen.”
Those who worshiped the Saint became agitated at those words, and Licia, who frowned slightly, wore a confident smile.
This “event” was also in the Otome Game. Originally, even if she was a Saint backed by public opinion, the Heroine, who was a Viscount’s daughter, could not become Queen. As a hidden setting, the current Queen was originally a Viscount’s daughter, which caused internal affairs problems.
It was an event that might not have happened with Licia’s power of “Bewitchment” and “Nightmare,” but conversely, the occurrence of this event made her realize that the Otome Game was progressing normally. In that event, Clara would say that, but in the current situation, it was a minor difference.
“Then there is no problem. I am a daughter of the Melrose House.”
Licia took out a “ring” from her sleeve, put it on her finger, and held her arm out in front of her as if to show it off.
“My deceased mother was a member of the Melrose House, and she left this ring to me! Isn’t that right, ‘Grandfather’!”
Licia called out to Margrave Melrose, who was standing by His Majesty the King.
There is no “real” “Heroine.” It is not even known whether she is alive or dead, and if she were alive and knew her origins, there is no way that a child who was in such a harsh Orphanage would dream of the world of nobles, and there would be no reason not to come forward.
In the “knowledge” inside the Magic Stone, even the shape and color of the “Melrose Ring” that was in the game were accurately memorized.
She was surprised by the tenacity of that woman who remembered it, but because it was a game, even if there were slight differences in the shape, no one should be able to perfectly remember something from decades ago. It was the devil who made it so that no evidence would remain, but even if they felt something was wrong with it, Licia’s “Bewitchment” would cancel it out.
This power is the strongest. Even if she doesn’t match up to ordinary soldiers in battle, Licia smiled broadly, believing that she, who can obtain the power of “Bewitchment” and “Nightmare” as long as she is in a civilized society, is the “strongest.” But–
“…What are you saying?”
Belt, her “grandfather,” showed disgust at the call.
“Whether that ring is genuine. The ‘real one’ has already been found. ‘Alicia’.”
At that call, one “girl” who was by the Princess’s side came forward.
Some of the audience knew the girl. As a reliable ally, as a hateful enemy, they recognized her as a beautiful girl, but few had any feelings beyond that.
However, the girl, dressed in a velvet-like glossy black dress, with her shining pinkish-blonde hair tied up, was so beautiful that she involuntarily gasped.
Those who did not know her were also breathless at her beauty, and the older generation of nobles found the shadow of the “Pink-Haired Lady” they had longed for long ago, and narrowed their eyes as if they were seeing a phantom.
And the girl, with a dignified expression, showed off the “real ring” that was on her finger.
“I am Alicia Melrose.”
The new Heroine “Alicia” has finally announced herself!
Next time, “Condemnation”
I couldn’t reach the condemnation this time…
Book 4 is also in production! The first part is the last, Large-Scale Dungeon arc!
Look forward to it!