Chapter 2
The Royal Academy is a boarding school for noble children to learn about what it means to be noble by living and eating together for three years.
It allows students to acquire various education such as politics, magic, and manners when they turn 16, but it is not limited to academic study alone. The nobles of this country fight. To protect the people and eliminate enemies that threaten the king, they gather soldiers and swing their swords themselves in the event of war. Therefore, this Academy also emphasizes combat ability using weapons and magic, and focuses on practical skills.
There are two major features of this Academy, which is an insurmountable gate that no noble from Baron to Duke can avoid.
One is the existence of 16 [titled people].
The other is the existence of four [events] that greatly affect the acquisition of the title.
At the end of each year, titles are given to 16 students from the school. In a combined year of all students, three boys and three girls are the [top three]. And then, five boys and five girls are given [top five].
Those who hold this title are granted privileges in the Academy and after graduation, as well as favor from the king and desired positions. It is a coveted thing that about 2,000 general students yearn for.
The presentation of titles is at the end of the year. In other words, students in the third year will graduate about two months after receiving the title.
Graduating as a holder of a title is particularly honorable, and last year two of the top three and six of the top five received this honor. Therefore, there are currently eight holders of titles at the Academy.
To earn a title, you must show extraordinary talent in various fields during the year and impress the teaching staff.
The stage for this is the [event] held in spring, summer, autumn, and winter in addition to everyday school life.
There are minor changes every year, but the content has not changed much. The 300-year tradition is also the number of years since the founding of the Huaverdon Kingdom. It is a good story that anyone of noble birth can understand, regardless of generation.
In this way, the experiences and knowledge gained by striving against each other are used to make everyone happy as nobles.
“Nobles should save the weak, protect the weak, and crush the weak.” These are the words of the 116-year-old Principal.
***
My name is Rebecca Slutarch, and I am entering Royal Academy this spring. I came from a wide and abundant territory far from the Royal Capital.
I lost my mother half a year ago. She was a kind and strong mother who fought her illness for many years. I only found out that my mother, who was the daughter of the Marquis family, had an atmosphere that was different from normal on the day before she died.
“Listen calmly, Rebecca. Your mother is a reincarnator. This world is called an otome game.”
She said that there was an otome game called Royal Academy where the protagonist falls in love with [good-looking guys].
She said that this world is similar to that game and that a protagonist-like [rare healing magic talent of a commoner’s daughter] has also been discovered.
She said that —— I am a [villainess].
Here, my mother hugged me again. It was a gesture that had become natural in the past year.
“Your mother, father, and brother all love you, Rebecca. It’s okay. Because your mother guarantees that you are a completely different person from the girl in the story.”
My mother never lied to me. Even if my mother’s story was absurd, if I saw the strong shine in her eyes, my heart would not doubt that it was a lie. I could easily believe in my mother’s love and the otome game.
After nodding strongly, I buried my face in my mother’s chest. Her voice, choked with tears, said that it was unbearable for her to die, leaving me to throw myself into the game that started at the Academy.
“When you were born, I realized what was happening. I’ve done many things to change the scenario. I tried to give you a different name, break off your engagement to the prince, and try to make you live a little longer. Mostly it didn’t work out.”
I wonder if we should call it the [force of the scenario]. My mother said with a bitter smile.
I felt a chill run down my spine. If the story didn’t change… because, as my mother told me, the final act of that game was…
“But there were certainly things that changed. Your relationship with your father and brother, your feelings for your fiancé, friends you made unintentionally. And most of all, Rebecca, the fact that you grew up to be such a wonderful girl.”
My mother smiled. It was a smile that seemed to show genuine happiness. It was her habit to brush my tear-stained face with her fingers when she tried to calm me down before I started crying.
So I took a deep breath and, despite my voice still trembling, asked only one thing.
“Mother, do you… regret giving birth to me?”
The end game is the exoneration of Rebecca’s crimes by the protagonist and all the targets for capture, the breakup of the engagement with the prince, and above all——the fall of the Duke of Slutarch.
It’s not just me. I can’t apologize to my family, servants, and ancestors. I was most afraid of that.
My mother held my hand.
“It’s natural. And be reassured. The end will always change. I wrote this thinking it would help.”
My mother gave me a notebook. There is some kind of pattern written in a circle on the cover.
“Mother, what is this?”
“It’s a [strategy book]. I compiled everything I remember in chronological order. It’s a little biased towards the protagonist’s perspective, but I think it will be useful for getting around. The [Secret Mark] written on the cover is [Japanese].”
My mother, who smiled mischievously, did not return home the next day.
Although we talked so much yesterday, I guessed that this was also something decided by [scenario]. When I thought that, anger welled up inside me.
I won’t lose. I will never follow a scenario that kills my mother. For my mother who loved me, I will definitely make happiness. I wiped away my tears and swore.
As my mother said, “You’ll be thought of as having gone mad,” I didn’t tell my father, who came rushing from the Royal Capital the next day and embraced me, about this.
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