Chapter 3
In April, standing in front of the huge and beautiful school building.
“So big…”
As I stood in front of the huge, beautiful school building in my new uniform, I couldn’t help but let out a voice. Looking around, I saw that there were not many students who were impressed by the size of the school building, so I proceeded to the auditorium where the entrance ceremony would be held.
Today was the 301st entrance ceremony for the Royal Academy. It was also the day when the spring event, commonly known as [Spring,] would take place. Whether or not the contents had changed in the past 300 years, all of the new students already knew what would happen. The event that was held as a greeting to the new students, [Spring,] was filled with many nervous students.
I had been reading the strategy book for the past half year, and although I felt sorry for the other new students, I had a considerable advantage.
I thought that something like that might happen, but according to my mother’s notes, there was no bad ending, and there would be no deaths or countries being destroyed. Of course, for me, those things would not be considered a happy ending.
By the way, I only have three acquaintances in this Academy.
The first one is my fiancé, Prince Llewayne Huaverdon of this country. He is currently in his second year of school and last year, he became one of the top three in his class. He’s known for his good looks and is a topic of conversation, but I haven’t actually met him. Normally, if someone is your fiancé, you would have met them, but my father wouldn’t allow it. To be precise, my father said, “Why does Rebecca have to go to the Royal Capital when we’re the ones who were approached for this engagement? It’s only right for them to come to our territory.” And as a result, the Prince didn’t come.
So, I don’t have any particular feelings about him, but there is one problem.
From what I can see in the strategy book, it seems like Prince Llewayne doesn’t like me from the start. Maybe the game’s Rebecca had a crush on him and that’s why he doesn’t like her. In the character introduction page of the strategy book, it says, “Target of strategy, top three, second year, first prince with right to succession, blonde hair, blue eyes, Rebecca’s fiancé, Phantom Beast is an eagle, note: unfriendly, most popular.”
The strategy book is very clear in trying to be objective. The only downside is that you can’t see the character’s face with just text, but that can’t be helped.
As for my introduction that I am curious about, it was written as “villainess, first-year student, black hair, silver-gray eyes, sexy beauty, Phantom Beast is a white snake, note: admires the main character and interferes with them in any route.” And in the “villainess” and “note” sections, there were red lines drawn over them, as if they had been erased.
My mother wrote it but did not approve of it, I wondered how she felt about it. I was purely embarrassed by the evaluation of being “sexy.”
Getting off track, the second person I know at this Academy is my real brother, Vanderlei Slutarch. He advanced to third year this year, and apparently he was also recognized as one of the top three last year. I was surprised because I didn’t know that. He left me and my father when he was 12 and I was 10, to study under father who moved his job to the Royal Capital as the King’s right hand. Since then, we haven’t seen each other once and I didn’t even think of writing a letter when I was 10. But I was glad to know he was doing well.
In the strategy book, it was written as “target for strategy, top three, third-year student, brown hair tied back, brown eyes, talented in horseback riding and swords, Phantom Beast is a horse, note: reliable senpai.”
“That’s right, my older brother’s hair and eyes are brown inherited from our father, while mine are black, pure black, and straight. My eyes are only a transparent gray, inherited from my mother. I used to be proud of them, but now that I know the term ‘villainess,’ I can’t help but think ‘they make me look like a villain.’
No, that’s not it.
When I found out that my brother was the [target of conquest], I was shocked! But the shock I felt when I learned the scenario’s final scene was not even close to that. No matter which [route] the protagonist chooses, my brother will condemn me, along with the protagonist. The condemnation means the downfall of the Duke of Slutarch. In that case, my brother will apparently enter into the Marquis family as a son-in-law.
I was hit with an impact as if I had been struck in the head. Does this mean that in the game, my brother not only abandoned me but also our father and the Duke’s family, due to the charm of the protagonist? I couldn’t help but think that.
I’m a little scared to think of what kind of person my real brother has become. There’s also a five-year gap, and honestly, I don’t really want to see him.
The third person is Melinda, the Viscount Cuey’s daughter. She is my only friend. I love her bossy attitude.”
When I was 12, I happened to sit next to her at a play. I heard her quietly say “Hmmm…62 points” about a popular actor who was known for being a ladies’ man, and I couldn’t help but laugh. We were in the VIP seats, so I knew she was nobility, and I was happy to find out we were the same age. She doesn’t appear in the (otome)game, so she’s a safe person to be friends with.
As you can probably tell, my social circle is small. This is due to a rumor that went around at one point, saying [The Duke of Slutarch’s daughter is not loved by the Duke].
“Apparently, my father had a difficult time with my older brother when he was a baby and there was a period when he didn’t come close to me when I was born. He said, “Since it’s a girl, you have to be even more careful.” So, I was surprised that for three years, he had been patiently watching from afar, trying not to come to see me.
My father, who was a Duke and had always been quite handsome, was shot down by my mother who was originally full of jealousy. My mother herself was strong-willed and didn’t suffer much, but malicious rumors couldn’t be stopped. My mother finally succeeded in catching my father and bringing him to me when I was 3 years old. When my father was dragged in front of me, as a small child I greeted him with a smile, and he cried and was happy to change his ways.
However, rumors that have been spread do not easily disappear. I was raised as if I were wrapped in cotton to avoid coming into contact with malicious people and rumors, even though I knew it would make my world narrower. My parents couldn’t help it, they loved me too much.
