“Yes. Especially when it comes to Prince Jeord.”
Ah! To be aware of dangers in one’s surroundings! But why would Keith suddenly talk about being aware of any dangers when I’m around Jeord? I was already very aware of Jeord to begin with. Cautious, perhaps.
“Don’t worry! I’m all about sensing danger when it comes to Prince Jeord!”
“...Really, Big Sister? To be honest, it does not quite come across that way...” Keith replied, appearing somewhat incredulous at my proud response.
“Things are perfect, yes! I am absolutely prepared to call off the whole engagement at any time! I even told him just now that I would do so, that I would never get in the way of his true love... I told him, I did!”
“...How is that... perfect, Big Sister? No... This would not do at all. Did you not see what happened just now? How could you be... saying...” Keith’s expression became even more intense as he started rapidly muttering to himself.
Hmm? Is my situational awareness really that lacking? Then... “If that is not enough, I could even prepare documents, you know? To call off the engagement and such. And then all I would do is to show them to Prince Jeord...”
“No! No you must not, Big Sister...! If you provoke him any further... there may be no telling what he would do... what he would, really do...”
What is Keith going on about? I truly had no idea... Keith, however, took great pains to warn me against being alone with Jeord at any point in time.
But yes, of course, Keith did have a point. If I were to meet with him in private and he exiled me there and then, I would be in a lot of trouble. In any case, the protagonist still had not showed up yet. I’m still doing all right... I think...
And so I eventually finished my dance with Keith, who had now adopted quite a strange expression. He was still muttering himself. Next in line was apparently Alan, who had just finished his dance with Mary.
Alan casually stuck out his hand in my general direction. “Looking less shabby today, huh?” he said.
Is that even a compliment? In any case, I suppose I should thank him. “...Thank you very much.”
Alan, of course, attracted many passionate gazes from the women on the dance floor — just like Jeord and Keith before him. From what I had heard, the youthful prodigy and genius in music was supposedly sponsored by many older, female patrons. These older women would say things like... “Oh, but that change in personality when he’s performing... and how he is when he’s not... I can’t get enough of it!” I had no idea what they were going on about, as usual.
Alan’s fiancée was, of course, none other than Mary, an upstanding noble lady who was acknowledged by many. Rumors said that even Alan’s fans wish the two of them well. They did pretty well for themselves, if I may say so, unlike what the rumors about me and Jeord... something about how we “never got along, other than on the grounds of our stations.”
While Alan was a lot more brusque and rough in how he was leading the dance compared to Jeord or Keith, he truly was a genius of music — his sense of rhythm was impeccable. The elegant movements were in stark contrast to how Alan usually was. He now seemed more like an adult than ever.
Is this the difference in demeanor that the older ladies were speaking of? Hmm. Probably not quite... This was all a bit much for me to understand. Maybe I will when I get a bit older?
Well, technically I’m mentally seventeen or so... and then there’s the fact that I’m now fifteen... so I’m adult enough, no?
...Maybe it’s just my body limiting my consciousness! Yes, it has to be that! There’s no way I could be a hopeless child who will never grow and mature! Yes, Katarina, let us just believe in that, I thought, encouraging myself to the best of my ability.
“Oi, you... what’s with this spot on your neck?” Alan asked, as if noticing something.
“On my neck?”
“On the side, right here. It’s a little red.”
“Ah, that. Well, I was bitten by a bug just now, unfortunately...”
“A bug? A bug indoors?”
“Yes, it is by no means a completely sealed space. It probably crawled in from somewhere.”
“Is that... so.”
Is this bug bite of mine so eye-catching? I had to make sure to apply some sort of bug-warding spray the next time I attended any kind of dance party. Actually... did this world even have bug sprays of any kind?
“Even so... you really do look different than usual...” Alan said as he took a good look at me.
“Yes — my family’s servants spent the entire day doing me up and tidying my hair... and all that.” Even I couldn’t help but think that the servants were exceptionally skilled the first time I looked into that mirror. “They did quite a lot, you know. Scrubbed me all over, fixed my dress a countless amount of times... They even took pains to deal with my underwear...”
“...Oi!!” For some reason, Alan saw fit to interrupt me as I was extolling the virtues and skills of my family’s servants.
“What is it?”
“Don’t ‘what is it’ me! You’re a lady, aren’t you? And yet you... at this place, talk about un... under... underwe...” Alan, whose face was now beet-red, seemed to be saying something, but I couldn’t catch that last bit.
In fact, he was red all the way up to his ears, and his breaths were erratic and heavy. Is he tired from all the dancing? Less stamina, maybe, when it comes to this sort of thing? Unexpected... Or maybe he’s not used to the place?
Alan didn’t seem all that well by the time we finished our dance... And next came the devilishly alluring Count Nicol. Many eyes were trained on him as well — both men and women. Although he was already enrolled in the academy, being a year older than me, he had decided to make time to show up at my party.
Elegantly, Nicol held out his hand elegantly, and soon I was in yet another dance. “You look wonderful, Lady Katarina.”
“Th-Thank... you. Very much.”
A familiar, bewitching smile flitted into his features, and as soon as it did, sighs of admiration could be heard from the individuals around us. Having interacted with Nicol all these years, I was used to the sight of him smiling, bewitching or not — but I imagine these other people weren’t that fortunate.
“Master Nicol is smiling... ever so faintly!” I could hear the whispers in the crowd. The Alluring Count. A truly terrifying existence. I could imagine how he would walk about in the academy, entrancing students left and right.
Even so, Nicol’s lead was elegant, and most polite. Although he did have an alluring air about him, he was really a gentle and caring brother on the inside. He stuck out from the other potential love interests of Fortune Lover. In fact, if I ever had a chance to go back to my previous life and play this game again, I would definitely explore his route first.
As I continued dancing with Nicol, I thought to ask him more about his life at the academy. “Master Nicol, how do you feel about your life at the academy?”
“There have been no issues to date.”
...Ah. As usual, our conversations didn’t seem to go very far. Although Nicol had opened up to me and seemed to be always acting in my best interests across the years, his silent demeanor had remained constant.
“...Um... have you made friends? Anyone you are close with, perhaps?” I said, deciding to push on with my endeavor.
“...To a certain extent, yes.” Nicol replied, after giving my question some thought. It almost seemed like he had to think quite a bit to answer... well, it was probably nothing to be concerned about.
“Well... Then have you found anyone you like, perhaps?”
Although Count Nicol was an impossibly alluring individual, charming men and women alike, I had not once heard rumors of him expressing romantic interest. This was the perfect chance for me to ask more questions — for Sophia’s sake, too, since she did love her brother so much. I had asked my question somewhat casually, but...
“...”
Did Nicol suddenly just go silent? E
h? Was it a question I shouldn’t have asked...?
Hmm... what should I do. What should I say next? I started to... panic.
“...Yes. I have,” said Nicol abruptly.
“EH?!” Surprised, I stared straight at Nicol. Sure enough, a very slight blush was now present on his face.
So... should I take this as a “yes”? That he does indeed have someone he likes? Although I was the one who asked the question to begin with, I really was not expecting that he would answer in such a fashion.
In fact, Nicol wasn’t close with anyone else barring the usual group at my manor. Did he find someone he likes after enrolling into the academy? Hmm.
“Would that be someone at the academy?” I asked.
“...No, not quite.”
Huh? No? Then who could it possibly be? “Um... well then. May I ask who it is...?”
“...That... I— I cannot answer.”
“...Eh...”
“It is someone I should not be thinking of, in truth. However... I am always wishing for their happiness.”
“...”
The fact that Nicol had someone he likes is already surprising enough — and now I’m told that it’s someone he shouldn’t be thinking about?!
Is this... f-forbidden love?! Who is it? Some noble lord’s wife... or perhaps even a man?!
Ah, to think that my lighthearted question would bring forth such a heavy response. I would have never expected this... that Nicol would be after someone else’s wife... or a man...
Perhaps it’s nothing quite like that at all, but then there’s the possibility that Sophia has just said nothing about it...
“I am sure that something will work out for you, Master Nicol,” I said, hoping to ease his worries over this supposedly forbidden love of his. Nicol, however, merely smiled in response — a slightly troubled smile, at that.
And with that, Nicol and I finished our dance, with the former seeming a little worse for wear after the whole thing. Mary approached me with a smile almost immediately after.
“My heartfelt congratulations, Lady Katarina. You are most beautiful today, truly,” Mary said, looking at my made-up appearance that had taken the utmost dedication and skill of my household’s servants to prepare. Mary, in contrast, was truly breathtaking in her own right — compared to my villainous appearance that had taken half a day to mask.
“Lady Katarina... Congratulations.” Emerging from behind Mary was Sophia, who was pretty enough to give Mary a run for her money. With these two by my side, and yet everyone telling me how beautiful I look all this time... Hmm? Maybe I am somewhat pretty after all.
But alas, that was when I caught myself engaging in these silly thoughts. Yes. Good that I shelved those thoughts quickly. If I kept that up, I would have gone off and did something silly again.
“If I were a man, I would be able to dance with you too, Lady Katarina...” Mary said as she adorably puffed out her cheeks in exasperation.
“I would have liked to dance with you too, Mary,” I said with my best smile.
“REALLY?! Well then, perhaps we could dance later... in secret...?” Suddenly, a most audacious suggestion from my friend Mary.
“Eh? Well, sure, but I don’t quite know how to lead a dance...” If I were dancing with Mary, my mental image suggested that I would be the one doing the leading — typically the man’s part. Unfortunately, I was hardly capable of such a thing. In fact, it was already considerably difficult for me to get the lady’s part right in the first place... However...
“Not to worry, Lady Katarina! I had prepared myself should such an event come to pass! I know the gentleman’s dance steps too!”
Ah. As expected of Mary, a shining example of the ideal noble lady. To think that she is capable of even leading the dance... she really is on another level.
While I didn’t quite understand what Mary meant by her “preparations,” I could only assume that she spent her days preparing for a wide variety of activities in general.
“Well then... perhaps we could, after all this, in secret?” I said. I supposed two girls dancing in the midst of all these guests would cause some gossip — it would be better for us to have our fun towards the tail end of the party.
“Yes... I would be most glad to, Lady Katarina,” Mary said, beaming. However, a voice of dissent soon rose from next to her.
“Uu... I want to dance, too...” For some reason, Sophia was sulking quite intensely where she stood. Did Sophia want to dance with Mary, too? I suppose she could have her turn after Mary and I were finished.
And so Mary and I had our dance towards the end of the party. In fact, Mary was very good at what she did. Sophia too, was somewhat vocal about wanting to dance with me as well — and so I obliged, although I probably bungled more steps than I should.
And with that, I peacefully turned fifteen, without further incidents or mishaps.
With the onset of winter, the countdown to enrolling in the academy began. The curriculum spanned two years, so given that I had to stay in the dormitories on the grounds for that duration, I had to prepare the relevant items and luggage to take with me.
Since I was the eldest daughter of a duke, most of these preparations were done by the servants of our household. But of course, I didn’t feel like it was fair to have them do all the work.
After all, all the servants packed were things like dresses and brooches, jewels and other things like that. For instance, none of my romance novels or farming implements were included! As such, I decided to start packing my own bags.
On another note, five servants from my household, including my personal maid, Anne, would follow me to the academy. Although I told my parents that I could handle myself fine and didn’t need servants, I was told that it was unbecoming for the daughter of a duke to say as such.
In the end, I was made to take five servants with me — the lowest possible number. However, I was worried about one amongst their number.
To be precise, I was concerned about Anne, who had been by my side since I was eight. Anne had been taking care of me these past seven years, and was eight years my senior. That would make her twenty-three years old.
Although she would have been considered young in my previous life, it would seem that women in this world were expected to marry early — someone who married at, say, twenty-five, would be considered late.
While Anne was my family maid, she was also actually the eldest daughter of a Baron. Apparently the lower-ranked aristocrats and nobles of this world sent their daughters off to higher noble houses to learn the ways of the world while earning their keep. So many of these less noble families had the habit of sending out their eldest daughters to serve as maids — a sort of internship, I suppose.
Accordingly, many maids in my personal entourage came from such backgrounds. As expected, they were quite the noble ladies, evidently raised with care. For instance, they screamed when I climbed trees, and promptly passed out when I caught snakes. As a result, most of these maids didn’t last very long at all, and quite a few of them had to leave our service. My mother, of course, gave me quite the earful every time it happened.
Amidst all that, however, Anne, who always remained by my side with her little snippets of advice and criticisms, was a truly important person to me.
The message from Anne’s family actually arrived a few years ago — one discussing her marriage. This made me panic, of course. If Anne left her position, yet another new maid would faint upon witnessing me climbing trees and the like. I couldn’t picture how my life would be without her. And so in my panic, I did the first thing that came to my mind...
...Which was to approach Anne’s father, who had arrived at the manor to bring his daughter back for the marriage. I dramatically lowered my head and pleaded desperately, “Please, I need Anne by my side, I absolutely do!”
Upon witnessing this, Anne’s father was stunned, his expression frozen. And yet, I did succeed in convincing Anne’s family to allow her to remain with me. Perhap
s pleading can pay off after all.
In other words, I had successfully cancelled Anne’s wedding arrangements. When my mother found out about the entire affair, I predictably got into my fair share of trouble...
Anne, however, simply laughed and forgot about the whole thing. And so I ended up accepting Anne’s kindness for what it was, and I had her stay with me all this time. Anne was now twenty-three years of age, however, and even I felt bad about making her stay this long.
As such, I decided that Anne would return to her estate after I enrolled into the academy. Or at least, I thought that would be the case...
“If I were gone, Young Miss, where would you find someone who would take care of you? Of course I will be accompanying you to the academy,” Anne said.
Honestly speaking, I was overcome by a feeling of deep unease when I thought about having to go to the academy alone without Anne by my side, and slowly waiting for any Catastrophic Bad Ends to creep up to me. So in the end, I humbly accepted Anne’s kindness once more, and agreed to have her accompany me on my travels.
Thank you, Anne. Truly.
“Young Miss... if I may ask. What exactly is this?” Anne asked as she pulled out some gardening overalls from my pile of luggage.
“Ah, that? My gardening overalls, of course.”
“Gardening...? Young Miss... correct me if I am wrong, but do you intend to grow crops and till fields in the academy as well?”
“But of course, Anne! After all, if I stop farming and gardening for two years, I’ll never become a good farmer!” I replied, full of confidence and vigor. Anne, however, looked as if all the strength had been sapped from her being at once.
“...But... Young Miss, why would the daughter of a duke ever become a farmer, of all things...?”
“Just in case certain cases comes to pass, Anne!”
“And what exactly are these cases?! Please, Young Miss. Do not tell me that you intend on bringing your hoe as well.”
“Yes, that too! After all, there is no guaranteeing that I’ll be able to find one at the academy.”
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Volume 1 Page 20