Spring has arrived.
Here in the courtyard of the Chevalier family, water sparkles around a white statue of a goddess. A newly constructed fountain around it was completed just today.
Oh, this… This statue. It’s the fountain where Nigel let Iris drown in the game…
The scene Iris saw in the game vividly flashed before her eyes, and she froze. The despair on the villainess Iris’s face in the game was certainly a sight, but it wasn’t funny at all thinking it could be her.
“Right? Isn’t it wonderful? Father and I thought it would cheer you up, Iris. It’s about time for the rare black irises to bloom all over.”
Nigel gave her a bright, innocent smile, and Iris managed a smile back, though it was clearly forced.
“Iris?”
“It’s… lovely.”
She wanted to be praised just for not letting her voice crack, Iris thought to herself.
I mean, having tea while staring at my place of death? No thanks.
For now, she just nodded slightly, causing the bell around her neck to tinkle.
Just like a cat.
Annoyed but for now keeping those thoughts to herself, this choker was something Iris’s father had her wear since she was young. Her mother, too, wore a more lavishly decorated choker, joyfully as a sign of love from her father. Iris, having grown up seeing this, happily wore hers too.
Until now, it hadn’t bothered her, but it felt like a mark of ownership.
Her mother might see it as love, but for Iris, who had regained her modern sensibilities, it felt like a burden. No wonder Nigel thought to put a chain on the heroine, given he was raised in such a family environment.
“Your complexion looks much better now,” said the cheerful Marchioness Chevalier, Iris and Nigel’s mother. Around her plump neck shone a lavish choker, sparkling with real sapphires and diamonds.
“Yes.”
“Well then, shall we go to the tea party?”
“A tea party…?”
“The royal tea party hosted by the Second Prince.”
Iris caught her breath. It was the first royal tea party for thirteen-year-old nobles’ sons and daughters—a debut into the world of nobility, followed by entrance into the Royal Academy at fifteen.
Iris had been looking forward to being invited to such tea parties before she fell ill. But now, the thought didn’t excite her, knowing there was a second love interest at the palace.
Please, no! I can handle being the villainess in Nigel’s route, we’re siblings after all! But I don’t have the energy to be a villainess for someone else. Avoidance is best!
“Do I have to go?”
The Marchioness smiled gently.
“Don’t worry. Nigel will be with you. He’s good friends with His Highness, so you’ll be fine.”
Iris’s face twitched. To her mother, these were just words of pure reassurance.
“But, I’ve just recovered from my illness.”
“Oh, but you’re already getting back your strength, aren’t you? I heard you’ve resumed your physical activities.”
Her attempt to regain strength through self-defense training for ladies backfired.
“But I have scars from the pox. It’s embarrassing.”
“It’s good they didn’t end up on your face. You can hide them on your hands. I’ll make you a lovely pair of opera gloves to cover them.”
Mother doesn’t really listen, does she?
Iris gave up.
“…Thank you, Mother.”
She bowed her head quietly.
Today was the day of the royal tea party.
Iris wore elaborate white lace gloves that covered her arms, and a dress in the deep blue color that the Marquis Chevalier favored. A thick black velvet ribbon with a bell hung around her neck, and her hair was styled in a half-updo adorned with a large ribbon—a choice made by her mother, though it catered to her father’s preferences. Her mother’s concern was always to please her father.
“Iris, I want you to have this,” her father said as they were about to leave, handing her a dagger with the Chevalier family crest—a so-called kaiken.
This! This is the item used to stab the heroine! It’s appearing now? Isn’t it too early?
Iris froze.
“You are a daughter of the honorable Chevalier family. If you face any dishonor, use this to protect yourself.”
What kind of dishonor could possibly happen at a royal tea party?
I’m not about to behead someone like a samurai, right? You can’t really behead someone with a dagger, anyway. At most, you could sever an artery.
Shaking her head, Iris thought, No, no, dangerous thoughts of assassination are bad. Can’t think about doing it. Shouldn’t do it.
“Father? Isn’t this a bit much for a tea party at the palace?”
“It’s not excessive. You’ve been trained for such a situation, haven’t you? If you can’t use it when needed, there’s no point. Always be vigilant.”
Marquis Chevalier looked at his wife, who smiled back.
“That’s right, Iris. I have one too, you know? It’s a charm.”
Iris reluctantly took the dagger.
Yes, this is a charm. Not a weapon! It’s armor! As long as I don’t misuse it, I’m safe!
Iris reassured herself. Definitely must not accidentally stab someone.
They were headed to the palace by carriage. Nigel wore a safe gray suit, without any bells attached. Iris envied that.
Sigh… Today I’m sure to meet the second love interest, “The Love in the Cage” route, Prince Rezeda…
So far, she had managed to avoid him, but now, hosted by Prince Rezeda, greetings were unavoidable. Moreover, her parents had repeatedly instructed her to get on good terms with Prince Rezeda. They really did love their daughter, repeating it with gentle voices.
In the game, Iris had been Prince Rezeda’s fiancée. There was a chance that could happen again. However, suspecting that the heroine might steal her fiancé, game Iris had tormented the heroine. That path led to a bad ending where the heroine was murdered.
Prince Rezeda de Geyer, the second love interest, was a handsome man with spring-like toki-colored hair and eyes. Always sparkling a smile that anyone would like. He was kind to everyone, making one think, “What are you saying to a prince!?” Even in response to Iris’s whimsical and presumptuous attitudes, he was gentle.
He was the most popular character in the game, somewhat of a flirt. A feminist, popular because he was kind to everyone.
However, that was due to his unfulfilled heart. Intelligent, he knew he was pampered because he was a prince, and thus, he began to show a good face to everyone.
Furthermore, knowing how attitudes changed after his brother’s death made him the crown prince, he could no longer trust people who approached him sincerely. He couldn’t get attached to any particular woman, not even his fiancée.
However, the arrival of the heroine, who treated everyone equally, whether they were the prince or a townsman, shook the prince’s heart. Camille, the sacred maiden thrown into noble society, felt secure in the prince’s absolute protection and the deep love bestowed upon her. They fell in love.
In the best ending, the heroine was asked by the prince to dedicate her life to the kingdom as a sacred maiden, serving as his wife from the Prayer Tower without ever leaving. A nice form of confinement.
However, it was considered bad form for the sacred maiden to steal the fiancée and become the queen, so the heroine could not officially become the queen. Instead, Iris, who had her voice taken away, became the decorative queen. The only route where Iris didn’t end up dead.
As a queen who couldn’t speak, waiting in silence for a husband who never visited. Iris watched the happy couple with tearful eyes full of resentment. Her face was tragically beautiful. But…
Absolutely not! I hate the idea of stabbing someone or having my voice taken away!! I will never get engaged!
Getting engaged would set a doom flag. The game didn’t detail how the engagement happened, but the prince didn’t seem to like Iris that much. He was rather formal toward her.
It was probably an arrangement between families, or perhaps an engagement initiated by Iris herself.
Sorry, Father, but I’m aiming to be disliked here!
At this point, since no engagement proposal had been made, if the prince showed reluctance, it would likely not lead to an engagement. After all, the prince’s feelings would surely take precedence over Iris’s. She decided it was best to be disliked for now. That was Iris’s conclusion.
