Hello everyone. I am a former Japanese person who was reincarnated as the “villainess Marlene Benedikta Eiraus” in the otome game “Can the Baroness Dream of True Love?”, or “Yumeai” for short, which is currently on sale.
However, I don’t know much about this game. It’s just that my coworker at work is hooked on this game, and during lunch breaks, they talk to me about it, saying things like “Yesterday, I progressed to this point,” or “The heroine is cute, but she’s a troubled girl who lives in her own world and doesn’t see what’s around her.”
So, I listen to them and have some knowledge about it. Oh, and also, I’ve seen the TV commercial for “Yumeai” a few times on TV.
Speaking of that TV, just before I was reincarnated (estimated), I was in my room eating potato chips and watching a program about visiting luxury mansions.
“Wow, it looks expensive,” “It’s so luxurious,” “They even made a dog run in the garden.
How big is it! My room is in a rundown apartment building that’s over 50 years old.
If they have so much land, they should build affordable and clean rental housing!” I shouted. Then, during that program, the commercial for “Yumeai” came on.
There was a glamorous beauty with long, flowing red hair and blue eyes who laughed loudly, saying “Ohohoho!” As soon as I thought, “Oh, this must be Marlene, the my coworker’s favourite villainess,” the room shook.
Oh no, an earthquake! Is it a direct hit!? Before I could even think that… Crunch. Of course, I didn’t hear that sound, but it felt like it. Maybe the building collapsed, and I think I was crushed to death…I don’t remember much about that, though.
But I felt like I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, and when I opened them, I was in a much more luxurious room than the mansion I saw on TV earlier. There were glittering chandeliers made of gold and crystal glass.
The huge bed had a canopy, and the cat-legged sofa had luxurious embroidery all over it. The dresser was also luxurious.
I peered into it and saw Marlene, the villainess I had just seen in the commercial, reflected in the mirror! I couldn’t help but slap my own face. Wow…what a beautiful woman. She had a wide and distinct double eyelid.
Even without makeup, her face was quite beautiful. Her skin was…even though she didn’t wear foundation, it had a translucent and sparkling quality, as if she had sprinkled pearl powder on it.
Her lips were plump and glossy! She was truly a villainess with a flashy face! She was so beautiful that I couldn’t help but admire her…but wait, that was now my own face! It’s unbelievable that I, who had an average Japanese face, was reincarnated as a beautiful woman with such distinctive features…
“Oh dear, this is no time to be impressed. You see, I have been reincarnated as the villainess Marlene. This means that eventually, the second prince, Gied Waldemar Gehardt, who is engaged to me, Marlene, will fall in love with the Baroness and break off our engagement, leading to my condemnation, hanging, or some other terrible fate… like being hung by the neck, which is just too much to bear.
Apparently, if the pressure is applied correctly, one can lose consciousness within five seconds and die relatively painlessly. But if the rope used to hang you is too short and you don’t suffer from cerebral ischemia, you’ll experience excruciating pain due to suffocation… which is just too awful.
If I have to die, I’d rather live to be a hundred and die of natural causes… or just pass away in my sleep. Tatami mats don’t exist in the world of otome games, so I suppose I’d like to die on a bed at least… but really, I don’t want to die so soon after being reincarnated. If I may express my hopes, I’d like to be proposed to by a wonderful man and become a happy bride.
After all, in my previous life, I died without ever having a boyfriend… And even though I’ve been reincarnated as a villainess, I’m still a high-spec beauty, so it’s only natural that I would want to live a life where I catch a wonderful husband and shout “yippee!” with joy! I don’t want to be the villainess who is killed for the sake of the true love between the heroine and the second prince… and especially not by hanging!
Oh no… I don’t want to die such a gruesome death. Poison or a guillotine would be better, but still not ideal… Really, I don’t want to die at all! Anyway! No matter how I die, I don’t want to die soon after being reincarnated! I’m not joking. I absolutely refuse such a future! I will definitely live a long and happy life this time around! I’m looking for a wonderful husband! Ideally, I hope for a reliable, older man, and I want to live a lovey-dovey, yippee-filled life! Please, God, grant my wish!” In her previous life, she had a short life, so she wants to live longer. She wants to rely on a kind husband and live with him.
So, she tried her best! She tried to maintain a good relationship with her fiancé, and she even donated to orphanages and convents in case of an emergency, working to improve the living conditions of the orphans and nuns who lived there. She used her high-spec villainess skills to develop her magical abilities, and she studied hard, using all the knowledge from her previous life. She tried every possible countermeasure she could think of. But the power of the game was terrifying…
No matter how hard I try, my relationship with my fiancé, Lord Gied , worsens, and even though I haven’t done anything, the heroine, Whipke, cries to Lord Gied and complains that I’m bullying her. Furthermore, Whipke isn’t aiming for a harem end, she’s only interested in Lord Gied’s route. I had considered a strategy of coordinating with all the villainesses in each route if Whipke were going after a harem end and trying to romance all the targets, but with Lord Gied’s being the only choice, that strategy won’t work. I’m starting to feel like it’s hopeless…Being a villainess is like playing on hard mode.
No matter how hard I try and work tirelessly, no matter how many good deeds I do, everyone around me just drifts away from me according to the scenario. …Oh, will I die young again? It’s so sad. Maybe even if I reincarnate, I’m fated to die young repeatedly? Noooo!
“…But wait. Both Lord Gied and the heroine Whipke…they fall in love according to the scenario and everyone around them recognizes it, and they look down on me as a villainess…But in reality, I’m not actually bullying the heroine or anything as a villainess according to the game. Despite keeping my distance and not interacting with her, somehow, all the bad things that happen to her are blamed on me.
I’m the only one who’s not following the game’s scenario. The game’s force only works in my immediate surroundings, and only I can resist the game’s scenario.” I think.
I myself am not bullying the heroine according to the game’s scenario. That’s a fact. “I’m not following the game’s actions. I’m simply not taking part, but I’m being blamed for it anyway…” I think. “Then…if I’m pushed to a situation where I can’t possibly bully the heroine, I can become a victim and be recognized as one by those around me…
The reason why everyone thinks of me as a ‘villainess’ is because of my high status as a duke’s daughter and second prince’s fiancée. I have excellent intellect and am a magic user. And above all, I’m beautiful. Those who are blessed are perfect as villains. And those who are not are easy to sympathize with…That’s the reality, isn’t it?” I stare at my own hands. Beautiful nails polished by my maids. Unblemished white hands. I tightly clasp them. “I’ll do anything to avoid being hanged. Fortunately, I was reborn as a duke’s daughter. I’m not in financial trouble, and I can hire as many attendants as I want. Yes, I can do it. I’ll show them!”
And so, when I sat down for breakfast with my father, Duke Eilraus, I made a request.
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Message from author:
Hello everyone. This is a short story, so I hope you can read it.
It will be concluded in seven chapters.
