Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster: Volume 1 E-Book

Saki

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Heart
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Seitenzahl: 351

Beschreibung

Meet Mary Albert, daughter of a rich and powerful duke. With her neat silver ringlets and impeccable manners, she’s the perfect young lady. But Mary harbors an unusual ambition—her own downfall!
On the day of her school entrance ceremony, Mary realizes she’s living in an otome game she played in her past life. Not only that, but she’s the villainess who’s destined to torment the heroine, be cast out of noble society, and end her story in ruin. Most would do anything to avoid such a miserable fate, but not Mary! She cheerfully dives into the wicked role she was born to play, setting a course for catastrophe and dragging along her exasperated servant, Adi. He grudgingly assists in her schemes despite his sardonic misgivings about this whole past life business.
However, not all goes to plan. Despite her best efforts to bully and harass the gentle heroine, Alicia seems blind to Mary’s intentions, even coming to see her as a friend. What must our villainess do to achieve her dreams of doom?!

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Afterword

Color Illustrations

About J-Novel Club

Copyright

Landmarks

Table of Contents

Prologue

One day, entirely out of the blue, Mary Albert remembered everything.

Right there in the middle of the school’s opening ceremony, just as the principal capped off his long speech with a single bow, the light glinting off his bald head, awareness surged into her consciousness: this was the world of an otome game she’d played in her previous life.

The game was a classic, and as such its story was simple. Protagonist Alicia transferred to Karelia Academy, a school for young nobles, where she romanced a cast of charming male love interests throughout the course of her academic life.

Naturally, the love interests were all good-looking and highly capable, and as the game’s theme was “interclass romance,” every one of them came from the nobility. Compared to the boys, Alicia was a simple, ordinary girl, a fact which often caused her a great deal of worry and hurt. Yet despite this, armed with her positive outlook and a smile as brilliant as the sun, she ultimately ended up overcoming these hurdles and successfully courting the cast members.

On top of that, as the game progressed, the player learned that Alicia had in fact been a lost princess all along. It was the sort of tale young girls’ dreams are made of. Such stories may be a dime a dozen, but that is by no means a shortcoming. On the contrary, following certain tropes is often a surefire way to win over a specific niche market!

But it wasn’t just the story or the royal plot twist that had made the game so popular; both its graphics and mechanics were of superb quality. Eventually, it had even received a sequel as well as a fan disc for the series.

Incidentally, Mary Albert played the role of antagonist in the original game. As the daughter of House Albert, who were second in power only to the royal family, Mary was selfish, arrogant, and prone to harassing Alicia at every opportunity. She was a villainous daughter through and through.

During the climax of the game, Alicia and her chosen love interest denounced Mary, who was subsequently judged for all her wrongdoings. Alicia went on to reign as the princess, while House Albert was left in total ruin. Playing the game from Alicia’s perspective, one couldn’t help but think, “Take that!” as they witnessed these events unfold.

However tragic, such was Mary’s fate in the game: the villainous daughter’s just deserts, as it were.

Having remembered all of this in a flash, Mary’s mind was reeling in confusion. The balding vice principal droned on, and then the plainly wig-clad guidance officer droned on, but not a word from their long-winded speeches made it through to Mary’s head.

There could be no ifs, ands, or buts. She was definitely the same wicked Mary from the game—a beautiful and strong-willed, yet selfish young woman with silver hair curled into tight ringlets.

Indeed, no matter how much time the hairdresser might’ve spent trying to straighten her hair, the moment she uttered the words, “I’m done!” Mary’s locks would simply curl right back again. Such was the power of her ringlets that countless talented stylists had tossed their scissors aside in defeat. Just remembering the pain of their failure made her heart ache, yet it was unbearable to have the curls swaying around both sides of her face at all times.

Nevertheless, if this was a restriction of the game and therefore a necessary element in Mary’s villainess identity, then she was prepared to accept it, even if it was rather annoying.

Above all, Mary’s biggest issue right now was not her hair, but rather the ending that awaited her. If things progressed along the current path, her doom was inevitable. And if those stubborn ringlets that made all the hairdressers raise the white flag of surrender were anything to go by, she could not so easily avoid her fate.

Yet if all that lay ahead of Mary after her role as the villainous daughter was retaliation and ruin...then she had but one path forward.

“I shall face my doom head-on!”

“Why in the world would you come to that conclusion?!” Mary’s servant, Adi, couldn’t stop himself from quipping back at her decisive declaration.

Adi was a tall man with rust-colored eyes and short hair of the same shade, who sported a lean, toned physique that usually emanated masculinity. However at the present moment, he was emanating nothing but sheer exasperation, and his expression was sullen as he heaved a sigh.

Coming from a family lineage that had served House Albert for generations, and five years Mary’s senior, Adi typically wouldn’t have had the right to attend Karelia Academy. However, Mary had ordered him to attend as a senior student while serving her, and so the powers that be had made an exception for him. He’d been allowed in as her chaperone, and the fact that he was in attendance, clad in the school uniform, was another example of House Albert’s power and influence.

Presently, Mary and Adi sat facing one another at a table in the corner of the empty school cafeteria. Their topic of discussion was, of course, Mary’s memory of her past life that she’d remembered a few hours prior.

“I must say, my lady, the idea that we’re living in a game from your previous life is a little...”

“What do you mean, Adi? You’re supposed to be my loyal servant, but I feel like you don’t believe my words at all!”

“You are utterly correct. I don’t believe a single bit of this.”

“Admitting it without a moment’s hesitation? Very well, I suppose I can’t blame you. Even so, this is definitely the world from that otome game.”

Adi’s brows creased into a frown as he felt the growing pressure behind Mary’s earnest claim.

It was already hard to believe that such a thing as an “otome game” even existed, let alone Mary’s insistence that they were inside the world of one. If anyone else had said that to him, he would’ve laughed scornfully, or perhaps even taken them to the nearest hospital for a checkup.

With such thoughts on his mind, Adi suddenly turned his gaze to Mary.

He hadn’t noticed anything different about her today, and apart from the fact that she was talking nonsense, her tone and demeanor were the same as always. If she’d truly been reincarnated and her past memories had returned, surely there’d be at least some notable discrepancy, however tiny.

He decided to speak up. “Milady, I’d like to ask you something. What is your name?”

After a brief pause, Mary responded. “My name is Mary Albert. I am a third-year senior student at Karelia Academy and the daughter of the illustrious House Albert.”

“Bringing up things I didn’t even ask about is indeed very in character for you, but... No, hold on. What comes to mind when you think of House Albert?”

“Diplomacy, for the most part. We even have influence in other nations, and thanks to that, we get to eat all kinds of delicious foreign foods! It’s wonderful.”

“Yes, that is the answer I’d expect from you, but I suppose anyone would be able to come up with that. Let’s see... Can you tell me what you’re aiming to do this year?”

“Getting rid of my impudent servant for having the audacity to question my every word!”

“And you’ve been saying that for how long?”

“For years.”

While Mary added that this time she was serious, Adi cleared his throat as if to drown out her comment and said, “Now there’s the lady I know.”

Thus ended the interrogation, in part because Mary might have gone through with her threat if the questioning continued any longer. But more than anything, their exchange had convinced Adi that she was the real Mary Albert. Her answers added up, and most importantly, their back-and-forth was the same as always.

Adi sighed in relief, which earned him a hard glare from Mary. “I’m offended that you distrust me so much,” she told him.

“My lady, with all your talk of past lives and whatnot, I was convinced your new memories had turned you into a different person. Or that those curls of yours had finally drilled their way into your brain!”

“Hey, that last part was unnecessary!”

“That’s just how ridiculous your story sounds. But since it’s you, I suppose I’ll believe it. Still...”

Adi kept talking to pacify Mary’s glare. Although he’d decided to believe her outlandish claims, there was still one more thing he had to clarify. If they were truly part of an “otome game” as Mary said...

“Why do you want to play the villain if you know it’ll end in your ruin?”

“That’s just the way it has to be,” she answered. “I was born as Mary of House Albert, so my villainous course has been set from the start. Pits of endless despair, here I come!”

“Is that so? Well, I won’t stop you. So, what game are we supposedly inside of?”

Mary searched through her freshly awakened memories for the title. What was it? The abbreviation she did recall was Heart High, so the full title must have been...

“Oh, I remember! It was called Heartthrob High School: Maiden in Love and the Prince of Memory!”

“Ugh, what a tacky title that is... I congratulate you on being able to say it without an ounce of shame.”

“Well, it’s better than your Big Titty Academy 2: After School Class with My Slutty Teacher!”

“Wha—?! How do you know the title of that book?! Please don’t enter my room uninvited, my lady!”

“As if I’d ever want to do that! You gave it to me by mistake instead of returning the book I loaned you!”

“I’m so sorry!”

“I settled in for a nice and cozy read with tea in hand, but the moment I opened the book, my eyes were assaulted with the dirtiest sex scene ever! Just try to imagine what I felt in that moment! Those four and a half hours of my life are gone, gone forever!”

“You read it all the way through?!”

For a moment, the two of them were left gasping for air after this lively shouting match. Then, they both murmured “anyway” under their breath and returned to the main topic at hand, which was not Big Titty Academy, but rather Karelia Academy.

“So, we’re in the world of that game, and you wish to become the villainess, correct?”

“Yes. I’ll torment the protagonist, she’ll retaliate, and then I’ll fall into total ruin!”

“I really don’t understand why you’re so determined to dig your own grave, but very well. I’ll assist you.” With another sigh, Adi rose to his feet.

Mary followed suit, tightening her fist with renewed vigor. “Hello, doom! You shall soon know my name!”

In response to this enthusiastic proclamation, Adi exasperatedly lifted his own hand in half-hearted support.

Chapter 1

“Step one is to find the protagonist, yes?” Adi whispered to Mary, who nodded.

They had moved from the cafeteria onto the path leading to the school dormitories. Peeking out from behind the corner where they crouched, with Adi above and Mary below, they bided their time.

The opening ceremony had wrapped up the school day, and most students had gone back home. Those who stayed in the dormitories also returned to their rooms to prepare for the first day of classes tomorrow, while others already went out to party. As a result, there was not a soul around.

That is, with the exception of the heroine and the wondrous duo of Mary and Adi hiding behind the corner.

“I think the protagonist passed through here in the opening animation. I can’t be sure, though, because I always skipped it.”

“Please don’t skip the openings. Think of the developers’ feelings!”

“But it’s the same every time. Anyway, that’s not the point! Look, here she comes!” Mary said as she and Adi huddled behind the wall to avoid being spotted.

They watched as a girl clad in Karelia Academy’s uniform slowly approached, pulling behind her a light-brown suitcase. There could be no doubt about her status as a transfer student, as she clutched a map in one hand and looked around left and right like a lost lamb. Everything about the aristocratic academy seemed a novelty to her, and overwhelmed by the sights around her, she let out a small sigh.

“Is that her?” asked Adi.

“Yes, that’s Alicia, the protagonist.”

“Really? Wow, she’s so... I mean, she’s just...” Adi murmured, staring at Alicia in a stupor. Mary nodded to signal she understood what he was trying to say.

Alicia was adorable, simple as that. Although she was intended to be a so-called “ordinary girl,” she was the heroine of an otome game, so of course she was a beauty. Given her prettiness, it wasn’t hard to imagine that the male students would all fall head over heels for her.

Her straight golden hair, which reached to her mid-back, shone brilliantly in the sunlight, and the way she delicately arranged it with her hand was endearingly rustic. Her purple eyes complemented her blonde locks, and her lips were slightly parted as though she was picturing in her mind all that awaited her in her new school life.

“She’s terribly cute. Her blonde hair and those purple eyes are so— Wait! Purple eyes are a mark of royalty!” Adi blurted out.

“Shush! Don’t spoil the secret plot twist in the very opening scene! That’s not supposed to be revealed until the end of the game.”

“She’s the spitting image of the queen! You’d have to be blind not to notice that until the end!”

“Don’t blame me for that! Anyway, she’s coming this way. All right, time to make my grand entrance!”

Eager for her villainess debut, Mary leaped out from behind the corner, startling Alicia with her sudden appearance.

“Who are you?” Alicia asked nervously, eyes wide with shock. Her voice was sweet and girly, and she tilted her head to the side inquiringly.

It was Mary’s moment to show off her antagonistic skills. There was no time to hesitate! Alicia was about to begin her academic life with a whir of romantic affairs, and Mary had to make her aware of exactly who the enemy was.

“Um... Are you one of the students here?” Alicia questioned.

“Me? I am Mary. Mary of House Albert.”

“House Albert? Oh my! Please excuse my rudeness!” the girl cried. “I can’t believe I addressed you as my equal... I just never thought I’d meet someone from House Albert!”

“Well, you and I have lived worlds apart, so I’m not surprised you didn’t recognize me. Just the fact you asked for my name before even introducing yourself tells me plenty about the sort of place you come from.”

“I’m so sorry! My name is Alicia, and as of today, I’m officially a student at Karelia Academy. It’s an honor to meet you!”

“Oh? Did you really think I’d want to be friendly with a commoner like you? What a joke!” Mary laughed coldly, her gaze and mannerisms as villainous as could be.

Alicia gasped at first, but soon her eyebrows arched down apologetically as she whispered, “Y-You’re right...” Then, slightly louder, she continued. “I’m really sorry for being so presumptuous... B-But I was hoping I could ask you just one thing.”

“And what might that be?”

“Um, I can’t seem to find the reception area for the dormitories... Would you happen to know which way it is?” she asked in a frail, timid voice.

Mary and Adi exchanged a look.

“The reception area?” Adi spoke up. “You’re heading in the completely wrong direction.”

“R-Really?!”

“What, have you no sense of direction?” asked Mary. “I can’t believe you’re just walking around without knowing your left from your right! How impertinent.”

“I’m sorry... There are just so many buildings here, I ended up completely losing my way.”

“For student relations, you want building number two,” Adi advised. “My lady, do you recall the shortest route to get there from here?”

“Go through that building in front of you, and then by the opposite building, you’ll find a passageway that can take you there,” Mary said. “But the staff are leaving early today too, so you’ll have to hurry if you want to catch them.”

“Oh, I see! Then I’ll head off right away! Thank you so much for your help!” Alicia quickly bowed her head then turned on her heel and rushed back the way she had come. As she did, her golden hair fluttered behind her, and her suitcase clattered loudly with each step, painting the perfect image of the clumsy beauty trope.

Retracing her memories of Heart High, Mary realized that Alicia was indeed supposed to be a slightly clumsy girl. She’d been born among commoners, yet she was lively and courageous and had a smile as bright as the sun. Combining those traits with a dash of clumsiness was a tried-and-true recipe for the ideal heroine. Needless to say, Alicia’s clumsiness was rarely an actual flaw, but was instead portrayed as a merit within the game.

Mary watched Alicia’s retreating figure for a moment before snapping out of her thoughts.

“Was I villainous enough?” she asked Adi, looking up at him.

“No. In fact, you were kind to her.”

Such was his unsympathetic reply.

***

In the game Heartthrob High School: Maiden in Love and the Prince of Memory, commonly abbreviated as Heart High, Mary Albert was an aristocrat who held power and influence second only to the royalty. Born into an affluent noble family, Mary was spoiled by her parents, and her two older brothers always doted on her as well. Everyone would obey her, and nobody had ever defied her in any way. She was a selfish young lady, convinced that the world revolved around her.

Having always worn extravagant outfits, her uniform was naturally haute couture​. With all the money to spend as she liked, she truly lived as she pleased. She would take every opportunity to mock the heroine for being poor and showed off their difference in wealth wherever she went. Mary was the definition of the despicable rich person archetype, and her boasting about her wealth was even considered a regular event within the game.

“Oh, so in the game you were surrounded by riches at all times, milady?”

“That’s right. I was very arrogant, and whenever I saw Alicia’s personal belongings, I’d say that they reeked of poverty and things like that.”

“So you were a walking stereotype...”

Mary nodded in agreement with Adi, who was so dumbfounded that he couldn’t think of anything to say.

Although Mary was an aristocrat much like her in-game version—and the both of them were indeed the same person—the real Mary disliked the sort of individual she was supposed to represent. Unfortunately, the nobility of this world were mostly prideful and vain, and especially as the daughter of the influential House Albert, Mary had spoken many times to peers who acted like their parents’ property was their own.

They’d boast about having just received their nth carriage as a gift, how for their birthday they’d had a personal villa built for them, how their favorite foods were foie gras and caviar, how they’d call a first-class chef over to their house to cater their parties, and so forth... The Mary from the game would probably sympathize with them. Or even more likely, she’d follow suit and start flaunting her own wealth in turn. After all, no matter what kind of pedigree the other nobles might have had, they would surely rank lower than a daughter of House Albert, so they’d have no choice but to take on the role of listening to Mary’s bragging.

However, the present Mary had no such pride and would always turn her cold gaze on any boasting battles taking place in her vicinity. One carriage was more than enough for her, and she couldn’t see the point in having a villa that you only visited for a few days per year, or not at all once you got bored of it. As for having a personal chef, she thought it an outrageous notion to confine a person who made delicious food to just one place.

“But no matter. From now on, I must act arrogant to fulfill my duties as the antagonist.”

“Come to think of it, you were never the boastful type, my lady,” Adi pointed out. “It’s not like you hoard every expensive thing you can get your hands on, and you don’t have a personal chef either. Why is that?”

“The answer is simple. I buy what I want and eat what I want.”

“Speaking of, what would you like the most right now?”

“A certain someone’s pink slip,” Mary told him.

“I-I mean, what would you like to eat?” Adi clarified.

“You know, I just can’t seem to get my hands on that letter of termination. Or rather, whenever I start writing one, it just up and disappears! Adi, do you happen to know why these letters keep going missing?”

“No, not at all! I haven’t the slightest, faintest, foggiest idea. I think there might be little fairies living in your room who keep stealing it. Yes, that must be it.”

“Your imagination knows no bounds, I see.”

“Anyway, let’s put aside the topic of disappearing termination letters, which I have nothing to do with. Now, what would you like to eat, my lady?” Adi asked her, clearing his throat as he forcibly changed the subject.

“Something to eat?” murmured Mary. Then suddenly, her expression brightened. “Croquettes!”

“My lady, please don’t let the other nobles hear you say that,” he responded with a great sigh as he turned his gaze to the menu in his hand.

They were in the cafeteria during lunchtime, so there was quite a bit of bustle. Mary and Adi were standing in line for the food while inspecting the lunch menu. The Mary from Heart High would’ve probably cut in line, or perhaps stayed in her seat and yelled at Adi to hurry up and bring her meal.

However, the present Mary had no intention of acting in such a conspicuous manner. Rather, she looked around the increasingly crowded cafeteria and idly remarked that she should have saved herself a seat first. Unlike the Mary from the game, she had no cronies to save her a spot, nor was anyone willing to give up their seat for fear of losing power.

“You know, now that I take a proper look at the menu, these prices are extortionate.”

“I mean, that’s to be expected from a school for nobles,” Adi replied.

“Foie gras and caviar? How can they feed this to a bunch of students?” she asked with a sigh of dismay while gazing at the menu.

Indeed, as Mary had said, Karelia Academy’s cafeteria was supremely expensive, and the price of dessert alone far exceeded an average family’s daily grocery budget. The options were fittingly fancy, with an assortment of food that looked as if it had been transported straight from a first-rate restaurant. Moreover, the school had headhunted chefs from a wide variety of sectors to prepare the dishes live in front of the students, so the place truly surpassed the limits of what a cafeteria could be.

On the other hand, the customer service was so bad that they now had to stand in line for their meals. Each dish was served with great care and attention, so there could be no surprise about the wait. It was an inefficient system, which added up for the aristocracy. Speedy, cheap and tasty—only commoners are happy with such a sentiment when it comes to their daily bread. Those whose schedules are just as open as their bountiful wallets choose meals that are time-consuming, expensive, delicious, and worthy.

“It’s taking forever, as usual. They should just prepare the food in advance!”

“My lady, there you go again, saying things unbecoming of a noble. Such wonderful meals are worth the wait.”

“Excuse me? Don’t forget, I am Mary Albert. At home, I can have anything from this menu whenever I like. I would’ve never come to such a rowdy place if you hadn’t insisted on it.”

“But this is the only place where I get to eat such nice food,” Adi said, holding his tray with great excitement.

Mary sighed. What noble lady would accompany her own servant to stand in a line at the cafeteria? Oh, right, that was her.

While she was busy with her thoughts, Adi seemed to have noticed something and tapped her shoulder.

“My lady, look over there. Isn’t that Alicia?”

“What?! Where?”

She turned to look where he’d pointed and indeed spotted Alicia, who was sitting huddled in the corner of the cafeteria with an anxious look on her face. She held a small bag which was sure to have packed lunch inside, and beside her was a tray with a place setting laid out à la carte​ style, but it seemed she hadn’t touched either.

“Adi, this is it!” Mary exclaimed, her lips twisting into a smirk.

“What?”

“In the game, Alicia was poor and had to bring her own packed lunch,” she explained. “So, if I go over now...”

“Oh, I see. You can put on the villainess act and brag about your food.”

“Exactly! I’ll show off my lavish cuisine and ridicule her pathetic meal. Let’s go, Adi! Time to demonstrate the difference in our ranks! Take a look at this... My organic seafood rice bowl!”

“...”

“...”

“My lady, you can’t be serious.”

“No good, huh?”

I guess this won’t do, Mary thought as she lowered her gaze to stare at her meal ticket.

The thick writing that stated “Organic Seafood Rice Bowl” did whet her appetite, but it didn’t exactly evoke bragging rights for a young lady. It’d be delicious, no doubt, but there was no guarantee that Alicia would realize it was a dish from a foreign country, or that she’d be jealous of the meal even if she did know.

Even Adi, who often saw Mary take her meals, would ask how she could eat things like that. Once, they’d tried to reach an understanding by eating seafood spread over slices of bread. In the end, Adi had only ended up hating seafood even more.

Remembering this, yet apparently unable to bear the sight of Mary worrying over her lunch, Adi took the meal ticket out of her hand and offered his own.

“Huh? Adi?”

“I’m suddenly in the mood for seafood,” he announced. “My lady, won’t you trade with me?”

“Aren’t you always saying you can’t understand why anyone would eat raw fish? Besides, you think eating rice is a sin. You said that to my face as I was eating some! And you were glaring at me!”

“That’s because I have a principle of not talking behind another’s back.”

“Oh, but it’s fine to say it to a person’s face? Well, leaving that aside, are you really okay with trading? Can you even stomach this?” Mary tilted her head questioningly.

“I-I’ll be fine,” Adi replied with some apprehension while staring at the exchanged ticket in his hand. Without waiting for her reply, he dashed ahead.

Judging by his expression, there was no way he’d be fine, but Mary couldn’t hold back a smile at his overbearing concern. She was tempted to ask him why he was such an awkward servant, but she was certain he’d retaliate by saying he was just trying to match his mistress.

“All right, I guess I’ve no choice but to eat this.” She paused, glancing down at her new meal ticket.

In that same thick font as before, the label read: “Lamb Fillet Steak with Foie Gras Garnish.”

“Adi... You sure know how to indulge yourself when we’re footing the bill.”

“I am eternally grateful to His Grace.”

And so Mary received her new meal and triumphantly proceeded through the cafeteria.

Perhaps due to Alicia’s status as a transfer student of common origins, not a single person came within her vicinity. The corner she was sitting in was the only place in the entire cafeteria with unoccupied seats, as though she were being ostracized on purpose. No noble would want to take their meal next to a mere plebeian, after all. Yet her presence still aroused curiosity, and many students cast sneaky glances at her before lowering their voices to whisper amongst themselves.

This didn’t escape Alicia’s notice, and in response, she sunk into herself remorsefully, creating a rather pitiful sight. Adi couldn’t help but relate to her plight, having often felt a similar sense of inadequacy due to his own low rank.

In defiance of this atmosphere, Mary approached Alicia without hesitation and asked, “I hope you don’t mind if I sit here?” She’d intended it as a threat.

Both Alicia and Adi stared at her in shock.

“G-Go ahead,” Alicia responded timidly, showing Mary into her seat while Adi sat down opposite Mary in a daze.

“Oh, I see you brought a packed lunch with you. Is there a reason you’re not eating?” Mary asked Alicia, glancing pointedly at the lunch and the à la carte cutlery tray.

Embarrassed, Alicia lowered her head and murmured, “I don’t know how to. I’ve never been taught proper table manners, so I’m afraid I’ll get it all wrong...” Without knowing the proper way to eat, Alicia had chosen to hide in the corner. There wasn’t a speck of the in-game Alicia’s vivaciousness in her words.

Indeed, in a school that only nobility could attend, every single person within the cafeteria had impeccable table manners. Even the female students who gossiped away cheerfully were able to take their meals with great elegance.

The academy didn’t teach dining etiquette, as all students were expected to know already. Thus, Alicia had no way of learning, and the beautifully polished silver tableware in front of her only made her all the more aware of how much of an outcast she was.

“Hmm... I suppose a common girl like you wouldn’t have had the opportunity to learn,” Mary declared contemptuously as she lifted her own knife and fork. She slowly cut off a piece of steak and raised it to her mouth in a graceful gesture. As a daughter of House Albert, things like table manners came to her naturally.

Witnessing this elegant conduct, Alicia cast her flustered gaze back to her own silverware and cautiously picked it up. Peeking at Mary out of the corner of her eyes, she stiffly moved the cutlery towards her food. Imitating Mary, Alicia cut off a bite-size piece and placed it in her mouth. The look of utter delight that promptly colored her features was simply priceless.

My lady, this is no villainy! Instead, you’ve become her role model, thought Adi as he contested with swallowing the bite of seafood in his mouth. He kept his thoughts to himself, as it would be inexcusable for a servant to point out his mistress’s blunder... And also because he’d concluded that raw fish and rice were indeed repugnant, and he was desperate for a sip of water to rid his mouth of that fishy smell and wicked texture.

***

“Remember, Heart High is an otome game. It’s all about falling in love.”

“Right, I see.”

“The player can choose a charming male love interest and he’ll shower her with affection to make her swoon.”

“Oh, more details from your previous life? How fascinating.” Adi spoke in monotone, nodding along to Mary’s explanations while keeping his gaze on the book in his hand. Although he was Mary’s servant, his replies were entirely void of interest in what she was saying.

They were in the school library. Nobody else was using it at present, and all the staff were out running errands, so it was the perfect time for a little intrigue.

“Mary Albert is the main rival in the game, and she’s constantly getting in the way of Alicia’s love life. I should follow in her footsteps. What do you think, Adi?”

“Mm-hm, great idea.”

“Shut that book this instant or I’m going to tell father!”

“I’m listening, my lady! Is there any way I might assist you?!”

“Just what kind of hierarchy do you have going on in your head?! The discrepancy between me and my father is absolutely ridiculous! Don’t forget, I am the daughter of House Albert!” Mary exclaimed, but Adi dodged her disapproval with a smile.

“You mentioned getting in the way of Alicia’s love life, yes? How will you go about it?” he prompted.

“Trying to change the topic, are you? Fine... In any case, Alicia’s already started to raise flags. That’s a sure sign love events will trigger soon!”

Alicia was on good terms with three boys.

She was closest with Patrick Dyce, the student council president who surpassed even Karelia’s best honor students from throughout the academy’s history. He was handsome, good at both academics and sports, and possessed a historic noble family pedigree. With hair and eyes both in matching shades of indigo, even his appearance gave a princely impression. He was the game’s top catch.

Getting on his route was difficult, for his initial affection with the protagonist was the lowest of all the love interests. During their first meeting, Patrick went as far as to tell the heroine to stop being so friendly with him upon discovering she was of common origins. But it was this arctic tundra level of coolness that lit a fire within the female players’ hearts, making him the most popular character in Heart High. He also had the highest-selling merchandise out of the entire cast.

The Patrick of this world was likewise the most popular member of the student council, which was already chock full of unusually good-looking boys as it was. In fact, his popularity was unstoppable, and it would’ve been no exaggeration to claim that many young ladies of marriageable age yearned for his affections.

Patrick, along with the student council’s secretary and the academy’s physics teacher, was among the three closest characters to Alicia at present time.

That said, at the beginning of the game, all characters except for Patrick felt high amounts of likability towards the heroine and would treat her in a friendly manner no matter what. The same was true for their present counterparts, who treated everyone with equal respect regardless of their status. Most likely, the inquisitive secretary had taken an interest in Alicia and her peasant origins, while the kindhearted physics teacher couldn’t bear to watch Alicia struggle by herself, so the two of them wound up helping her out in various ways.

Considering Alicia’s character, she was progressing rather smoothly. Her relationships with the cast seemed to be more than friendly yet less than romantic, so she wasn’t rushing into any particular route just yet. She still had time to grow closer with new characters and increase her stats to move onto a specific route. Right now, she was still at the crossroads.

“I wouldn’t say she’s transcending, but she’s doing all right,” said Mary. “If she keeps this up, she’ll proceed with no problems.”

“I wouldn’t expect any less of you, my lady.” Adi nodded, impressed with Mary’s ability to read Alicia’s condition so thoroughly. “You’ve certainly done your research on her.”

“She...keeps talking to me lately. She comes over with a huge smile on her face and chats about all kinds of things. What in the world would compel her to do such a thing?” Mary muttered, and Adi turned his head away, unable to answer her.

He couldn’t just come out and say that Alicia probably thought of Mary as her friend. Subconsciously, Mary must have been aware of it too, but so long as she was aiming for her own downfall, admitting the truth would have only broken her heart.

“A-Anyway, I must do something about her three closest options!” Mary declared.

After all, the Mary in Heart High took every opportunity to get in Alicia’s way. She’d purposely seek out the target of Alicia’s affections and try to butter him up, claiming that her family background made her a perfect match for him. During a party hosted by House Albert, she’d choose the boy with the highest affection for Alicia as her own escort. In some routes, she would even get engaged to the target character. Of course, she did this with the full knowledge that said character liked Alicia and, more importantly, that Alicia liked him. She would get in their way without an ounce of pretense that she was trying to do anything else.

In the end, she’d be denounced for it all. Falling into ruin was Mary’s goal, so she had no choice but to emulate this behavior.

“Alicia’s in town today,” Mary said. “She went to thank someone who helped her out when she first transferred to Karelia.”

“Really? Did she tell you this herself?”

“Not only did she tell me, she wanted to invite me to come along with her!”

“Oh dear...”

“Stop it! Don’t give me that look or I’ll cry!” Mary yelled. “Anyway, I do recall there was some kind of game event in the town.”

But just what was it? Mary searched through her memories. She was certain there were many CG images that depicted events in the town, and Mary had something to do with at least one of them. All she could recall was that one of them depicted herself and the student council president, Patrick. He was riding in a carriage along with Mary...

“I’ve got it! Patrick and I were riding together in a horse-drawn carriage, and Alicia happened to see us!”

And just like in the game, Alicia had gone out to town today. On the way there, she would have noticed Mary and Patrick pass her by in the carriage. Seeing the two of them talk so leisurely, Alicia would grow upset at the thought that the two of them might be dating.

However, if the player proceeded with Patrick’s route, they’d soon see that this was but a groundless fear. In reality, Mary only wanted to discourage Alicia, and she had lured Patrick into the carriage in a semi-threatening manner. The specifics of her scheme weren’t mentioned, but it was likely that she used her family lineage as a shield. She might’ve said something like, “You realize which has the higher standing between our two families, yes?” And in response, Patrick would have no choice but to nod and quietly go along with her.

“I see. That’s certainly one way of hindering her,” Adi agreed.

“Right? Okay, I’m going to do just that and invite Patrick to town with me!”

Thankfully, Mary and Patrick were already acquaintances. They both came from prestigious families, and they had spoken formally to each other during social events before attending the academy. In fact, Patrick had even acted as Mary’s escort on occasion, for due to their respective high standings, House Albert and House Dyce had been on amicable terms for generations. Not to mention, both Mary and Patrick possessed sublime good looks that would make anyone green with envy.

“I’ve known him for a long time, so I’m sure he’ll come along if I tell him I want to discuss something in my carriage,” Mary explained.

“A carriage, you say? Er, my lady...”

“What is it?”

“We cycle to school.”

“...”

The chilling silence that followed almost seemed to ring throughout the quiet rooms of the library.

“I forgot!” cried Mary, crumpling to her knees. Such a gesture was entirely unbefitting of a young lady, but it certainly conveyed her sense of utter hopelessness. “Who?! Who would be so cruel as to demand that the daughter of a noble family second only to the royals should cycle to school?!”

“As you’re well aware, it is by your own decree,” Adi replied.

“But when you’re riding a carriage, you have to go through the main roads, so the journey takes fifty minutes! On bicycles, you can cut through the smaller paths, so it only takes fifteen! That’s a huge difference, you know!”

“True, there are quite a few narrow roads around here that carriages can’t fit through.”

“It’s so inefficient! It’s complete nonsense!” Mary despaired while Adi sighed and nodded in agreement.

To reach the school from House Albert’s stately mansion via their grand carriage would necessitate a large detour through an area with an intricate network of pathways. Moreover, many students were dropped off at the academy gates, so getting off the carriage was a time-consuming hassle.

Meanwhile, if they cycled instead, they could leave through Albert Manor’s back gate where the bicycle parking space was located, race through the pathways, and park in the academy’s courtyard.

But cycling was purely a commoner’s mode of transport. While the poor fidgeted around on their scanty bicycles, the wealthy nobles would usually ride along in their carriages. The notion of a refined young lady having to pedal a bicycle with her own two legs was utterly absurd.

“Villainess Mary would never be caught dead riding a bicycle, no matter how efficient it may be,” Mary mused.

“Your Ladyship, I have been trying to tell you this for the past three years of us cycling to school, but no normal noble lady would do this either,” Adi commented.

“Ah, so that’s why our school doesn’t have any bicycle parking. It’s all so clear to me now.”

“So, what should we do regarding Patrick?” asked Adi. “Would you like me to return to the mansion and arrange for a carriage?”

“No... I’ll just invite him to ride with me.”

“Ride a bicycle?!”

“Yes, a bicycle! He may very well refuse me, but I shall not go down without a fight!” Mary proclaimed while Adi swallowed down an exasperated response.

This was the student council president Patrick they were talking about. A horse-drawn carriage was one thing, but there was no chance he’d accept such a destitute mode of transport as a bicycle. This could only mean one thing... Mary was prepared to face an honorable death, and Adi could do nothing but remain silent and pick up her bones in the aftermath.

And thus, while Adi was putting up her tombstone in his mind, the click-clack of Mary’s determined footsteps echoed down the corridor.

***

“We’re actually doing this...” Adi murmured as he pedaled the bicycle.