Chapter 5

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From here on, it is Elizabeth's memory――――.

Just a little before she realized she was Elizabeth…

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She realized she had been reincarnated when she was five years old.

It was when she was playing by the lake.

"Mother! Father!"

From the boat rowed by the servants, Elizabeth waved her hand towards the shore.

Her mother, holding a parasol with intricate embroidery, watched her intently.

The beauty of her mother, who could sometimes be intimidating, was undoubtedly something Elizabeth had inherited.

Beside her, her father, who was a duke but somewhat unreliable, smiled gently.

Elizabeth was born into the Fontini Duke family, one of the most prominent noble families in the country.

There were many servants, and the estate and mansion were incredibly vast, allowing for a life of luxury.

Today, other close noble families were also present, but everyone was quietly observing the Duke's family, trying not to stand out too much.

The class system of nobility was almost absolute in this country.

"Wow, there are fish! Go over there!"

Seeing fish jumping in the lake, Elizabeth naturally gave orders to the servants.

The boat slowly turned.

"Oh, they jumped again! Hurry! Faster! They'll get away!"

Perhaps it was the fault of the new servant who was not used to handling the boat, or perhaps it was her fault for standing up in excitement.

In any case, the boat's turning speed increased and it swayed violently.

Despite this, five-year-old Elizabeth was still laughing and enjoying herself――――.

"Whoa..."

Just as the boat's swaying became even more intense, her vision suddenly tilted, and she instinctively closed her eyes.

The boat, unable to withstand the swaying, capsized, throwing Elizabeth and the rower into the lake.

With a loud splash, she fell into the water.

She slowly, very slowly, sank to the bottom of the lake...

It was neither painful nor uncomfortable. On the contrary, her body felt light and comfortable.

――――Hadn't this happened before...?

So, she wasn't afraid.

――――It's beautiful...

She gazed at the sun visible through the surface of the lake.

"Someone, save Elizabeth!"

She heard her mother's voice, which she had never heard before, in a state of panic.

Naturally, there was a commotion on the shore.

After all, the young daughter of a duke had fallen into the lake.

Elizabeth watched this as if it were happening to someone else.

At that moment, she really felt like half of her was someone else.

"Miss Elizabeth!"

The servant who had fallen from the boat with her reached out to save Elizabeth.

But she was pulled back.

――――Help! I'm drowning!

Suddenly, Elizabeth, who had been calm until now, clung to the servant in a panic.

"Be careful when you approach the boat, quickly. Don't get too close and hit it!"

She could also hear her father's stern voice giving orders to the servants.

Then――――.

Despite the struggle, the servants managed to pull Elizabeth back onto the boat.

"Elizabeth! Oh, Elizabeth!"

As soon as they reached the shore, her mother, who had been watching, snatched Elizabeth from the servant and held her.

Elizabeth had swallowed a lot of water during the struggle and was now dazed.

"Elizabeth! Stay with me! Elizabeth!"

"Cough, cough... Mother..."

Being tightly embraced by her mother, Elizabeth coughed up the water she had swallowed and regained consciousness.

――――What...? Did I almost drown... and get saved?

Her memory was muddled.

――――Who am I...?

She held her hand up to the sun.

Her fingers were very thin and small, and her wrists were wrapped in lace like a doll's.

"It's okay now, Elizabeth... It's okay now."

Her mother held her hand, which she had raised.

――――Elizabeth... Yuka...?

The name certainly felt right, but the name Yuka also came to mind.

――――What... What...!

At that moment, she remembered everything from her previous life.

Moreover, the name "Elizabeth" was one she knew well from her previous life.

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The day after falling into the lake, in the study of the Fontini Duke's mansion, Elizabeth was intently staring at the spines of the books.

This room was not a place for a five-year-old child to play.

It was small and had a slight smell of mold and ink.

Surrounded by bookshelves and numerous books, a small child would likely be frightened and cry if they wandered in.

Children's books were kept in the children's room or elsewhere, so the study was too early for Elizabeth, but it was necessary for her now.

――――There it is, the Gentleman's Register!

Elizabeth finally found the book she was looking for and reached out with her small hand.

On the table in the center of the room, maps and history books of this world were already spread out.

Her parents watched her with concern.

"Elizabeth, do you want me to get it for you?"

Shaking her head, Elizabeth, a five-year-old child, carried the large book to the table herself.

"..."

――――Of course!

She opened the book and stared at it intently.

Occasionally, she traced the words with her finger.

The Gentleman's Register was a book that listed the names of all nobles with titles, and noble children had to memorize it all before making their debut in society.

This was from her previous life's memory.

――――I can't believe it actually exists.

The names she remembered from her previous life were listed in the Gentleman's Register.

After almost drowning and regaining her previous life's memories, Elizabeth first asked her parents not to blame the servant who had capsized the boat.

The next thing she did was gather information in this study.

"The Gentleman's Register? What's wrong with Elizabeth? She can't read it yet..."

Her father, who had been watching, finally spoke.

"Perhaps it's from the shock of nearly drowning... She sometimes uses grown-up words."

Her mother also worriedly murmured.

"Let's observe her for a while. Children sometimes do strange things."

"True."

Her parents gave a plausible reason and left the study.

She didn't want to worry them, but now was not the time for that.

She lined up the Gentleman's Register, history book, and map on the table and reread the words on the open pages.

The Kingdom of Moaize.

The Fontini Duke's family.

The Dacreston continent.

The goddess Helvera.

――――No doubt about it. This is the world of "Princess Life: Dawn's Confession."

The place names and family names from the game she played in her previous life matched perfectly with the proper nouns written in the books on the table.

――――But...

The biggest problem was not that she had been reincarnated into the world of the otome game she loved to play.

She was not the heroine who was loved by the princes, but rather...

She walked to the mirror in the study.

Long, golden hair.

A high, pointed nose.

Cat-like, but more accurately, upturned red eyes.

A face that looked noble and haughty.

And the final touch, the name Elizabeth.

"This... this..."

Shaking, Elizabeth pointed at her reflection in the mirror.

"Rival villainess!"

The heroine's name in "Princess Life: Dawn's Confession" was Rosetta.

Elizabeth was the name of the villainess who had repeatedly interfered with the marriage endings.

She remembered the event scenes where the villainess would laugh and say, "Hehehe! The prince is infatuated with me!"

She would probably grow up to be just like that.

No, not just like that, but exactly that.

"Moreover... in every ending, I'm casually exiled!"

Faced with the reality she didn't want to accept, five-year-old Elizabeth slumped to the ground.

In her previous life's memories, there was not a single ending where Elizabeth was happy, let alone peaceful.

The creator seemed to have a grudge, as Elizabeth was always held accountable for interfering with Rosetta, even in not-so-good endings.

"Ah... Is this unavoidable...?"

Clutching her head, Elizabeth, who had been an event planner in her previous life and didn't easily give up, quickly regained her composure.

"I just need to act so it doesn't happen. I'm still a child."

If she had regained her memories just before the ending, it would have been too late to do anything.

But Elizabeth was only five years old now.

She had the potential, but she was not yet the villainess.

"From now on, I will live with the spirit of doing one good deed a day!"

If she did good things and cared for others, she was sure she could avoid being exiled as the villainess.

That's what she thought, but...

Her mother's haughty appearance made her seem that way.

Or was it the gears of fate? The world's compulsion? Invisible strings? The will of the gods?

Whatever the invisible force, no matter what she did, Elizabeth was still the villainess.

If she helped someone, people thought she had ulterior motives.

If she smiled, people took it as mockery.

Even a small action would unexpectedly escalate and worsen her position.

It was strange, but she really felt sympathy for Elizabeth.

It was understandable why her character would become evil.

She even thought it might be easier to fully play the role of the villainess.

I'm sorry for causing trouble in my previous life.

The result――――.

Avoiding the exile ending was impossible!

And that's how things are now.

★2021/4/2 I have started posting a new work. Please read it if you like.

【Failed Reincarnation as a Villainess and Became the Winning Heroine Instead ～Giving Up on the Family Ending with the Villainess's Brother and Aiming for the Lover Ending～】

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n7332gw/