Chapter 41

### Chapter 2: The Story of Renaria

The heroine, who seems to be getting more and more troublesome ( ). She now calls herself the heroine.

Next, an even more problematic personality will be revealed.

Julius Fran did not waver.

No matter how Renaria smiled and spoke to him, he did not change his servant-like attitude. He would never reveal his private life, and of course, he would not leak any information about his master, Kishtria. He always wore an unreadable smile, as if warning others not to get too close. Despite being captivated by his intellectual beauty and well-suited glasses, it was frustrating that he did not give the expected reactions.

Unlike Kishtria and Michaelis, who did not overtly try to drive her away, there was still a chance. When she gave him a gift of sweets, he accepted it with a smile—she also gave some to Kishtria and Michaelis, hoping to make progress all at once.

Conquering the hidden characters was more difficult than she thought—but if she could win over Kishtria, it was safe to say that his servant, Julius, would automatically be hers. Thanks to Albertina's absence, Julius often served as Kishtria's attendant at the academy.

Perhaps, as a character who should only appear after the third playthrough, it was impossible to win him over.

(Plus, no matter how good-looking Julius is, he's still a servant now. Oh, I could make him my lover. I don't really like that he was originally Albertina's attendant, but it's a waste to leave such a handsome man... )

She once saw another servant of the Latizche family, but he was not to her liking.

He was unremarkable. About the same height as Renaria, with a well-defined face, but lacking in charm. She preferred more obviously handsome men. His slightly tanned skin and lusterless black hair were not appealing. His small, agile body moved briskly, but he made no sound, giving him a eerie, cat-like quality.

If this were a sequel set 2-3 years later, he might have been in her strike zone, but his current appearance did not interest Renaria. His face was well-defined, but he looked young and childlike.

For the same reason, she did not particularly like Cain. Due to the curse, his growth had stopped, and he would only be freed if he fell in true love. Initially, he looked like a young child, but now he had grown to about 12-13 years old. In his route's ending, he was supposed to become a beautiful young man of Renaria's age, but in the harem route, he remained young.

Honestly, Cain, who was too focused on the curse, was bothersome. Dealing with his dependent nature was a hassle, and her favorite was still Lucas. She would maintain a moderate relationship with him to keep his favor.

Lucas was progressing smoothly. For events without Albertina, she could rely on Vivian, who was less aggressive. However, Vivian was always nagging Renaria about manners and etiquette, which was annoying. Despite the school's emphasis on equality, Vivian was particular about the order of conversation, the depth of bows, and other formalities, which was extremely bothersome. No one helped her, and some even laughed or sneered. If she complained to the teacher, Findor, about bullying, he promised to report it to the school, but nothing changed.

The adults were useless. She liked his charm, but he did not act as she wished. The first prince, Lucas, was the one who would give her the desired outcome.

She cleverly manipulated Lucas to trigger events. The sight of Vivian being harshly reprimanded and looking dejected was satisfying, but it did not bring her closer to her targets as much as the main events.

(That's it! Maybe there are pay-to-win items here!)

There was a magic item shop in a corner of the market district. It was located in a somewhat secluded back alley.

She was sure they sold items that significantly increased favorability.

The problem was money. She had received dresses and accessories from Lucas and others, so her appearance was improved, but she did not have much cash. In her previous life, she paid with Sandylights, which were extremely expensive magical gems. Renaria found it difficult to obtain them. There were some cheaper, low-quality stones, but they were still expensive.

However, just looking was free. Even if she did not buy anything, checking the inventory was useful.

Renaria hurried to the city on a school break.

The place she thought was a magic item shop turned out to be a stall. A tent made of rags, with a makeshift shelf, and a cloth spread on the ground.

The shopkeeper, a suspicious-looking old woman or man with white hair, wore a mask, just like in the game.

The items on display were pay-to-win items that increased favorability when given to characters.

The items varied randomly, so there was a chance of finding something unique. The prices were in currency units, not Sandylights. Some items could be bought with copper coins, while others required silver or gold coins.

Lucas's favorability items were generally expensive. As a prince, his preferences were for high-quality gemstone accessories. Other items, like an ancient martial arts guide for Michaelis, were more affordable. She bought it immediately and also purchased a love potion. It was cheap, costing only a few copper coins, and its effectiveness increased with continued use. It could be used on all characters.

It could be added to food, used as perfume, or used in crafting to create enchanting accessories.

However, the last enchanting item required high magic and intelligence parameters, which Renaria did not have.

The quickest way was to add it to sweets to increase favorability.

However, to receive homemade sweets, a certain level of favorability was needed. Therefore, she had to use pay-to-win items to win them over.

She immediately took the martial arts guide to Michaelis, but he looked puzzled.

"That's fine. I've already read it. There's no reason for me to accept it."

—Normally, he would not be so cold to a female student, even if she were a junior.

He quickly left, and Renaria could not catch up. He was tall and had a long stride, and he walked fast.

When she tried to pretend to stumble and cling to him, she ended up falling flat on her face. Michaelis did not even offer a hand; he was taken aback by her dramatic fall. She did not want to repeat that mistake.

She chased after him but was scolded by a teacher who was particular about etiquette.

His red hair and broad back quickly disappeared.

"Why... I thought it would work..."

The martial arts guide was just an old book to Renaria.

Michaelis was supposed to smile and be grateful, but he rejected it so coldly.

He must be lying about having seen it before. If she gave him the book, he was supposed to say, "I've always wanted to read it" and thank her.

Shaking with anger, she saw a flash of red hair in the corner of her eye.

"Michaelis-sama!?"

"...If you can't tell the difference between me and my brother, perhaps you should see a doctor."

Turning to face her, the beautiful girl, who had a momentary look of annoyance but quickly composed herself, was there.

As always, she wore an exquisitely designed dress. It was not flashy, but the silk and delicate embroidery and lace were of the highest quality, making it cuter than the prototype dress Renaria usually wore.

Her lustrous red hair, which contrasted beautifully with her cream-yellow dress, swayed.

There were few students with such bright red hair, especially of that length. Renaria had mistaken Michaelis's younger sister.

"Jibril...!"

"I don't recall you being on a first-name basis. And please stay away from my brother.

He's very picky and has high standards. A poor baron's daughter like you is not his type."

"Hey! You stay away from Kishtria and Julius!"

"Right back at you. Learn some social skills and etiquette before you come back. They are childhood friends—besides, you are the biggest outsider."

Shrugging her slender shoulders, Jibril turned and left.

The surrounding students gave Renaria cold looks, with whispers of laughter and malicious interest.

Renaria had no friends.

No one was close enough to call a friend.

Therefore, she felt out of place in the academy, a microcosm of noble society. With Lucas, fewer people openly attacked her, but she was still often targeted.

There should have been a female student who could tell her the characters' favorability. In the game, the female student in the dorm next to Renaria's room always ran away when she approached.

Lucas and Leord both had fiancées. Even Joshua, the viscount and guard knight, had one. Kishtria, Michaelis, Cain, and Findor did not have fiancées, but it was common for noble heirs to have them by the age of 10. The higher the status, the earlier the engagement. For royalty, engagement selection began with their debut at tea parties. Some were even engaged before birth, but if the match was too bad, it could be reconsidered.

Their fiancées and their issues often posed obstacles to conquering them.

Lucas and Leord had fiancées. Lucas's was the villainous lady, Albertina. Leord's was a plain fiancée named Catherine, whose mother, the concubine Ophelia, was more formidable. Kishtria's was his sister-in-law, Albertina, who blocked him from approaching lower nobility. Michaelis's was Jibril. She was more of a part of the conquest, and increasing Jibril's favorability was necessary. For Findor, it was his past lover, and for Cain, it was the curse.

However, Albertina was not at the academy, and the beautiful lady in residence was Jibril, who was supposed to be introverted.

She wanted to eliminate Jibril, but she did not want to give up on Michaelis.

She wanted to secretly eliminate Jibril after conquering Michaelis, but their strained relationship, which was key to his conquest, was not evident. They often talked calmly and amicably.

"Why...! Why are there others besides me...?"

The most dangerous Albertina was absent, but another girl was acting like the heroine.

Jibril's good relationship with Kishtria and Julius was also bothersome. The surrounding students accepted their friendship, as the Dmitrius family was rising in power. Leord mentioned that their business with the Latizche family was successful.

Kishtria did not have a specific favorite, but he was close to Jibril due to family ties. The rising Dmitrius family could potentially marry into the Latizche family.

Kishtria remained cold to Renaria.

If she focused too much on them, Lucas would become upset, and Findor and Leord would also reprimand her. Cain and Graham's gazes were also annoying. Joshua, whom she had been friendly with, was now persistently approaching her.

(I am the future crown princess? This is too much.)

Her current official fiancée was still Vivian, but Lucas adored Renaria and promised to make her his queen.

Without the Albertina-related events, she had to compensate with gifts, which was expensive, but Lucas was gradually falling for her.

He now frowned at the mention of Vivian, indicating a poor relationship.

This made her more concerned about the other conquests.

Renaria's hatred for Jibril grew. A mere side character interfering with the heroine was unacceptable.

"Everything was going well... Don't get in my way!"

---

Afterward, Renaria would meet her fateful encounter.

Thank you for reading! (*- -)(*_ _) Bow

As the story progresses, it becomes a SAN check...