Chapter 50

"For example, if your response was to anticipate and deal with the spread of bad rumors about me, it would become a crime."

"N-no! I didn't mean it that way!"

Suddenly, the Princess Einhorn became flustered and confused. I tried to calm her down.

"Princess Einhorn, calm down."

"But—"

"I haven't made any conclusions about what you did yet."

"Ah..."

Finally, the princess quieted down.

"This situation involves many factors. I won't judge Princess Einhorn one-sidedly, so please keep that in mind and listen calmly, okay?"

"Yes, I'm sorry, I apologize."

"You can speak more casually, like before."

It's too late for that now, right?

"Getting back to the topic, if we were to hold Princess Einhorn accountable, there would be two criteria. As I mentioned earlier, the princess was aware of her influence and anticipated that the sympathetic nobles would spread bad rumors about me based on speculation. The other criterion is that the princess harbored malice towards me."

When I said this, Princess Einhorn shook her head vigorously.

"Neither of those is true."

"Okay, let's start with the first one. Was the princess aware of her influence?"

"I wasn't aware. Everyone... the young ladies I met at tea parties, who were kind and friendly to me, I thought it was because I was the daughter of a duke."

You don't have any friends, do you? Hmm, the way you keep your distance from others is similar to Ignatz, but I can't really say anything about that. It's not something to compare, anyway.

I don't think everyone was around Princess Einhorn just for their own gain. If the princess feels a barrier with those who come close, it's possible they feel the same way.

"So, you didn't think that your attitude would lead to bad rumors about me spreading?"

"...It might sound like an excuse, but can you listen to me?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"At first, I didn't know that my attitude was causing bad rumors about the First Prince. You see... the people close to His Majesty were spreading the word that the First Prince was selfish. I knew that the First Prince was selfish and had a bad temper, and that he would lash out at those around him when he was displeased. So, I thought the bad rumors about the First Prince that spread around me were just the stories that those close to him had been spreading among the nobles for a long time."

"Hmm, can I ask something?"

"What is it?"

"Did Princess Einhorn not know that the stories from the former happy... former close aides were lies, and that they were deliberately spreading those rumors?"

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't know that either."

"Then, you didn't know what happened at the palace four years ago, at that point?"

"I knew something had happened. My father seemed busy, and he told me and my siblings not to forget our right of succession... I thought it meant not to act recklessly, but was I wrong?"

"You were right."

"R-right. I really didn't know what happened at the palace four years ago. Now, thanks to Lord Virichait, I understand it properly. So..."

Princess Einhorn looked at me, then looked away, hesitating before continuing.

"My memory returned a year before that, five years ago, at the first tea party hosted by Prince Ignatz."

Your memory returned before mine.

"At first, I didn't think it was the world of 'Shiideki.' I just thought I had been reincarnated into another world! The host was Prince Ignatz. I knew there was a second prince in 'Shiideki,' but his name wasn't mentioned, so I thought I had just been reincarnated into another world... But when I realized my name was the same as the villainess in 'Shiideki,' I thought, 'Huh?' Maybe I was reincarnated as the villainess in 'Shiideki'? In 'Shiideki,' the villainess Ottilie falls in love with Prince Rügen at his first tea party, but the host was Prince Ignatz, and at that tea party, I heard the story about the First Prince being selfish and having a bad temper... There were similarities, but also subtle differences. Eventually, I thought, 'This is the world of 'Shiideki,' but maybe it's a world where the villainess becomes the protagonist.'"

Princess Einhorn said this, gripping her hands tightly on her lap.

"Um, I hope you're not angry, but I thought it was like the 'retribution' stories I saw on submission sites. There were a lot of 'retribution' stories on submission sites, and most of them were about the 'villainess' getting back at her fiancé for breaking their engagement. In the original story that became the 'retribution' story, the original fiancé had a valid reason for breaking the engagement, but in the 'retribution' stories, the fiancé's character is altered to be bad and unappealing."

"That's because there's no catharsis in 'retribution' if the other party is virtuous."

Princess Einhorn's face showed surprise at my response.

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