Chapter 51

"In the end, the 'villainous lady' in the 'retribution' stories is just a heroine with the title 'villainous lady.' She isn't a true villain. The real villain in 'retribution' stories is the jilted fiancé."

"The 'heroine' who steals the fiancé is the true villain."

"The roles are reversed in 'retribution' stories. The 'villainous lady' becomes the heroine, and the 'heroine' becomes the villainous lady, or a villain, or even a villainess. And to give the readers catharsis, they prepare another love interest for the protagonist, make the original 'fiancé' the villain, and stage a foolish condemnation drama. The 'villainous lady' then defeats this with her words."

"The reason they make the 'heroine' the 'villain' is because of the interesting twist of making the villain the protagonist, the gap between an ordinary girl turning into a villain character, and the dramatic reversal from a disadvantageous situation. But in the end, what they do is the same as a hero defeating evil."

Ainhorn nodded as if she understood my words.

"Come to think of it, that might be true. Then... am I the real 'villain'...?"

Ainhorn lowered her eyes, perhaps recalling her previous words.

"I thought I was like the evil fiancé in a 'retribution' story, with a bad personality. I didn't know that the bad rumors about the First Prince were false, and I wondered if the royal engagement, which seemed out of place, would eventually be mentioned."

"Well, I couldn't say for sure that it wouldn't happen. In fact, I was thinking about giving the poor me, who couldn't become king due to my father's actions, a solid backup for the future. But why did I try to get Ainhorn as a backup when I had Fullftball? I don't understand that. Maybe there's some reason for it?"

"So... I got my hopes up. I thought maybe I would be the protagonist in a 'retribution' story. And, you know, in 'retribution' stories, there are also cases where the engagement is broken off due to a misunderstanding. So, I thought, if I avoided getting involved, avoided the topic, and made it clear to everyone that I was uninvolved, and then got along with Prince Ignatius, I could counter any condemnation if it happened. I'm sorry. I was... intoxicated by my position. I thought that if I planned and prepared like this, I could counter it. I was really sorry. I was delusional about becoming the protagonist."

"You didn't actively want to 'revenge' anyone? So, you didn't have any ill intentions?"

"I had no ill intentions at all! I'm sorry."

Ainhorn, who had raised her voice, immediately calmed down and lowered her tone.

"You might not believe me, but I didn't want to 'revenge' anyone at all. I thought I could because I believed the First Prince was the fiancé in a 'revenge' story. And, I started to feel something was off."

"Where?"

"Well, I can't really say specifically, but the key was Prince Ignatius."

"Ignatius?"

"Yes, in 'The Draft,' his name didn't appear, and he wasn't in the story, but Prince Ryugen had a cheerful younger brother, who was his only complex. The younger brother had fled from the Kingdom of Rave and was estranged from Prince Ryugen."

"Hmm, a cheerful Ignatius, I can't really imagine him fleeing from the Kingdom of Rave. Well, he might have a bit of a brainless side, but I can't imagine Ignatius, who was told by the queen that he would support the king in the future, giving up his responsibilities so easily. But what Ainhorn is talking about is a light novel, which is different from this real world."

"Maybe he was supposed to appear in Chapter 4."

"Chapter 4?"

"Yes, 'The Draft' is a serialized light novel. Chapter 1 is about the heroine's childhood, from when her mother died until she was bullied by her stepmother and stepsister before going to school. Chapter 2 is about her being bullied at school and spreading rumors, meeting Prince Ryugen, falling in love, and then condemning her bullying family. Chapter 3 is about the villainous lady appearing, almost being killed, and being condemned. Chapter 4 is the story after that. I only remember the beginning of Chapter 4..."

So, Ainhorn's inner person died in the middle of that.

"Prince Ryugen told the heroine that his brother was cheerful and good with people, and that he should have been the king. I thought this world was based on 'The Draft,' and I could be the protagonist, so I thought the differences were just part of the 'revenge' story. If this world was a 'revenge' story where I could be the protagonist, I thought my love interest would be the younger brother, Prince Ignatius. In 'revenge' stories, the typical plot is that the fiancé is selfish, arrogant, and has a high pride but no practical skills, and has a complex about a perfect fiancé or a superior sibling. And the villainous lady has a past with the superior sibling and ends up with them, which is a common trope in 'revenge' stories."

If it follows the typical plot, that's how it would be.

So, Ainhorn felt a sense of dissonance with Ignatius, who didn't fit the typical hero in a 'revenge' story, the cheerful younger brother in the light novel.

"Then, my father told me that the First Prince was suffering from a bad reputation because of me, and I realized this wasn't a 'revenge' world."

I see, that's why you came to apologize.

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