Chapter 6

"Every time that kid gets bullied, I come to the rescue."

"It's not just you, Shin-sama. There are events prepared for each character to be pursued, and the conditions for their occurrence vary."

"Yeah, I don't like the term 'pursued character,' but never mind that."

"Specifically, if I don't help, I can avoid it if I know in advance."

"There's a game's compulsion, so it's not certain."

"Is the compulsion really that strong?"

"In fact, I was forced to become engaged to you, Shin-sama. I couldn't avoid it."

"Stop saying it like that. It makes me sad."

"Given that you were born into a noble family, you should resign yourself to it. The luxury of freely falling in love and getting married is only allowed to commoners. It has nothing to do with the game."

"You're right. I apologize."

*Peko* She bowed her head.

"For the heroine's best ending, you, who have been condemned by me, lose your title and are expelled from your home, living in a convent for the rest of your life."

"Yes."

"What about the bad ending?"

"In a fit of jealousy, I try to kill her with a knife and am killed on the spot by the guards. The heroine cannot marry the prince due to the injuries sustained at that time."

"But that much you could avoid on your own. Just don't do it."

"If that event doesn't happen, it becomes a normal ending where the prince remains unmarried. It's a bitter ending. The two, unable to overcome the difference in status, spend their lives as bachelors."

"Wow, that's sad. What about you?"

"I end up being sent to another country as a bride, and a revolution breaks out there, leading to the guillotine."

"Wow... What if I don't get involved at all?"

"If the heroine doesn't even look at the prince and ends up with another character, there are various outcomes, but she is still condemned as the ringleader of the bullying. Her engagement to the prince is broken off because she is deemed unsuitable, and the prince ends up hating me completely, leading to my exile or suicide. She might also die from illness due to a broken heart."

"The worst—!"

No matter what, it always ends in a miserable outcome! It's terrible that the only endings prepared for the villainess are like this.

"Does the heroine not have a bad ending!?"

"If the heroine doesn't fall in love with anyone and has good grades, she enters the royal academy and continues her studies, later becoming a teacher."

"What about a normal ending?"

"She takes up the job she excelled in during her studies or the job she worked part-time at, like a restaurant if she's a good cook."

"What if it's bad?"

"She becomes a caretaker at an orphanage or a maid in a lower noble's house. The same applies if she is expelled."

"That's somewhat happy..."

"Exactly. I wish I could do that."

"But you were playing such a game at ten, huh?"

"There was a nurse who loved those kinds of games and always played with me. She would tell me things like, 'This route is interesting!' or 'Try getting to know this person; you'll see a surprising side and get all flustered!' Because I was in the hospital for a long time, I ended up playing all the routes."

...A ten-year-old girl with a serious illness who will eventually die. It's too sad for her to die without knowing love. I can understand why the nurse would want to take care of her in ways beyond her job...

"...I, in the end, really liked the prince."

"That's when I entered the academy and turned fifteen, right?"

"He was kind, gentlemanly, and treated me, a commoner, without discrimination. He was smart, always top of the class, and strong with a sword, always helping me..."

"What, that perfect superhuman?"

"But the occasional sad look he showed, and the gentle smile he only showed me, was so kind..."

"Do I have to be that kind of person? That's a lot of pressure. Why am I so sad?"

"He was forced into an engagement by his parents and pretended to date his fiancée to keep the girls at bay, but he had never truly fallen in love with anyone, a lonely person who knew nothing of love..."

"That's where the heroine comes in."

"Sorry, Prince. I was the heroine in the game."

She giggled.

I might have seen her smile for the first time.

She's cute. Just a normal girl.

I laugh along with her.

"The real Shin-sama is completely different. There's nothing pretentious about you."

"I wouldn't be happy if the person who marries me liked a pretentious version of me. I am who I am."

"Shin-sama often told the heroine, 'You are who you are.'"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'd probably say that too."

"...I might be able to like the current Shin-sama."

"You hated me!? You hated me!? In the game, you were head over heels for me!?"

"That's not it. When I realized I wasn't the heroine in this world and that I was the villainess with only a doomed ending, I was afraid of you..."

"Don't be afraid. I won't let you suffer like that. I wouldn't fall in love with the heroine if I knew. Tell me anything you notice."

"Okay!"

"By the way, about the routes for the other characters..."

It's amazing. The level of detail is scary.

Except for a few, every character is someone I know in real life.

She knows details about characters she shouldn't know.

With just a small change, the story branches out. It's like when you're reading a book and tell the protagonist what to do, and the story changes based on that.

It's almost like a 'Book of Prophecy.'

If it were real.

The person who created this game is incredible. It couldn't have been made by one person. Whether there's another world or a game world, I don't know. But there must be a great third party involved.

I don't know if it's a god or an angel, but if things happen as they do in the game, my certainty will grow each time.

The sun is starting to set.

We can't summarize everything in one day. Let's stop here for today.

"If you remember anything else, keep adding to it. I'll take the prince's route and review it, and I'll ask you about anything I notice later."

"Okay."

"I'll come back."

"I'll be waiting."

"Your princess education will start soon, so you'll be coming to the palace. We'll see each other then too."

"Okay. I'm looking forward to it."

"Looking forward to it? I still find etiquette and manners a hassle."

"I was always sick and couldn't attend school, so I'm happy to learn."

"You should have learned as a duchess's daughter, right?"

"Well, I didn't like studying back then."

I see. You were a spoiled and pampered girl, but you've become a serious and good girl. I like this version much better.

"Also, you—"

"Call me Cerea."

"Cerea."

She smiled and blushed. She's cute.

"Think of countermeasures to avoid the bad ending."

"Okay!"

Then, I knelt before her, took her hand, kissed it, and stood up.

Cerea is completely red.

"Earlier, you said I was a lonely man who had never fallen in love."

"...I'm sorry."

"Don't worry. I'm not a lonely man anymore because I have you. I will definitely protect you. See you later."

Shurigan wasn't anywhere to be found, so I asked the mansion, and he was peeling potatoes in the kitchen with the maid, Bell.

"I'm leaving, Shurigan."

"Just a bit more."

"Can't be helped. I'll help too."

I sat next to Shurigan, picked up a kitchen knife, and started peeling potatoes.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

This maid is amazing!

Normally, she would stop me. She would say it's inappropriate for a prince to do such things and quickly send Shurigan away.

I can't read Bell at all...

So, after peeling twenty potatoes and filling a bowl, I left the mansion.

I told the butler about my next visit.

"From now on, there's no need for formal greetings. I'm part of this family, so I'll see myself out."

"Yes, Your Highness..."

"Is something wrong?"

"Since meeting you, the young lady has completely changed. She's no longer spoiled and now considers the servants. She has become a very kind girl. It's all thanks to you. All the servants are grateful."

That's nice to hear. But it's not my doing.

Next: "7. First Official Duty"