Chapter 10

In "DraGaku," the villainous lady Mary appears in every route and consistently interferes with the protagonist's romance.

Sometimes using her power as a shield, sometimes manipulating her followers, and sometimes setting traps for the protagonist. Her diverse methods make players feel frustrated, but it is precisely because of this that the romance burns more intensely, leading to the satisfying moment when Mary is finally defeated.

The most notable route is none other than his route.

Patrick Dice in "DraGaku" is exceptionally proud, and he is not just cool but can even be described as cold.

His initial affection level is the lowest among all characters, and for a while, no matter what choices the player makes, he remains cold and distant. The difficulty of this route is so high that it has been a topic of discussion, with players fearing that their hearts might break.

However, the relationship changes on a certain afternoon after school.

The protagonist, who happened to stay late, finds Patrick sleeping at his desk. Perhaps burdened by daily stress, Patrick is uncharacteristically sound asleep. After hesitating, the protagonist decides to cover him with her jacket.

After a while, Patrick slowly wakes up, looking alternately at the jacket and the protagonist, his cheeks turning red from embarrassment at being seen in such a vulnerable state.

The protagonist feels a sense of closeness due to his uncharacteristic behavior, and from then on, they gradually become closer, drawn to each other, and Patrick's frozen heart begins to thaw with Alicia's kindness...

And then, the villainous lady Mary becomes engaged to him.

Of course, she used her family's power. The Dice and Albert families are ostensibly on equal footing, but in reality, the balance of power leans heavily toward the Alberts, leaving the Dice family in a subservient position.

If Mary demands marriage, the Dice family has no choice but to comply. Naturally, Patrick cannot resist either, and he is forced to announce his engagement in front of Alicia.

Faced with a world's arrangement that she cannot possibly challenge, Alicia falls into despair and can only watch as Patrick, his arm taken by Mary, walks away...

"Wow, Miss, you're really ruthless, abandoning a man out of jealousy, huh?"

"Your insults are a bit much! ...But, it's just the game's Mary, after all."

Just explaining the game's story, she was criticized and frowned in discomfort, taking a sip of tea. Moreover, is it appropriate for a servant to call her master "ruthless"?

However, Mary herself was thoroughly disappointed with the game's Mary. Being in the same position, she found the other Mary's foolish actions not just annoying but pitiful.

"So, if we follow that story, Miss and Mr. Patrick will get engaged, right?"

"Yes. Given the timing, it wouldn't be surprising if the news has already come up."

Mary, with a triumphant expression, announces her engagement to Patrick right after the ball event. While she doesn't remember the exact in-game date, there are no events in between, and considering the time until graduation, it should happen soon.

After explaining this, Adi, who was sitting across from her and drinking tea, opened his mouth.

"But, Miss, you don't want to marry Mr. Patrick, right?"

"Absolutely not, not even a little bit."

"Be careful with that line if you don't want to get stabbed."

Despite the coveted engagement to a prince that everyone desires, this complete denial is unexpected.

It's no wonder Adi sighs. Patrick is so admired by women that countless young ladies dream of marrying him.

Adi, who has often seen Mary and Patrick dance together, has also felt the envious gazes directed at them, to the point of shuddering.

--- "Why does Miss...," he sighs in exasperation, secretly relieved. Of course, he can't say that out loud.

"Since the game's villainous lady Mary forced Mr. Patrick into an engagement, shouldn't it be fine if Miss doesn't take action?"

"I wish I could think that way, but I feel like things will follow the game's path..."

As she murmured this, Mary touched her curls.

Today, her bold vertical curls swayed with her slender fingers. However, the way they swayed in units of curls was far from delicate, almost like drills.

She had tried to make them softer, curling them with a blow dryer since morning. Three veteran caretakers had used all their skills, pressing and stretching, spending two hours...

The result was that the caretakers' spirits broke before the curls did, leading to the current state.

"Considering the power behind this, it seems like something significant is at work..."

"Yes..."

Knowing Mary and the caretakers' efforts, Adi gently turned his face away.

Regardless of how much Mary has progressed as a villainous lady, the current situation largely follows the game's story.

Of course, she understands that this is due to Alicia's efforts and Patrick's actions, but she still feels that the next event will be the engagement.

While she believes this world is like the game, she doesn't think everything is programmed. She doesn't think everything follows the game, but it's also true that game-like events are happening.

In this world of "DraGaku," days pass like they do in "DraGaku."

For Mary, this is a somewhat ambiguous conclusion. She can't say she is completely unrelated to the game because there are too many examples, but acknowledging the game itself is unwilling for her, who lives in this world.

Considering all this, Mary anticipated her engagement to Patrick. Of course, she has no intention of bringing up the engagement herself.

Given the timing in the game's story, this event is due to happen, and considering Mary and Patrick's relationship, it wouldn't be strange for the engagement to come up.

In fact, from an outsider's perspective, one might wonder why they haven't been engaged yet. Mary, though eccentric, is a beauty from a prestigious family, and Patrick is the perfect man everyone desires, a perfect match.

"So, does that mean Mr. Patrick's father or the head of the Dice family will bring up the engagement?"

"Until now, the Albert and Dice families have been 'allies,' but there has been no substantial connection. Both families are of impeccable lineage... Do you know why?"

"Isn't it because no children of the same age were born in both families?"

"Yes. But in the world of nobility, political marriages are the norm. Even if they are not of the same age, it's not uncommon for daughters to be married to men ten or twenty years older."

"That's... true. But the Albert and Dice families don't need to be that desperate for a political marriage, do they?"

"The key is there."

Nodding, Mary took a piece of scone and put it in her mouth.

The freshly baked scone was so delicious that it made her want to run to the kitchen and praise the pastry chef. It seemed Adi also enjoyed it, listening to Mary's story with a serious expression while reaching for his third scone.

"The Albert and Dice families are both powerful, far surpassing other families. That's why they couldn't arrange a political marriage between them."

"What do you mean?"

"Both families have always chosen the best matches from numerous proposals. This freedom has directly contributed to their authority."

"Indeed, the Albert and Dice families have always been the ones 'choosing.'"

"If such families were to marry their children, who are not of the same age, it might be seen as a sign of something happening."

Political marriages are ultimately the ambitions of parents.

Creating new connections, deepening existing ones, or even wanting a dowry... the purposes vary, and in exchange, they offer their daughters, sometimes even their sons.

Conversely, families desperate for political marriages are either highly ambitious or in need of support from the other party.

That's why the Albert and Dice families deepened their friendship but never offered their children. Being chosen is more advantageous than choosing, and they wanted to show each other their freedom.

"That's the current situation of both families. But it has changed."

Speaking calmly, Mary took another piece of scone.

"Patrick and I are close in age and have a good relationship. From the outside, we look like a well-matched couple. In other words, we appear to be the kind of couple both families have been waiting for in a political marriage."

If the engagement were announced at this moment, the public would not be surprised. They wouldn't even suspect the political marriage.

It would simply look like two people who have been close since childhood, danced together many times, and finally got married when they came of age.

"Without being noticed by outsiders, the connection between the two families will become deeper. From the perspective of our fathers, everything will go smoothly, and it will be a perfect situation."

Sighing, Mary sipped her tea, and Adi looked at her intently.

Mary spoke as if it were someone else's story, without the passion of a young girl talking about love or the lament of being forced into an engagement without her knowledge.

She spoke calmly, as if she had known this would happen from the beginning.

Indeed, Mary has the knowledge of the game and had anticipated this engagement as part of the story. Still, she seemed unusually calm, as if she had known this would happen long before the game's memories resurfaced.

It was as if she had always known this would happen, regardless of the game.

"...Miss, did you always plan to marry Mr. Patrick?"

"I thought I would be forced to marry him. If I had to marry a man I barely knew, Patrick would be better. I know him well, and besides..."

"Besides?"

Glancing at Adi, Mary quickly brushed it off, "It's nothing."

She then took a sip of tea, the subtle sweetness and fruit aroma spreading in her mouth. Seeing her empty cup, Adi refilled it.

"But with that girl around, this engagement won't go smoothly."

Saying this matter-of-factly, Mary reached for her second scone.

At that moment, Mary's father and Patrick's father appeared, chatting happily.