Chapter 60

"The Villainess is Doted on by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Kingdom"

Today is the release day of Volume 3! I'm so happy!

"Is this... Lord Aqua's ring?"

Tiararose's left ring finger. The new ring from Aquasteed was placed over the wedding ring she originally wore. It was adorned with a sparkling star gem, resembling the night sky.

"…I…"

"Tiararose?"

"…Aqua…"

Before she knew it, tears began to overflow.

She called out "Aqua" and Aquasteed's name multiple times, confirming that it was the name of the person she loved. The memories of Aquasteed came flooding back as if she had never forgotten them.

Seeing Tiararose like this, Aquasteed was startled. He immediately embraced her, calling her name as if in response.

"Lord Aqua…! I remember…!"

"Ah…"

She clung to him tightly, burying her face in Aquasteed's chest. Oh, what if she had never been able to remember Aquasteed again?

"I'm sorry, I hurt Lord Aqua so many times…!"

Crying in sobs, Tiararose apologized.

She remembered everything that happened when she had lost her memory. Perhaps because she had conveyed her worries, Aquasteed's ring did not take away her new memories.

While stroking her head, Aquasteed repeatedly assured her that it was okay.

"Even if your memory doesn't return, I won't leave you."

"Lord Aqua…"

"If you had rejected me, I might have locked you up."

But he smiled, adding that she didn't reject him.

"Even if I had lost my memory, there's no way I could hate Lord Aqua!"

"Tiararose…"

"Absolutely. I can say that with certainty."

"Coincidentally, I can say that with certainty too."

Both laughed, agreeing that no matter what, they could never hate each other.

"Is this a happy ending?"

Tilting her head, Akari asked Olivia, who stood beside her.

In front of them were Tiararose and Aquasteed, embracing each other. While she was happy that they were happy, the fairy king was not present, and no monsters had been defeated.

The story was different from the game, which was fun in its own way.

"Probably… I think so."

"But, Lady Olivia, your butler is in jail for being rude to Tiararose and Lord Aqua. That's not happy, is it?"

"Lady Akari, have you forgotten? …I, Olivia Ariadelle, am the villainess."

Olivia said that having her butler in jail was very much like a villainess.

However, Akari didn't find it amusing. She didn't want Olivia, whom she had just befriended, to look sad, and she was also concerned about the existence of a butler who wasn't a game character.

When she told this to Olivia, Olivia smiled and said, "Ah."

"Levi was picked up by me when he was a child. I named him and trained him as a butler. But—"

"But?"

Akari was impressed that Olivia was bolder than she thought. Urging her to continue, Olivia made a troubled expression.

"I talk to myself a lot. I often talked about the game's content… Levi seemed to remember everything."

"Oh…"

"So, he knows everything about the game."

Levi took Olivia's monologues seriously and believed everything. While the game's content was true, this was not strictly the game world.

There were differences, but Olivia had analyzed them, and Levi had nodded in understanding, thinking and planning on his own.

Levi, the strongest partner who wasn't a game character, had become such an existence.

"An assassin butler, indeed the strongest."

"He's my pride."

When the conversation between Akari and Olivia came to a pause, a heavy, eerie atmosphere enveloped the room. Everyone looked around, and Aquasteed and Elliot placed their hands on the swords at their waists.

"Could it be, the seal…!?"

Tension ran through the room at Tiararose's raised voice.

But Ferres had said it was fine. Tiararose looked at the throne, and Ferres was still there.

"Prince Ferres…"

"…It's okay, for now."

When Ferres used his power, the eerie atmosphere was dispelled. While relieved, Tiararose was also terrified by the power of the monster.

She wondered if they needed to defeat it. However, the first king had said it was fine, and no one here could overturn that decision.

Clair, if he were here, might have a chance. But the silent Clair seemed to have no intention of doing so.

Ferres leaned back in the throne, his golden eyes fixed on Aquasteed.

"That is the king's ring. Aquasteed, don't lose that pride."

"Of course."

"Tiararose. Please take good care of my dear descendant."

"…Yes!"

Hearing Tiararose and Aquasteed's responses, Ferres smiled contentedly. He then turned to Clair and waved, saying, "Take care."

"I'll come back with Keith."

"Sure. I look forward to it."

With a snap of his fingers, Ferres made the throne disappear, and the altar reappeared. At the same time, Ferres vanished.

Feeling a sense of loneliness in the empty space, Tiararose clasped her hands.

"Lord Aqua"

"…I never thought the first king would be down here."

He had to thank Akari for suggesting they come here, Aquasteed thought with a wry smile.

Bow to the altar, Aquasteed took Tiararose's hand. Just as he turned to leave, his eyes widened in shock.

The ceiling above the entrance was about to collapse.

—When did this happen?

Directly below were Akari and Olivia.

"Lady Akari, Lady Olivia!!"

Tiararose, who had turned around, also noticed and immediately called out their names, but it was too late for her to reach them from the center of the room.

Elliot, who had been examining the room, was also too far away.

With an unpleasant sound, the ceiling began to collapse. At that moment, a black shadow leaped out, shielding the two and deflecting the debris.

"—Levi!"

"Yes, Lady Olivia."

Wearing his usual butler's uniform, he landed gracefully from the air.

Smiling gently at Olivia, who called his name, he asked, "Are you hurt?"

How did the butler, who was supposed to be in the dungeon, get here? Everyone wanted to pull their hair out, but they were relieved that he had saved Akari and Olivia.

◇ ◇ ◇

Back in her room from the castle's underground, Tiararose was lost in thought. Her gaze wandered, and she couldn't come to a conclusion on what to do.

She traced the ring on her ring finger with her finger.

"The ring Lord Aqua made just for me."

She clenched her hand, determined not to take it off this time. It would be no laughing matter if she lost her memory again because she accidentally took it off.

As she was thinking this, a knock sounded at the door.

When she invited the visitor in, it was Filene, announcing that Akari and Olivia were here and asking what to do.

"Please let them in. Filene, please bring tea."

"As you wish."

Tiararose stood up and invited Akari and Olivia into the room. Seeing Levi standing right behind them, she instinctively hid her ringed hand.

Seeing this, Olivia stepped forward and bowed deeply, apologizing.

"…Levi will not do anything more. Lady Tiararose, I am truly sorry for this time."

"I am very sorry."

Levi also bowed deeply and apologized to Tiararose.

"…My actions were also rash. I heard that Levi was trying to help Lady Olivia. I'm glad Lady Olivia is safe."

"Lady Tiararose…"

With everything settled, Tiararose had been too focused on the game. Hearing about the hidden stage, she couldn't sit still.

Olivia and Levi had already apologized to Aquasteed.

Olivia said they had bowed deeply, thinking their heads might literally fly off.

"Prince Aquasteed is so kind. Even to a minor character like me, he didn't give severe punishment for discovering the underground passage."

"Is that so…"

She wanted to point out that she wasn't a minor character, but she held back to avoid interrupting the conversation.

This time, the punishment for Olivia and Levi was mainly financial. Hearing Aquasteed's judgment, she was relieved. She didn't want to see a fellow former Japanese person being punished.

—Besides, she understood Levi's feelings.

If she were in Levi's position and Aquasteed were imprisoned like Olivia, she would probably use her game knowledge to the fullest, perhaps even more recklessly than Levi.

—More recklessly than Levi.

Tiararose chuckled, but she accepted their apologies, and Aquasteed had thought the same. Being in love could make people so impulsive—she only truly understood this by loving someone.

"Lady Tiararose, please remain friends with us."

"Ah, I'm here too, Lady Olivia."

"Yes. Both of you, thank you so much this time."

Tiararose thanked them again and smiled.

"I'll come to the Marine Forest again, so let's have tea regularly!"

"Yes, please."

Akari, who was staying in the Marine Forest by request, said she needed to return soon. She was engaged to Hartnights, Tiararose's ex-fiancé, and wondered if things were going well.

Until now, Tiararose had been the one causing Hartnights trouble, but from now on, it would be Hartnights causing trouble for Akari… she thought to herself.

"We should also go on a pilgrimage to the holy sites… With Lady Tiararose, we can go anywhere without trouble!"

"Um…"

She chuckled, knowing she couldn't abuse her power like that. Assuming Olivia was joking, she let it slide, but the door knocked again.

"Tiararose"

"Lord Aqua"

Aquasteed peeked in.

"Am I interrupting?"

Seeing Akari and Olivia in the room, Aquasteed suggested he come back later. But Akari shook her head, saying, "We're just about to leave."

"Actually, we need to leave the Marine Forest today."

"Really?"

"Today…?"

Akari's sudden announcement left her speechless.

With no preparations for a farewell, Aquasteed immediately instructed the waiting Elliot to make the necessary arrangements.

"Lady Akari, you should have said so earlier."

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to ruin this enjoyable time."

Akari stood up, took Tiararose's hand, and apologized for causing trouble.

"I didn't mean to burden Lady Tiararose. …With the memory issue and all."

"No, I'm glad you told me. I made a friend in Lady Olivia and received Lord Aqua's ring."

She was truly happy, Tiararose said from the heart.

If that's the case, Akari also smiled and nodded.

"Then, next time we need to have a bigger adventure! I'll train to be able to defeat monsters when I return to Lapis Lazuli!!"

"Please, Lady Akari, be more sensible."

She scolded the suddenly motivated Akari and prayed that no trouble would arise for a while.

◇ ◇ ◇

After seeing Akari and the others off safely, the series of events finally came to an end.

Tiararose's impulsive actions to see the hidden stage had caused many people trouble. While some were happy, she felt she had only caused unnecessary trouble for Aquasteed.

Thinking a glass of wine before bed might help, Aquasteed brought a good bottle into the bedroom.

"Since you're tired, drink and go to sleep right away."

"Thank you, Lord Aqua. …I caused a lot of trouble."

Bowing her head in apology, Tiararose looked up at Aquasteed. He chuckled and gently placed his hand on her head.

"?"

He ruffled her hair, making her laugh again.

"I don't mind. I want to know everything you want to do and spend more time having fun together."

Though it wasn't something a crown prince should say, Aquasteed placed a finger to his lips.

"Every day, the routine work… you might want some excitement, right?"

"Lord Aqua…"

She couldn't help but giggle, and they both laughed.

Sitting on the bed, they quietly toasted with the wine. The moonlight streaming in through the window illuminated the room, creating a sweet atmosphere between them.

Aquasteed took Tiararose's hand and touched the ring he had made. Even in the dark, it shone, and Tiararose thought it contained all of Aquasteed's feelings.

It was precious, a treasure.

Gently, Aquasteed leaned in and kissed the ring.

It tickled a little, like they were playing. Then, he kissed her cheek, forehead, and lips—soft kisses continued, and when they finally parted, their eyes met.

Golden eyes, looking only at her.

Tiararose was captivated by Aquasteed's eyes, which shone like the ring. She slowly reached out and stroked his cheek.

She wanted to see more of Aquasteed's eyes, and then she realized.

—Golden eyes.

"Lord Aqua…"

"Yes? What is it, Tiararose?"

"…Nothing. I love Lord Aqua."

She gently kissed the corner of his eye and hugged him, careful not to spill the wine. She called his name again and had him call hers.

Golden eyes, the eyes of a king.

All fairy kings were born with golden eyes. It was impossible for anyone else to have golden eyes.

—Lord Aqua's eyes are the same golden color as a fairy king's…?

A question she had never considered before suddenly flooded her mind.

She had thought Aquasteed could make the ring because he was a main character in the game. But in reality, could it be that difficult for a main character to create a ring, even with Ferres's help?

"Be more affectionate, Tiararose."

Aquasteed's large hand stroked Tiararose's back.

His warmth was comforting, and she placed the wine glass on the side table before it spilled. They lay down together, kissed goodnight, and fell asleep.

Aquasteed, she thought, might be something greater than just a human.

The question lingered in Tiararose's mind.

Thank you to everyone for the many comments and corrections. I have read them all, and I have made some corrections.

The book version of Volume 3 is a significantly revised and expanded version of the three chapters published online (plus an extra chapter).

(I'm excited because it's the most different from the online version, and I think even those who have read the online version will enjoy it.)

I hope to release Volume 4 in the fall.

It will include a lot of additional content and an extra chapter for the fourth chapter I updated!

The villainess was originally supposed to end with Volume 3, but thanks to all of you, I have been given the opportunity to write the next volume. (It was already finished on Narou…!)

I would like to express my gratitude here.

Thank you for reading!

I will work hard to bring you more enjoyable stories.

Puni was here!