Chapter 2

Vulher Academy has a 'Prince.'

With hair like translucent golden threads and eyes like sapphires.

With long limbs and a gender-neutral face that captivates everyone.

His silent walk down the hallway is like a single white rose.

If a woman stumbles in front of him, he quickly extends his hand and whispers with a sweet mask and a honeyed voice.

"Are you hurt, my princess?"

At that moment, a chorus of yellow voices rises from nowhere.

The 'Prince's' name is Cecil Admina.

He is the temporary form of Cecilia Silvia, a seventeen-year-old duchess's daughter.

◆◇◆

"Hmm. How did it come to this..."

Cecil, or rather, Cecilia, muttered this while looking up at the glass ceiling from a bench in the school's greenhouse.

Beside her, her younger stepbrother, Gilbert, was seated.

There was no one else in the greenhouse at the edge of the school grounds. For her, who was chased around by female students shouting 'Prince!' this place was the only sanctuary within the school.

"I just wanted to live my school life quietly without drawing attention, but why am I a 'Prince'..."

"That's because you're an idiot, sister."

"Ugh!"

Cecilia's heart was pierced by the sharp words. Gilbert, who was supposed to grow up as a gloomy and introverted young man due to being bullied by Cecilia, had, after twelve years of knowing each other, grown into a sharp-tongued and cheeky young man. It was only natural, given that she hadn't bullied him like in a game, but Cecilia couldn't help but think he could have grown up to be cuter.

Gilbert, undaunted by his step-sister's glare, instead gave her a look of exasperation.

"Even this morning, you said, 'Are you hurt, my princess?' What was that? You spout such corny lines so easily."

"Well, I can't let anyone realize I'm actually a girl. So, it's only natural to act more manly than ordinary guys!"

"Is that what 'manly' means...?"

"In my past life, an eighteen-year-long otome game life, the male character most popular with girls was like that!"

"...That's the cause."

Gilbert said this again, bluntly.

In Cecilia's past life, Kanzaki Hiyono was a high school student who loved otome games.

She spent most of her allowance on otome games, and when it wasn't enough, she worked part-time to buy more. Playing until the dark night sky turned white was a daily occurrence, and on weekends, she would often stay in her room and not come out.

She did participate in club activities and fashion to some extent, but her favorite hobby was otome games.

'Vulher Academy's Princess 3' was one of the otome games Hiyono played at the time.

"So, are you really going to be chosen as a princess candidate? I've heard that the current princess has been around for a long time and her power is starting to wane, but the idea of you, a paragon of purity, being chosen as a princess candidate seems impossible..."

"Hey, do you hate me, Gilbert?"

"No, I love you. It's just that I don't think someone as rough and scatterbrained as you can handle such a big role as a princess."

"Ouch, harsh words from my stepbrother!"

Cecilia covered her face with both hands as Gilbert smiled.

'Vulher Academy's Princess 3' is, as the name suggests, the third installment in the 'Vulher Academy's Princess' series.

In this world, there exists a 'Princess' who protects and guides the people, and her words are so influential that even the king cannot ignore them.

The protagonist, Lean Lazaroa, and the duchess's daughter, Cecilia Silvia, compete for the position of the next princess at Vulher Academy—this is the basic plot of the game.

"I thought it would be better if I wasn't chosen... But it's too late now."

"Last night, a rose-shaped mark appeared on my chest."

Gilbert's cheek twitched as he said, "Ah..."

It is said that those chosen as princess candidates have a distinctive mark. In the game, the protagonist Lean discovers a snowflake-shaped mark on the back of her hand. The next day, she learns that she has been chosen as a princess candidate at her new school, Vulher Academy.

Lean will probably transfer today, so the mark on the back of her hand should have appeared last night.

"So, you're definitely a princess candidate now."

"Yes! —So, please support me!! I really only have you to rely on!! I want a peaceful future for my big sister!!"

"Ah, fine, fine! Don't try to hug me!!"

Gilbert stopped Cecilia, who tried to hug him like they did when they were kids. His eyes were slightly red, perhaps from embarrassment.

Cecilia's fate as the antagonist in the game is tragic. She dies in almost every route. Whether it's the normal route, a love ending, or a bad ending, the outcome is the same. Only the method of death changes.

That's why Cecilia decided to become a man. Men can't become princesses, and by becoming a man, Cecilia can remain a minor character. —Not that she intended to live as a man, but to live as a male student at the all-boarding noble academy without drawing attention and to live quietly...

However, there were limits to what Cecilia could do alone.

She had to prepare in advance, pretend to be sick and avoid social events, help her father with his work to save money for emergencies, practice quickly hiding her large chest, and secretly make a wig from her own hair...

In the twelve years since she regained her memories, she had made these preparations, but she couldn't obtain the male uniform without arousing suspicion or prepare a false identity.

So, Cecilia asked for her stepbrother Gilbert's help.

Gilbert, who didn't laugh at her sudden talk of her 'past life' and 'game,' asked, "What do you need me to do?" She couldn't thank him enough.

He may have a sharp tongue, but he truly cares for his step-sister.

Pushing away his step-sister who tried to hug him, Gilbert cleared his throat and composed himself.

"Anyway, what's happening today? Lean Lazaroa is supposed to transfer in."

"That's right. In the game, it says 'one week after the high school entrance ceremony.' If it's not today, it should be one or two days later."

"Then, we should go back to the classroom quickly. She's transferring to your class, right? It's better to avoid drawing attention by arriving late."

"Ah, yeah. But, soon..."

As Cecilia raised her face, a broadcast started from the speakers installed throughout the school, instructing all students to gather in the auditorium immediately.

It was unusual for the school, which had a strict schedule, to use the broadcast to gather all students like this. Normally, there would be an announcement the day before.

"Is this the start?"

"Yeah, probably."

Gilbert patted Cecilia's shoulder, who was pale and tense, to encourage her.

"Let's go. Nothing will start if we hide..."

"You're right."

The two stood up from the bench and left the greenhouse.

A single shadow watched their backs—

"Hehehe, I found you, Gilbert-sama."

With a cute voice, she fixed a heated gaze on their backs.

Her thin lips curved into a happy arc, and she held a thick notebook and pen, writing something down.

"Ah, finally, this day has come. I've been waiting for it so, so long."

She hugged herself, her cheeks flushed pink, and her eyes were misty with excitement.

Her slightly wavy pink hair, large ruby-like eyes framed by long lashes, naturally red lips, and slender, delicate figure that evoked a man's protective instinct.

Her name is Baroness Lean Lazaroa, the heroine of the game 'Vulher Academy's Princess 3'.

The next update is on Monday (18th).

Thank you for your support!