Chapter 3

First, I tried every possible way to break off my engagement with the first prince.

However, this "contract" with the royal family could not be overturned by the decision of a mere duke's daughter.

The power structure was as vertical as a waterfall, with the royal family at the top.

The class system, the monarchy—how formidable!

To begin with, this engagement itself was arranged by the queen, who was eager to find a solid match for her slightly dim-witted daughter.

My opinion didn't matter at all.

Wait, doesn't that make me a significant victim, being forced to take on the dim-witted one?

Prince Baroque, the first prince of this country, has silky red hair and striking brown eyes, making him a handsome man with a wonderful appearance.

But that's about the only thing he has going for him.

When we were children, his arrogant attitude and cheeky tone were still somewhat cute.

"You're the one Mother chose, so I'll make you my queen, whether you like it or not!"

That's what the brat, who is my age and now sixteen, used to say. Even now, his haughty attitude hasn't changed.

He is self-centered, and while his studies and sword skills are decent, unfortunately, his character is arrogant and he has a bad reputation with women.

He seems to like my appearance, but he enjoys having many young ladies around him and continues to spread rumors with many of them despite being engaged.

When I meet him at parties, he acts as if I want to be part of his circle, which is really off-putting.

He's supposed to meet the heroine and reform, but so far, he's a rather disappointing character.

Lately, he's been looking at me with lecherous eyes, and I refuse from the bottom of my heart to marry such a prince.

Reforming Prince Baroque is beyond me. After all, there's no love.

I want to hand him over to the heroine as soon as possible.

The dowry should be enough to buy a castle from the Marcus Duke's family.

Absolutely, a smooth and peaceful engagement break-up!

That's what I thought, and I planned to persuade the heroine to start a grand romance as soon as I entered the academy.

But then, tragedy struck.

"Why isn't she here!? Without the heroine, there's no one to take the prince!"

My light blue hair in disarray, I was overwhelmed with despair.

After all, without the heroine, what am I?

The villainous lady, what a mess!

This is ridiculous!

If there were a Villainous Lady Guild, I would file a formal complaint!

Tears streaming down like a heavy rain.

Not the refined, ladylike sobbing, but a manly cry—let's not worry about that right now.

I didn't even cry this much when I failed my exams in my previous life.

"Ugh...! No, I don't want to marry such a prince. And I don't want to die."

Sitting on the floor, I cried.

But here, there was someone to wipe away my tears.