I’m Troubled That My Fiance’s A Villain 111 min read

One day, I realized. I have two sets of memories.

I’ve always thought this was weird. I knew of things that didn’t exist in this world: elevators, cars, or scenes of tall buildings lined up in rows. I’ve had moments where I thought that the world I currently live in looked like Medieval Europe, but would go, Wait, Medieval Europe, what’s that?

Not one person understood when I explained it to them, and people around me have always regarded me as a slightly weird, daydreamer.

And then today, I remembered.

The past me who died.

Finally, the two sets of jumbled up memories arranged and separated themselves, and I realized that I was born with memories of a past life. There was barely any confusion. If anything, the sense of relief was strong.

I’d like to leave out why I died. To be quite honest, it wasn’t exactly pleasant, but above all, because it’s done and over with. Though my heart hurt thinking of what happened to my friends and family after I died, and I confined myself for three days after that.

My parents from this world and the servants, who I was close to, were extremely worried as I pulled on the bed sheets and cried, and seeing this caused me to remember the people from my previous world once more. But at the same time, I was strongly aware that I wasn’t the college student who died prematurely in my previous world, but Lizia Rietberg.

I didn’t quickly get back on my feet after that, but my parents in this world wholeheartedly love me as parents even while treating me as a noble, so there really isn’t much I can do about it, right?! Let’s devote ourselves to my parents in this world!, I decided to live facing forward.

Six months after realizing I had reincarnated, an invitation from the Royal Palace arrived.

It said that they were holding a tea party for chosen fiancee candidates to foster friendships with Prince Edwin who will be turning twelve this year.

Oh my~ I am a Marquis’ daughter after all~ Wait, don’t tell me I was chosen by His Highness himself~!! For a moment, I got carried away but upon seeing my reflection on the mirror, I immediately regretted it.

Because although I had sadly reincarnated, there were no dramatic nor remarkable changes to my beauty.

Hazel eyes and slight wavy, mundane chestnut hair. Although my facial features are well-chiseled, at best, I’m only above average. Even though everyone at the mansion and my parents praise me, saying, You look lovely, Lady Lizia, they never said I was beautiful… I-It’s not like I’m sad about it! I’m not interested in becoming queen!

Because of that, I shot down my soaring excitement, and went to the tea party held at the Royal Palace with my feet already on the ground.

There were ten ladies and three lords in total in the palace courtyard, surrounded by neatly pruned roses. Leaving the ladies aside, the lords were probably brought here as the prince’s friend candidates. Assuming that, the three of them are probably future dukes.

Despite the open air, the ladies’ perfumes coiled about, erasing the wonderful smell of the roses.

I was at a table in the corner, grabbing sweets seeing as I had no motivation from the very start, and enjoyed the 10-year old ladies already checking who would be the first to greet His Highness in the most adult-like manner.

Even though the only time they can play like children is at this age…

They were different from me, sent out by my parents with zero expectations and told to ‘just go and have fun for now,’ while other noble girls were already burdened with carrying their families on their small backs.

Well, some of them had seriously fallen in love with His Highness after meeting him.

One of those people is Katerina from House Brunsmeier.

Straight silver hair and strong-willed blue eyes. She’s sure to become a beautiful woman in the future, but I can tell she’ll grow ill-natured.

Having already dropped out of the battle of the fiancees, I tilted my head to the side while I pitifully looked on as Katerina glared at the ladies. Katerina looks familiar for some reason. I have yet to debut in high society, so I shouldn’t have met her yet…

Someone approached me from the side as I nibbled on a madeleine and wondered.

Maybe it’s a fellow unmotivated lady, like me! When I excitedly turned to them, thinking, This is my fellow bench player, I should get along with them, what I saw was not a frilly dress, but a man’s coat.

An impressively slender boy with straight black hair– one of the prince’s friend candidates.

W-Would it be better if I talked to him? No, wait, for a woman who has had no boyfriend experience for a total of 31 years, including her past life, to simply interact with a guy…! If I think of him as a relative’s kid… No, it’s impossible! I mean, I’m currently the same age as him. No matter how you look at it, I’m just a 10-year-old in this world.

While I was having a chaotic conversation in my head, the boy turns to look at me with his gray eyes from behind his long bangs.

Gya–!! What’s with this kid, he’s really beautiful! Looking at him more carefully, his eyes were slightly refreshing to look at, and his nose was long… Huh, wait, he looks familiar for some reason…?

“Is it fine even if you’re not there?”

He points to a mass of pastel-colored dresses.

Yes, yes, it’s impossible for a mediocre woman like me, with the exception of my status, to join a place as dangerous as that, my heart shook as I vigorously shook my head.

“I see…”

I received a disappointingly short reply from the boy. Hey, what’s with your lack of interest despite talking to me first.

“U-uhm, I’m the daughter of Marquis Rietberg, Lizia.”

I introduced myself, thanking my governess who taught me the ways of a lady. Actually, this is the first time I’ve done this outside of family, so I’m considerably nervous.

After the boy accepted my curtsy with a blank stare¹, he also introduced himself.

“I’m Bernhardt Youth Brunsmeier. Nice to meet you.”

“L-Likewise.”

“That menacing one over there is my little sister, Katerina.”

“Menacing…”

Bernhardt surprisingly had a sharp tongue despite the vacant atmosphere around him. She certainly did look like a menacing black cat with its hair standing up.

Wait, putting that aside, the name Bernhardt rings a bell. Katerina as well…

I’ve heard those two names before from somewhere.

Where was it…? A noble family record? No, not that. I think… a screen. Right, it’s from a screen. And there was a TV–

At that moment, a high-pitched scream shouted. His Highness had appeared. The Pastel Corps chattered about.

Like a rusted toy, I turned my gaze from Bernhardt to His Highness.

His Highness was the very image of a perfect prince as he accepted Katerina’s greeting at the center table. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a kind-looking gaze. Clad in elegance unbefitting of a twelve-year-old, the beautiful boy was a spitting image of the main love interest’s childhood CG from an otome game I played in my previous life.

By chance, without given time to deny this, I remembered what had been troubling me all this time about Katerina and Bernhardt; my face quickly paled.

“You okay?”

“Y-Yes.”

Sorry. I’m definitely not okay. Don’t mind me. I mean, please don’t mind me.

I managed to put on a smile even while panicking, and nervously peeked at Bernhardt.

Actually, this absentminded, beautiful boy is the greatest villain in Prince Edwin’s route in “My Lilac”. By the way, this guy’s little sister is the so-called villainess.

Anyhow, I hung my head to sort through the flood of memories I had of the game bursting through my head. My feet unsteadily swayed– I felt sick for some reason.

Someone grabbed my hand and forced me to sit somewhere. That hand was Bernhardt’s.

“Huh?!”

As if his previous absentmindedness was all a lie, he skillfully pushed through the forest of dresses, quickly summarized what had happened to His Highness, and came back. While thinking that, he casually put a hand on my back, asked a nearby knight to prepare a room for me to rest in, and even went as far as accompanying me to the lounge. I could only watch as all of this happened, to my embarrassment.

We passed through a rose-covered pathway; his back looked extremely reliable, walking slowly to match my stride. At the game’s setting, the school that nobles enter upon turning 15, he was a third year student like His Highness, so he must be two years older than me.

Today’s weather was good though somewhat chilly; only our connected hands gradually warmed up.

Arriving at the lounge, Bern restrained the flustered royal maid with his hand, and said,

“I’d like for her to rest for a bit since she doesn’t look so good. Could you bring her something warm?”

It’s often said that a person calms down when seeing another panicking, but I looked at the maid rushing off, taken aback, Is my complexion that bad?, and was able to pull myself back together.

“Thank you very much, Lord Bernhardt. But I’m simply a little tired, so I–“

“Is that so?”

He interrupted my words, sitting me down on a chair, and sat beside me.

This is definitely not an is that so kind of situation, okay? Do you even listen to people? I-I don’t get what he’s thinking…

Wait, was Bernhardt this kind of expressionless character? I remember that the older him who came out in the game was genial, and always had a gentle smile but was calculating, skillfully hiding his true intentions– a so-called two-faced character. I guess he’ll become like that in time.

“Is it okay for you to not talk with His Highness?”

“Isn’t it?”

Eh~~ You’re too lenient…

After drinking the warm herb tea that came later, we talked about silly things for about an hour until the carriage I summoned arrived. Mainly because I was interested in horse riding, Bernhardt slowly taught me about horses, but for some reason, held my hand all throughout.

I once asked if he had a hard time drinking the tea, he nonchalantly replied, I’m left-handed. But because of that, my left hand felt warm.

“Thank you very much.”

When the carriage I summoned came, the shock had slightly settled down as I said my thanks, but Bernhardt was expressionless as always. But I thought, He’s probably a good kid deep down. But because of that, I didn’t fall into confusion at the fact that this was an otome game world. Well, even though he may become the most dangerous villain in the future.

As I thought of impolite things, Bernhardt smiled with just a tiny bit of laughter in it, and returned to the tea party. Hmm, I don’t get him.

I gave the worried coachman an appropriate answer, and quietly pondered as the horse-drawn carriage shook on its way back.

For some reason, I’ve reincarnated in an otome game that’s common in web novels, but far from being the protagonist, I seemed to have become an ordinary mob instead.

If so, then my actions would be simple.

As a mob character, I’ll enjoy looking on from the sidelines without changing the game’s scenario while giving back to my parents, and I’ll seek happiness without aiming too high. I mean, that’s because I still have to live my life, okay? Because I don’t like troublesome things, got it?

But a few days later, I would be unable to withdraw my decision no matter how fleeting it was.

My father received a letter from Duke Brunsmeier, proposing an engagement between me and his eldest son, Bernhardt.

I changed Katerina’s hair color from black to silver.

If there’s any mistakes, please do let me know.

Note: I’ll be editing this series from this chapter onward. Will be checking for consistency, wrong translations, and just overall quality of the editing so some will sound better/be easier to read, while others will need a bit of work. Just a heads up so those who are new/re-reading are aware. This chapter should be good to go (TL check but not editing). I’ll do this for every chapter mostly so I know which chapter I’m at.