Clip-clop, clip-clop.
The sound from the horse’s hooves and the turning of the wheels. The tranquil countryside slowly passed by as the horse-drawn journeyed along.
And then there’s me, sitting inside that carriage, completely groggy.
It’s not because I’m carsick. The horse’s destination is an oppressive place, hence the grogginess.
Accompanied by a maid by the name of Tia, I am now headed to the Demon King’s Castle– I mean, the Brunsmeier house.
The day the proposal arrived from the Duke’s house. As expected, Father and Mother were pleased about it.
It’s because it’s from the heir of a distinguished family from this country’s 5 families1, and moreover, the other party designated me. Well of course they’d be happy. But I’m definitely not!!
After seeing how happy my parents were, how could I refuse… Plus, I can’t exactly tell them that the reason I don’t want to is because of my previous life’s memories of a game where Bernhardt is a villain. At the very least, it would have been fine if Bernhardt was a detestable guy, but he helped me out the other day at the tea party, and also, frankly told everyone about the sequence of events.
Hearing about the proposal, my mother said,
“Oh my! I bet he fell in love with you at first sight at the tea party! It was destiny~”
And that was that.
Mother is, for better or for worse, a well-bred lady, so she loves romantic love stories.
And with that, the matter was settled without a hitch, and a month after accepting the proposal, I officially became Bernhardt’s fiancée.
Every time anyone at the residence saw me, they congratulated me, and I smiled everyday while screaming in my heart, At the very least, I don’t want to be congratulated each and every day!
I really don’t understand what that absentminded, beautiful boy was thinking.
Even if by chance it’s as mother said, there’s no reason for him to fall in love with me at first sight. It’s not like I’m trying to put myself down, but letting one’s imagination run wild isn’t good either.
There’s nothing I can do seeing as I don’t even know the reason for making me his fiancee. In the meantime, I have to sort the situation out!
I had wracked my hollow brain in that one month, and recalled the information I had sorted out.
Regrettably, my memory of the game was vague.
The things I could clearly remember were pretty much the CGs I liked, the characters’ appearance, and also, some of the endings.
I mean, it can’t be helped! It’s not because there was a lot to take in, but my memories of the game is mixing in with other similar games.
Moreover, this game’s system was slightly annoying.
It was the kind of scenario where you pick choices in the first half, raising the affections of the character you wanted to capture, and in the second half, it’s not as simple as going through an individual route as you were able to change love interests in the middle, but you also aren’t allowed to raise just your love interest’s affections.
For example, in Edwin’s route, when you raise just Edwin’s affections, then you’ll be met with a bad ending where you and Edwin get killed in Bernhardt’s trap. But when another love interest’s affections were raised to some extent, that character would then notice the trap, saving you, and will allow you to reach the happy ending. This happy ending also branches depending on seemingly trivial choices, but generally speaking, it has multiple scenarios that diverges like this. Moreover, they’re hard to figure out.
It’s not that I dislike doing a speedrun of this annoying system, but because of that, I was unable to find out who the hidden character was. Regrettably, I was unable to find out on walkthrough sites, and I had no friends that could spoil it since I hid my love of otome games from the people around me.
Dammit, if I knew this would happen, I would have put more effort into scouring those walkthrough sites!
That’s what I knew for now, but if the protagonist were to stick close to Prince Edwin, I’d be in trouble.
Katerina, Bernhardt’s younger sister and Edwin’s fiancee, would follow her archetype and bully Lila for suddenly showing up and charming Edwin.
The bullying includes unreasonable demands and slapping her face. I’d say she’s an honest person who would face others head on, fair and square, moreso than persistently harassing Lila.
By the way, the game’s title is “My Lilac”, so isn’t it too simple to make the protagonist’s name Lila? Is that okay?
Let’s put that to the side for now.
Of course, Katerina is convicted by Edwin and the other love interests, and the engagement is cancelled.
Katerina accepts this, and Duke Brunsmeier, who dotes on her, schemes to have Edwin assassinated, and plant the young and easily manipulated Second Prince as the next King.
That’s how it looks publicly, but the truth is the person who planned all of this is the Bernhardt that everyone knew.
With the game set in school, he was two years above the protagonist, the same as Edwin. He’s introduced not as a love interest, but as a support character — a so-called unobtainable character.
He’s a friend of Edwin in his route, gently listening to the protagonist’s troubles about their difference in status and misunderstandings, and giving advice at times. He congratulates them when they begin dating and even helps them with their dates.
As for why he had him assassinated, it’s because Bernhardt has always liked the protagonist.
I even remember retorting multiple times at the slow protagonist, He’s this kind because he likes you!
He thought of having his father take the blame for his failure, and obtaining the protagonist after assassinating Edwin. After I died in the bad ending, unaware of everything, he confessed everything in the happy ending where the assassination was avoided, and was imprisoned on an island prison.
At first, I didn’t think much of it, but after finally reaching that end, I threw my controller with a woosh, saying W-What the hell!? after optimistically thinking, Wow, Bern’s such a good guy, huh.
And yet, he had no route, so it felt like he was the one I should personally support rather than the protagonist. Every time he showed up in other routes, I would intimately call out Bern~! Thinking back on it, he may have been my favorite character.
I wasn’t so sure if he had a fiancee within my vague memories.
But I don’t think he did. I mean, if he had a fiancée, then that would mean he couldn’t just easily marry the protagonist after assassinating Edwin. Ah, but if the game never touched upon it, then that fiancee might have already…
“Gyaa–!! Don’t wanna, don’t wanna! I’m going to die without giving back to my parents, and having a wonderful marriage–!”
“Despite being on our way to the partner of the wonderful marriage you mentioned just now, is something the matter, Lizia-sama? I understand you’ve been weird ever since you were young, but have you finally gone crazy?”
“I have not!”
Glaring at Tia who said those stabbing words, I calmed my rising tension. Darn, I accidentally just blurted that out.
Tia is my foster sister. Large cat-like eyes and two huge, hateful mountains, she’s the only same-age friend I have.
“Do you hate Bernhardt-sama?”
“That’s not it.”
“Then why are you shouting that you don’t want to die and worrying after the engagement has been decided?”
“That… was an accident.”
“What?”
It’s not like I can talk about otome games and my previous life.
At a disadvantage, I looked outside the window in order to escape Tia’s stares.
What should I do?
I simply have to make Bernhardt purposely hate me to cancel the engagement, and then I could live as a simple bystander.
But is that okay? For some reason, this feels cowardly of me. But I have no redeeming features, an iron will that can overcome any obstacle like the protagonist, nor an innocence that attracts people.
Even so.
“…I wonder if we can get along.”
To allow the selfish Katerina and black-hearted Bernhardt realize their mistakes as their friend. To help them look for their own happiness together outside of the game’s scenario.
Or is it too arrogant of me to think that?
“You can.”
Tia replied, brimming with confidence.
“I wonder.”
“If you’re not able to get along with them for any reason, I’ll punish you.”
When I looked at the proud Tia with her big chest pushed out, I felt at ease for some reason.
Tia, who was always strict, was cheering me up. Surely I’ll be able to get along with them! I’ll try!
…Maybe.
“Are you Lizia? Hmm… You’re quite plain. Well, that’s fine. You seem to have no interest in His Highness! I cannot fathom women who show no interest in such a wonderful gentleman, but as long as you don’t get close to him, I don’t see why I can’t get along with you!”
The first person to meet me at the Brunsmeier household entrance was not my fiancé, a butler, nor a maid, but the beautiful, ill-natured, unforgettable, silver-haired girl.
She arrogantly declared to the shocked and dumbfounded me with a loud voice, standing proudly as she seemingly performed a bridge2.
Hey, to the me a while ago. This may be too early, but it may not be possible to get along with them…! Eh, wait, I’m not good with sit-ups though!?
Note: Chapter’s been looked through for translation accuracy but not editing (this is for my own reference lol). If something sounds weird or off, comment down below.