CH 31

As our carriage headed for the lodge, the streets had changed from cobblestones to dirt roads at some point.

Our coachman was someone from the Schneiver family.

The same person who brought me to Ursch-kun's workshop yesterday.

Apparently, his name is Paul.

Inside the carriage was Allis-chan and the second prince.

Allis-chan had snuggled up to his highness and fell asleep.

A lot has happened, and the road to the lodge is a long one. She's bound to be tired.

Ursch-kun and I were sitting at the backseats, behind the coach box.

I was actually planning to sit on top of the carriage, but Paul-san stopped me.

"By the way, Ursch-kun. Was that anesthesia needle really a prototype?"

"Of course it wasn't~ Even I wouldn't dare test an unfinished product on a member of royalty. While we're at it, I wasn't serious about kicking him down the stairs either."

Right~?

That would go past treason and jump straight to attempted murder of a royal after all.

I was serious about decking him, though.

"If not just Isabella, but even I seemed irresponsible about this, Miss Amaryllis would then feel that she would have to be the one to properly support the prince."

Then, Ursch-kun also said:

I didn't want my Isabella to look after the prince, nor did I want to take care of the man who could've become Isabella's fiancé, and chuckled. 

Uuuooooouuoouoouuu!!

Is that the "desire to monopolise" I hear about so much—?!

Thank you!! Desire☆To☆Monopolise!!

Thank you very much for the meal~!!

"Fu~Fu~Fu~♡ The only one I'll take care of is Ursch-kun~♡ I'll nurse you in the future too!!"

"Stay with me even when I become a grandpa, 'kay~"

Fufufu... I'm sure Ursch-kun would be wonderful even as a grandpa.

Just imagining a future of going on walks and holding hands with grandpa Ursch-kun... I can't stop grinning.

"Let's work hard to make that wonderful future a reality!!"

"With this, we were able to solve the problem with the Second Prince. And if the second prince gets a brilliant fiancée, we'll be able to relaxedly spend our academy life together. It would be great if this all works out."

"I personally hope Allis-chan becomes the prince's fiancée. Even when she heard the prince was cursed, all she thought about was supporting His Highness!! Really makes you want to cheer her on."

"That so."

Ursch-kun replied like he didn't care whatsoever.

You know, we're talking about the 2 important people who got dragged into the ruckus I caused right now...

"'That so', you say...."

"Weell as far as I'm concerned, as long as His Highness' fiancée isn't my Isabella, I don't care who it is. It can even be the heroine~ I couldn't care less about other people's love affairs."

That's right. It was the same with my maid, Marie-chan.

Ursch-kun just isn't interested in other people's love stories...

What kind of topic would Ursch-kun enjoy listening to then?

Come to think of it, I don't know much about Ursch-kun interests.

"Ursch-kun, what kind of things are you interested in? Is there anything you like?"

"The things I'm most interested in right now are Isabella and alchemy. As for the things I like, that would be Isabella and crafting items, I guess?"

They're practically the same answer!!

Also, I'm so happy to hear you openly say that you love me!!

I love you too, Ursch-kun!! I'm super interested in you too!!

As I bit down on my happiness, Ursch-kun offered me his hand, and I held it.

While being swayed by the carriage, Ursch-kun and I are snug against each other, hand in hand... This is bliss!!

In my past life, the game screen was in the way, and I always thought "You dumb LCD!! Move out of the way!! I want to meet Ursch-kun!!"

And once I actually reincarnated, the Ursch-kun who lied beyond the game screen was...

In actuality black-hearted, kind of scary, and indifferent about his surroundings.

But when made an ally, he couldn't be any more reliable.

More than anyone else, he held my hand, willing to spend the rest of his life with me.

The hands I have in mine are rough and calloused for a six-year-old, but undeniably warm.

Ahhh Geez!!

Viva!! The Otome game reincarnation!!

Three cheers for the reincarnation as a villainess!!

God(?), thank you for reincarnating me into this world!!

I'm definitely going to live a happy life!!

While looking at Ursch-kun's side profile and grinning, Ursch-kun turned his head my way.

"Isabella? We're not gonna chat anymore? I couldn't care less about the topic of other people in itself, but I like seeing and listening to you talk, Isabella. So won't you chat some more?"

Yes!! Let us talk until my voice becomes hoarse and dies off!!

Now what would be a good conversation topic...

The only thing that comes to mind right now is Allis-chan, will that do?

"Umm... As I said before, I personally think it would be great if Allis-chan became the prince's fiancée. Of course, this is supposing His Highness' situation has improved."

"Yeah."

"In the Second Prince's route, there are 4 rival characters including me. Two of them are these twin maids, see? But rather than maids, they act more like the prince's bodyguards."

"Yeah."

"Those two are hostile to anyone who comes near the prince, not just towards the heroine, but towards Isabella as well. The younger one's name is Ann and kinda has a personality similar to Allis-chan~"

"Are you referring to the bewitching Miss Amaryllis of the game? Or do you mean the current Miss Amaryllis?"

"Ahh I meant the current Allis-chan! So, I think if Allis-chan stays the way she is while growing up, she might get along well with Ann."

At the tea party, I theorized that Gijs, the Mage Order Head's son and Ursch-kun could possibly have overlapping character archetypes, but in fact, the current Allis-chan and the maid Ann are having way more similarities than the other two.

"What about the other twin?"

"The other maid's name is Merry, she kind of resembles a soldier. If I had to give an example with someone you know... I guess she resembles Brother Daemon."

"Wha-!! A maid resembling your brother Daemon?!"

"Hey!! I'm not talking about her looks!! I'm talking about her personality!! I'd hate to see such a muscular maid!!"

Geez! Because of that, I imagine a muscle man like Brother Daemon wearing a maid uniform!

"O-oh... you meant her personality...of course....  But even so, I still can't quite picture it~"

"W-weell... Say there's this student troubling the second prince in the academy, she's the kind of girl who would use an ironclaw and drag him away."

".... Doesn't that still make her a muscle maid?"

That's true. Now that you mention it, she is a muscle maid.

But still, "Ann" who resembles Allis-chan, and "Merry" who resembles Brother Daemon.

What would happen to these two maids, who acted very much like the prince's bodyguard, if the prince mastered his skill and no longer faced the danger of being confined in the tower?

If the Second Prince's fiancée was no longer the villainess Isabella, but someone like Allis-chan instead, would the twins still be hired as the prince's exclusive maids?

As the question pops into my head, the carriage moves onward.

Little by little the sun goes down, as we near the mountain lodge.

Paul-san: I don't understand what the two are talking about in the back...

※Iron Claw: An attack Daemon often uses on Isabella. A technique in which you grab the opponent's head with one hand and lift it up.