19. Otome Game Heroine
Eleonora, who became the student council president, was rapidly gaining popularity.
“Lady Eleonora comes to school earlier than anyone else to work. How wonderful she is!”
“I know, right!? She never boasts about her status, either!”
Actually, that was all thanks to the surveillance of Berthold and Theselius. Naturally, ordinary students had no way of knowing that.
While Eleonora was being heaped with praise, a certain someone was visibly irked.
Most of the noble ladies had a good impression of Eleonora thanks to the missionary work of Adelaide and Charmia, but the same couldn’t be said about Mara Gramvar.
“What’s happening here!? How could Hildred be expelled from school!?”
A special scholarship student from a commoner background nervously chewed her nails, her expression turning gruesome.
‘Mara Gramvar’ was, in fact, not her real name, as the girl herself came from another world.
She was a fan of a popular otome game called [Saint of Alphala]. After a freak accident, she was reborn as a heroine in this world.
As she used to play the game, Mara knew the storyline like the back of her hand.
…However, that knowledge has been of little use so far.
In the original storyline, Lydian would come to Mara’s aid when Hildred was about to force himself on her. Such was their first meeting. Yet, there was no sign of that so far.
“—Also, Eleonora is famous for being ‘fair’ and ‘just’… This makes no sense at all! She’s supposed to be the villainess! Could it be that she’s also a [reincarnator]!?”
Mara was seething while biting her nails.
As she sulked under the shade of a tree, she looked like a gloomy witch. Suddenly, a voice called out to her.
“Hey, Mara! There you are!”
“If we don’t hurry, we won’t make it! I’m getting hungry…”
They were Carter, the son of the treasurer, and Baldi, the son of the knight captain.
Although they were having a rough time dealing with their complex towards Berthold and Theselius, they fell in love with Mara and returned to the academy.
…In other words, Mara had seduced them, but the two sheltered boys were completely in the dark.
‘I successfully captured these two…! So why is it impossible for me to capture Lydian!? It must be Eleonora’s doings! I won’t let you get in my way!’ (Mara)
Mara subtly badmouthed Eleonora to the two of them.
“…Just now, Lady Eleonora told me not to show my face at the academy because I’m merely a commoner. But I want to meet you guys! So, I won’t give up…”
The sight of Mara’s tears rallied the two. The world would’ve been a better place if they had shown even a sliver of concern towards their respective fiancées, but the two were two thick-headed to realize that.
“Mara, I had no idea you were going through such a difficult time! But don’t worry! I’ll protect you from that woman!”
“Me too!! I shall use every ounce of my intellect to protect you from such an evil woman!”
“Thank you…”
Mara tearfully replied.
Which man wouldn’t be happy when he was relied upon by such a gorgeous-looking girl? The two laughed bashfully.
As a matter of course, her smear campaign didn’t end with these two. Step by step, Mara began to slander Eleonora.
“My precious brooch is broken…”
“How pitiful! I’ll buy you a new one!”
Despite their kindness, they were prone to manipulation.
No matter how popular Eleonora was, it was within human nature to trust the words of his beloved.
Some of the noble sons, led by Carter and Baldi, began to see Eleonora as an enemy.
“Lady Eleonora has crossed the line! I won’t let this stand. Mara, I’ll give her a piece of my mind!”
Lowe, the son of a hot-blooded marquis, became angry for Mara’s sake. He was a good man.
However, the student council was currently busy, so Berthold and Theselius wouldn’t let him in. As a result, he didn’t get the chance to meet Eleonora.
“Now that it has come to this, let’s uncover her wicked deeds and complain to His Majesty the King! This is not just for Mara’s sake, but also for the sake of the kingdom! Someone as evil and shrewd as her is unfit to be a queen!”
Lowe, the marquis’ son, clenched his fist.
Thus, he went undercover, to no avail. He only discovered her noble deeds in the past.
The missionary work of Adelaide and Charmia aside, the accomplishments of Theselius and Berthold were also considered as hers.
…Actually, he just misunderstood that the two did it under Eleonora’s order, or something.
The more Lowe looked into it, the more confused he became.
Unable to find anything, he decided to just start from Eleonora’s bullying and gather evidence from there.
“Mara, when exactly did Lady Eleonora push you down the stairs?”
“Why would you ask me that?”
Mara scowled at him in annoyance.
“I’m sorry for reminding you of something unpleasant. I need it to gather evidence of Lady Eleonora’s misdeeds and bring her to justice. Our king and queen are fair people, so they’ll definitely punish her.”
“W-what!? …No, actually, let’s just leave the matter to Baldi and Carter? So please refrain from doing something unnecessary. All right, see you!”
Mara quickly left.
To Mara, Lowe’s actions were just unnecessary.
“I approached him because of his good looks and family background, but he turned out to be such a wild card! I have to be careful around him…”
Mara stopped playing with fire, but a sensible gentleman such as Lowe gradually became suspicious of her.
“…I thought that she was being tormented by a noble lady, so I intended to help her. But judging from her previous tone, she didn’t seem like an easy target to bully.”
Once he noticed that, everything Mara did from that point became questionable.
Over time, those with sensibility left her, realizing that Mara was the most vicious woman in the world.
Only fools remained.
“Bendix used to be so kind to me, but now he’s so cold! Lady Eleonora must’ve said something to him…!”
“Mara, don’t cry! We’re here for you!”
“That’s right, Mara! Evil must be brought to justice!”
They blamed Eleonora for basically everything. What a bunch of morons.
If there was someone who needed to be pitied, then it should rightfully be their fiancées. Mellia and Dellyrud, who were both the daughters of a marquis, tried to stop them.
“I’m fully aware that it’s an arranged marriage. Nevertheless, I’d decided to respect and cherish my husband-to-be. I have to stop Lord Baldi.”
“I agree with you, Mellia.”
The two young ladies patiently admonished Baldi and Carter, but they wouldn’t listen.
“Lord Baldi, please calm down. Lady Eleonora is a soft-spoken, compassionate, and wonderful person. Please don’t slander her anymore.”
“Mellia, how could you! I know of your two-facedness. Behind my back, you criticized Mara about her manners!” Baldi yelled.
“Dellyrud, I acknowledge your talent, but taking advantage of it to degrade an innocent woman is just wrong. Apologize to Mara.” Carter spoke coldly.
…They wouldn’t listen at all.
When their fiancées told them to stop being rude to Eleonora, Baldi and Carter threw accusations at them.
In the end, Mellia and Dellyrud got fed up and left them to their own devices.
However, the two morons only rejoiced because they thought their cruel fiancées had given up.
“It’s okay now, Mara. You’ve been through a lot.”
“If she ever harasses you again, I’ll annul the engagement! Dellyrud is in love with me, so she’ll shut up right away!”
“Thank you… Carter, Baldi.”
Baldi patted Mara, who was crying, on the head. Meanwhile, Carter wiped her tears with a handkerchief.
At a glance, it seemed like a wholesome scene, but since most of the students knew the context behind it, they gave the trio the cold shoulder. “Hmph, those idiots are up to no good again.”
At that time, Eleonora—their target—was busy preparing for a party, and had no idea that people were talking behind her back.
The entire time, she was having fun.
Translator’s Note:
Hohoho, my favorite type of enemy, a “heroine” who thinks she gotta have it all!!!
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