Flag-Breaking Villainess: The Story of How Breaking the Romance Flags of the Otome Game's Protagonist Ended Up Creating New Flags Between the Reincarnated Villainess and the Heroine - Chapter 8.1

It was early morning, a time when the academy was still enveloped in quiet slumber.

Carefully, I slipped out of bed, making sure not to wake Liel, and silently changed into my uniform.

Stepping into the academy’s courtyard, I was greeted by the crisp, cool air of dawn. The sky was still a shade of deep blue, and the world was bathed in a soft, muted glow.

Within the academy’s grand garden, I spotted my target. She was tending to the flower beds, checking the plants, smoothing the soil, and trimming the leaves with meticulous care. I observed her for a moment, confirming that she was behaving exactly as she had in the original game’s storyline.

Her name was Shiroe Claudio, the headmaster’s daughter. She had been taking care of this flower garden long before she officially enrolled in the academy, having gained special permission from her father to do so.

In the original game, she was a named supporting character who appeared in both Vayne’s and Makias’s routes.

In Vayne’s route, she provided information about a legendary flower that bloomed only once every hundred years. Vayne and Liel ventured into the forest to find it, driven by both his curiosity and his desire to give it as a birthday gift to his older brother, Allen.

In Makias’s route, she appeared during a student council event, where she was introduced as the headmaster’s daughter and praised for her flawless management of the academy’s garden.

Despite appearing in two separate routes, Shiroe was completely absent from Allen’s storyline—a glaring omission. Considering Allen’s deep appreciation for flowers, it made no sense that he had never met someone like Shiroe.

The game never provided a reason for this, but many players, myself included, quickly realized the truth. If Shiroe had appeared in Allen’s route, he would’ve ended up choosing her over Liel.

Unlike Liel, whose relationship with Allen had to be carefully built through events and affection points, Shiroe was already his ideal match. It was obvious that her absence was an intentional design choice to keep the main heroine relevant.

Which meant—Shiroe could be the key to completely breaking Allen’s route before it even began.

I approached the kneeling girl from behind and greeted her.

“Good morning.”

“P-Pya!?”

She jumped like a startled cat, whirling around with wide eyes.

“G-Good morning…”

Now that I was facing her directly, I took in her appearance. She had long, sleek black hair, with intentionally overgrown bangs that partially covered her dark, expressive eyes. A textbook “mystery girl” aesthetic—one that suited a side character rather than a main heroine.

“Apologies for startling you.”

Shiroe hesitated for a moment before slowly standing up.

“No, it’s fine… I just didn’t expect anyone to be here this early.”

Her dark eyes lingered on me, flickering with curiosity. Sensing the growing skepticism, I quickly took the initiative.

“I should introduce myself. I am Lilia Fortina.”

“Shiroe Claudio. You’re… the ‘sage’ who synthesized orichalcum and elixirs, right?”

The sage?

I had never heard anyone in the academy call me that before. Apparently, rumors had been circulating beyond my awareness.

“I’m hardly that impressive. Feel free to speak to me as you would anyone else.”

“If you say so… hmm… alright, then.”

She didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic about the conversation. In fact, her attention was already shifting back to her gardening.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt your work. Please, continue.”

“Then, I will.”

Without another word, she turned her back to me and resumed tending to the flowers. It was clear that pushing too hard today would backfire. I had time before Allen arrived—there was no need to rush.

I returned to my room, slipped back into my negligee, and crawled into bed. Liel’s warm body heat had kept the blankets nice and cozy, providing immediate relief from the early morning chill.

For a moment, I entertained the thought of holding her close—it would probably feel even better… but before I could act on it, sleep claimed me.

Each morning, I quietly visited the flower garden to gradually build familiarity with Shiroe. She was reserved at first, barely acknowledging my presence. But over time, she began to speak more freely, sharing small stories about the flowers she cared for.

Finally, today, I decided to move forward with my plan.

As she finished planting a new batch of seedlings, I made my move.

“I’d like to invite you to a tea party. What do you think?”

Shiroe froze mid-movement, turning to look at me with a mix of surprise and hesitation.

“A… tea party?”

Her reaction told me that she wasn’t used to receiving such invitations. This only confirmed my suspicions—she had been overlooked and undervalued by most of the noble students. But I wasn’t about to back down.

“Yes. We’ll be serving cakes and cookies inspired by flowers.”

“Huh?”

“Since you take such wonderful care of the academy’s garden, I thought it would be fitting to create sweets that celebrate your passion.”

For a brief moment, I saw a flicker of excitement in her eyes.

“Floral-inspired desserts… That does sound… really nice.”

Her voice softened, and her usually distant expression warmed ever so slightly. She was intrigued.

Perfect.

With this, I had set the first step of my plan into motion.

“The tea party will be held at noon on the academy’s founding anniversary in the garden’s resting area,” I informed her.

Shiroe blinked a few times, then gave a small nod.

“Alright… I’ll look forward to it.”

The founding anniversary fell exactly one month after the entrance ceremony—the same day Prince Allen was set to visit the academy.

Everything was proceeding according to plan. Now, all that remained was to wait for the day to arrive.

◇ ◇ ◇

By noon on the day of the founding anniversary, Liel, Shiroe, and I were seated at a table in the academy’s garden. As always, Urs occupied a separate table, solely for the purpose of accommodating the sheer volume of sweets she had prepared for herself.

Our table was beautifully arranged with floral-themed confections, all crafted by Urs. There were delicate rose-petal cookies with a tangy sweetness, colorful gelatin representing the different flower beds in the garden, intricately designed chocolates shaped like various blossoms, and a honey-lemon mousse cake as the centerpiece.

Shiroe’s eyes sparkled as she admired the arrangement.

“Your maid is a true artisan. These sweets don’t just look delicious—they match the garden’s atmosphere perfectly.”

Urs, who had just stuffed a pastry into her mouth, responded with a simple thumbs-up. A reaction completely devoid of the elegance expected from a maid, but Shiroe didn’t seem to mind. She simply took in the aroma of the sweets before sampling them.

Meanwhile, Liel was quieter than usual. Her demeanor was tense, her gaze sharp as she observed Shiroe with a sense of wariness.

Unlike in the original story, where she was openly bullied, Liel was now recognized as part of my entourage. While this status shielded her from direct harassment, it didn’t erase the nobles’ disdain toward her. She had been subjected to countless snide remarks and cold treatment from nearly everyone except me.

It was no surprise that she felt uneasy around Shiroe, an unfamiliar noble.

Shiroe, on the other hand, was aware of Liel’s background—both from my explanations and her status as the headmaster’s daughter, which gave her access to exceptional admissions records. However, she showed no particular interest in her, barely sparing her a glance or engaging her in conversation.

In Makias’s route, Shiroe had a positive impression of Liel as a fellow student council member, but here, that connection didn’t exist. It couldn’t be helped.

The atmosphere of the tea party was far from pleasant, but that wasn’t an issue.

This gathering wasn’t about fostering friendships—it was about achieving my goal.

As we continued our less-than-cheerful tea party, a distant chorus of high-pitched shrieks filled the air. A telltale sign that Prince Allen had arrived.

“What’s all the commotion about?” Liel wondered aloud, tilting her head in curiosity.

Feigning ignorance, I responded nonchalantly.

“Who knows? But it doesn’t sound like an emergency. We can always ask someone about it later.”

Sipping my tea, I reviewed my expectations.

In the original storyline, Allen would ask the students about Liel’s whereabouts. Given how frequently students passed through the garden, it wouldn’t take long for him to find us.

However…

I had broken the opening event flag.

Which meant that, technically, Allen no longer had a reason to seek Liel out in the first place.

Just as I realized this potential oversight—

“Excuse me, may I have a moment of your time?”

—So much for that.

I stood, suppressing the urge to sigh.

“Good afternoon, Prince Allen.”

Liel and Shiroe scrambled to their feet, hastily following my lead in greeting the first prince.

Standing before us was a young man with the poised demeanor of nobility. His features were refined, his presence radiating authority without arrogance.

“It’s been quite some time since the last social gathering. Then again, we didn’t directly interact back then, so this might as well be our first proper meeting.”

“That’s true. My elder sister was the one representing the Fortina family at the time.”

In the original story, my counterpart would’ve eagerly approached Allen at every social event, desperate to fill the emptiness inside her. She had considered him one of her few sources of validation.

This version of me, however, had never sought his attention. I had only observed him from a distance.

“O-O-O-Ojousama…?”

Liel’s expression was frozen in a mix of awe and panic.

At the very least, it was clear she hadn’t fallen for him at first sight.

“Liel, this is our first time speaking, isn’t it?” Allen addressed her with a polite smile. “There’s no need to be so nervous. The academy encourages students to interact freely, regardless of status.”

He placed a hand over his chest, subtly drawing attention to his academy uniform.

His statement was true—technically.

The academy did claim to promote equality among students, but in reality, social hierarchies dictated everything. Liel, as a commoner, had already experienced firsthand how empty that ideal was.

“Y-Yes! I’ll do my best!”

Far from relaxed, but at least her response was enthusiastic.

Not wanting to give Allen more opportunities to speak with Liel, I quickly changed the subject.

“May I ask what brings you here, Your Highness?”

“Since today marks my first day as a student, I thought I’d familiarize myself with the campus. But rather than explore alone, I’d prefer to have someone guide me.”

Perfect.

Before he could choose Liel, I smoothly redirected his attention.

“In that case, I believe Shiroe would be the most suitable guide.”

“Wha—!?”

Shiroe let out a startled noise, shooting me a glare that clearly said, Why me?

Allen, seemingly puzzled, stroked his chin.

“I was actually thinking of asking—”

“The flower garden here is maintained entirely by Shiroe.”

I cut him off before he could name Liel.

Technically, interrupting a royal was an act of disrespect, but Allen had just requested to be treated as an ordinary student. I was merely following his own wishes.

More importantly, my words had already sparked his curiosity.

“Is that so?”

Shiroe hesitated before nodding.

“Yes… I take care of it alone…”

I took the chance to elaborate.

“The arrangement of the flowers, their upkeep—everything you see here is Shiroe’s work. This beautiful garden is her achievement.”

Allen’s interest deepened.

“I see… Then, Shiroe, would you be willing to show me around?”

Faced with Allen’s refined smile, Shiroe blushed faintly before nodding.

“I… I suppose I could…”

Allen turned back to me.

“My apologies for interrupting your tea party. I’ll make it up to you another time.”

“Think nothing of it. Enjoy your time together.”

“…Alright.”

With that, the two of them walked off.

I sank back into my chair, letting out a breath of satisfaction.

“It seems our tea party is down to three again,” Liel murmured, watching them go.

She looked a bit drained, likely from the stress of being around nobles.

“We’ll continue as we always do. Just the three of us,” I reassured her with a smile.

Liel returned the smile, visibly relieved.

Mission accomplished.

Allen’s attention was now entirely on Shiroe.

As long as I continued nudging them together, Allen and Liel’s romantic path would never open.

The next day, the royal family announced Allen’s engagement to Shiroe.

…That was fast.

It was practically an RTA (real-time attack) of a romance route.

Liel’s route required meticulous effort to raise affection and trigger key events. Meanwhile, Shiroe had apparently cleared it in one afternoon.

No wonder the developers had kept her out of Allen’s story.

Oh well.

Everything was progressing exactly as I planned.