I Reincarnated as a Villainous Noble, Nothing More Than the Hero’s Foil: Since the Hero Can Only Bring Misery to My Favorite Heroine, I’ll Use My Game Knowledge and Over-the-Top Effort to Rewrite the Scenario and Make Her Happy. - Chapter 33

Angela’s Perspective

“…Huh!? W-Where am I?”

As I awoke, I frantically looked around.

I appeared to be inside a tent, seated on a chair, bound.

Both my wrists and ankles were shackled with magic-suppressing restraints. This meant I couldn’t use magic.

“You’re awake?”

“You…!”

Standing nearby was none other than Cain Schwarz.

I vaguely remembered—yes, I had fought him… and lost?

A flood of memories rushed back, ones I found difficult to accept.

I recalled Cain saying something about wanting to make me his slave.

Despite commanding an undead army of over fifteen thousand, I had been defeated by Cain’s mere hundred soldiers. And now, if word got out that I had been reduced to a slave, it would be an unspeakable disgrace to the Atlas Empire.

My father had always made it clear: if I were ever captured by the enemy, I was to take my own life before bringing shame upon the Empire.

But now that I was bound, unable to take my own life… there was only one option left.

Bracing myself, I shouted:

“Ugh…! I am Angela, the Third Imperial Princess of the great Atlas Empire! By my honor, I will never submit to you! Kill me—do it now and end this!”

“Wait, what? K-Kill you!?”

Cain recoiled in shock, his voice nearly cracking.

“Angela’s ‘ku-koro’ moment? I’ve only ever seen this in fanfiction! This is incredible!”

“Hah…?”

I had no idea what nonsense he was spouting.

“Sorry, but… could you say that again?”

…What?

Was there something significant in what I had just said?

“You’re out of luck! There’s nothing I have to say to you. If you want to extract information from me, then go ahead—torture me, do whatever you like! But it’ll be in vain. As my father’s daughter, I will uphold my pride to the very end—I’ll die before I break!”

“Whoa! Angela! That line! That line was perfect!”

“…Huh?”

Cain was practically ecstatic.

Wait—could it be? Had I unknowingly fallen into his trap and let slip some crucial information?

I felt a wave of shame at my own carelessness.

“Relax, I have no intention of torturing you. You see, Angela, you’re actually my second favorite character. I used to scour novel-sharing sites for fanfiction about you all the time!”

…What?

Cain looked genuinely delighted.

Fanfiction? Novel-sharing sites?

I had no idea what those words meant. Were they some sort of magical terminology?

Determined not to be manipulated by his strange tricks, I ignored the unfamiliar terms and cautiously questioned him.

“You say you won’t torture me? And yet, you claimed you wanted me as your slave. What exactly are you after?”

There was no one else present but Cain.

Not an oversight on his part—more likely, he didn’t want anyone else overhearing our conversation.

“Of course, I want you as my slave—or rather, my ally. I plan to crush Prince Leon, who desires Selvia, the Saint of the World Tree.”

Cain revealed his true intentions without hesitation.

“Hmph. I was under the impression that you were one of Prince Leon’s most loyal subordinates… but it seems you’re quite the deceiver. So, is this all just part of your grand plan to seize the throne?”

If it were him, usurping the kingdom would be a trivial feat.

It was clear that Albion would soon descend into chaos, whether I interfered or not.

The only regret I had was that I wouldn’t be able to bring this information back to my father—to the Empire.

“Huh? No way. My goal is just to live a happy life with Selvia. If I became king, I’d have way too many responsibilities and lose my freedom.”

“…What?”

“For example, if I wake up one day and feel like going fishing, I want to just take Selvia and go. Or if I want to eat something delicious, I want to enjoy it with Selvia without a care in the world. My number one favorite character is Selvia, and I want nothing more than to live a carefree life with her.”

Cain spoke with a passion akin to that of a child.

…Was he serious?

“Are you telling me you don’t intend to use the Saint of the World Tree’s power to claim the throne?”

“Ohh, I see the misunderstanding now! I only said that to lure you here. I would never use Selvia for something as stupid as that.”

Cain shrugged nonchalantly.

…So, in other words, his sole reason for risking his life was to build a quiet life with the woman he loves?

That was something straight out of a fairytale.

Ugh… how enviable.

I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy toward Selvia, who was loved so fiercely by a man as formidable as Cain.

“And that brings me to this, Angela—I want you to sign a slave contract with me. Ah! But—! Just like I told Selvia, I swear I have zero perverted intentions! So don’t worry!”

“…Excuse me?”

For some reason, Cain suddenly started flustering and rambling.

“I want you to be happy too, Angela. Besides, I’ve promised myself that I’ll never cheat on Selvia.”

Hmm? I didn’t quite understand, but… he seemed oddly decent.

But no matter what he said, my answer had been decided from the start.

“I’m afraid I must refuse. If you think you can use me to gain the backing of the Atlas Empire, you are sorely mistaken.”

I shot him a sharp glare.

“Go on, kill me! I’m ready.”

I had taken countless lives, all in obedience to my father’s orders.

Now, at this point, it would be far too selfish to think of saving only myself. This was the law of war.

At last, my turn had come.

I scoffed at my own fate.

“…I see. Understood. Angela, your father, Emperor Siegfried, desires Albion’s territory, correct?”

Cain suddenly grew serious as he spoke.

“If that’s the case, what if the three noble houses—Schwarz, Fernando, and Ochival—were to defect to the Empire? Wouldn’t that be beneficial? In exchange, I want you to sign a slave contract with me.”

“Wh-what…?”

His proposal was beyond generous—not just to me, but to the Empire itself.

“Without shedding a single drop of bl00d, you could gain all three territories. Not to mention, Schwarz County possesses a mithril mine. You should already suspect this isn’t a bluff—after all, my soldiers were all equipped with mithril swords, weren’t they?”

“A mithril mine…!”

I swallowed hard.

The claim was highly credible.

Rumors had already spread that high-quality mithril ore from Schwarz County was being smuggled into the Empire.

“If I call on them, the three houses will undoubtedly side with the Atlas Empire. And this achievement will be credited to you, Angela.”

“T-That’s a very tempting offer…”

I struggled to keep my emotions in check.

If I successfully negotiated this, it would be a huge victory for me.

Even if I became a slave, it seemed a far better option than death.

In fact, my father would likely commend me for such a remarkable accomplishment.

“…But no deal comes without a catch. If I carelessly sign a slave contract with you, you could just ignore everything you’ve promised and force me into servitude until I collapse from exhaustion, couldn’t you?”

I scoffed, dismissing his offer.

Worst-case scenario, I could end up being used as Cain’s pawn—forced to fight against my own empire, against my father.

“Alright, then. Here’s the slave contract scroll I want you to sign.”

When I read the terms written on the contract, I was left speechless.

Cain promises to ensure the defection of the noble houses Schwarz, Fernando, and Ochival.

In exchange, Angela pledges herself as Cain’s slave.

If Clause One is broken, or if Cain ever orders Angela to harm her family, Clause two: will be nullified.

“Uh… w-wait… what?”

I read the contract over and over again, unable to process what I was seeing.

The terms were too favorable for me.

It even contained a safeguard against my biggest fear—receiving an order like ‘Assassinate Emperor Siegfried.’

Such an order would be automatically nullified.

“In six months, I plan to win the martial arts tournament and request permission from Prince Leon to marry Selvia as my reward. But once he realizes that Selvia is the true Saint, he’ll likely go back on his word.”

“That… yes, that’s very likely.”

Given what I knew about Prince Leon, his actions would almost certainly align with Cain’s prediction.

To him, both his vassals and his people were nothing more than disposable pawns.

“The moment he does, the noble houses will have the perfect justification to defect to the Empire. It will create the narrative that Emperor Siegfried, unwilling to tolerate Prince Leon’s tyranny, extended his protection to us.”

“I see… That’s quite the strategy.”

I was impressed.

This was a well-thought-out plan, one that accounted for the political landscape of both the Empire and the Kingdom.

Truly, this man was not just playing the Empire and the Kingdom against each other—he was mastering them.

“There’s no way Prince Leon would want to turn the Empire into his enemy on top of losing the three noble houses. In other words, we can acquire them without ever engaging in battle.”

“Fine. I’ll go along with your plan. I’ll become your slave!”

“Good.”

Cain unshackled my hands.

I picked up the pen and signed the slave contract scroll.

I was going to return home alive, and I would have this monumental achievement under my name.

This was more than I could have ever hoped for.

Cain, you truly are an exceptional man.

But you know nothing about my father.

If you seek the Empire’s protection, you’ll be assassinated the moment my father deems it convenient.

And your beloved Saint Selvia?

She will be taken by my father.

Once that happens, I will regain my freedom.

Hah.

Enjoy your fleeting victory while you can, Cain.

In the end, the Atlas Empire will emerge victorious.

I allowed myself a small, knowing smirk.

“Alright, Angela. From now on, you are forbidden from attacking Albion in any way. You are also not allowed to return to the Empire without my permission, nor can you share any of the information you’ve learned here with anyone. Welcome to the team!”

“…What?”

I felt the bl00d drain from my entire body.

The contract was already signed.

“W-Wait… Then that means… I can’t inform my father about this deal?”

“Exactly. Oh, and you also can’t tell anyone that Selvia is the Saint of the World Tree. And while the contract states that I’ll make those three noble houses defect, it doesn’t say they’ll defect to the Empire.”

“Y-You tricked me! How dare you deceive me, Angela, Third Princess of the Atlas Empire!?”

And that’s when it finally hit me.

The contract had seemed beneficial to me, but there had never been a promise that those territories would actually go to the Empire.

Cain had always planned to fight Prince Leon. The defection of those noble houses was inevitable—it had never been a bargaining chip in the first place.

“This is a war you started, Angela. What’s wrong? Feeling bitter now that you’ve been outplayed? In war, the loser is at fault. Don’t you agree?”

“Ugh…!”

I clenched my teeth in frustration.

To think that I, Angela, would be reduced to a slave…!

All of his foolish behavior in the beginning—was that all just an act to lull me into complacency?

What a terrifying man!

“Of course, you’re also forbidden from taking your own life. Your mother has been wanting to see you for a long time now. Do you really want to die without ever meeting her again?”

“…Wait. That wasn’t just a bluff? You were serious?”

I was dumbfounded.

My mother had abandoned me and disappeared. My father had told me she had died.

But if she was still alive…

Then, of course—I wanted to see her.

“Naturally. I already told you, Angela—I want you to be happy.”

His words made my heart skip a beat.

“…I don’t understand. Why is Cain being so kind to me, his enemy?”

“Because you’re not truly evil, Angela. You followed your father’s orders because you wanted his approval, didn’t you? Instead of chasing after a father who only values you as a tool, I want you to live with someone who truly loves you—your mother.”

“Wh-what…?”

What a naive fool.

Did he seriously think I wasn’t a villain?

If I were truly his slave, he should just exploit me however he pleased.

There was no reason to let me meet my mother.

What is this man?

I’ve never met anyone like him.

I felt myself drawn to him.

I refuse to be completely submissive, and I will find a way to nullify this contract…

But… maybe, just maybe…

I wouldn’t mind helping him—just a little.

“F-Fine! I’ll be your slave. Let’s see if you can handle me, Cain!”