The Marquis' Daughter, a Research Enthusiast, Fails to Notice Her Junior's Devoted Feelings After Her Engagement is Broken. - Chapter 1.19

My name is Sophie Everett. I am the reincarnation of a former Japanese girl, now living as the heroine of Dreamy Love Fortune.

Dreamy Love Fortune was an early otome game, a relic from the genre’s dawn. For some reason, the characters formed a band and even released character songs and drama CDs. The voice cast was absurdly extravagant—many of the actors later became big names in the industry, but at the time, they were just rookies.

I loved this game. I would secretly play it late into the night, hiding from my family. Of course, I completed every route, but I replayed Ernest’s path over and over again.

I realized I had been reincarnated into this world when I was six years old.

Using my past life’s knowledge, I started making soap, loofah water, and soy extract lotion by hand. My father, seeing their potential, decided to sell them through a merchant guild in the royal capital. That was how our whole family ended up traveling there.

And that was when I saw it—the castle from Ernest’s route, the very same streets where I had gone on dates in the game. It was all right in front of me.

When I asked my father the name of the crown prince, he replied, “Ernest Razafest.”

Wait—what?! The characters from the game actually exist?!

That was when I realized—I was the heroine of this world.

From that moment on, I prepared for my inevitable meeting with Ernest at the academy.

I developed a hair iron and a hair dryer.

This world had magic and magical artifacts, making life somewhat convenient. But it still lacked certain modern essentials.

For instance, hair dryers didn’t exist. People either used wind magic to dry their hair or stood in front of giant fan-like contraptions. That made hairstyling nearly impossible!

The loofah water I had introduced to the royal merchants became a massive hit. Even though they didn’t understand the exact mechanics behind my ideas, the guild’s magical craftsmen worked tirelessly to bring them to life.

Naturally, the hair dryer was another huge success. With our newfound wealth, my family moved to the royal capital.

In the game, Sophie’s family relocated to the capital shortly before she entered the academy. But moving a bit earlier was fine, right? The capital was far more convenient than the countryside—and I could finally indulge in fashion.

My father proudly declared, “You’re a golden egg, my dear!” and doted on me.

In the game, Sophie was supposed to be poor, but honestly, having money was far better. Using my past knowledge to make life easier was just another perk of reincarnation.

The merchants adored me whenever I shared my ideas, and my father was thrilled. The money kept pouring in, but I spent just as much—hiring maids, buying dresses… My mother was delighted with our improved lifestyle.

After all, I was destined to become the queen. Why should I ever worry about money?

At sixteen, I finally entered Razafest Royal Academy, the stage where the game’s story truly began.

I wasn’t exactly academically gifted, but money took care of that.

I still remember the entrance ceremony vividly.

Cherry blossoms drifted through the air as I met Ernest for the first time.

I reached out to catch a petal, stumbled, and fell—only for Ernest to gallantly catch me.

His beauty was mesmerizing. A face unlike anything I’d ever seen in Japan. His golden-tinged blue eyes shimmered like stardust.

I really am inside the game!

One by one, the love interests appeared, each more dazzling than the last.

Since I couldn’t reset reality, I resolved to unlock every CG in a full reverse harem route.

Academy life kept me busy with endless romance events.

I already knew the perfect dialogue choices and when each scene would trigger.

Sure enough, the love interests fell for me just as they had in the game.

One major difference, however, was the absence of my support character—the one who tracked my romance progress.

Without them, I had no way of knowing my relationship stats in real life.

Then, partway through my first year, Josette Larmore transferred into my class.

Josette was the support character—my best friend in the game.

We hit it off immediately and spent all our time together when the love interests weren’t around.

My second year marked a key event—Ernest’s evening ball.

In the game, he would escort me to the ball, infuriating his fiancée, Frederica. Ernest would then protect me from her wrath.

That moment would trigger a series of bullying incidents.

As expected, Ernest gifted me a dress and escorted me to my first royal ball.

The dazzling splendor made me feel like a true princess. Ernest, standing beside me, looked breathtaking. All eyes were on us, feeding my sense of superiority.

But… something was wrong.

Frederica never came to confront us.

Scanning the room, I spotted a woman with long, elegantly tied violet hair, clad in a deep red gown, standing near the wall.

I whispered to Ernest, “Is that Frederica?”

He scoffed. “Yes. Ignore her. She’s insufferable.”

His expression was one of pure distaste.

Had their relationship already fallen apart?

That would be ideal. But what about the bullying events?

My concerns faded when Ernest handed me a drink.

Here, sixteen-year-olds could drink alcohol. This world was amazing!

Surrounded by handsome men, basking in luxury, I savored every moment.

Then, as the second semester began, the bullying event finally happened.

I was summoned to the courtyard for a scolding.

However, the person confronting me wasn’t Frederica—it was Mary.

In the game, Mary was merely Frederica’s follower.

Still, the fact that the event triggered at all reassured me. Ernest’s route was progressing.

Perhaps Frederica had ordered Mary to act in her stead. That made sense.

But something felt off…

Frederica never approached me herself.

Not at the ball. Not at the academy.

With her striking appearance, she should have been impossible to miss.

Why did I hardly ever see her?

Then, Emil arrived at the academy.

In the game, Emil was a temporary music teacher.

His presence was crucial—during the cultural festival, he would accompany me on piano as I performed a song, advancing the storyline.

Both the reverse harem and Emil’s route hinged on that duet.

Emil had a gentle demeanor at first, but as his story progressed, he became aggressively possessive.

By the end, he’d declare, “I want you to be my muse—mine alone.”

Then, he would whisk me away to his kingdom, refusing to take no for an answer.

And, of course, Emil’s voice actor was none other than Keisuke Ougami, now a legendary talent.

Hearing that voice in person would be heavenly…!

But the introduction event where Emil was supposed to be introduced in class never happened.

Why?!

Worried, I wandered the academy, searching for him—until I finally spotted him walking with Professor Yann.

The surrounding female students were squealing in excitement.

Well, of course. Every romance target in this game was a perfect specimen. Myself included.

From a distance, Emil was tall and dashing.

In the game, height never truly registered, but seeing him in real life—he was so tall.

All the romance targets were, but still!

With no event occurring, I had to create one myself!

I forced my way through the crowd, letting myself get “accidentally” pushed forward.

A perfect stumble—just like in the game!

I gazed up at Emil expectantly…

Only for Professor Yann to scold me.

Ugh! That annoying teacher always had it out for me!

Emil had been about to help me up, but Yann interrupted!

Unbelievable!

Well, whatever. We’d made eye contact—that was enough to trigger the next event.