The Villainous Young Lady Would Even Risk Her Life for Her Beloved ～ Her Fiancé, the Prince? By All Means, Please Be Happy with the Heroine! - Chapter 1.9

I was not looking forward to this.

Why did I have to get all dressed up just to meet Leonhart? A pair of sweatpants fit for a convenience store run would’ve been more than enough.

“You can make that face all you want, but you are going to wear this.”

It wasn’t Eliza today, but Maria, one of the newer maids. Despite being new, she had quite the strong personality. Before I regained my past life’s memories, Maria had been the only servant—aside from Eliza—that my old self had accepted. She was originally a commoner but had taken on a lady-in-waiting’s role.

Today’s setting was vastly different from our last meeting. The servants had meticulously prepared a proper tea reception, the tension thick in the air. Perhaps they believed their lady’s future was hanging in the balance.

(Well, everyone did hear about the whole engagement debacle…)

“You must not let him underestimate you based on appearances!”

“Ah, so this is battle armor.”

With that reasoning, I had no choice but to comply. I let them dress me in an elegant gown and apply some light makeup.

“Milady, I was beginning to think you had softened after your illness, but it seems I was mistaken! I’m relieved.”

“Oh? So you prefer me sharp-tongued and unyielding?”

I flashed a wicked grin, and the surrounding maids visibly stiffened.

“Of course! Strength is necessary to survive in the royal court!”

So this was Maria’s way of encouraging me.

“…Just to be clear, I was the one who proposed breaking the engagement. I wasn’t dumped—I did the dumping. Make sure everyone knows that.”

This was crucial. Extremely crucial.

“Oh my! Is that so? I had assumed—”

“Ugh…”

Even though it was my own doing, Lady Lidiana’s reputation was abysmal. I would have to start repairing it, bit by bit. Life would be difficult otherwise.

“Actually… the engagement isn’t off for now. Please spread that news instead.”

Leonhart arrived slightly ahead of schedule. He was dressed far more extravagantly than before, looking every bit the prince. It seemed he had decided to properly play the role of my fiancé this time. Or perhaps… my mother’s letter had something to do with it.

“You look quite splendid today, Your Highness.”

(So he did slack off the last time, huh, this little…)

“And you, I see, have chosen not to disguise your claws today.”

Ah, so the sarcasm landed this time. He huffed and turned away, but I caught his face scrunching up in discomfort.

“…I need to apologize to you.”

Oh? That was unexpected.

“You already apologized for your behavior last time, so there’s no need.”

“No, not for that. For our engagement.”

Ah.

So he had learned the truth. That the Austin family had essentially taken my mother’s noble aspirations hostage to force this engagement. For someone as righteous as Leonhart, discovering his engagement was rooted in such political maneuvering must’ve been a tough pill to swallow.

Leonhart was the kind of person who would fight for the weak and stand against corruption. As he grew, he would become a noble prince who upheld justice and protected the commoners. A red-suited hero fit for a sentai series.

“You learned the truth?”

“…I confronted my mother.”

Leonhart bit his lip hard. The humiliation was evident in his expression. But what could he do? A ten-year-old prince had little power in these matters.

He had always known that, because his mother, Lady Lione, was of common birth, both he and she were looked down upon in the palace. Yet, after his engagement to me, everything changed. The nobles who had once belittled him suddenly started treating him like a true heir. That realization must have stung—he had only gained their favor because of my family’s backing.

And the resentment he felt for that? He had directed it at me and my family.

“At first… I was told that this engagement was something your family, you, desperately wanted.”

“Huh!? Who the hell told you that!?”

Wait. No.

To be fair, I had been eager about the engagement back then. But it had been their side that proposed it. They were the ones who needed us, not the other way around.

“They told me you were the one who insisted on it, that you’d be happy because it was what you wanted. I believed them. But now, I know it was a lie.”

Sensing my rising anger, Leonhart hastily clarified. So that was why he had acted so cold. He had thought I was the one who trapped him in this arrangement.

(Hah. Even if he becomes a great king, he’ll still be a menace to women.)

“Your Highness, let’s have a constructive discussion.”

“…Alright.”

He was still unusually subdued. I had hoped for a livelier debate. What a letdown—especially after putting on this battle armor.

“For now, we should keep the engagement as it is.”

“…What? You’re okay with that?”

“It’s not about being okay with it. What else can we do? Will you persuade the Austin family to let us break the engagement while still supporting my mother’s efforts? Will you deal with the Calvinia family and force them to lift their blockade on the ports?”

“…I can’t.”

(Ugh. It’s hard to argue with someone when they’re all sulky and dejected.)

I knew it was harsh to say this to a child, but I needed him to understand the situation. I couldn’t afford to be treated as an afterthought any longer.

“If you truly regret this, then gain power quickly, Your Highness! Once you do, we can properly break off the engagement.”

I made sure to imply: Our family’s support benefits you as much as it does us. You’d better appreciate it.

“Of course, I’ll do my best. But… after we break off the engagement, what will you do?”

“Oh? You’ve been studying, Your Highness. How impressive.”

I smirked at him, amused by his hesitation. I had already accepted the consequences, but he seemed troubled.

(The longer this drags on, the worse my prospects become. He must have realized that by now. Let that guilt simmer, Your Highness. I’ll be expecting a substantial compensation later.)

“I… spoke to Finley about it.”

“F-F-F-F-Finley!?”

I nearly choked on air.

Wait, what?!

Finley!?

Leonhart talked to Finley about me!?

“W-What did he say!?”

“Uh… well…”

“What did he say!?”

I leaned in, my eyes burning with desperation. Leonhart flinched, caught off guard by my intensity.

“…He said that the longer you stay engaged, the harder it will be for you to marry someone else. By the time you’re free, most noblemen of your rank and age will already be engaged or married…”

Oh. Right.

That was common sense. The more desirable candidates would be taken first—noble marriages weren’t exactly romantic affairs.

But none of that mattered.

Because—

Finley knew my name.

And that was enough to make my heart race.

“The social position of an unmarried noblewoman isn’t particularly favorable.”

Unfortunately, in this country, marriage is synonymous with strengthening family alliances. If a noblewoman remains unmarried, she’s seen as someone who failed to contribute to her family’s power. People would whisper behind her back, “She couldn’t even secure a marriage for the benefit of her house?” It’s a cutthroat world, truly.

(As expected of Lord Finley! Unlike Leonhart, he already understands the harsh realities of noble society at his age!)

Just hearing about him made my heart flutter.

(Ah… Lord Finley really exists in this world!)

But then, an uneasy thought crept into my mind.

“Your Highness, you didn’t happen to say anything unnecessary to Lord Finley, did you?”

If he had described my behavior from two days ago, I’d be starting off with a negative impression before even meeting him. That would be catastrophic. Since I’ve been reincarnated into this world, I at least want to become acquaintances with him. No, even more than that—I want to be recognized as a dignified duchess rather than a villainous noblewoman. That’s all I ask. As long as he’s alive, that’s enough.

(…No, that’s a lie. If possible, I’d love to get closer to him.)

“Something unnecessary? Are you talking about how you’re just putting on an act?”

“Exactly.”

I answered firmly, feeling somewhat irritated by his smugness. At this point, I wasn’t even trying to hide my real personality from Leonhart. However, when it came to Lord Finley, I wanted to leave a good impression. The original novel stated that he mostly stayed in his territory, so I had assumed he wasn’t in the royal capital right now. That was a major miscalculation.

“I only told Finley that you rebuked me for my previous attitude and declared you wanted to break off the engagement.”

Ah, I see. So he conveniently left out the part where he cried.

“Then that’s fine.”

I sighed in relief. Good. Now I could prepare myself for the day I met him properly.

“Wait… don’t tell me… you have feelings for Finley!?”

“No.”

His sudden accusation made me frown. Look who’s talking.

(How dare he simplify my admiration for Lord Finley into such a shallow emotion!)

“You are… my fiancée, you know!?”

“Oh, really? You’re going to say that, Your Highness? When you’re the one infatuated with some random girl you barely know? I don’t recall ever blaming you for that, now did I?”

He had the nerve to act like I was being unfaithful when he himself was fixated on a mysterious commoner girl. Please, go ahead and love Iris all you want.

“Just because you’re handsome doesn’t mean every girl in the world is going to fall for you, Your Highness.”

“What?! Don’t make me sound like I’m full of myself!”

“Let me make this crystal clear—I am not in love with you.”

“I know that!”

We both ended up breathing heavily, having gotten a little too heated in our argument.

“Hmph! That attitude of yours—looks like you’ll need proper consort training to fix it.”

…Huh?

“K-Ki… Consort training?”

“Why are you suddenly speaking like a foreigner?”

Wait. Hold on. I wasn’t informed about this. Consort training… That’s the one where future queens get drilled on etiquette, protocol, and all that noble nonsense, right?

“Your Highness, you haven’t even been officially chosen as the next king yet, have you?”

“You really are rude… Any prince with a chance at the throne has to undergo kingly education, and their fiancée must receive consort training.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

Leonhart, looking thoroughly exasperated, answered as if it were common knowledge.

But wait… I won’t be queen, right? So why do I have to go through that nonsense?

“No, no, no, no, no, no!”

“You sound like a toddler throwing a tantrum! There’s nothing you can do about it while the engagement stands!”

“Nooooooooo!”

I had just escaped my corporate life, only to be thrust into something even more tedious? What was the point of learning all this useless knowledge for a future that wouldn’t even happen?!

Leonhart, seeing my utterly despairing expression, must have found it deeply satisfying. His whole demeanor brightened as he looked at me with an amused smirk.

“Consort training awaits you!”

“Nooooooooooo!”

How could my supposed fiancé find so much joy in my suffering?!

“Looks like I win this round.”

Leonhart beamed, his angelic face lighting up with glee.