Why Won’t You Let Me Dote on You?! – The Arrogant Supporting Prince Falls for the Reincarnated Villainess and Loses His Mind - Chapter 1

“Uwah—! Haa, haa… just a dream…”

I jolted awake from a nightmare and immediately checked my reflection in the nearby mirror.
In the dream, I looked to be around sixteen—a young man.
But staring back at me in the mirror was a twelve-year-old boy.
Dreaming of my grown-up self… what a strange experience.

“Prince! Prince Clovis!”

Hearing my scream, a maid stationed nearby rushed over in a panic.
Hearing my name snapped me out of the lingering fog in my head.
As I sat dazed atop the luxurious bed in a room bathed in low morning sunlight, the maid offered me a glass of cold water and gently wiped the sweat from my forehead.

“Stop it. I can do it myself.”
“But, Your Highness, it is my duty as your maid to tend to you.”
“I said I’m fine! It’s uncool if I can’t do it myself!”

I brushed off the overprotective maid’s hand and leapt from the bed.
Throwing off my sleepwear, I haphazardly threw on the clothes prepared for me and dashed out of the room.
Several people called after me, but I didn’t care to stop for something so annoying.
They’d just scold me about my cuffs not being fastened or my scarf not being tied—predictable.

The stone corridors of the royal castle, having soaked in the chill of morning air, were freezing cold.
As I ran, memories of yesterday came flooding back.
I had gone into the forest just outside the castle town—and ended up falling into a trap.
The pit was filled with so much catgrass that it buried me.
Mistaking it for caterpillars, I panicked and ran back home crying.

The mastermind behind it? That wretched Eliza.

Ten times—no, a hundred times worse—I have to get back at her or I won’t be satisfied!

Grinding my teeth in frustration, I headed straight for the annex where Eliza was staying.
For a prince like me to be outwitted by a mere duke’s daughter—utterly humiliating.
I needed to teach her not only the weight of our status difference, but of our difference in strength too.
I won’t lose to a devilish girl like her. No way. Not ever.

And yet, in the dream I had this morning, Eliza was like a completely different person.
She was beautiful—graceful, like a refined lady.
It was so unlike her usual self that I could hardly believe it.

And worse… in that dream, I…!

No, no, stop. Stop having weird fantasies!
There’s no way I’d ever fall for such a villainous girl!

“Wah!”

In my frustration, I deliberately shoulder-checked the passing servants.
Some lost their balance and fell, but before they could say a word, I was already sprinting away.
Taking a shortcut, I burst out through the back entrance.
The soft grass welcomed my feet—so much better than the cold stone floors.

Eliza was staying in one of the castle’s annexes.
The duke, being a royal relative, had come to the castle for official business—though it was more like a homecoming than work.
The annex, originally for guests, was practically the duke’s private residence whenever he visited.

“A frontal assault is risky… Maybe the back entrance, or even the window… Huh?”

When I reached the annex, I was met with an unexpected sight.
There was a crowd gathered—a rare sight for this place.
But instead of officials or nobles, it was all servants.
This wasn’t some event—it felt more like an emergency.
Otherwise, there’s no reason so many would gather so early in the morning.

“Damn it, what a pain. Fine, I’ll go in through the window.”

No doubt only the duke was busy, and his daughter had nothing better to do.
Ignoring the crowd at the entrance, I circled around the back, climbed the vines, and aimed for the balcony on the second floor.

I had everything prepared for once I snuck into the room.
Last night, I’d soaked a cloth in juice from bitter herbs.
I’d shove it into Eliza’s mouth—so bitter it’d make her cry nonstop, and the stench that would rise into her nose would haunt her for the entire day.
…I’d already tested it on myself.

I couldn’t help but grin.
There’s no way she could escape such a perfectly planned revenge.

Unless, of course, Eliza herself came falling down from above.

“Mmph!”
“Kya!”

Suddenly looking up, I was met with a heavy bundle of cloth pressed right into my face.
Its weight was significant, and the vines couldn’t hold—they snapped one by one.
Tangled together, we slowly tumbled down, occasionally snagging on the wall, until we landed—luckily—on a flowerbed.

But the weight of the cloth held me down, and I couldn’t get up.

“Damn it! Is this Eliza’s doing?!”
“D-Don’t pull so hard!”

As I struggled to remove the cloth, a faint, feminine voice came from inside.
Could Eliza be hiding in here?
It’s impressive she predicted my ambush—but to pull off a flying kick from the balcony? That takes guts.

“Pwah! Hey, you overdid it!”
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t know someone was down there…!”

As we untangled ourselves and finally stood up, I found myself face-to-face with none other than Eliza.
The bundle of cloth I thought I’d been crushed by was her dress.
But today’s Eliza was shockingly meek—so unlike the girl who had tormented me endlessly.

Her shining silver hair and fair skin seemed sculpted from ice by a master artisan.
Her blue eyes sparkled more delicately than stars in the night sky.
Even simple flower petals looked like gems on her.

Simply put—she was ridiculously cute.

“You… Are you really Eliza?”
“W-Well, that is…”

When I muttered in disbelief, Eliza flinched and averted her gaze.
There was no mistaking it—this girl was Eliza.
But something about her was undeniably off.

“Oh no! The young lady is missing from her room!”

From the balcony, we heard the maids shouting, clearly in a panic.
Footsteps echoed as they searched the room.
No one would ever guess that Eliza had jumped off the balcony.
But if we stayed here, we’d both be found—and I’d definitely be scolded as an accomplice.

“This is bad! Hey, Eliza—we’ve got to get out of here!”
“Uh, y-yes!”

Still flustered, Eliza let me grab her hand, and we ran toward the garden.
She stumbled awkwardly, barely managing to keep up.
It was as if she’d never worn a dress or shoes before.

Now that I looked closer, she wasn’t wearing her usual overload of accessories either.

And then, running beside me, she muttered to herself:

“I’ve been reincarnated into this world…”