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“Ange Dominula, Countess, your engagement with me is hereby broken.”
“Huh?”
A familiar phrase, a familiar situation.
The silver-haired man before her…
His Royal Highness Guan Solitude, the Crown Prince of this country, spoke those cold words to her, then put his arm around the shoulder of the woman beside him.
Oh, oh, oh, oh?
Could it be that her wish came true? She blinked her eyes.
This was the world of an otome game she had played in her previous life, and His Royal Highness Guan Solitude was her favorite character. But after reincarnating as the villainess, Ange Dominula, who tormented the heroine, she desperately struggled to change her future.
However, she couldn’t defy the story’s inherent force and was in the middle of being told her engagement was broken. She had worked hard for a year, but the bad reputation that had spread, and the “Heroine and Crown Prince must unite” aura of this world, which fabricated evidence of bullying that never happened, left her helpless.
So, her engagement was broken, and that was fine.
His Highness Guan had accused her of “doing terrible things to her,” and condemned her for fabricated evidence, but she hadn’t done anything of the sort.
In fact, her former self had only thought about dedicating herself to him and marrying him. But this was the second time.
“Excuse me. Your Royal Highness Guan Solitude.”
The one who interrupted was Lord Shade Obsession, a knight with lustrous blonde hair that caught the chandelier’s light. He stood in front of His Highness Guan as if to protect her, bowed his head slightly, and then turned to look at her.
He smiled gently, his warm, emerald green eyes fixed on her. Ah, that smile, she hadn’t seen it in a while…
“Lady Ange Dominula. I offer you a proposal of marriage.”
“……………Yes.”
She answered without hesitation.
“What, Ange. You bastard…”
“Your Highness, forgive me, but I am no longer your fiancée. And though you may misunderstand that I was connected to him… you were the one who was openly cheating with another lady first, weren’t you? Well, that being said, this is also my first time speaking with Lord Shade-sama.”
Then, why did she accept the engagement? As she just said, this was the second time.
The first time, in the same situation, he had proposed to her, and she, standing on the brink of despair, but she had been saved by his gentle smile and words, accepting him without hesitation, just like now.
As for why Lord Shade-sama proposed to her, it was simply because her father, Ange Dominula’s father, and his father were close friends, and her father, fearing her exile after the broken engagement, had made arrangements…
To put it simply, that’s what happened. So, Lord Shade-sama had proposed to her due to a contract between their fathers…
that’s how it seemed. Nevertheless, she later heard that her year of effort hadn’t been in vain, and she had attracted him with her earnest diligence, her excellent grades at the academy, and her gentle treatment of everyone, regardless of gender.
Her year of effort hadn’t been wasted, and including that, both the first and second time, she accepted his engagement even after realizing it was a political marriage.
And frankly, his face was totally her type.
And then, the second confession. She accepted, and left the venue with Lord Shade-sama. Lord Shade-sama’s family was a ducal house, possessing considerable power, and Lord Shade-sama himself was the Vice-Commander of this kingdom’s Knights.
That’s why His Highness couldn’t push harder. After all, a strong backing and trust from the Knights were important.
“Lady Ange, are you alright?”
“Yes. Thank you… I was heartbroken by the broken engagement, but meeting Lord Shade-sama has cheered me up. And Lord Shade-sama’s confession made me very happy.”
“…Is that so?”
Lord Shade-sama wore a troubled smile. Even that expression was endearing.
He probably thought she was deceiving him. Because it was a pre-arranged engagement… or rather, an engagement secured through machinations.
No matter how much it was to save her, Lord Shade-sama probably believed she was still in love with His Highness.
Of course, she no longer had an ounce of feeling for His Highness. After all, even though he was her favorite character, he broke off their engagement, swayed by fabricated evidence. But calling her ex-fiancé’s name during her first night with Lord Shade, an unconscious outburst of her past fantasies, and being killed for it, was the biggest mistake of her life.
Of course, she’d fantasize about being embraced by her favorite character… and unconsciously called out Crown Prince Guan’s name instead of Lord Shade’s. And then she was strangled to death by a jealous Lord Shade-sama.
Well, if you’re on your first night, in bed, and someone calls out another man’s name, of course you’d get angry…
She deeply regretted it. Profoundly. So, if there was a second chance, she would never make such a blunder again. Because her heart now belonged to Lord Shade-sama.
“Um, Lady Ange… no, Ange.”
“Yes, what is it, Shade-sama?”
“It’s hard to say, but this…”
“I understand. Our fathers made arrangements, didn’t they? Lord Shade-sama, you might have had someone you liked… I’m sorry for being a burden.”
“No, that’s fine. It’s not that.”
Lord Shade-sama stammered, finding it difficult to speak.
Wondering what it could be if it wasn’t about a political marriage, she tilted her head. Then, Lord Shade-sama spoke as if he had made up his mind.
She waited with 20% fear and 80% curiosity, and Lord Shade said something outrageous.
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll be cheating, so I want you to be jealous.”
“Huh?”
◇◇◇◇
“Alright, I’m going to cheat with a baroness now. Be a good girl and wait for me.”
“Eh, ah… Yes. Have a good trip.”
How did it come to this?
The next morning (nothing happened that night, I just slept), Lord Shade-sama, as he had said last night, followed through on his word and went out to cheat with some baroness, who she didn’t even know.
Maybe saying “went out to cheat” is strange, but he declared he was cheating and then left.
And yet, he told her to “be a good girl and wait.” What a ridiculous thing. Technically, they were engaged…
(What does this mean? It’s completely different from the first round!)
Lord Shade was sincere, cheerful, like a puppy, and had a wonderfully charming smile. Moreover, he was devoted and cherished her deeply.
Of course, there was no hint of any other woman. He was truly like a puppy, always nuzzling up to her, and his blonde hair was sometimes playfully tousled, and he had such a charmingly clumsy side…
She loved that kind of Lord Shade.
“Why can he just declare he’s cheating so boldly and then leave?!”
This would shatter her image of Lord Shade. But she still loved him!
Thinking such things, she held her head, wondering why this was so different from the first round. The day after her engagement was broken, he stayed by her side, comforting her wounds, and invited her on dates to cheer her up…
From then on, things progressed nicely for a few days, leading to their first night…
Well, where she was killed. That terrible first night, when she was killed, it was the first time she saw his possessiveness and jealousy, and she thought she had to cherish him, that she couldn’t just bask in his love. She had decided to reciprocate his love this time.
Why did he leave with a smile, declaring he was cheating?
(Was it that he really hated political marriages? Or an arranged engagement by parents? Or perhaps he hated marrying a woman suspected of bullying the Crown Prince’s current fiancée…)
Well, normally, anyone would hate it, right? Marrying a “criminal” would lower his own value. Thinking that, she couldn’t understand why he was so kind to her in the first round.
She even thought that this might be his true self. He had completely changed. But his smile was still wonderful…
Vaguely recalling this, she trudged back to her room. By now, Lord Shade was probably on a date with some unknown baroness. Just thinking about it made her chest ache.
Even though she knew it was better not to think about it, the memories of being loved in the first round wouldn’t leave her head. His loving voice calling her name, his habit of blushing when he kissed her, his slightly timid side, yet how reliable he was when it mattered—all of it.
All her memories with Lord Shade were precious. That’s why it hurt so much.
“Oh, come on! It doesn’t make any sense!”
She yelled that and dove onto the bed. Burying her face in the soft bed made her feel a little better.
Maybe she was being tested. Because, in the first round, he made remarks that seemed to test her love repeatedly, and then he went full yandere mode and killed her.
She was being tested. She told herself that, and with a changed heart, she would show him how devoted she could be!
Full of resolve, she decided to dedicate herself to Lord Shade, who had declared his cheating, and try to win his attention over… or so she decided.
“Are you going to cheat again today?”
“That’s right.”
“But yesterday, and the day before! You’ve neglected me for three weeks! We’re… technically engaged, you know?! And what if bad rumors start circulating about Shade-sama?”
“That’s my problem. I’m not causing you any trouble.”
He declared he was cheating, and she endured his cheating for three weeks. He went out almost every day, to the point where she wondered how he could cheat so casually.
This was truly strange. Even though she thought it was strange, she could only try to stop him before he left.
Because if he knew she was cheating, he might abandon her. Even knowing he declared cheating and was actually cheating, she still decided to stay in love with him.
She thought she was being tested. But at this point, she even started to think he wasn’t interested in her at all.
Staying with him like this would only bring pain…
“Shade-sama, do you hate me…?”
So, she mustered her courage and asked him. What he thought of her.
She was prepared to leave if he said he disliked her. To go to a convent or whatever.
But despite her resolve, she was still afraid to hear the answer and couldn’t lift her head. As she gripped the hem of her dress, Lord Shade-sama slowly opened his mouth.
“Dislike…”
“…!”
“…What would you do if I said that?”
Lord Shade-sama replied to her question with a question.
She still wondered if she was being tested, but his voice was so cold that she couldn’t lift her head. It wasn’t the same as the first round.
After all, she was the villainess, and he disliked her…
She even began to wonder if her year of effort had been erased because she had returned to the day her engagement was broken. Her head spun.
(Don’t cry…)
“If you say you dislike me, I’ll break off the engagement. Shade-sama is a wonderful person, and I think there’s someone more suitable for you. Th-then, if the engagement is broken, I’ll go to a convent or something… I’ll disappear from Shade-sama’s memories, too.”
She swallowed hard, barely managing to say it while choking back tears. She was crying just from saying it herself.
She loved him so much, but Lord Shade-sama didn’t understand her feelings…
It makes me feel so miserable and sad… feelings?
Something seemed to connect in her head. This feeling, it wasn’t her who had it before, but Lord Shade…
As she thought that, Lord Shade, who had been silent until then, embraced her from the front.
“Sh-Shade-sama!?”
“Of course I don’t dislike you. There’s no way I could dislike you… I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Ange.”
She was surprised by his sudden apology and calling her by her name. Lord Shade-sama gently stroked her head.
“Because I love you, Ange. Even if you come to dislike me, even if you don’t love me, I planned to keep loving you. You might not remember, but at the academy, you smiled at me too. You picked up my mother’s keepsake handkerchief that I dropped and smiled. I fell in love with you then.”
“Shade-sama?”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t control my jealousy. I made you suffer. But I wanted you to understand how much I love you. That’s why I did something to test you…”
“Um, that is… this time…”
From Lord Shade-sama’s tone, she thought he might also be on his second round. He also had memories of the first round.
That’s why he held a grudge about her mistake back then, about her calling out a other name than Lord Shade. More than holding a grudge, he had been sad and in pain all this time.
It all made sense then.
To be called another man’s name on their first night, and from the lips of the woman he loved—how wretched and painful that must have been for him.
To make her understand that feeling, Lord Shade-sama had declared he was cheating. To make her feel the same way, to make her understand.
And so, she had accepted Lord Shade’s declaration of cheating, and for the past three weeks, she had painfully felt it.
How immense the pain of loving so deeply yet not being loved back. So, this time, she hugged him tightly, determined not to let him go.
“I, I love Shade-sama too! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I was truly sorry back then.”
Tears in her eyes, she finally managed to say the words. Then, Lord Shade’s face lit up with joy, and he smiled, saying, “It’s fine as long as you understand.”
This confirmed that he had memories of the first round. Thinking that, she was suddenly filled with guilt.
Despite being so consumed by jealousy that he would kill, this time he had tamed that jealousy and loved her, a woman who had committed such a sin.
She realized how deep his love was, and how much further her own love had to go.
“So, um… it’s a bit sudden, but I want to redo that night. This time, I’ll make you so obsessed with me that you can’t even think of other men. I’ll fill you completely with me… Tonight, please only think of me?”
Lord Shade looked into her eyes with a serious gaze.
Oh, no… there was no way she could refuse when he said something like that. Besides, she wanted to be with Lord Shade-sama again…
“Yes. With pleasure.”
When she replied, Lord Shade-sama’s expression softened in relief, and he smiled shyly, happily. His smile was so dazzling it almost blinded her.
“Then, tonight… I’ll hold you, Ange.”
“Y-yes…!”
He whispered that in her ear, and her body instinctively reacted. That time, they couldn’t go all the way.
But she could still remember how Lord Shade-sama touched her, how he tried to embrace her. That’s why her body reacted so excessively.
Tonight… a redo of their first night.
(I’m definitely going to make it a success!)
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