“Don’t make me say it again. Please, just go home.”
“Don’t say that, okay?”
“Not ‘okay’? No, I don’t want you here, please leave.”
Why did the maids let him get to my room? I told them to ban him.
I’d opened the door just a crack, but it was too late.
The man, who’d wedged his foot into the tiny gap to prevent me from closing the door, was looking at me with a full beaming smile.
It was a perfect smile, by anyone’s standards. But I was just terrified.
“Whose fault is it that you avoided punishment? I could tell the Marquis that you’re a reincarnated person, you know?”
“Ugh… that’s…”
“Let me into your room.”
What a threatening statement.
However, once he said that, I had no choice but to nod. I had to protect that secret no matter what.
I had no choice, truly reluctantly, but I pulled the man inside. “Excuse me,” he said with a cheerful smile as he entered the room, then locked the door from the inside with practiced ease.
“Was there a need to lock the door?”
“I’d hate to be interrupted when I’m having time alone with you, you see.”
He said that and smiled again.
Ah, I really think this person is crazy. Normally, a noble lady’s room wouldn’t be locked when someone enters, and they certainly wouldn’t say such a thing.
And what does he mean by “interrupted”? Could it be… no, he wouldn’t go that far. He’s too smart.
I sat on the chair, with wary.
“So, what do you want, Lord Nero Menderks?”
“Just Nero is fine. My full name is too long, isn’t it? Besides, we’re friends, aren’t we?”
“I don’t remember us becoming friends.”
When I said it flatly, Lord Nero made an exaggeratedly hurt face. If I were the heroine, I might have been utterly smitten by his smile and his words.
But unfortunately, I’m not the heroine.
I reincarnated into this world a year ago. I thought it was a dream to be reborn into the world of my favorite otome game.
At first, I was thrilled, but my excitement plummeted when I realized I wasn’t the heroine, but Seraphia Timid, the villainess who tormented her. It hit rock bottom.
Seraphia is graceful and beautiful, an earl’s daughter envied by all. But she’s incredibly proud and throws tantrums when things don’t go her way.
However, she never does this in front of people, so she takes it out on someone behind the scenes. That someone was the heroine.
Because the heroine was a shy girl of lower status whom she could bully without consequence. But the heroine was incredibly hardworking and beloved.
Seraphia, on the other hand, was an aloof and lonely existence due to her aura.
The beloved heroine. Her jealousy festered and grew, exposing her true nature, and she resorted to every trick in the book to trap the heroine.
And then, her fiancé, the Crown Prince, found out, leading to her engagement being broken and her condemnation – the end of her life.
For the past year, I’ve tried to avoid that fate. I tried to get along with the heroine. But my miscalculation was that the heroine was also a reincarnated person.
With her absolute heroine power, she not only won over the capture targets but also everyone around her, pinning fabricated crimes on me. And I fell perfectly into her trap, resulting in my broken engagement.
However, there was one more good thing here… or maybe not, but Lord Nero, who discovered I was a reincarnated person, became interested in me and proposed to me on the day my engagement was broken. Technically, I became his fiancée, but I have no intention of marrying this man.
Lord Nero is also a capture target in this otome game. And he’s the Crown Prince’s best friend. Originally, even after the broken engagement, he was supposed to kill me, the one who tried to attack the heroine with a knife to take her life.
Yet, Lord Nero, who was supposed to kill me, became interested in me. More interested in me than in the heroine.
If you say it’s a joyous thing, perhaps it is. After all, I avoided condemnation.
But, it’s impossible.
“So, when should we hold the wedding?”
“Can we break off the engagement?”
The fundamental premise is that Lord Nero’s feelings for me are mere interest.
Lord Nero, originally, absolutely despised Seraphia and was the man who would kill Seraphia as an absolute evil for trying to take the life of the heroine, whom he secretly loved.
Why did he become engaged to me, despite originally hating me? Because he found out I was a reincarnated person.
Perhaps he judged me as an “interesting woman” because my inner self was different. Lord Nero is a very curious person.
But if you ask if curiosity and interest immediately lead to romantic feelings, the answer would be no. Even if my inner self has changed, my outer appearance is still that of the woman he dislikes.
“You can break it off, but in that case, at best you’d be sent to a convent, or perhaps executed.”
“Isn’t that a bit harsh?”
“If I told His Highness that you tried to poison me and nearly died, it would definitely be execution this time.”
“…”
He’s cunning, trying to leverage his friendship with the Crown Prince. The way he uses their friendship sends shivers down my spine, making me question if he even has a heart.
But it’s true that if he used that tactic, since I have my criminal record of trying to frame the heroine (even though I didn’t, it’s perceived that I did), wouldn’t escape execution.
Oh, what should I do? I don’t want to die yet.
I held my head in my hands. And this man, he was laughing, clearly amused by my distress.
That’s precisely why I dislike Lord Nero. His gentle tone and smile. Lord Nero, who exudes a gentle aura, is intelligent and quite the strategist.
If you chose Lord Nero’s route in the otome game, you’d be completely manipulated, and he’d surround you so thoroughly that you couldn’t pursue any other route midway through.
Incidentally, this otome game is R18, and you can enjoy the gap between Nero’s daytime and nighttime personalities, but nighttime Nero is persistent and sadistic.
His verbal attacks are incredibly intense, and he loves to tease.
There’s no end to it once I start talking, but realistically, he’s a character I want to avoid both mentally and physically.
Also, once you give him your heart, you can never escape.
I’ve gone off-topic.
I am alive now thanks to Lord Nero. But I absolutely wanted to avoid being with this man. However, there’s no way to avoid it now.
If I break off the engagement, I’ll surely die this time.
“So, what will it be? Will you break off the engagement?”
“………………No.”
“Then, when should we hold the wedding? Do you have any preferences for the dress? I’d personally like you to wear a pure white wedding dress, but I think Lady Seraphia would look good in anything. And then…”
“Ah, um!”
I covered Lord Nero’s mouth with my hand as he tried to continue talking on his own.
Lord Nero blinked, then licked the palm of my hand.
“Kyaa!”
“It’s your fault for suddenly covering my mouth, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s not my fault. Please don’t lick me.”
That’s enough, I’m used to it, I’m used to it. I told myself, trying to calm down.
Lord Nero chuckled and directed his silver eyes at me. They shimmered like diamonds in the chandelier light.
But something swirling deep within those eyes terrified me. He pushed back a stray strand of silver hair behind his ear and stared at me.
The same unchanging smile. It was truly terrifying. I only learned how terrifying a smile could be after coming to this world.
“It’s… still too soon for a wedding, I think…”
“That’s true. But don’t you think it would be convenient to be officially registered?”
“I think you’re probably the only one who would use the word ‘convenient’ in this situation, Lord Nero.”
“Convenient to be officially registered,” he wouldn’t use that phrase, would he?
Beneath those words, there’s probably a hidden meaning like, “so other men can’t lay a hand on you.”
No, he probably meant exactly that. If I didn’t have any knowledge of this otome game, I wouldn’t have thought so deeply.
“Am I that scary?”
“It’s scarier that you’re aware you’re scary.”
“That’s interesting.”
“It’s not interesting. If you have nothing else to say, please leave.”
“Do I need a reason to talk to my fiancée? I think topics would come up endlessly if we just talked.”
“I don’t want to talk, so please leave.”
I pointed to the exit, and Lord Nero shrugged.
“That’s a shame… I thought I’d found an interesting toy. But I won’t give up, so I’ll come again.”
“Don’t come again. Wait, what did you just say?”
“I said I’m happy to have such a wonderful fiancée.”
“You absolutely did not say that! Please, you’re scaring me, just go home!”
“But you’re the one who called me back.”
Nero scoffed.
My spine chilled at his words, confirming that he really did see me as an “interesting toy.” If we got married, he’d surely discard me once he got bored. And then I’d be buried in the mountains.
He seems good at burying bodies, too. While thinking such ominous thoughts, I watched Lord Nero walk towards the door.
No, I monitored him until the very end. Just recently, I realized he had cast a wiretapping and surveillance spell on me and confronted him about it.
If he cast another spell this time… I should have been safe from mortal danger, so why do I have to be so on guard?
Is there no peace for me?
“Oh, and Lady Seraphia.”
“What is it? Don’t stop, just leave.”
“Don’t say that,” he said with a smile, then put his index finger to his mouth and narrowed his eyes.
“You’re participating in a night party near my territory soon, aren’t you? I’m very disappointed I can’t attend, but… be careful on your way at night.”
“…How do you know I’m attending a night party?”
“Lady Seraphia told me, right? That it’s your first night party since your engagement was broken. But don’t let loose, okay? I’m your fiancé, after all.”
He smiled faintly, but his eyes weren’t smiling. He was completely pressuring me. Don’t flirt with other men, ignore other men if they approach you.
Besides, how did he know I was attending a night party? And such detailed information, like it being near Lord Nero’s territory.
I definitely don’t remember telling him. Just thinking about where the information leaked from is terrifying, but what would confronting him achieve?
I just thought about getting Lord Nero out of the room as quickly as possible, and I said “goodbye” to tell him to leave. Lord Nero left the room without another word.
Finally, peace returned, and I collapsed onto the bed.
Lord Nero’s way of speaking bothered me, but for now, I decided to stop thinking about him. I pushed him to the back of my mind, trying to forget that clinging smile, even for a moment.
“I’m… tired…”
I might die young.
◇◇◇◇
“Are you alright, Lady Seraphia? You look pale.”
“Yes, I’m fine. I’m just tired from the ball, it’s been a while.”
Nothing unexpected happened at the ball, and time passed peacefully. However, because I was labeled as the woman who tried to frame the beloved heroine, no one approached me.
It was unbearable to be in the same space as people who were huddled together, whispering about me and watching me.
But if I had thrown a tantrum there, I would have been immediately restrained, and there was a chance I’d be banned from future balls. Well, even if I was, it wouldn’t matter.
So, in that sense, and because it had been a while, I was a little tired. If you asked if I was as tired as dealing with Lord Nero, I’d say no.
As the maid who accompanied me rubbed my back, I looked out the window.
Thick black clouds were beginning to gather in the sky, which had been clear moments ago. The large full moon was gradually being encroached upon by darkness, and the surroundings suddenly grew dim.
(I’ll sleep until we arrive.)
Due to fatigue, I closed my eyelids and asked the maid to wake me when we arrived. Soon, sleepiness overwhelmed me, and just as I began to doze off, the carriage suddenly jolted to a stop.
“What…!”
Mixed with the whinnying of horses, I heard the coachman’s scream.
Realizing this was serious, I huddled with the maid inside the carriage when the door was roughly yanked open.
A man dressed entirely in black entered and instantly knocked out the maid who had stepped in front of me to protect me. A knife was clutched in the man’s hand.
“Wh-who are you!”
“You don’t need to know.”
The man said coldly and put his hand around my neck. Just as I thought he would strangle me, he pressed a small vial of liquid against my mouth.
Then, he pinched my nose as if to force me to drink quickly, making it hard to breathe, and I opened my mouth.
“Mmph! Mmm!”
Though it was a small amount, it was forced down my throat, and I desperately suppressed a cough. The liquid that spilled out ran down my cheek.
The man threw the empty vial on the ground and moved away from me.
What did he make me drink? I panicked, wondering if it was poison, and tried to spit it out, but my body wouldn’t move as I wished. Part of it was my body being frozen with fear.
However, it wasn’t an immediate-acting substance, as I wasn’t having trouble breathing. The man who had forced the liquid on me left the carriage.
I didn’t feel like chasing him, and with everyone unconscious, I couldn’t call for help.
(Am I going to die like this…?)
I’ve worked so hard to survive this far, and I don’t want this.
Thinking that, I crawled out of the carriage, and the voices of the man and his companions who were probably around the carriage turned into screams.
“Who are you! Aaaah!”
A low groan, followed by the sound of something splattering. Splat! I heard something adhere to the carriage. Imagining the tragedy unfolding outside the carriage, I closed my eyes.
Then, I felt someone enter the carriage. I braced myself, thinking someone even more dangerous than the previous man had arrived.
But that someone didn’t kill me. Instead, they knelt before me and gently touched my cheek.
“Are you alright, Lady Seraphia?”
“…Lord Nero?”
“Yes, it’s Nero, your fiancé.”
His face, barely visible, was the same gentle, beaming smile as always. That smile, which I had so despised, was now so comforting that I found myself embracing him.
“Lord Nero…!”
“It’s alright now. I’m here, so relax.”
I cried like a child, burying my head in his shoulder. I didn’t care about my hairstyle being ruined or my makeup getting on his clothes.
I felt safe listening to Lord Nero’s heartbeat. Why he was here, why he came for me…
I faintly smelled blood on him.
“Y-you, that’s not what we discussed—”
“Ah, you were still here? Seraphia can’t relax, so please die.”
“Wa-wait!”
Without heeding the man’s plea, Lord Nero swung his sword. The dully glinting blade pierced the man’s heart.
Gushing blood splattered onto my face. The lukewarm, iron-smelling liquid should have been disgusting, but strangely, I felt no revulsion.
“I apologize, it even got on your face… My Phia being defiled by another man is simply unacceptable, isn’t it?”
“…Ah, Lord Nero…!”
Even though he was saying something incomprehensible, every time Lord Nero touched my cheek, a sweet, tingling sensation, like an electric current, ran through my entire body.
When Lord Nero’s finger touched my lips, my mouth naturally parted, and Lord Nero smiled contentedly.
(Wait? And he just called me by my nickname…)
“You’re so cute, my Phia.”
Was I hearing things?
By the time Lord Nero finished wiping the splattered blood from my cheek, my entire body was flushed. Hot.
I didn’t know what to do with this unprecedented heat… I sent a burning gaze towards the person I should have been afraid of, seeking help. The places Lord Nero touched felt good.
“Were you made to drink something?”
“Mmm…”
“I see. This must be difficult for you, isn’t it? Let’s go to my house. I’ll make you more comfortable there.”
“Everyone where…?”
“They’re just unconscious, so I’ll call my servants to carry them. To think of your servants before yourself, Phia, you truly are a wonderful woman. That’s what I…”
I couldn’t hear what Lord Nero said after that, but I felt relieved for now. The maids and coachman were apparently just unconscious. And Lord Nero’s house was nearby.
Lord Nero, who had unknowingly switched from calling me “Lady Seraphia” to “Phia,” looked down at me with an ecstatic smile.
It was the smile of someone who had acquired a treasure.
◇◇◇◇
“I’ll put you down now.”
“…Mmm.”
I don’t remember how we arrived at Lord Nero’s house after that, but through my hazy vision, I knew I had been brought to what seemed to be his private room.
As I was gently laid on the bed, Lord Nero’s scent faintly tickled my nostrils.
(He smells nice…)
Is it perfume? It’s very calming.
As Lord Nero tried to pull away from me, I instinctively grabbed his clothes. Lord Nero’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Phia?”
“…I’m hot, you said you’d make me comfortable.”
“That’s right. Is it alright if I take off your clothes?”
When I nodded, Lord Nero’s hands reached for me. His hands were so gentle, I couldn’t believe they were the same hands that had just killed someone.
The smell of blood had also disappeared at some point. Slowly, as if handling something fragile, he undressed me.
When I was in my underwear, Lord Nero’s movements stopped.
It was embarrassing, but I didn’t mind being seen by Lord Nero. In fact, I wanted him to see me.
But if I thought that way, he might think I was a pervert. Perhaps the heat was burning my brain. I couldn’t make rational decisions anymore.
Don’t nobles wait until after marriage for their first night? And are we really going to do this now? I had many thoughts, but I just wanted this throbbing sensation to stop. I wanted Lord Nero to touch me.
“Phia.”
“Lord Nero…”
“You’re so beautiful.”
Lord Nero called my name. Just that was sweet enough to melt my brain.
Lord Nero skillfully removed my underwear, then traced his hand over my exposed chest. His cool hands felt pleasant.
“…Ah, Lord Nero…!”
“Does that feel good?”
“Hyaa! …Yes, it feels good.”
When Lord Nero pinched the tip of my breast, an electric current ran through me. He continued to toy with it, and then took one breast into his mouth.
Each time Lord Nero’s tongue stimulated the tip, my body trembled.
He was also kneading the other breast with his hand, pinching and pulling the tip.
“…Ah, …Mmm!”
“What a cute voice.”
“Mmm, mmm!”
“I’ll touch here too.”
When Lord Nero’s finger entered my shorts, I panicked, remembering the knowledge that “the first time hurts” and “it won’t go in if you’re not wet,” but it seemed to already be quite wet.
As one of Lord Nero’s long fingers went inside, my hips naturally swayed. As if saying I felt good and wanted more. Noticing this, Lord Nero inserted a second finger.
“Ah, amazing. You’re so wet.”
“Mmm… Ah, …!”
“Three fingers are in.”
As Lord Nero said, my secret place easily accepted the third finger. My body reacted honestly to his fingers moving inside.
When Lord Nero’s fingers grazed my depths, a particularly high moan escaped my lips. However, Lord Nero quickly pulled his fingers out.
“…Eh?”
“Come to think of it, Seraphia, you disliked me, didn’t you?”
“Eh, what?”
My belly throbbed. But the stimulation had stopped, and my hips moved, wanting more.
I didn’t understand what Lord Nero meant and had a question mark floating above my head. Why did he stop halfway?
“Why, why?”
“You said you disliked me, didn’t you? That you wanted to break off the engagement. Was that right?”
“Huh? Eh?”
Why would he ask such a thing in this situation? It was too cruel.
But those words were certainly what I had said, and Lord Nero had known that I had been wary, or rather, disliked him.
Even Lord Nero wouldn’t want to do this with someone who disliked him.
(Why, why, why, why?)
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