I Will Break Off the Engagement Because I'm Jealous - The Untalented Villainess Who Rejected the Prince Searches for a Safe Haven with the Cheat Heroine - Chapter 1.2

Another day at the academy cafeteria. Emilia received a plate of vegetables, beans, and fish, then looked for a seat.

“Lately, she’s often alone.” “Could it be because His Highness goes off to slay monsters?” “But I heard he’s quite taken with the baron’s daughter…”

Amid the murmuring, such words reached her ears from somewhere. Trying not to look in their direction, Emilia kept walking.

(It’s fine. Unlike in the game, we’re engaged, and I haven’t bullied Iris either. She’s not someone I should be jealous of… Ever since that incident, I’ve been careful to ensure His Highness doesn’t approach Iris carelessly. And yet…)

A “restless” feeling bubbled up from deep in her chest, and Emilia let out a small sigh.

(Those rumors… Where on earth are they coming from?)

Spotting the person she was looking for, Emilia fixed her expression.

“Is this seat taken, Iris?”

“Yes! I thought you might come.”

Seeing the baron’s daughter, she waited for her to clear a large pile of books from the chair before sitting down. Iris, who had come to be called the “Maiden of Ten Thousand Blessings,” still didn’t seem to have many friends and was often alone.

“You’re quite diligent. I hear rumors when you’re with His Highness, but…”

Even as she recognized her own pettiness, Emilia teased her. Iris’s eyes widened, but she seemed to understand it was a joke and broke into a cheerful smile.

“Not at all! I don’t do things like ‘playing around.'”

“Right, you’re such a hard worker. His Highness is talented, so he can play around and go slay monsters but if we tried to keep up, our grades would suffer.”

Iris’s skill was such that she couldn’t accomplish anything without putting in effort herself. Despite her soft appearance, it was a blessing perfectly suited to the daughter of a poor baronial family with a fierce drive to rise.

(Unlike me, who’s “talentless,” or His Highness, who was excellent from the start. I admire her. Strangely, even when I look at her, I don’t feel restless.)

Just as she was about to start eating while stealing glances at Iris, their eyes suddenly met.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s just… I don’t play around, but His Highness often comes by to study together.”

Hearing this troubling remark, Emilia tossed the raw vegetable she’d speared with her fork straight into her mouth.

(His Highness, who got a perfect score on the recent exam…? What does that mean?)

Holding onto this unsettling feeling, Emilia resolved to get more details from Iris.

☆ ☆ ☆

(As I thought, I must have been overthinking it. It was a wonderful presentation.)

That day. Sieg had presented his paper, “On the Correlation Between Flowers and Spirits,” at the Royal University. As research that approached the nature of blessings, it drew significant attention, and Emilia, who attended, felt proud.

At the same time.

(As expected, he’s different from someone like me, who has no talent. I don’t even feel like comparing myself to someone like Iris. But I’m a little envious of His Highness.)

The person who would likely become her future husband. As a reincarnator, Iris faintly held onto the illusion of wanting to be “equal.” But Sieg was someone who might become king. Emilia shook her head weakly, thinking such thoughts were presumptuous. Her slight “restlessness” hadn’t cleared, and she wandered the university halls.

Unconsciously, she clutched the brooch at her chest, feeling it slightly warm.

She looked down gently, checking the angle of the brooch. It was the first gift Sieg had given her, a brooch set with a gem called “Dragonbird’s Tear.” Looking at it, she would recall the heart-pounding excitement of that time and forget the passage of time; it was that kind of treasure.

(The time he gave this to me, I still can’t forget it.)

While all the other young ladies receiving princess education were granted useful skills, Emilia had received no blessing at all. Rumors spread that she wasn’t a noble or was even an illegitimate child, and she had sunk into gloom.

‘Don’t cry. I’ll give you this, so cheer up.’

It was the brooch she received along with those words.

(That really worked. My father and mother couldn’t come to the royal capital due to unfortunate circumstances… The servants all encouraged me, but I felt so insecure. And at that time, His Highness was kind to someone like me. I couldn’t stop crying.)

In that moment, Emilia fell in love with him.

It was a shocking love. Enough to make her remember her past life memories.

When she realized she had been reincarnated as the villainess of an otome game.

She resolved.

To twist the scenario and become the prince’s wife.

Of course, people laughed at her. A young lady with no skill could never become the prince’s wife, they said. Emilia covered her ears and pushed forward relentlessly.

And so, she won their engagement.

And yet.

(It’s fine. His Highness loves me——)

Lately, she constantly heard rumors whenever people were around. They were mostly about Emilia, Sieg, and Iris. As someone who had been probing Iris, Emilia knew it couldn’t be true. She thought she knew… but hearing the rumors made her anxiety grow, and the “restlessness” swelled. Naturally, she had developed a habit of wandering toward places without people.

(This is……………………… what’s that?)

She found herself in a completely unfamiliar place and suddenly looked up.

In the distance down the hall, there were overlapping shadows.

(It can’t be…)

Her feet stopped.

She couldn’t speak.

She couldn’t even breathe.

It felt like her heart had stopped.

The shadows separated, and one of them retreated deeper inside.

The other one…

“Lady Emilia!”

…was approaching Emilia.

Shrouded in a dazzling radiance.

The heroine.

“Ah, you came to hear His Highness’s presentation too!? Of course, it was a wonderful paper.”

“No, His Highness called me here.”

(Huh? What does that mean? Why would he go out of his way to come to the university?)

Emilia’s vision wavered. It shook unsteadily, refusing to focus. But for some reason, as if to avoid looking down, her gaze rose. There, at Iris’s chest.

She felt like there was something she shouldn’t see.

“More importantly, look at this! His Highness gave it to me!”

Iris came closer, standing a little taller. Emilia’s eyes inevitably fell on the chest of Iris, who was just slightly taller than her.

Something like her eyes.

Tinted pink.

A gem.

“A ‘Dragonbird’s Tear’! It matches yours, Lady Emilia!”

The innocent light was dazzling.

So, so brilliant.

Emilia slumped.

Her knees gave way.

★ ★ ★

The “restlessness” in her chest had reached its limit.

After that, for a while, Emilia ran around frantically.

Amid whispers of discord between Sieg and Emilia, even rumors of their engagement being called off.

She desperately wanted to believe in him. She wanted to confirm his intentions.

Finally, Emilia made a resolution.

She decided to take a “gamble.”

That Sieg might believe in her.

Prepared for the fatal collapse it could bring.