The Reincarnated Villainess Whose Romantic Trauma From Her Past Life Is Too Strong Is Sweetly and Painfully Doted On by the Prince of the Neighboring Country - Chapter 1

“Cherie Mercury, daughter of a Marquis! I am breaking my engagement with a woman like you!”

The moment those words were uttered by Reiss, her fiancé since childhood and the Prince of the Kingdom of Dortmund, a shock pulsed through Cherie’s mind.

(Wait! I’ve seen this scene somewhere before…)

Before Cherie’s eyes, the scenery in front of her began to overlap with a flickering, two-dimensional “still” image she had seen somewhere else. At the exact moment they aligned perfectly, she realized: this was the world of the otome game she played in her past life, The Maiden of Flower Succession.

(What…? Is this the condemnation scene from Reiss’s route?)

The familiar background. The familiar characters surrounding her. A sharp, unbearable headache assaulted Cherie.

(I am…)

Clutching her aching head, Cherie slowly looked around. She was at the center of the room, with everyone staring at her with looks of pure annoyance.

(Prince Reiss’s behavior just now and the way everyone is watching me. Cherie Mercury, the villainess… Could it be… no, there’s no “could it be” about it. I am the villainess?)

Lily, the main heroine of The Maiden of Flower Succession, stood close to Reiss, one of the game’s love interests. Witnessing this sight, Cherie finally understood that she was currently being publicly condemned by them.

“What is it? Do you have a complaint? For a woman who tormented Lily, a punishment like this is almost too lenient!”

“Lady Cherie, please apologize! If you just apologize, I will forgive you!”

…Forgive?

What on earth was there to forgive? She had merely cautioned Lily about her lack of manners; how did the situation turn into one where she was forced to apologize? Cherie was tormented by an excruciating headache, while her fiancé, Reiss, looked down at her with a sneer.

“Besides, the Prince of the great kingdom of Trigea will soon arrive on a diplomatic visit. A cold woman like you could never serve as a partner to welcome him. It has to be a bright, kind woman like Lily. This was the perfect time to end things.”

“Oh, Prince Reiss…”

With those words, Reiss pulled Lily close to him, as if flaunting their bond to Cherie.

—A cold woman.

It was true that as a daughter of a Marquis, Cherie had received an elite education and was trained never to let her composure crumble. Compared to someone like Lily, who grew up as a commoner and laughed brightly and freely, perhaps it couldn’t be helped if she were called cold. Even so, Cherie believed she had lived with the dignity and grace befitting a noble lady.

(In the end, Prince Reiss just wanted a woman who would smile and stroke his ego.)

Through the pounding headache, that thought drifted through Cherie’s mind. However, she knew that even thinking it wouldn’t change anything now.

(Ah, wait. I’ve reached my limit.)

The moment that thought crossed her mind, Cherie felt her body sway. She felt as though someone had caught her gently, but she no longer knew who it was.

◇◆◇

In her past life, Cherie or rather, Chieri Makita was an ordinary girl who longed for a wonderful romance.

Well, “girl” might have been stretching it a bit, as she wasn’t exactly a teenager anymore.

Immersing herself in romance manga and otome games, she had yearned for a “destined love” like the ones she saw. But in reality, life wasn’t like a manga. Though she fell in love and dated, things always ended in misunderstandings and breakups—a very common, unremarkable love life. Her breakup just before her death in her previous life had been exactly like that.

—Look, I want to break up. I’ve found someone else I like.

With just those words, her last boyfriend had left her. When they first started dating, she had been so happy and thought she loved him so much.

Why can’t I stay with someone for a long time?

Afterward, while wandering the streets with a broken heart, she saw a child jump out in front of a car. She saved the child, and—BAM!

The next thing she knew, she was in the middle of that engagement annulment declaration.

(I think the shock from earlier must have awakened my dormant memories…)

She pondered this while drifting between the border of dreams and reality. She had a firm sense of self as Cherie Mercury. She had the memories of living seventeen years as Cherie. Her past life’s memories had resurfaced and merged naturally with her current ones without conflict.

◇◆◇

Her eyes snapped open. Reflected in her gaze was a familiar bed canopy. She was in her own room.

(…………Oh…………?)

Staring up at the canopy, Cherie slowly organized the situation.

She, Chieri Makita, had been reincarnated as the villainess Cherie Mercury from the otome game The Maiden of Flower Succession. And just now, the school’s condemnation event had concluded. It was the scene where Cherie, having cautioned the “true heroine” Lily for her rudeness, was accused by her fiancé Reiss: “Why are you constantly targeting Lily!?”

In the original game, this led to Cherie’s daily misdeeds being exposed, her engagement being broken, and her receiving a punishment.

(Breaking the engagement is fine. After all, I no longer have any desire to pursue romance.)

Having failed at love in both her past and current lives, Cherie had completely lost the will to fall in love.

“Falling in love, having expectations, being hated, being hurt… I’ve had enough of all that. Instead, I want to find a different purpose and live my life in this world with my head held high.”

This time, she wanted to stand on her own feet. She would walk a path of independence as a woman. Thus, she told herself that she was fine with losing Prince Reiss.

(The punishment should be fine, too. When I look back, I’ve only ever done the right thing.)

In the original game, Cherie had the strong image of a villainess who harshly scolded and bullied Lily. However, looking back at her own actions in this life, she had never actually bullied her.

Faced with Lily, who acted outside the bounds of common sense and knew nothing of noble etiquette. Cherie had merely cautioned her out of sincerity as the highest-ranking lady of the kingdom.

For example: “In noble society, those of lower status must not speak before those of higher status.”

Or: “Your curtsy is a bit shallow; it would look much more beautiful if you bent your knees a little deeper.”

Cherie spoke up out of concern, hoping Lily wouldn’t feel embarrassed in noble circles, but every time, Lily would make a scene, crying, “How cruel! Lady Cherie, you’re going too far…!”

What do you mean, “too far”?

The only things that were “too far” were Lily’s attitude and posture.

While Cherie was lost in these thoughts, there was a knock at her door.

“Yes?”

“My Lady. Are you awake?”

The person who entered quietly was a servant of the Mercury household.

“Yes! I’m sorry. How long was I asleep?”

“You collapsed at the academy this morning and have been resting for about two hours.”

I see. It seems the “dream” she just had occurred during the short time she was unconscious after Reiss broke their engagement.

(…I’m glad I didn’t sleep too long and worry everyone.)

She gave a small smile, realizing she had enough mental clarity to care for others immediately upon waking. Seeing this, the servant spoke up hesitantly.

“My Lady, um… there is a guest here who wishes to visit you.”

“Who is it?”

It certainly wouldn’t be Reiss, who had just broken their engagement. With that thought, Cherie questioned the servant.

“He identifies himself as Mr. Salute Stanley.”

“Mr. Stanley…?”

—Salute Stanley. Cherie recognized the name.

“Show him in.”

When Cherie gave the order, the servant said, “Understood,” and left the room. After a moment, the door clicked open again to admit the guest.

“Excuse me. How are you feeling, Lady Mercury?”

The man who entered had dusty, wavy blonde hair and long bangs that partially hid his eyes, giving him a somewhat plain, unrefined impression.

“Mr. Stanley.”

The man Cherie called Stanley was a classmate. A son of a Marquis from the neighboring country of Trigea who had transferred to the academy mid-term.

—At least, that was his cover.

“I was surprised when you suddenly collapsed. Please forgive my rudeness for touching a lady’s body so abruptly.”

Hearing those words, Cherie remembered.

(That’s right, it was him. Right before I lost consciousness during that condemnation scene, he was the one who caught me.)

She had recognized the scent; it was a perfume unique to the Kingdom of Trigea. She understood now, he had come to visit out of concern because he was the one who helped her.

However, while Cherie understood the situation, she couldn’t feel at ease.

(Now that I’ve regained my past life’s memories, I remember. This man… ‘son of a Marquis’ is a total lie!)

Indeed. This somewhat plain man, Salute Stanley, was also a love interest in the otome game The Maiden of Flower Succession.

—However, he was a hidden character who only appeared if a specific route was chosen after clearing every other scenario.

“Actually, the reason I came to visit while you are still recovering is because I have something important to discuss with Lady Mercury.”

“Something… important?”

“Yes.”

She didn’t know why. She couldn’t explain it, but a bad premonition raced through Cherie’s chest.

Salute Stanley had been the “absolute favorite” (oishi) of Chieri Makita in her past life. Although he looked plain now due to his disguise, his true form was a top-tier handsome man whose visuals, aura, and tone of voice were exactly her type.

He stepped toward Cherie and knelt. From his coat, he produced a single, beautiful white flower with many overlapping petals and offered it straight to her with a gaze of absolute sincerity.

Why was he, a love interest of the game disguising himself in such a plain fashion?

“Lady Mercury. Since your engagement has been broken, would you please marry me?”

Salute Stanley was a pseudonym used to hide his status. His real name was Salute Trigea.

“Eh…? Marry you…?”

—Yes.

He was the Prince of the great power, the highest-difficulty love interest in The Maiden of Flower Succession.

The Prince of the Kingdom of Trigea, Salute Trigea himself.