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 10

(…Three days have passed in the blink of an eye.)

Waking to the bright sunlight streaming through her window, Cherie sat up slowly to the sound of birds chirping outside.

—Since that day.

True to her father’s word, Cherie had been confined to her room. Unable to go to the academy or even step outside, she had been living a life where she saw no one but the servants.

(Lord Salute must surely find this suspicious…)

He was probably worried about what had happened to her since she suddenly stopped coming to the academy. Or rather, it was more likely that her father had already contacted Salute to make some unnecessary request. Specifically: “Won’t you take my daughter as your wife, rather than just an aide?”

Imagining such a scene, Cherie let out a deep sigh.

(…I wonder if Lord Salute thinks of me as a daughter from a troublesome family now.)

At the very least, it was certain she was causing him a great deal of trouble. While a man as kind and considerate as he was would never openly blame her, Cherie couldn’t help but feel guilty for dragging him into such a mess.

(…This won’t do. I can’t keep moping like this forever.)

For the past three days, she had done nothing but stay still. Currently, there were no real moves she could make, but she felt that moving her body and hands even a little might help her regain her composure. She decided to start by doing some cooking.

(I actually really wanted to make and eat some Japanese food for the first time in a long while, but…)

Ever since regaining her past-life memories, she had been intensely craving familiar flavors. Unfortunately, the necessary ingredients weren’t available here, so that was out of the question. Instead, she decided to try making some simple cookies and left her room.

Although she was technically under house arrest, after two days of being quiet, her wandering around the estate was being overlooked. When she asked to use the kitchen for a change of pace, that too was granted quite easily.

Of course, she was under surveillance, but the family likely judged that it was better to let her vent some stress within the house rather than having her shut in her room potentially plotting something suspicious.

In front of a male guard who had replaced her female servant, Cherie began preparing to bake cookies in the kitchen.

(…How can I convince my parents and follow Lord Salute in peace?)

Cherie pondered as she silently measured out the ingredients.

Should she just run away and throw herself on Salute’s mercy? She was sure that even if she showed up as a runaway, he would take her in.

But in the end, that would only trouble him further and ruin her own reputation. Since she already didn’t have the best reputation to begin with, moving to another country after tarnishing it even more didn’t seem like a wise strategy. I might use that as a last resort, but only after trying everything else first, she thought.

(—Oh?)

While letting the kneaded dough rest and looking for cookie cutters, she found a lovely flower-shaped one.

Perhaps this was typical of an otome game world centered around a flower motif. Cherie let out a small chuckle at the fact that she could find flower-themed things everywhere in this world, and at how cute the cutter was.

Deciding to use it, she set it aside. Then, as she stood on her tiptoes to reach for an oven tray stored high up in a cupboard, the iron tray proved heavier than expected. Cherie inadvertently lost her balance and tilted sharply backward.

(Oh no! I’m going to fall—!)

As panic flared in her mind, someone caught both her and the heavy tray from behind, leaning over her as if to shield her.

(—Eh?)

A scent she had smelled somewhere before, and a warm hand resting gently on her shoulder. The sensations triggered a strong sense of déjà vu. At the same time, from just above her head as she was held in that gentle embrace.

“—Cherie.”

She heard a voice calling her name.