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 44

“…rie! Cherie!”

From beyond the pitch-black void of her consciousness, she heard someone screaming her name.

(….Huh?)

It seemed she was lying on the floor. She could tell by the hard, cold sensation pressing against her back and limbs. And then, tears were streaming down her cheeks.

(…Wait, um…………)

Cherie then remembered she had been dreaming while unconscious. A memory of the time she was Chieri Makita. Because such a massive wave of memories had come rushing back at once, a confused Cherie couldn’t quite pick herself up, only managed a slight twitch.

“Look…! She moved…!”

She felt someone pull her up into their arms. Perhaps because she had cried so much, her vision was blurred when she tried to open her eyes, making it hard to see her surroundings.

Within her hazy consciousness, however, she felt the distinct, cold “clink” of something being fastened around both her wrists.

(——————What?)

“Lily, Maiden of the Flower Succession. You are under arrest for the crime of desertion and assault on a high-ranking noble.”

Upon hearing those words, her vision finally began to clear. Handcuffs were locked around her wrists. And then, strands of hair slid over her shoulder—pink hair.

“Cherie! Cherie…!”

A short distance away, Salute was desperately calling her name while cradling someone in his arms.

“Ugh…”

It seemed the person Salute was holding had regained consciousness. At that moment, Cherie saw the person in Salute’s arms sit up, calling out his name.

“Lord… Salute…?”

“Cherie…! Thank goodness…!”

(Wait————?)

The person Salute had pulled into his embrace had a face that was unmistakably her own.

“Are you okay, Cherie? Does anything hurt?”

(Wait, hold on. Why am I over there…?)

As Cherie stared blankly at the scene, a sharp tug on the chain of her handcuffs jerked her body sideways.

“Hey. Don’t just daze off, stand up!”

“Ah…………”

In that instant, her eyes met those of the “Cherie” in the room—who was wearing a distorted smirk—and the face of Salute, who was looking at her (in Lily’s body) with pure loathing.

(…………No way.)

As she was forced up and dragged toward the door, she caught a glimpse of herself in a full-length mirror.

Reflected there was exactly as she feared. The figure of Lily, staring back at her with a look of utter horror.

(I’ve… I’ve turned into Miss Lily…)

While Cherie was reeling from the shock, she was dragged out of the room by force, unable to even ask Salute for help.

“P-Please let me go! You have it wrong…!”

“Quit your struggling! Be quiet!”

She tried to explain the situation while being hauled through the hallway, but the moment she tried to speak, her throat felt constricted as if something were blocking it, and the words wouldn’t come out.

The moment Cherie thought, ‘What—?’, a sharp SLAP! landed on her cheek. The person dragging her had struck her. Cherie, who had never been hit by anyone in her life, felt her mind go blank again from the impact.

And then into that blank space, Lily’s words from before flashed back to her.

‘It’s okay. Because the one who becomes the sacrifice… won’t be me anymore.’

(That’s—so that’s what she meant!?)

Cherie finally understood the whole situation but it was already too late.

With a thud, Cherie was roughly thrown into a prison cell, and the door was slammed shut with a heavy “clank!” of the lock.

“Wait… open it! Please open the door!!”

Though she gripped the iron bars and screamed desperately, there was no longer anyone willing to listen to her.

“Your sentence will be handed down soon. Until then, wait there quietly.”

The person who had dragged her here, whom Cherie now realized was a private soldier of the Flower Succession Church spoke to her. She recalled the words he had said earlier.

‘Lily, Maiden of the Flower Succession. Arrested for desertion and assault on a high-ranking noble.’

Desertion?

Assault on a high-ranking noble—?

(I’ve been framed by Lily—)

Cherie, who had fallen into Lily’s trap and had her body swapped, gripped the cold iron bars. Her mind began to whirl, searching for any way to escape.

The “Villainess” Cherie had been turned into the “Maiden of the Flower Succession” by the hands of the original heroine—an unthinkable turn of events.

【End】