The Bad Ending of an Otome

In fact, I knew some basic rules of etiquette, and it wasn’t hard to understand the fan language, which was all I tried to do. 

Dancing was the trouble. 

While I was growing up with Ophelia in the Marquis’s house, I didn’t learn some things the right way. 

One of those things was dancing. 

I just looked at my food and muttered,

“…Moderately.”

“How many times do you plan on stepping on my foot?”

“…”

…I didn’t know what to say. 

I was able to do the simplest dance, but when it came to the fast waltz, my feet always got tangled up. 

The Countess hired Lady Helen as a private teacher, and she said something that made no sense.

‘Miss, you make such a calm face when you trip….’

She was surprised by how I didn’t panic when I fell. 

Kitty gave me words of support as she watched me.

‘You just have to know how to waltz well, Miss.’

I was thankful for her care, but it didn’t make me feel better about myself. 

During the interim check, even Countess McGinty, who was there as a guest, raised one eyebrow instead of saying a word.

There’s not much to do when it comes to the social season, but it does not mean that it wouldn’t be busy.

It’s a time for refined and elegant nobles to get together, so there are outdoor parties, balls, opera viewings, tea parties, and shopping. 

Men also enjoy playing cards in bars and watching horse races. 

But above all, the ball is the most important thing to talk about.

People who have their debutantes every year always go to the royal ball in mid-May. 

It’s an honor for people who are making their first appearance that year.

Everyone in a high position will show up in a certain order, but once you’re at the ball, everyone can dance the same way. 

In the royal family’s big hall, which is normally closed to the public. 

It was clear that what the men and women wore, how they behaved, and how they stood would be closely looked at and talked about. 

So, not being able to dance was a big deal. 

Even if I tripped, it would be a disaster.

“Or do you want to torture another innocent man’s foot?”

“I’m very shy, so I don’t want to dance with strangers very often.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Cassio Brahamdorff had a big, happy smile. 

His face showed that he was happy.

“That means I’m going to step on your foot even more, right?”

“I need to find shoes that are sturdy.”

“You can’t even say that I’m light as a feather so it won’t hurt as an empty word.”

“Even if I said that to you, Lady Emilia wouldn’t like it, would she?”

Cassio replied cheekily, as if he had been watching how I reacted. 

Then he gave me a cup of coffee in a gentle way. 

The bright teacup with a gold rim gave off a strong smell.

“I have one question about our strategy.”

“What’s that?”

“Should we keep up the mystique until the royal ball, or should we make a name for ourselves at another party first?”

“I’ve given it a lot of thought, but I think it’s best to wait until the day of the royal ball to do anything.”

Cassio replied without even a little bit of doubt. 

I took a sip of the coffee and added a sugar cube to it.

“So we don’t bother with people who might think less of us?”

“It’s clear that Her Royal Highness the Princess will show up for the first time at the ball that day. Anyway, the official ‘debut’ is officially that day, so they can’t complain if we do the same.”

I didn’t answer. 

Instead, I looked at the man who was smiling with a beautiful face. 

Since I moved into this house, I haven’t been able to do much. 

It wasn’t just because we ran into Edmund Gloucester by accident in the dressing room last time. 

Time kept moving forward, and soon it was the end of April. 

It was impossible to avoid going out at that time.

Everywhere you went in the city, there were lots of people. 

Even looking at the newspapers that were brought to the house was enough to show what was going on. 

If I had regular parents and a normal family, it would be time for me to start showing up somewhere.

I knew about the things Cassio Brahamdorff didn’t say. 

A few words, even by accident, about Edmund Gloucester and Elodie. 

He just made me feel better by always smiling and acting like nothing was wrong. 

Even when a story in the newspaper about a strange and beautiful woman who looked just like ‘Ophelia Windrose’ got a lot of attention. 

Even when a picture showed Raretis Hope and Edmund Gloucester walking with her. 

I was about to say something because I felt suspicious, but I was drawn to what the man just said.

“Is the princess’s big day coming up?”

“I guess so. Even though the royal family hasn’t said anything about it, everyone knows.”

Did the ‘player’ first appear in the original setting the same year as the princess? 

I’m not really sure.

From what the game’s story says, there weren’t many strong candidates to be Elodie’s husband in the first place. 

Whether in appearance, background, or personality. 

There was small-scale jealousy and plotting against Elodie, but it was so obvious that it made the male leads in each route look better.

All I can remember is the over-the-top compliments, like ‘She looks just like Ophelia’ and ‘Her smile, her voice, and her attitude are all so beautiful!’ 

But if the princess had come out at the same time, it would have been hard for her to be the only one in the spotlight…

“Why? Is there something on your mind?”

“… Just interested. Most royals make their debuts early.”

“You’re right. Princess Alosia’s first public appearance was at a ball when she was only five years old.”

“… Seriously?”

“After the prince was born, the trend stopped all of a sudden.”

“…”

Even though I thought I shouldn’t worry, it made me feel weird. 

Cassio’s calm demeanor and the way he talked as if he were talking about someone else’s business were strange. 

It was typical of him, but…

“Now that I think about it, you, the princess, and Ophelia all turn 20 this year.”

“You’re right.”

“The lady Emilia met in the dressing room that day is also turning twenty this year.”

“…That’s a strange thing to happen.”

“I agree with you.”

… It wasn’t the norm to start out at age 20, was it? 

If they’re quick, they can make their start at age 16. 

The usual age is eighteen. 

Depending on the situation, up to twenty-two. 

Since noble marriages are more like contracts than love marriages, people often make their appearance before they turn twenty.

Did the player make her start at age 20 in the game?

I could tell that something was slightly different from the original work I knew, but it was hard to figure out what. 

Cassio Brahamdorff isn’t going after Elodie. 

Instead, he’s sticking close to me. 

Really, this could be the end of the original story.

I should have tried harder to remember what happened in the game. 

I regretted it. 

Even though I forgot it, I kept it in mind because I know I live in the game’s world. 

I’ve been living as Emilia for so long that I’ve forgotten a lot of the small details.

I thought I wouldn’t need it at all. 

After all, aren’t all of those storylines for the player? 

Emilia didn’t have a place anywhere. 

Well, I think there was an ending when I was a guest at the Marquis’s house, but I’ll pass on that first.

I didn’t plan to stay at the Marquis’s house for very long, so I didn’t have time to think about how the story was supposed to end in the first place. 

Ophelia gave a letter to Cassio Brahamdorff all of a sudden. 

Ophelia shows up in my dream and says important things…

Why? 

For what? 

‘Don’t die’? 

Is there anything that could kill me? 

Not Elodie, who might be in danger because of her beauty.

“You look like you’re scared.”

“…!”

I was shocked and pushed the face that suddenly appeared in front of my nose. 

The man was pushed away really easily. 

His grey eyes, which came up to my nose, groaned as if he had been hit in the solar plexus.

“What!”

“Uh, Emilia, all of a sudden you looked so scared…”

“It’s none of your business if someone looks scared or not!”

I used the ball of my foot to kick the man in the shin. 

I was a little disappointed that it was a thin slipper instead of a shoe with a sharp heel. 

As I took a deep breath from being surprised, the man looked at me and smiled softly.

“You were so lost in your thoughts that you didn’t notice me when I was right in front of you. I’m jealous.”

“…You really are very brave.”

I shook my head and made a bored face. 

I don’t think he was this sneaky when he was with Ophelia. 

Did he get meaner after Ophelia died? 

It seemed plausible. 

After all, Cassio Brahamdorff really did have an extreme view of Ophelia. 

If Ophelia said beans were red beans, he seemed ready to change the name of beans to red beans. 

If she called a dog a sheep, he would have probably given all dogs clothes made of fluffy wool and called them sheep.

He did sometimes brush off Ophelia’s harsh words with a cool demeanor, but at least he didn’t pull a joke like this while trying to be friendly, right?

Well, I guess I’m not as hard to deal with as Ophelia. 

To begin with, there is no similarity between me and her. 

Having to deal with the forbidden fruit in the Marquis’s House can’t be the same as having to deal with me, who has nowhere to hide. 

Even more so if my opponent is Ophelia.

“I’m upset, Emilia. I’m not asking you to blush and act shy like other women, but can’t you be a little nicer to me?”

I gave him a look that was as cold as the wind from the north.

“Do you want me to make you a cup of toad tea? Just like Ophelia did.”

“…I politely decline.”

The smile on Cassio Brahamdorff’s face seemed to get a little tighter.

“No, no. She has a recipe for you that she made up. This is a good chance to help you. Mix baby’s breath, mugwort, and the insides of a toad.”

“I was wrong, Emilia,” he said.

It’s too bad that the guy who once said he would do anything Ophelia said, even drink lye, now won’t even look at Ophelia’s recipe. 

Ophelia could only go as far as the Marquis’s yard when she went outside. 

Others didn’t know it, but the hole in that yard led to the wild back mountain, which was behind the Marquis’s house. 

On the back mountain, there was a small stream. 

Ophelia and I searched that back mountain as often as we could. 

What came out of that was her special recipe. 

If there was a side effect, it was that items that had already been used might no longer work.

All of the dishes in this townhouse were expensive and beautiful, and they were too valuable to break. 

I was also a guest, so I couldn’t do something so rude. 

I chose to just give up quietly. 

The man also shook his head as if he really didn’t like what was going on. 

I thought that a person who sees everything in the world as a toy would find toad tea funny. 

I miscalculated.

* * *

The Aslote Royal Palace has been around for more than 500 years and is a valuable part of the kingdom. 

The White house and the Black Palace were the two main parts of the house. 

The Black Palace was where the royal family lived most of the time. 

And the White Palace was where they took care of business at home and abroad and hosted guests.

The princess who owned Grahender’s, a small palace that was moved away from the Black Palace to the southeast, was in charge of both domestic and international matters. 

If one had to say more, it was a place where Princess Alosia went to study when she was young. 

In other words, it shouldn’t be used right now, so it should be empty. 

Because young royals who were not yet adults lived in the palace, it was much smaller than other places. 

The room where sacrifices were made in the royal house so that God would bless the royal family was also the same. 

Even regular people weren’t allowed to go into the small room. 

Unknown smoke was burning nonstop. 

It was a small room where only two or three people could sit.

There was someone inside. 

It was a woman with a sad face that used to be beautiful. 

Her hair was golden and messy. 

Even though her hooded long coat covered her face, her cheeks and jawline showed how important she was. 

A voice of worry was heard.

“What you said was wrong.”

The hooded guest, who was nothing like the woman, kept quiet. 

The hooded figure did nothing but watch the smoke rise from the incense fire in silence. 

At the end, the smoke in the small room was harsh and bitter.

“Speak up. I did as you said, but His Majesty doesn’t wake up, does he!”

“It is karma.”

The woman’s mouth shook.

“Karma, karma! The king is not to blame. What bad luck did His Majesty have to pay for…”

“Your Majesty, the Queen, if you knew about the curse and still wanted a successor, defiling the sacred elixir of the goddess and sacrificing the lifeblood, you should be happy with the result.”

“…”

The woman pulled her hood off. 

Her golden hair was wrapped up and held in place with a pearl pin, but a few strands were sticking out. 

Her cool, blue eyes that sparkled were very stunning. 

Even though she has lines around her eyes, neck, and lips, she would have been a beautiful woman when she was younger. 

She was, indeed. When she was young, Princess Patricia Aldriche was a very beautiful woman, but she married in a nearby country after a fight with her younger brother over who would be the next ruler.

The queen roared as if she wanted to hide something. 

As loud as it was, it sounded like metal scraping, but she didn’t say anything because she didn’t want the secret to get out of the room.

“It wasn’t even worth it!”

“It’s not fair for Your Majesty to say that Alexis’s lack of royal talent is my fault.”

“Alexis is still young. No matter what must be given up, His Majesty must wake up!”

“More rituals are too much. I made sure that the elixir had been tainted 20 years ago.”