The Bad Ending of an Otome

Even if she isn’t the best debutante in the land, she deserves to be the second best, and I’m giving her to a minor noble like you.

You can’t be expecting endearments like “dear,” can you?

There is one condition. 

Make Emilia the best lady at the debutante ball that year. 

Got it? 

She must be the very finest.

What are you even going to do with the Brahamdorff’s money? 

If rumors circulated that she was not well received, the House Windrose would make you pay even after death.

Aren’t you talented in a variety of areas? 

Don’t be picky about your means. 

Whether it’s clothing, shoes, flowers, or jewelry, falling out of favor from the royal family isn’t an option.

Even in my next life, spend the money in such a way that I concede, ‘Ah, I can’t beat that amount.’ 

Because why, will you keep your fortune even after you die?

Condition number two. 

You get to pick her partner. 

I won’t go into specifics.

Why do so many knuckleheads believe everything glitters is gold and seek praise and admiration from everyone around them? 

Don’t be too proud to be one of them. 

Again, you’re talented in a variety of areas.

I’ll let you deal with the morons who dare to bother her, someone I care about.

Our Emilia excels in everything, but she requires a weapon to use.

Understood? 

She must be the very finest. 

She is the most valuable possession I have. 

You’ll be as low as a rat’s tail among scoundrels if you do something stupid and ruin her.

End.

“…”

I was overcome with emotion when I looked down at the letter. 

‘She’s the most valuable possession I have…’ 

Nobody can deny that the handwriting was Ophelia’s. 

She did, in fact, send the letter. 

Cassio just stood there staring at me.

“…So that’s why you’ve come looking for me.”

I was perplexed as to why it had to be Cassio. 

Why he was chosen as my partner, and how ‘that year’ was referenced. 

If she had been well, we might have debuted hand in hand the year Ophelia died.

Ophelia would have worn Elodie’s dress, and I would have stood behind her. 

I felt like my breath had stopped momentarily when I saw Elodie enter the ballroom clutching Raretis’ hand. 

Jealousy? 

Anger? 

Inferiority? 

I couldn’t pinpoint a single emotion. 

Right.

She was so similar to her that it hurt. 

I didn’t like being reminded of her. 

Not her, but her partner, Raretis Hope. 

She would have looked like that if she had lived. 

She would have danced in that manner. 

It felt immoral just thinking about it.

I lacked the confidence to live in the Marquis’s mansion in her absence and fled. 

Yet, before her death, she was secretly planning this during her most painful and difficult periods.

‘It’s a pity, but do everything in my absence. Wear a lot of pretty outfits…’

I remembered her expression.

‘You should go out a lot. Eat a variety of delectable foods… Also, try horseback riding…’

Did it affect her heart? 

That I couldn’t live like a conventional young aristocratic woman since I was by her side? 

She pretended she didn’t mind. 

That I was not at least envious.

‘Date, as well.’

Even if I never had a typical romance or could not articulate the emotions buried deep within, I thought I was good with it.

“… A slap and one letter, and I’m ahead. Do I get another page if I offer the other cheek?”

I blinked as tears threatened to fall. 

My vision became hazy. 

I burst out laughing. 

I shouldn’t be crying. 

It would be such a waste if the tears smudged the letter. 

The man’s face was a mix of emotions – stung but also restless.

“… Emilia, how could you say such a thing? You’re a lady, even if the wound isn’t profound.”

“It doesn’t hurt in the least. Really. You stated that there were two pages. Can’t you show me the last one now because I’ll be a proper lady till the end?”

“The usual Emilia seemed more decorous.”

“Petty.”

I chuckled, wiping the corners of my eyes. 

Cassio looked at me with an uneasy expression. 

Weird, was he agitated? 

He can’t be so sensitive to be concerned because a tear remained in my eye.

“It’s a surprise. While I can’t claim it’s adorable, though, the gift.”

She was avaricious. 

Extremely greedy. 

What’s the point of shining alone in a ballroom she’ll never see? 

I expected her to think that way.

“But it’s okay.”

This is sufficient. 

Nothing of the dark spots now remains. 

It seemed like the black knots in my heart had been swept away. 

Even though I was a coward, a little thistledown floating in a world where no one loved me, someone cared for me after I died. 

I came because she summoned me.

I counted my fingers inside. 

Wearing lovely gowns, going out a lot, eating good food, horseback riding… I’m still deciding about dating.

Why should I give a damn what other people think? 

Why bother if others disparage and gossip about me?

“Thank you, Cassio Brahamdorff.”

When I said my gratitude, the man appeared as if he had been slapped in the back of the head. Really. 

Cassio Brahamdorff had a new expression on his face. 

His mouth was slightly open, his gray eyes twitched, and he had a fixed face solely focused on me. 

I didn’t think I said anything inappropriate. 

Why was he so agitated?

However, I felt incredibly revitalized. 

I didn’t want to prick at him, question his motivations, or be suspicious. 

My makeup had worn off, and my face, caught between sobbing and laughing, didn’t look beautiful, even as a courtesy, but what difference did it make? 

I’m not with him. 

Why put on airs in front of someone who knows everything there is to know about me? 

As a result, I laughed heartily and freely.

His gray eyes blinked a few times, as if he couldn’t believe what he saw. 

In contrast to his customary demeanor, he appeared immobilized, even pausing his breathing. 

I opened my arms and hugged him after a brief delay.

A handshake looked too official, and a cheek kiss was too personal. 

A friendly hug seemed appropriate. 

He could have answered, ‘Have you finally realized my worth?’ but he stayed motionless as a log for some reason. 

Before letting go, I lightly patted Cassio’s back. 

Maybe it was only my imagination, but the tips of his ears appeared red.

“Thank you, truly.”

“…”

“I’m not making this up. You must have been through a lot. I retract my statement about your feelings for Ophelia cooling.”

Even with Raretis fawning over Elodie and Edmund Gloucester swooning over Ophelia, Cassio has been sticking to his beliefs towards Ophelia, infuriating me and acting on the content of the letters. 

I nodded contentedly. 

Cassio, who had been motionless up until that time, became upset.

“…What did you say?”

“I spoke too casually. Cassio Brahamdorff, you’ve also been thinking about her.”

“…Emilia?”

“Cassio, in fact, you seemed to care for Ophelia more than anyone…”

“No.”

“Huh?”

“At least not now.”

I was going to jabber away with a smile, feeling nostalgic for a brief minute, when I came to a halt. 

Cassio’s expression was equivocal. 

What should I say? 

He sounded as if he wasn’t sure what he was saying. 

His expression was highly complex.

What exactly is going on here? 

Cassio Brahamdorff was Ophelia’s second-most ardent admirer if not her number one. 

Is he now denying Ophelia? 

Wouldn’t it be easier if the world just ended? 

He became more concerned when he saw my doubt.

“…I’m not just chasing after her shadow like I used to.”

“…”

“Now…”

Cassio chose his words with care.

“…I’m interested in you, Emilia.”

“…”

In amazement, my eyes widened.

“Is that something so heavy to say?”

“…Huh?”

“Have you always thought it was fascinating? Even from a third-party standpoint, the current scenario is rather chaotic. If only someone would stop selling images of me serving coffee as Emilia to newspapers. It would be an issue if an article titled, ‘Former Marquis’s Daughter’s Friend, Unable to Shake Off Servile Nature, Known to Sell Coffee Among Commoners’ appeared.”

“…”

The man remained mute.

“Well, since it’s me, I say whatever I want to you, Cassio. Most high-born young girls would never dare to speak to you in such a direct manner. I have no friends, no family name, and no money, therefore, I have nothing to lose. Just clinging on Ophelia’s name…”

“No, that’s not it… Ignore it.”

Cassio shook his head vigorously. 

A brief, unexpected sigh was heard. 

For some reason, today, of all days, I felt like I was seeing Cassio Brahamdorff in a different light.

“Well, having interests is a good thing. Nothing is wrong with that. After all, Cassio, you always seemed to find life dull.”

“Is that so?”

“Everything in the world seemed easy for you, giving off a vibe that you lacked ambition in whatever you did.”

Even if that was the case, saying it directly to the individual in issue could be considered impolite.

“But when you talk about Ophelia, you seem… passionate.”

Of course, Ophelia irritated me, but I remember Cassio’s fair face shining brightly, especially when he was ridiculed for being ‘unlucky.’

The Cassio Brahamdorff I saw then and the one beside me now appear slightly different. He seemed to be a child enamored with a new toy, playing with it all day. 

However, now…

Should I say he appeared to have been given a full playground and started building a castle with a sand shovel? 

His objectives were lofty, but the unexpected challenges while digging and erecting left him exhausted, irritated, and angry.

He seemed to be more tired now. 

I noticed a broader spectrum of emotions, but possibly many competitors were surrounding Ophelia at the time. 

Trying not to expose his flaws?

“…Was that the case?”

“Yes, it was.”

“What about others?”

“What about the others?” They were, after all, comparable. Lord Raretis gently stepped aside, only intervening when others raised their voices, but Edmund Gloucester was always a fanatic. Ophelia only paid attention to me or Lord Raretis. Honestly, there were occasions when everyone flocked to Ophelia’s side and acted irritatingly. But, in retrospect, weren’t those days equally memorable?”

Perhaps it’s longing for a more straightforward time. 

But after receiving a long-awaited letter from Ophelia, I burst out laughing.

“I sometimes think the same.”

“About what?”

“If Ophelia was our goddess, then you were the temple that held her to the earth.”

“That’s quite a grand analogy.”

With a faint frown, I responded. 

Of course, in the game, Emilia did not succeed in being Ophelia’s actual friend. 

That’s why she was kicked out of the Marquis’s mansion. 

While Emilia could not maintain her position till the end, Ophelia was everyone’s goddess. Everyone admired this idol. 

Ophelia was less volatile as a result of my and Raretis’ mediation. 

But that was the end of it.

“When gods interact directly with humans, it rarely ends well. Consider our founding myth. The first king courted and obtained the blessings of a goddess, but in the end, he betrayed his pledge and cheated on her, resulting in a curse.”

His face was smooth and calm, unlike Cassio from earlier.

“Ophelia was no different.”

“What are you talking about?” 

I expressed my displeasure at his unexpected statements. 

Cassio, on the other hand, didn’t appear to mind.

“When I first saw her, I thought there wouldn’t be anyone on this earth who could truly understand her.”