"Hey... Prince Clovis, will you really stay with me for the rest of our lives?"
The cute golden retriever like boy in front of me smiles innocently at me at my question. His green eyes glimmering in the sunlight.
"Of course, Bea-chan."
"Really?"
I puff out my cheeks with disbelief and suspicion.
"Really."
"You won't just throw me away for a cuter girl?"
Clovis tilts his head, and then gives an innocent and unconcerned smile.
"I won't. Bea-chan's family helps us regain power after all."
"...then, not after you regain power either?"
Clovis blinks a few times and then puts his hand on my head to pat it gently.
"I will stay with Bea-chan, I owe Bea-chan after all."
...So you will...
11 years later
I figured this would happen, but it's just as annoying when you end up knowing ahead of time.
I gently put the teacup down on the ornamented table, and let out a sigh at the scene playing out in the school garden below me.
"Lady Beatrix, are you alright?"
A lady's gentle hand is placed on mine, as we witness my betrothed, prince Clovis, walking hand in hand alone through the garden with the heroine. They must be ignorant, to both manage to overlook a tea party nearby, simply because it is on a balcony. Of course, the ladies around me being dead silent in sheer horror of what is happening, might help them overlook it.
"Of course not," I reply and narrow my eyes at the two lovers.
But what they don't know, is that today is a very special event. In fact the last event before the condemnation event... and here I had been such a good and merciful betrothed for the last eleven years.
Still, seeing the one that had promised me, to never to toss me away, really not keep his promise makes my heart sink a bit... not that it was ever a promise made out of love...
If I hadn't gained that strange girl's memories, and found out that this is all part of a story, then who knows what kind of reaction I would have had after seeing this?
"Are we really not going to do anything?..." one of the ladies next to me speak out carefully, as she watches me with pain in her eyes.
"No," I respond quietly, trying to silence the sinking disappointment in my chest.
Clovis takes the heroine's hands in his, as they face each other, and their eyes soften with love and adoration. Even the sun seems to shine brighter and warmer as Clovis leans in and presses his lips to hers.
The first full display of fully blossomed love in their story... and one of the final nails in the coffin of ours.
At least I don't have to wonder, why he chose the lovable Delia over me.
You see, the male lead in these stories always chose the heroine because she's 'interesting', 'cute', 'amusing' and basically untainted by the complications of society, and in particular adulthood. She's reckless and simple minded, but cute enough to make you want to protect her.
I, on the other hand, am exactly what society wants. Boring, as I place value on etiquette and consequences of my actions, wicked because I interact in intrigue, 'greedy' because I focus on work and monetary manners, and participate in fashion, and so on.
In this story, all I am meant to be, is someone that deserves to have love taken away from them.
I start quietly stirring my tea, recalling the countless hours I debated on what to do, and whether there was any way out of the current situation.
However, as though to force the situation, around a decade ago an epidemic swept through the main lands neighboring our island kingdom at a furious pace. It's considered lucky, that only children and the elderly died from it, in the years it was active, but it left a deep generation gap. Since our kingdom is on an island, we were almost magically spared the plague, after closing all ports, but as a result, we are forced to only marry inside the country, if we want partners of our own age. Even prince Clovis, who would usually have married a princess was engaged to me, daughter of a duke, partly to recover the waning power of royalty in the country, but also because no deals could be made with the royalty from other countries, as they had neither children, nor extra power to deal with anything else, than their own national crisis.
Despite that, I tried. I tried just about every single way those reincarnated villainesses get a happy ending, and soon I came to the conclusion that it was useless. I can't count how many times I got spanked trying to avoid the ending of this story by acting sweet and nice. It all ended up with a semi-promise from my parents that if I didn't get married to Clovis and act properly they'd make my life hell, after all, there's no eligible bachelors of my rank or higher in this.
Becoming a commoner isn't a good solution either. A single bitter, or greedy person and I'm dead or the main attraction of a brothel.
That said, even if my family and society won't allow me to change to his preferences or to find someone that appreciates me the way I am, it's not like I have no options left.
After agonizing my failures to fix or get out of the marriage, I realized something. Even if I thought of Clovis' actions as cheating, that isn't quite correct. If you switch the genders, you'll understand what I mean:
A kind, skilled girl is forcefully engaged to a man of lower rank, so that her family can stay in power. As they grow older, the man becomes cold and vicious to his opponents, humiliating them if they cross him. When she asks, he explains that it was necessary, and when she asks him to stop, he responds that he cannot. That it is how the world works. She hates it, and find herself disgusted and betrayed that he wouldn't listen to her words. Then she meets a young man, far lower ranked than the man she is engaged with, but he is kind, and makes her feel happy, healing her troubled heart that despises the world of cruelty.
Usually, this story ends with the two eloping, but there is a more dramatic ending, you see. The betrothed finds out, and in a rage challenges the young man to a duel. The young man wins, and gets renown as a master swordsman and gets permitted to marry the girl. Happy ending.
Why wouldn't a reader want the young man to win? And the young lady there would not be considered cheating, because it's an arranged marriage, right? She can just go 'sorry' and then run away to her happy ending.
To be honest, I felt rather dejected after thinking about the situation like that. After all, the right choice, and the possibility of not retaliating, being nice and kind, and everything that the lover represents, were never things I was allowed. How can I blame Clovis for wanting to look for love, although his choice is naïve for his station?
So I thought for a long time about what I should do... What I could do, and how I should feel... And I decided:
I am going to turn this story on its head, and make the villainess win. It's time for you to grow up a bit, Clovis, and be the one to have your heart broken.
"In the end, he will return to me while asking for forgiveness without me really lifting a finger against Delia."
My lips curl into a smile, and that one little smile, turns the worry in the eyes of my ladies, to conviction that things will be alright.
The villainess isn't the only ones with weaknesses. Once the happy ending has been reached, the perfect heroine will begin to fall apart, and that's where I'll strike, after having waited for 11 years for this day.
So prepare yourselves, you two little lovebirds, I've let you taste the intoxication of love. Now it's time for both of you to wake up.
Clovis' Point of View
I stare coldly at Beatrix, as she saunters into the student council room uninvited. The formerly happy atmosphere in the room immediately turned tense, and poor Delia is gripping the hem of her dress tightly, while trying desperately to avoid Beatrix's gaze.
If it hadn't been because Beatrix's eyes were only on me, I would've stepped between them. How dares she show up here with everything she's done to Delia?
More importantly, with all the gazes on her, Beatrix should know perfectly well that she isn't welcome here.
"Prince Clovis, what a pleasure to see you, the rest of you as well," she says politely, giving an elegant curtsy. Her long blonde locks of hair roll over her shoulder almost sensually, and in her eyes is a playfulness that's usually absent in her manners.
What did she come here for? I feel a shiver crawl up my spine.
"You've said your greetings, you should leave now, Lady Beatrix," I respond coldly. The faster I send her away, the faster Delia will feel comfortable.
"Ara, how cold," she says softly with a bit of a laughter in her voice. I stare in disbelief at her outrageous behavior. Despite being her betrothed, still, I am still the crown prince.
"And here I thought we should have an important conversation, about those plans you gentlemen have been making for tomorrow night."
I shudder at Beatrix's smile, as she rather blatantly calls out the condemnation we had planned for her tomorrow night. She'd looked so cold and annoyed recently, that seeing this amusement on her face instinctively makes my stomach tangle up into a knot of worry.
How long has she known?
If she's approaching like this, does that then mean she has found a way to get out of the situation? No, that shouldn't be possible, we've been gathering all this evidence so she couldn't. She might just be bluffing, or just have heard that I plan to leave her waiting, and go with Delia for the graduation ball tomorrow.
"If you already know, then why should I have a conversation with you about that?"
I glance to Delia, who seems tremble at Beatrix' presence. With how Beatrix has been bullying her it's understandable... But seeing Delia's beautiful sapphire eyes shine with tears makes my heart ache.
She trusts me to handle this. Even if Beatrix's family brought the royal family back to power, I must be firm with her.
"Why? Are you that certain of your witnesses, and all your circumstantial evidence will hold up?"
Another shudder runs down my spine.
She knows.
Should I just start it here and hope enough of a crowd gathers? I wanted to do this in front of a crowd so it couldn't be buried afterwards and the scandal would outweigh any potential gaps in the evidence that she could bribe herself out of. The student council room is somewhat isolated. There'll be little chance for the plan to succeed if we start it now.
"I'm simply suggesting a talk, so that we can do this far more... Cleanly... But, on the condition that it's only you and me talking, your highness."
Her honey golden eyes narrow at me, and there's a hint of pity in her gaze.
"Bea-"
Maximillian, her brother, tries to burst into the conversation, but is cut short by Beatrix unfolding a fan with a sharp snap.
"Silence nii-sama, I am aware of your part in this too. We will have a talk of our own at home, with our parents."
Her eyes narrow into a glare of disappointment and disgust at Maximillian, and he flinches. If their parents find out he's been sabotaging Beatrix's claim to the throne, they'll rip him apart. They're just as set on her position as her, if not even more.
What do I do? Does she have a way out?
Beatrix looks towards Leanard, the son of the swords master, and then back to me, and I can see a smile form on her lips, as her eyes narrow with mockery this time.
"Lenard," she calls out, almost seductively, but while looking directly into my eyes, like she's warning me she's intending to ruin everything right here and now if she has to. I can't tell if she's bluffing.
"Lenard, take Delia outside. The rest of you go with them. I'm going to talk with Lady Beatrix for a while."
I'll have to cover for them, just in case.
I give a saying look to Maximillian, and he nods carefully, although giving a worried stare towards Beatrix. As he steps past me, he whispers in my ear, "Be careful your highness. When Beatrix is like this, she has some cruel plan concocted that she's had going for a while."
I nod.
Delia and the guys of the student council leaves, and in the large office room remains only Beatrix and I, and her lips curl into a smile, that's only half hidden behind her fan.
(AN: This is a little short story, for me, at least. It's done, and will be approximately 9-10 chapters, after I split it out. It's the plan that the chapters are posted either daily, until all the chapters are posted.
I cooked this out of a hyper focus, so iiit might be weird. )