Nicol and Sophia seemed to be whispering about something. As expected, it would seem that Nicol was not very keen on performing after all. However, Sophia was being somewhat insistent, given that she had so much sisterly love for Nicol.
In the end, Nicol, unable to deny his lovable sister’s request, stood before me once more. I could see the resolve in his face. “Are you ready, Katarina?”
“Yes. I shall do my best to be your partner in this endeavor, Master Nicol, for Sophia’s sake! You can count on me.” Although it was the first time I had played a human, this was not a real stage, and was only a one-off. I shall strive to be the best actress I can be, and overcome this challenge!
“Is that so... thank you.” Nicol’s alluring smile showed itself once more.
Ugh, this is bad. My face was already bright red thanks to Nicol’s overflowing charm. Endure it, actress Katarina Claes!
As I continued my best attempts at enduring the experience, Nicol ran his fingers through my long hair, gently and slowly. I could feel my heartbeat increasing as his long, beautiful fingers ran through my hair smoothly. His alluring charm was simply too much to handle. If this went on I would lose my mind too, just like my unfortunate classmates behind me. I was already too close to my limit.
With his stunning smile, Nicol delivered his line from the play: “I love you.”
I could feel the strength leave my legs upon hearing his sweet, seductive voice. I had developed a respectably high amount of Nicol Resistance, having known him across all these years. So I managed to struggle out my line.
“...M-Me... too. Master Nicol.” Upon hearing my line, however, Nicol’s smile... froze.
Eh? Why? AH!! I delivered my lines wrong! I, Katarina Claes, who had been so unfortunately swayed by the charming wiles of the Alluring Count, had ended up calling the Prince “Master Nicol” instead. H-How could I have messed up such a short, simple line... Nicol must be frozen in place, stunned at my incompetence.
“Um... Master Nicol...” Before I could finish my apology of “I’m so sorry for messing up!” — I realized that I was in Nicol’s arms.
Ah... I guess he wants to continue, in spite of my mistake. Hmm. But... the way he’s holding me is more... passionate, than I expected. Stronger, than I expected. More importantly... what’s this pleasant smell, now that I’m so close?
This... this is bad. I could feel my mind slipping into emptiness, taken by the Alluring Aura... With my consciousness somewhat impaired, I could hear Nicol whisper something in my ear. Strangely, he sounded pained.
“...Katarina. Even if you belong to someone else... I... will certainly...”
Eh? Is that one of the lines? I wondered briefly. The sweet, charming words whispered into my ears soon took effect. I, Katarina Claes, stopped thinking.
From somewhere far away, I felt like I could hear... Sophia’s voice. “You did it, Big Brother!”
...ACK! Where is this? Where am I? When I regained some semblance of consciousness, we were already a considerable distance away from Sophia and Nicol.
Honestly speaking, I didn’t have any memory of saying goodbye to them. In fact, I could hardly remember anything from after I had wrongly delivered my line. It would appear that I had lost all my memories of the incident, in no small part due to the incredible charm of the Alluring Count.
In addition, the friends and classmates who were with me claimed that they remembered nothing of the meeting at all — their memories were apparently a blank, and the last thing they could recall was the Count’s smile. The Alluring Count. A truly fearsome person...
And with that, our little group was finally aware and conscious once more. Our next destination was a space dedicated to displaying and selling things made by the academy students. Gathered here were various handicrafts — embroidery, art pieces, and even some products and art created by the Magical Ministry’s research facility on the campus.
Maria was in this space as well, with her handmade snacks on sale. My classmates wanted to look at the embroidery on sale, so we parted ways and I headed over to her. With her blonde hair and clear, blue eyes, I would say that Maria was the most, if not at least second most beautiful girl in the academy. It didn’t take long for me to find her. Although it was quite different than the oppressive force of Nicol’s alluring charm, the charming Maria easily drew many pairs of eyes to her.
“Maria!” I called out as I approached.
“Lady Katarina, it’s been a while,” a voice to my side responded — and upon turning, I came face to face with a brown-haired, grey-eyed youth. He was a very normal-looking person, and it took me a moment to recognize him — but he, too, was someone I knew very well.
“Raphael! You’re participating in the festival too?”
“Yes. I am in charge of curating the items presented for sale at the festival, you see,” Raphael Wolt replied, with his gentle, fleeting smile.
Up until the previous year, he had been a student at the academy, and was even the Student Council President. However, due to certain incidents that had occurred last year, Raphael had to leave the academy, and was now working at the Magical Ministry’s research facility on the campus.
After that incident, he had discarded his false name and started a new life. Given that he originally had a head full of red hair and was quite the charming young man himself, he would stand out a little too much. This was why he had taken on the guise of the plain, brown-haired youth instead — the same person standing before me.
“I see you’re working hard!” Given that the incident was not exactly caused by his own will, Raphael had decided to work for the Ministry, and it would seem that he was doing somewhat well for himself.
“Yes. I am at the bottom of the food chain, after all. There is much work to be done.” Although the work that Raphael described seemed incredibly complicated, there was a certain liveliness about him. Ever since he had gone back to being his old self, he seemed a lot brighter, more cheerful than compared to before.
As we stood discussing Raphael’s current situation, Maria soon spotted us and made her way to where we stood. “I am very glad that you are here to visit, Lady Katarina. Here... this is your share,” she said, offering to me some of her handmade snacks. At my behest, Maria had used the crops I had grown to make snacks to sell at the festival.
“Wow! Thank you for setting some aside for me! How were the sales?”
“Of course, Lady Katarina. Honestly... I was worried, thinking that the snacks I made would not sell at all... but thanks to you, Lady Katarina, I am almost completely sold out.” Maria gestured to her product stand, and just as she said, only a few remained — two to three small packages, perhaps. Although there was still plenty of time left in the festival, her goods had sold that well already.
“They must have been so popular! Of course, since they’re your homemade snacks, Maria.”
“No, this is thanks to your assistance as well, Lady Katarina. After all, you spread the word far and wide, didn’t you?”
Indeed, I had made it a point to tell everyone I knew. After all, this entire idea was mine to begin with. I’d wanted to put my back into it and help make the treats too, but...
A few times while I was helping bake, the snacks had caught fire. The fire even spread to other parts of the kitchen. And another time, a small explosion erupted in the pot I was using for some strange reason, and it made a huge mess.
Regardless of my mistakes, however, Maria would smile at me most angelically, saying, “Ah, it’s your first time, Lady Katarina. It’s quite all right.” The staff in charge of the kitchen, however, did not seem to share Maria’s optimism.
“Please, retrieve Katarina Claes this very instant!” they pleaded — and their words eventually reached the ears of my adopted brother, Keith. Keith soon arrived, and, dragging me by the back of my collar, cleanly hauled me out of the kitchen and into my quarters.
But... even so... there has to be something I could do! I’d thought. I offered to help w
ith the wrapping, but I wasn’t very craft-oriented, and soon made a mess of the wrapping paper. Even so, Maria merely said the same thing, again with her same angelic smile, “Ah, it’s your first time, Lady Katarina. It’s quite all right.” Soon, the amount of damaged wrapping paper was arranged into two large stacks.
It was then that Jeord intervened, retrieving and confiscating the rest of the papers from my hands. “Katarina. It is a waste of paper, as you can see. You have done enough, no?”
In the end, I was hardly able to help with anything. Maria, the sweet girl she was, decided to task me with the role of food tester instead. Though... all I had to do for that was eat the snacks that Maria made.
Ugh... I am so sorry I’m not of much use, I’d thought. But... Maria really is an angel in the flesh. I wish I could take her as my bride. And with that, I was told to taste the finished treats — and oh, they were so, so delicious. So delicious were the snacks that I simply kept on eating until I ate far too much.
Before I knew it, all the prototype snacks had been consumed by none other than yours truly... and Alan was cross at me for it. “Oi! What are we going to do with you, eating all of it like that?” he said, confiscating the other samples.
So I, Katarina Claes, had suggested an idea... and then couldn’t help with any aspect of it. I continued to think and think about what I could do to help, but I drew a blank.
I asked Keith about it, and he promptly said, “Well then, Big Sister, how about you simply raise public awareness of our little venture?”
It was a splendid idea. I made my way around campus, desperately extolling the virtues of Maria’s homemade snacks. Even so, the sale of Maria’s snacks couldn’t possibly be attributed to my advertising alone.
“Well, I did advertise. But the snacks wouldn’t have sold like this if they weren’t as delicious as yours are! The reason they’re so popular is because they taste good!”
“...Thank you very much, Lady Katarina...” Maria said, a slight blush tinting her cheeks as she smiled faintly at me.
Ah, such a cute face. Surely one look was enough to charm the hearts of any man in the lands. Ahh... Maria is really, truly cute! If I were a man, I would have asked for her hand in marriage in a heartbeat! As I continued to daydream, however...
“Come to think of it, Lady Campbell has decided to sign up at the Ministry, or so I hear...” Raphael casually said. This was something I had never heard of before.
“Eh?! Maria... you’re going to work for the Ministry?”
“Ah, yes. I have decided to join the Ministry after graduation.”
“Is... Is that so? But Maria... Didn’t you say during your first year that you wanted to return home after graduation and live on quietly?”
Maria was, from what I understood, one of the few Wielders of Light in the kingdom. What I didn’t know was the fact that her magic was significantly powerful even amongst this small number, and that she had received an invitation from the Ministry to join their ranks after graduation.
Didn’t she say during her first year that she wanted to “return home and live a quiet life”? Did something happen to change her mind?
“Well... It is true, that was what I had thought shortly after enrolling in the academy, that I would simply return home and live a quiet life... but.” A familiar gaze suddenly entered Maria’s eyes — it was a look of strong, unwavering resolve. “But. I could no longer... be by your side, then.”
“?” I could only stare blankly, not understanding her words. Maria, however, simply smiled gently.
“Just like I asked during the graduation ceremony last year, Lady Katarina... I would like to stay by your side, from here on out. However... even if I am a Wielder of Light, I am but a commoner... I need a certain degree of social standing, Lady Katarina, to stand by you — given that you are a noble, and the daughter of Duke Claes... and so I decided that I would join the Ministry, and attain the position I require.”
Maria’s words were almost like a proposal. For some reason I felt incredibly embarrassed. “...A-Ah... Right. Thank you, Maria. I... um. I am very happy.” Wow... I really am blushing. I could feel the heat radiating from my face.
Perhaps due to my reaction, Maria’s face was soon bright red as well. Turning to face each other, we smiled, each blushing and equally embarrassed. It was almost like Maria and I were a couple!
“Ah... do excuse me. I hate to interrupt the private world that the two of you have conjured... but I am present as well... yes?”
“Ah... oh, Raphael. A private world, you say...” Raphael’s exasperated gaze soon dragged me back to reality. That was dangerous, terribly dangerous indeed! Maria is simply too lovable... I was about to fall through the gates of a most forbidden world!
In fact, I was most likely just one step away from saying “Maria. Please... be my bride.” As expected of an otome game’s actual protagonist. Maria’s charm was nothing to scoff at.
“Even so... to think that the motivation for you joining the Ministry, the apple of this kingdom’s eye... is to be with Lady Katarina. As expected of you, Lady Campbell.”
“I do understand that my reasons for joining the Ministry may be... impure. But even so... I intend to give it my all once I join its ranks. I will be in your care,” Maria said, her tone serious and determined as she addressed her future senior at the Ministry, Raphael.
“I do not think that wanting to be close to someone important to you constitutes impurity, Lady Campbell. After all, I would have done the same thing had I been in your position. However...”
“However?”
“Even if you do join the Ministry, Lady Katarina will marry Prince Jeord upon graduation. She will then become very busy, and it is unlikely that we will be able to see her often, as we do now.”
“?!” Maria and I both had the same look on our faces — the shock of a sudden realization. Raphael seemed equally surprised at the sight of this, as if he was saying “Well, Lady Campbell is one thing, but you’re shocked by this too, Lady Katarina?!”
“That... That’s right... Lady Katarina is Prince Jeord’s fiancée... She will immediately become his bride after graduation, and spend her days in the castle. We may not be able to see her then... I don’t think I would like that very much...”
“Yes... if this goes on, I have to marry Jeord and become a royal. That would be bad... I’m barely making it as the daughter of a duke, but a royal...!”
Raphael continued looking at the two of us, somewhat troubled by our onset of depression upon realizing where we stood. “...Have you considered joining the Ministry as well, Lady Katarina?”
“Eh? I can do that? Actually, does joining the Ministry mean I wouldn’t have to get married anymore?” Raphael’s statement had me completely hooked. Slowly, he began feeding me the details.
“Basically, it is possible for one to join the ranks of the Ministry with the recommendation of a staff member with considerable social standing. Well... while I do not think that simply joining the Ministry would cancel the entire engagement, the Ministry is only second to the King himself when it comes to political power. I hardly think that you would be dragged off to the castle immediately.”
I see! So if I join the Ministry, I can further delay the marriage! And if I delay it long enough, Jeord will certainly fall for Maria or some other splendid noble lady... With that, I would be freed from my role! All right, Katarina Claes! Let us aim to sign on with the Magical Ministry!
...Or at least, that was what I thought, but... my magical capability was low. In fact, the only spell that I could use was Earth Raiser.
“Um... Raphael. As you may know, my magical capability is... depressingly low...”
“Ah, about that. While it is indeed true that there were many in the Ministry who have high magical capability, there are equally many who are not as magically gifted. After all, we do not exactly turn away those who are simply interested in magic.”
“Is that so?! That’s great! Well then... I will work
hard... But didn’t you say that I needed a letter of recommendation from an important person in the Ministry?”
Honestly, the only one I knew within the Ministry was Raphael. I could possibly speak with Father and have him use his connections to get me a letter of recommendation... but would such a thing even be accepted by the Ministry in the first place?
“Ugh... Then this will be really difficult, won’t it? After all, no one would give someone like me a recommendation...” It was such a great suggestion too! I sighed, resigning myself to my fate once more.
Raphael, however, smiled somewhat suggestively. “Don’t be so sad, Lady Katarina. There is in fact... someone who would write a letter of recommendation for you.”
“...Eh?!”
“In truth, Lady Katarina... my superior has become most interested in you. That person would surely write a letter for you in a heartbeat.”
“Your... superior? And this person, they know of me?”
“Yes. I do believe that they are likely to greet you sooner or later. After all, they did mention wanting to speak with you, Lady Katarina.”
“Hmm... well, what kind of person are they?”
“Someone with quite the individualistic streak, I would say. But to me, they are a very kind person.”
“Um, excuse me!” Maria said, forcefully interrupting the conversation Raphael and I were having. Maria was hardly the kind of person to do things like this, but she seemed more... desperate than usual.
“Wh-What is it, Maria? What happened? That expression of yours!”
“U-Um. Well... if we were to summarize what we’ve just learned... if Raphael’s superior would indeed write you a letter of recommendation, and you enter the Magical Ministry... then... then! Then we would be together forever!”
“That would be so, yes.” Raphael said. His gentle smile seemed to wash away Maria’s agitation, and soon she was smiling happily. And then...
“Lady Katarina, let’s join the ranks of the Ministry together. I will do what I can to help! Please, you must, oh you must!” Maria clasped my hands in hers — her eyes were sparkling.
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Volume 3 Page 4
