Just as all this was happening... the chiming of bells rang out from overhead. Clang! Clang!
Guess there’s not much time left in this whole school festival deal... Time had passed quickly while I wasn’t paying attention. In just a short while, the festival would end and then we would be moving on to the night event, which was a ball.
“Ah. Do excuse us. We have to head to the stage soon,” Jeord said, as the bells rang out. We did have a performance by the council planned and all that, after all.
Honestly... acting really wasn’t my thing. But the student body strongly requested it, so I had no choice but to participate.
“Ho? A performance, Jeord? I would like to see it too, oh yes.”
Ian was quick to reprimand Jeffery for his flippant lines. “Enough with the tomfoolery, Jeffery. We’re heading back.”
“Ehh...? You really are no fun, Ian. Actually, Ian... you’re heading back with me?”
“As I said, enough with the tomfoolery. There is no way I could return with you.”
The same banter as always, I guess. Our talkative, flippant, somewhat annoying oldest brother... the always-serious, ever so formal other brother. Even though I didn’t spend much time with them, and actually didn’t like dealing with them, I couldn’t bring myself to dislike them. But yeah... I’d still balk at the idea of meeting these two again.
“See you!”
“Well then. Do excuse us.”
With their contrasting goodbyes, our older brothers were gone, and we headed to the stage. I couldn’t help but notice that there was still a bag in Katarina’s hands. There was still so much food in it. Isn’t she done giving out her gifts? Don’t tell me... all that in there is for her to eat by herself...?
Well... whatever. Guess I’ll tell Mary about how I didn’t let Jeord spend any significant amount of time with Katarina alone...
★★★★★★★★★
The school festival would be coming to an end shortly. Honestly, what a boring, tiresome day. Because I was so bogged down with work — not only today, but also ever since we began festival preparations — I had been unable to spend any meaningful time with Katarina. I found myself quite irritated.
To make matters worse, I had invited Katarina to my quarters just before my schedule had become incredibly busy — but of course, Keith was there, getting in our way as usual. I decided that then I could pay her a visit, only for Mary and Alan to obstruct me at every turn. Although Katarina was engaged to me, Jeord Stuart, it would seem like all of these other fools had no intention of giving up.
My fiancée, Katarina Claes, was... different. She was not at all what a noble lady... well, rather, she was unlike any normal girl at all. By her side, I was never bored. No matter how many years I spent with her, every moment was unfailingly vibrant and wonderful.
Originally, I had little interest in the affairs of others. I had never thought it possible that I would feel such affection for another. The one who had taught me I could feel this way was of course Katarina herself.
Even so... her charm was her downfall. After all, this naturally meant that my rivals would increase in number. Katarina is quite the charmer, you see, although she herself was not aware of it. To make things worse, her charm and sheer lovability drew both men and women to her.
First to fall was her adopted brother, then my younger brother and his fiancée, and then there was my childhood friend, the chancellor’s son, and his younger sister. After that was a Wielder of Light who was a genius of a girl in her own right. Finally, even the individual who had made an attempt on her life ended up falling for her as well. The number of rivals I had to deal with simply kept increasing.
Even today, Katarina arrived late. Distracted by the food offerings at the stands, perhaps. And just when we were having a private conversation, Alan showed up to get in my way. To make things worse... he so casually touched her head.
Katarina is mine. You would do well to keep your hands off her. As soon as I reprimanded Alan for his actions, he called me “uptight.”
Well. Perhaps he did have a point, at least when it came to Katarina. Although I was usually calm and hardly shaken by anything, I felt my tolerance narrow significantly when it came to anything that involved her.
Honestly... seeing Katarina speak to other men alone was enough to fill me with displeasure. But then again, with so many enemies in my presence, I supposed there was little I could do about it.
And then there was the constant worrying — wondering if Katarina had unknowingly ended up charming someone else without realizing it again. Although she had finally made her way here, we hardly had any time to speak, and soon we already had to make our way to the stage venue. I remained in a considerably bad mood.
To think that when I had finally had some time with her, not only Alan, but also my older brothers had showed up. Their timing could not possibly have been any worse. Of all the times they could have come, why pick the moment when I could have been alone with Katarina? There had been so much pointless, wasted time before all this. Why not then? Why now? There would have been no issues if they had just arrived a little earlier.
Leaving the stoic and strict Ian aside... I found it difficult to deal with that flippant sod of a brother of ours, Jeffery. But of course, I was hardly like Alan — such emotions did not show on my face.
Although I was able to easily read the thoughts and machinations of most individuals, my oldest brother was an exception. I had been unable to read him ever since our younger days together. He was a little disturbing, if anything. I could never quite understand what he was thinking at any given point in time. Even so, he clearly did not have any intention of hurting us, so I supposed that thought could be shelved.
Thanks to the pointless formalities of our older brothers, it was already somewhat late by the time we reached the venue. The other members of the student council had already gathered. Some of the female students had already changed into their costumes. It was time for me to make preparations as well, but...
“It’s terrible! One of the actresses is unwell, and can no longer perform!” one of the backstage assistants said, running towards us. It would seem like a certain first year, who was one of the actresses in the production, had suddenly collapsed. She was brought to the infirmary.
Thankfully, her diagnosis was positive; all the girl needed was a bit of rest, and she would recover in due time. However, there was no way an ailing girl could participate in the production, especially not when it was about to start.
I inwardly sighed. What is this production coming to, with all these last-minute occurrences? “We have no choice. We would simply have to find a replacement.”
I turned to the other students tasked with helping out at the backstage. They had witnessed our practice sessions many times — we would simply have to find a replacement from within their number. The students, however, all averted their gazes. But of course they would, given that they had just been suddenly called upon to stand on stage.
Compounding the situation was the fact that most of the actors and actresses selected for the performance were wildly popular amongst the student body. A poorly-selected replacement would surely suffer from public backlash — at least, that was most likely their fear.
In that case... we must find someone who is equally popular. Someone who would be a worthy replacement. Naturally, I moved my eyes to her, only for her to dramatically avert her gaze.
It was... far too obvious. No matter how I looked at it. Those around her had done so with a more refined sense of subtlety, but of course, she had no such tact. My voice was not the one that first called out to her, however. Instead, it was a slowly rising wave of murmurs, each voicing their approval.
“Well then... in that case, wouldn’t Lady Katarina be fit for the role?” A single voice echoed through the silent backstage area.
“I, too, think that Lady Katarina would be fit for the role.”
“I feel that only Lady Katarina can stand wit
h the rest of the student council members...”
“Yes, if it’s Lady Katarina, the audience and other students would be most satisfied as well.”
One after another, voices of approval sprung up from the crowd. Well... this was the natural conclusion. Anyone would have reached it with some degree of thought. Although Katarina herself was not part of the council, she was quite popular indeed, and was perhaps the only student not in the student council to have an unofficial fan following.
“I... I c-can’t...” Katarina said, desperately refusing the role. She looked towards me with pleading eyes, as if asking for me to side with her. Her pleading, almost teary-eyed look was lovable too.
I smiled, ever so slightly, in response. “Well then, Katarina. I leave it in your capable hands,” I said, placing a hand reassuringly on her shoulder as I did so. Katarina’s expression, however, almost seemed to suggest that the world itself was about to end.
After quite some dallying, Katarina finally accepted her lines and headed off to get changed. As luck would have it, the girl who had collapsed earlier was about the same size and build as Katarina, and so the costume fit her just fine.
However... Perhaps no one had noticed it when the original actress had tried it on, but Katarina’s costume was a little too revealing around the chest region. I did not like the thought of her parading in front of the crowd while dressed like that. But there was no time to change the costume.
In the end, I had the students in charge of stage costumes remedy the problem with a well-placed stole. While the students who helped her into the outfit did raise some objections, “Um... I don’t think that this really fits together,” I silenced them with a single look.
Katarina, however, seemed to think that the costume was meant to be this way.
With that, Katarina was finally standing near the stage curtains The role that she was supposed to play was that of the protagonist’s mean-spirited step sister, who would bully and mock her. It was a role not particularly well-suited to Katarina... but we had no choice.
Honestly speaking, I would have much preferred for Katarina to be cast as the protagonist, who would be partnered with me in the production. That would have pleased me greatly. However, that would be much too sudden; given that Katarina was already so overwhelmed with a role that had so few lines, it would have been too much to ask of her.
Maria, playing the role of the protagonist, was already standing on the stage. Soon it would be Katarina’s turn. Up until a few moments ago, Katarina had been desperately writing on something in the palm of her hand. She then brought it close to her lips. This strange series of actions would repeat several times before she ran out to the stage in a panic.
And then... Katarina froze immediately after she had made her stage debut. Ah... could it be? Perhaps she has forgotten her lines. Although she had practiced them several times, she hadn’t had any time for them to sink in, after all.
Perhaps having Katarina act was a little too much to ask for in the first place, given that she usually lived with her heart on her sleeve. I had, of course, prepared for such an event... and just as I was about to move to support her—
“Honestly. Do you really not know your place?” A voice could be clearly heard from the direction of the stage.
There was no such line in our scripts. Surprised, I turned my eyes to the stage, only to see Katarina — although she was... different. It was as if she had the face of another person altogether.
Honestly... acting aside, I had thought that it would be all but impossible for Katarina, of all people, to take on a role that involved bullying and hurting others. I felt this way on the basis that I knew her well. I had thought that she would surely not be suited for the role...
On the stage stood a girl that was Katarina, and yet at the same time not her in the slightest. With those upwards-slanting eyes, mean smile, and intimidating expression, I could not see this girl as anyone but the protagonist’s abusive stepsister.
Katarina was capable of acting after all... I had thought that nine years was more than enough to experience all the surprises she had to offer, but it appeared I was mistaken. I should have known better than to think I would ever be able to predict anything about Katarina.
“Someone like you should just lie down in the dirt, and stay there. After all, that suits you best.” Those were not lines in the script by any means. Katarina, however, delivered those lines most naturally. Before I knew it... I was unable to take my eyes off her.
Standing on the stage... was a Katarina I did not yet know.
Although I could not help but be charmed by Katarina’s performance, I finished my part in the production without any problems.
I was not the only one who had been entranced. As soon as the play ended, Katarina was immediately surrounded by admirers. Ahh... seeing a side of Katarina I did not yet know was a joy indeed, but with this, she will gain even more secret admirers.
Perhaps exposing Katarina to the masses in this fashion was a mistake. Now bathed in regret, I somehow managed to part the crowds, and made it to Katarina’s side, showering her with praise... and intimidating those around her in the process.
“It would be an honor to escort you to the ball, Katarina... my dear fiancée.” Although I received several glares from other student council members, the fact remained that Katarina was engaged to me. As her escort for the ball, I simply refused to allow any of them to get in my way.
After all... I had been unable to speak with Katarina properly all day. I wanted to ensure that we would thoroughly enjoy our time together that night. At the ball, I would be able to hold Katarina close to me — as close as I wanted, as much as I wanted. She would simply think that the pointed stares around her were normal, and would leave the dancing all to me.
From what I understood, my other rivals would most likely invite her to dance as well — but today was an exception. I would not hand her over so easily. Ever since I had come across that hidden side of Katarina at the performance prior, I could only feel my body heating up, my heartbeat rapidly increasing. There was no sign of it slowing down.
I would like to enjoy my time together with Katarina at the ball... enjoy it to my heart’s content. Wrapping up the final bits of work I had now that the festival was at its end, I could not help but think about the time when I would have Katarina all alone to myself at the ball. Ahh... how I wish I could just finish this here and now, and head to the ball right away.
However... when I finally made my way to the room where she should have been waiting, with my spirits high, she was nowhere to be found. Katarina was... gone. No one could find her anywhere, not even when the ball had started.
The last place we had seen Katarina was the stage. We had no idea she would suddenly disappear from our sight... just like that.
Chapter 3: Wherein I am Held Captive
An unknown, unfamiliar ceiling greeted me as I opened my eyes. I got up slowly, inspecting my surroundings. I was in a room about the size of the one in my dormitory. The furnishings seemed expensive.
Eh...? Where’s this again?
Hmm... think, Katarina. If I recall... I had just given a great performance as a villainess, received huge amounts of praise from everyone... got really excited about that and started posing before the mirror in the changing room... and then someone came by and told me it was time for the ball. Eh? Then what happened after that?
Come to think of it... wasn’t it nighttime? But rays of sunlight were streaming in from outside the window right now. Question after question flooded my mind — but then a knock came at the door, and a woman appeared before me.
She had brown hair and blue eyes, and had a sober air about her. I propped myself up on the bed, looking at her.
“Ah... I see you have awoken,” she said with a tinge of relief.
“Ah... yes. I have.” I had responded without thinking, but... who was this person again? She wasn’t anyone I remembered seeing, but in my case, there was a possibility that
I could have met them before and forgotten all about them.
Usually, Jeord or Keith, or anyone who was with me would help by providing me with some information. But of course, they weren’t here. I... suppose I have no choice but to ask her.
“...Um. Who... Who are you again?”
“Do excuse me. I apologize for not introducing myself. My name is Lana.”
“Miss... Lana?” Hmm... I feel like this is the first time I’ve met with this person. That’s good! That I didn’t forget about someone again, I mean.
“Please... do call me Lana. I will be taking care of your needs from today onwards, Lady Katarina.”
Ah. The way she talks... is Miss Lana a maid? Come to think of it... she’s wearing a complete maid uniform. Well then...
“Um... but I have a personal maid of my own, you see. She’s been with me ever since I was a child. Her name is Anne...?” I said, all the while wondering where Anne was.
Under normal circumstances, Anne would wake me and, as if she were a ninja or warrior of some kind, would quickly straighten and comb out my bed-head, preparing me for the day.
“I do apologize. That maid is... currently not here. Here, I will be taking care of all your needs.”
“...Is that so...?” I see... so Ann isn’t here with me. That feels a little lonely... Hmm... come to think of it. “Um... where is this, exactly?”
Perhaps it was a little late for me to be asking this question, but I really didn’t know where I was. To begin with... how long had I been here?
“I apologize. I am afraid I do not have the privilege of providing you with the answer to your question...” Lana said, seemingly troubled by my question.
“Huh? You... can’t answer me? What does that mean...?” I let out a strange sound in spite of myself at her unexpected answer.
Lana simply continued to look troubled at this. “If I may, Lady Katarina, perhaps you will find the answers you seek with a little more time...” Immediately after she offered her answer, another knock came from the direction of the door, and two more people appeared.
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Volume 3 Page 10
