My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Volume 3

by Satoru Yamaguchi

  Selena didn’t understand my perspective at all. Instead, she only continued to apologize, constantly going out of her way to show her consideration. I could be eating the breakfast brought to my room eagerly, and she would say, “It’s quite all right, Lady Katarina... you do not have to force yourself to eat it,” all the while with a worried look. But of course, I was eating my breakfast because I wanted to...

  If anything, I now felt worried for Selena, who didn’t seem very keen on eating anything at all. In fact, I started to wonder... Selena had been worried about me all this time, but what if she herself had been kidnapped too? She didn’t look very healthy at all. Even so, she continued asking if there was anything I needed, if there was anything I wanted, time and time again. I already had more than enough of everything, really. I was given anything I could want.

  Selena’s consideration was really something else. In fact, I could say that her pampering of me had surpassed any other experience I’d had for the past sixteen years or so. Looking at Selena, I couldn’t help but feel that this entire kidnapping affair couldn’t possibly be something she’d intended to do. I had only spent a little bit of time with her, and yet I already knew that much.

  With my meal finally over, I mentally patted myself on the back, feeling very full indeed. It was then that my eyes met with Lana’s. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Th-This! This look is...! The look of exasperation at a foolish girl who’s forgotten she’s been kidnapped! But no! I haven’t forgotten! I had only slightly, slightly relaxed due to my newfound comfort. And so...

  “Um... Lady Selena? May I know why I was brought here? You mentioned before that I would be released as soon as certain things were settled. What exactly are these... things?” I questioned Selena once again, with the very first question I had asked her in the beginning. See? I haven’t forgotten that I’ve been kidnapped at all! I was just happily enjoying some vacation time, and that’s all there is to it!

  At my question, Selena, who had only looked mildly ill before, now seemed very, very sick indeed. Ugh... I apologize, Selena. Really, I do.

  “Yes... I suppose you would be most uncomfortable being left in the dark, Lady Katarina... Maybe this has even started to affect your quality of sleep...”

  Well, no... I had been treated very well. I wasn’t fearful or worried at all, and I was very confident in being able to fall asleep soundly at night. Even so, I held my peace, allowing Selena to speak.

  “In truth, Lady Katarina... you have been brought here because...”

  As soon as Selena had started to speak, that playboy butler of hers, that Rufus, quickly interrupted her. “Lady Selena... you have already finished your meal. Perhaps you should return to your chambers? You must be tired too, Lady Katarina... it would be best for you to get some sleep,” Rufus said, placing a single hand on Selena’s shoulder.

  “...I see... yes. Well then, Lady Katarina... goodnight.” With that, Selena rose from her seat, looking like an emotionless doll, before turning and leaving the room altogether.

  It was like she had become a different person than the Selena I had been speaking to earlier. For some reason, I felt a slight tingle... an unpleasant shiver down my spine.

  In the end, I didn’t find out where or why I was being held captive — and soon, it became nighttime. Although Selena was worried about me being unable to sleep, there were no such issues at all. After dinner, I chatted happily with Lana, had some delicious tea while I was at it, and soon was off to the land of slumber. In fact, I had already, most elegantly, slipped into a deep sleep, when...

  “Lady Katarina, please wake up.”

  “No... I don’t want... to. Sleepy. Let me sleep a bit more... Anne.”

  “I regret to inform you, Lady Katarina, that I am not Anne, but Lana.”

  “Nn... Lana?” Eh? It isn’t Anne? Who’s Lana again?

  Finally opening my eyes, I was greeted with an unfamiliar ceiling — this was not the dormitory room I was used to. Eh? Where am I again? With my memories muddled, I got up slowly, finally remembering the events of the day before. That’s right... I’d been kidnapped and brought to this comfortable room.

  The room was dark, only illuminated dimly by the faint glow of the bedside lamp. Eh...? It still isn’t quite morning yet.

  “You have a guest, Lady Katarina.”

  “Eh...? Guest?” Who could it be, at this time of the night? I sleepily got up from bed, had Lana do my hair and straighten my nightgown — all while I was half asleep, mind you — before finally sitting down in a chair. With that, the door quietly opened, and standing in the frame was a small, familiar silhouette.

  “...Selena?” The person illuminated by my lamp was Selena Berg. I couldn’t help but liken her to some sort of small animal, lovable as she was. But... what is it, at this time? Ugh... really... I’m still incredibly sleepy. I rubbed my eyes groggily.

  “Yes... I do apologize for visiting you at this hour, Lady Katarina... However, I could not help but be worried that you would be filled with fear, and hence unable to sleep...”

  Actually, it was Selena who seemed like she hadn’t slept. She looked visibly more haggard than she had earlier. I, on the other hand, had a most delicious dinner, and fell asleep most comfortably soon after. I would assume this showed on my face. If anything, any onlooker would instantly be more concerned about Selena instead.

  “...At the dinner table just now... for some reason, I felt this strong feeling, Lady Katarina. That I should not tell you something. But... but. I still feel that it is important to tell you,” Selena said, something obviously weighing on her mind. To think that she had been worried for me all this time as I comfortably laid down and fell asleep... Now I felt apologetic as well.

  “Hmm... That would be the reason I was brought to this place, right? So, as I thought... you do know of the reason, Lady Selena.”

  “Yes... after all, this entire kidnapping was planned by me...”

  “?!” Eh?! Lady Selena is the culprit? I’d thought, with all her guilty mannerisms and expressions, that she was being used by someone, or maybe even being threatened... but! But! It turns out she was the mastermind... My jaw hung loosely as I gaped, much like a goldfish, in suspended surprise.

  As if repenting, Selena began her exposition. “I... I wanted to kidnap you, Lady Katarina... and use your safety as a bargaining chip. All so that Prince Jeord would abandon his claim to the throne...”

  “...Jeord? To make him give up on the throne?” Honestly speaking, that was very much a plausible reason.

  “Yes... So that Prince Ian may take the throne instead.” Up until now, Selena’s eyes had been dark, even slightly clouded, but now I saw the clear shine of resolve in them.

  And then she continued, and the secrets behind this kidnapping began to unravel...

  There were a lot of complicated bits here and there, but I understood most of it. To summarize, Jeord had been gaining in political strength recently, and a certain faction of nobles felt that the throne should go to him instead.

  Currently, the struggle was between Jeffery, oldest of the four princes, and Ian, the second oldest prince. Competition would only increase in intensity should Jeord throw his hat into the ring as well. This was why she wanted Jeord to give up on his claim to the throne before any of this could come to pass.

  Why then, wasn’t this done to Ian’s biggest rival, Jeffery? Why Jeord? I did wonder that for a while, but in any case...

  “Well... even in exchange for my safety, I doubt that Prince Jeord would simply give up his claim to the throne.” While it was true that I had been friends with Jeord for almost nine years, and we got along well, throwing aside one’s claim to a royal throne wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

  Would Jeord even do such a thing? If I were his lover or wife, perhaps that would make a modicum of sense, but I was nothing more than his fiancée, and my job was simply to act as a deterrent. I felt that Jeord would hardly go so far for someone like me.

  �
��You jest, Lady Katarina... Prince Jeord’s love for you is well known throughout the land. He would do anything — anything at all for you, Lady Katarina...” Selena said passionately.

  Alas... that is nothing more than a lie, a rumor! All for the sake of preventing annoying noble ladies from approaching that black-hearted, sadist prince. Or so I thought.

  “I am... most envious, Lady Katarina... so envious... that he loves you so, so much...” Selena said, her cheeks softly illuminated by the lamplight. I felt like I shouldn’t crush her dreams, so I kept silent on the matter.

  ★★★★★★★★★

  Prince Jeord, Prince Alan, Master Keith, Master Nicol, Lady Mary, Lady Sophia, and Lady Maria... along with other members of the student council, were all gathered in a certain room in this dormitory. However, one figure who should have been in this room was missing. I, Anne Shelly, was missing my mistress, Lady Katarina Claes.

  About half a day had passed since the end of the school festival... since the young miss had disappeared. It was then that an anonymous letter had arrived at Prince Jeord’s doorstep... Written within were these simple words: “If you wish for the safe return of Katarina Claes, publicly renounce your claim to the crown at once.” Yes... Lady Katarina was still missing, her whereabouts unknown. She had been kidnapped.

  Upon receiving the letter, Prince Jeord had called for everyone and explained the situation. Seemingly having noticed my ever-growing worry for the young miss, he was considerate enough to allow me to stay for this meeting.

  As soon as Prince Jeord had finished his explanation, the expressions of all who were present, which were already clouded before, now became even more ominous. I suspected that my expression, too, was one of horror and shock.

  A heavy silence filled the room as the explanation ended. Not a single word was spoken for quite some time... and then.

  “Well? What do you intend to do, Prince Jeord?” Master Keith said, staring pointedly at the prince.

  “If this is all I have to do to bring Katarina back safely... I’ll renounce it. Crown, throne and all. However... I cannot do this immediately. It is a process, and time is required. If, during this time, anything happens...” Prince Jeord’s usual smile was nowhere to be seen. His expression was grave — and almost as severe as Master Nicol’s.

  “...Even so, Jeord. Should you comply, we have no guarantees of Katarina’s safety. Consider the fact that she may be... silenced by the perpetrator, for having seen their face.” Master Nicol’s words were heavy.

  “No! No! That cannot be! To take her suddenly and kill her just because she saw who they were, it would be so senseless!” Lady Sophia cried, although her voice was more akin to a wail of sorrow. Although I did not have the words, I screamed silently in my heart along with her.

  “It’s someone capable of kidnapping, yeah? There’s no sense with these types. It’s very possible, what Nicol’s saying. We don’t have any guarantee that this will all end just because Jeord does what they want. If anything, more than starting some long-winded preparation to renounce the throne... we should be searching for where these people are.”

  “Oh, you do have good ideas sometimes, Prince Alan.”

  “...The ‘sometimes’ is unnecessary, Mary.”

  “Heheh. Do excuse me. So... in this case, all we have to do is utterly crush and destroy the place these unsavory types are hiding at, yes?” Lady Mary said, a somewhat ominous smile crossing her features.

  Master Keith, however, raised a slight protest. “Well, no... searching haphazardly for these places would not be efficient. To begin with, it would take too much time...”

  “U-Um...! Wasn’t there a possibility of Dark Magic being involved in this incident in some way...?” Lady Maria said, her voice raising in desperation.

  Yes... It would appear that all the students who should have seen Lady Katarina before her disappearance at the festival had all reported inexplicable gaps in their memory. This was very similar to the incident that occurred last year. Dark Magic was a forbidden power that was hidden from the masses by the royal family. The Dark Arts that could control and manipulate the hearts of man...

  The only reason why those gathered here knew of it at all was because of what had happened last year. A certain... incident had occurred. During the events of that incident, a Dark spell was cast on Lady Katarina, and for a time, she fell into a deep, unwaking slumber. Everyone involved was intensely worried, but everything was eventually resolved peacefully, in no small part due to Lady Katarina’s contributions.

  Over the course of that incident, the secret of Dark Magic was revealed to everyone here, Lady Katarina, and me, on the account that I had been serving Lady Katarina all these years. The existence of a hidden magic... the Dark Arts.

  Yet, the Dark Magic incident of the previous year had been resolved. The culprit, too, now got along well with everyone in this room. As such, given that the Dark Arts were involved in this incident once more, we had no choice to think that another Wielder of Darkness was responsible.

  “If... the Dark Arts had really been used. I may be able to detect it... should I see any suspicious individuals,” Lady Maria said. Being one of the few Wielders of Light in the kingdom, she was able to see what most could not — she was apparently capable of perceiving Dark Magic itself. As she said, perhaps she would be able to find the culprit, as long as she got a good look at them. It was a most effective idea, or so I thought.

  “A fair idea, yes... However, as I recall, Dark Magic can only be perceived while it is being used, or a short while after, no? In that case... given that half a day has already passed, wouldn’t it be no longer possible to discern...?”

  “...That...” Lady Maria’s expression clouded over.

  Ahh... I thought that it was such a good idea, too...

  “I suppose we simply have to crush the possibilities one by one, then!”

  “Wait, Mary! Where do you think you’re going? Calm down!”

  Ignoring Prince Alan’s protests, Lady Mary simply slipped by him, and with the most dark and ominous smile I had ever seen, placed her hand on the doorknob... just as a resounding series of knocks came from the other side. Another guest.

  “Lady Mary... just where are you going?”

  “Oh, if it isn’t Master Raphael. It’s good to see you. Of course, I’m heading out to begin my search for Lady Katarina.”

  This individual was the very same person who had caused the incident last year. He now worked for the Magical Ministry... Master Raphael Wolt. He must have heard of the circumstances as well.

  Master Raphael calmly responded to Lady Mary’s words without a single shred of surprise. “And how do you intend to go about doing that, Lady Mary?”

  “Well, I suppose we should start by utterly destroying whatever location seems suspicious. I intend to do just that.”

  Master Raphael merely sighed at Lady Mary, who seemed very confident of what she had just declared. “Would that not be a touch too reckless?”

  “But! While we all stand around talking, Lady Katarina is in the maws of danger! What do you suggest we all do, then?!” Lady Mary shouted. I could see tears brimming up in her eyes. Despite her brave front, it was clear to us all that she, too, was deeply worried.

  Master Raphael, however, smiled gently in response. “It is quite all right. Lady Katarina is in no danger whatsoever.”

  At this statement, Prince Jeord’s eyes narrowed, his gaze directed squarely at Master Raphael. “Perhaps you should elaborate on your statement.”

  “Ah, but of course. You see, a fearsomely strong bodyguard of sorts is currently by Lady Katarina’s side... and so, there is no immediate danger to her being. Please, let us wait just a little while longer.” Following this statement, Master Raphael’s tone of voice changed — it was now determined and forceful as he declared: “I will save Lady Katarina.”

  ★★★★★★★★★

  It had now been a while since I’d started rubbing the sobbing Selena�
��s back. I had no idea what to do anymore.

  This had all started with talk of Jeord being willing to do anything for me — a misunderstanding, of course. Then Selena, with her cheeks illuminated by the lamplight, said, “I am most envious, Lady Katarina... that he loves you so, so much...” She repeated herself immediately after, sounding sorrowful. “I really, really am envious of you...” Soon, streams of tears were flowing from her large eyes.

  “S-Selena! Are you all right? What’s wrong?” Panicking, I approached her and placed a hand on her back.

  “...Lady Katarina... to think that you would be worried about someone like me, someone who has done something like this to you... You really are a saintess, just like the rumors say. Compared to you, I... I am really no good. Of course Prince Ian would hate me for who I am...” With that, Selena’s sobbing intensified.

  Rumors? Saintess? I didn’t understand what she was talking about, but now she was crying — no, sobbing. I couldn’t think of anything to do but hold her close and rub her back as gently as I could. I continued this mildly soothing back-rubbing for a while until Selena finally calmed down enough to speak.

  “I... I apologize. I lost my composure...” Her eyes were bloodshot, and she looked like she could collapse at any moment. “...I was just a little envious of Prince Jeord and you...”

  “Envious?” I’m nothing more than a suitor-deterrent for a sadistic, black-hearted prince! My position isn’t enviable at all! It seems that she’s mistaken Jeord and I for lovers of some kind...

  “Yes... The way you and Prince Jeord love and support each other is truly wonderful.”

  Hmm. Yes, a complete misunderstanding on Selena’s part.

  “It is not just you, but also Prince Jeffery and Lady Susanna, and Prince Alan and Lady Mary... They all support each other as equals, and I am envious of that.”