The heroine had finally grasped the truth.
"Why did things turn out like this...?"
Seated on the quiet beach under a starry night sky, Maria stared vacantly at the distant horizon.
After the attack event, which was supposed to have led Maria and her companions to be taken away by the Kraken, they had somehow ended up on this uninhabited island.
Luckily, the island was teeming with wildlife, so they had an abundance of food, and most other problems could be solved with versatile magic.
Maria also knew that rescue was guaranteed to arrive one week later.
Yes, this was just another event in the game.
The aim of this uninhabited island event was for Maria and the capture targets who had washed ashore together to collaborate, interact, and sometimes even deepen their relationships.
So, for this week, Maria would enjoy a pleasant life on this uninhabited island with Albert and the others.
──Or so she thought.
"This is terrible..."
Maria reluctantly took a bite of the grilled fish she held in her hand, but the indescribable taste in her mouth made her grimace.
It was a dish made from colorful fish caught in the sea, simply grilled, but even among the current meals on the island, it was considered one of the better ones.
For Maria, who had memories of living in a gourmet nation in her previous life, this food was nothing short of torture, with overly sweet fruits, bloody meat, and a mysterious, foul-smelling soup.
Yes, when it came to the essentials of life—clothing, food, and shelter—food was absolutely the worst part of this uninhabited island life.
To begin with, everyone on this uninhabited island, except for Maria, was a member of the royal family or the offspring of influential nobles. Naturally, they had never cooked before in their lives.
No matter how versatile magic was, there was nothing that could be done about this situation.
Maria was the only one who could manage simple cooking, but even she had no knowledge of how to cook with tropical ingredients like these.
Of course, initially, Maria and the others had tried various attempts and experimented, but the result was nothing but the abominable dishes mentioned earlier.
As a result, they had no choice but to reluctantly eat those dishes.
(Why isn't Crow here in the first place!)
Maria knew the cause of this situation.
Originally, in addition to Maria and the others, Isabella and Crow were supposed to have been stranded on this uninhabited island, with Crow primarily responsible for cooking.
This was an absolute fact, regardless of whether you were on his route or not.
Somehow, Crow and the others were missing on this island, leaving them without a cook. Maria and the rest were stuck enduring terrible meals.
Naturally, in such circumstances, everyone's spirits had plummeted, and there was no room for enjoying romantic developments.
"Why can't anything go right? I'm the protagonist of this world, for goodness' sake!"
Maria tossed aside the grilled fish she held, trying to suppress her frustration by biting her nails, but it was in vain.
This wasn't how the real "Maria" should act.
Lately, things had been going haywire, straying from the game's scenario.
It had started off smoothly, so why had things gone this way?
Moreover, it was puzzling that the pursuit of hidden characters wasn't going well.
Both Lord Dee and Crow should have been here, whispering words of love to Maria. However, Lord Dee had returned to the Empire, and Crow had become overly attached to Isabella.
"Wait...?"
Amid her frustration with things not going as planned, something clicked in Maria's mind.
—Yes, deviations from the original game scenario were occurring, and most of them revolved around Isabella. In the training expedition, Isabella had taken Maria's place, and hidden characters like Lord Dee and Crow had been by her side. Crow's absence on the uninhabited island was likely because Isabella had disappeared before the Kraken attack. The remaining issue with the swimsuit shop was probably also related to Isabella and the others' involvement.
As she realized this, the previously disjointed events began to connect.
Why hadn't she realized this earlier?
The assumption that only Maria had been reincarnated was fundamentally wrong.
This kind of story was a common trope from her past life.
"Reincarnated villainess...!"
In novels that Maria had enjoyed in her previous life, there was a genre known as "Villainess" stories. While there were various patterns, the basic premise involved a protagonist who had been reincarnated as an antagonist noblewoman in an otome game, using her knowledge to twist the original scenario and avoid her own downfall.
Frankly, Maria had no interest in what would happen to Isabella, but the issue here was that in these "Villainess" scenarios, the antagonist often assumed the position of the heroine, displacing the original heroine and sometimes even having her portrayed as the antagonist.
That was absolutely unacceptable!
"Hehehe... Yes, that's what's happening, isn't it?"
Most likely, Isabella had pursued the hidden characters—Albert and the others—before Maria could fully engage in their routes. That's why their events hadn't been triggering. Even though Maria should have been able to pursue them, the events weren't happening.
If Maria hadn't realized this and had reached the ending without recognizing Isabella's scheme, she would undoubtedly have met with her own downfall. However, now that Isabella had displayed her greed by trying to capture Dee and Crow, Maria understood.
"You foolish woman... If you hadn't been so greedy, I might have let you be. But since you've shown your true colors, I've got a plan of my own."
Isabella was no longer just a convenient foil to embellish Maria's storyline. She had become a clear enemy. While Maria might have ignored her if she had remained just a foil for the game's scenario, keeping Isabella, a fellow reincarnate, alive posed a danger to Maria herself. For her own happiness, Maria had decided that Isabella had to be removed.
"I'll be the victor here!"
Indeed, this had escalated into a full-blown war.
Maria and Isabella: for one to find happiness, the other had to be removed.
With an intense determination in her eyes, Maria stared into the distance, her eyes gleaming with madness.
◇◆◇◆
"In the end, I only got to swim in the sea once."
"Well, it couldn't be helped. With those sea monsters around, it wasn't safe to play in the sea."
"Really, the knights from that city were useless."
As we were being carried back in the basket by the wyvern, Isabella sat next to me and voiced her dissatisfaction about the trip. We had not found the princes by the time we were returning to the capital, and we couldn't ensure our safety in the sea either, so Isabella had only been able to swim in the sea once during our visit. It was understandable that she felt disappointed about not being able to enjoy the sea during our trip.
"Did you not enjoy yourself?"
"I didn't say that."
She leaned her head on my shoulder, her hand lightly squeezing mine. She complained, but she didn't seem too unhappy. We had spent most of the remaining days inside the villa, indulging in our desires. Seeing Isabella satisfied was indeed a relief.
"Crow..."
When I heard her call my name, I turned to find Isabella looking at me with upturned eyes. Her eyes were glistening, and it was clear she was in heat.
It seemed I had overdone it by indulging in her almost continuously for the past week, thinking that no one would disturb us. While there were signs of this from the beginning, the current Isabella had become a lustful girl who would get aroused just from touching me.
Personally, I loved it when she got aroused and initiated things with me. It certainly boosted my pride as a man. However, looking at it objectively, I had probably taken things too far in training the daughter of a duke in such a manner.
"Milady, we're almost at the capital. Please get ready to disembark."
"Well, it can't be helped."
Despite milady's tempting offer, we could already see the capital through the window.
Upon hearing this, Milady swiftly concealed her previously passionate expression as if her ardor had vanished in an instant. She promptly adopted the composed demeanor expected of a noblewoman. Her remarkable self-control was a testament to her noble upbringing.
What I now beheld was the ideal image of Lady Isabella, a true daughter of a duchess. Her earlier seductive allure had vanished.
"Milady, please mind your step."
"Yes, I understand."
The wyverns safely lowered us to the capital estate. After I extended my hand to assist milady, she grasped it and carefully descended the provided steps.
"Marle's town wasn't bad, but I must say, the capital is much better. Come on, let's head to the estate..."
"Milady?"
She stretched her body, which had stiffened from prolonged sitting. However, as she started to walk towards the estate, she suddenly froze in her tracks.
The faint tremor in her hand, connected to mine, hinted at Milady's unusual nervousness. Perplexed by her behavior, I turned to see an elderly butler with ashy-gray hair standing at the center of the estate servants who had come to greet us, representing them all.
"Welcome back, my lady."
"Butler Chief..."
"It's been a while, Crow. I heard you were seriously injured, but it seems you're doing well."
The elderly butler was Norman Stewart, a member of a long-standing lineage of servants dedicated to the Valiaz ducal family. He held the position of the head butler, responsible for overseeing the estate's staff.
As Norman welcomed us with his usual gentle smile, I scrutinized him with sharp eyes.
Truth be told, this butler chief was a decent person. Despite his position as the head of the Valiaz household staff, he always maintained a calm demeanor and was well-liked among the other servants. Due to his considerate nature, he was one of the few individuals who showed genuine concern for Milady, who was disliked by the staff due to her difficult personality. Even I had received his help on numerous occasions.
In all honesty, he wasn't a bad person, and I didn't want to take this attitude towards him. However, the fact that he was here was the very reason that had frightened Milady to this extent.
"It's been a while. If you're here, does that mean the master is here as well?"
Due to his position as the butler chief, Norman was usually by the side of the master, in this case, Milady Isabella's biological father and the head of the Valiaz household. His presence here indicated that the master was likely in the capital.
"Yes, indeed. Just yesterday, the master arrived in the capital with us."
"...Hmm."
In response to Norman's words, Milady, holding my hand, gave a slight shudder. It was understandable, considering the far-from-amicable relationship between Milady and her father.
Her father regarded her solely as a political tool, and in his presence, the typically confident Milady would shrink and cower like a frightened child.
Catching a glimpse of her reaction, I stepped forward to protect her. While I might be powerless against her father, I hoped to provide some comfort and support to Milady.
I locked eyes with Norman and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, hoping to convey my thoughts. Perhaps sensing my intentions, Milady, albeit hesitantly, returned the squeeze, holding onto my hand.
Observing our interaction, Norman's eyes widened momentarily, but he quickly returned to his usual warm smile.
"Don't worry. Master plans to stay at the royal palace for a while to attend to state affairs. He came today just to collect some necessary items."
"I see... So, that means Father won't be at the estate today?"
"Yes, that's correct, My lady."
Norman's unexpected words instantly relieved the tension in the room. Realizing that her father wouldn't be at the estate, Milady let out a small sigh of relief, and the tension drained from her previously clenched grip.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? Let's go, Crow."
"W-Wait a moment, Milady! Please don't pull my arm!"
Since her father wasn't at the estate anymore, there was no reason to stay any longer. Milady grabbed my hand and hurried toward the estate, pulling me along.
"Well, well... Both of you have changed quite a bit in such a short time."
The elderly butler watched the master and servant as they rushed off, wearing a gentle smile.
Gracias por el capitulo.
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