Chapter 2

First Act The Villainess Could Not Care Less If She Is Unpopular Wings rustling, crows as dark as pitch take flight, rising into the night sky. As Aileen ducks, black cats cross her path. It’s a veritable parade of ill omens. However, Aileen walks without hesitation through these woods, late at night with only a hand lantern for light, her chin tucked in. In her other hand, she carries a slender sword. With a rustle of leaves, an enormous rat darts out of the brush and comes to a stop. It glares up at Aileen with its single large eye. Its ears are abnormally big, and sharp fangs jut from its mouth. …A demon. You almost never see them in the first layer, but… When she turns the lantern’s light on it, the demon-rat plunges into the bushes on the opposite side of the path, vanishing. With a sigh of relief, she gets a better grip on her sword, but just as she’s about to start walking again, she notices something. “Crows…? I wonder why they’re all perched on skulls. Don’t tell me they’re demons as well.” Not only that, but there are also scores of them in the tops of the dead trees, looking down at her. If they all attack her at once, she probably— No, she definitely won’t escape unscathed. Their cawing almost sounds as if they’re discussing how best to do away with her. Dealing with this many would be a bit much… No, I mustn’t lose heart. If I turn back here, I’ll die. Although, that might still happen even if she presses on. “Technically, the Maid of the Sacred Sword’s blood does run in my veins. Wouldn’t that qualify as falling under her protection? In any case, I doubt I’ll die until that time comes…” How ironic. The fact that she’s destined to die later on guarantees there’s nothing to be afraid of now. With a self-deprecating smile, she raises the lantern. At the end of the path revealed by the spilling light, she sees an old, dilapidated building. It’s a royal estate that fell out of use long ago—an abandoned castle. If the rumors are correct, and if this really is the same world as that game, then the person she’s after lives in those ruins beyond the dense forest. ”Turn back.“ When a large crow utters that warning, Aileen shrinks back. Apparently, they talk. Turns out they really are demons. Seizing the opportunity, the crows surrounding her cry out. ”Turn back, human.“ ”Up ahead is the demon king’s castle.“ ”The demon king is reading.“ Though it certainly seems strange for the crows to mix in oddly calming tidbits of information, she can’t find it in her to laugh in a situation where birds are talking to her. ”Why are you here, girl? In a rush to get killed?“ ”Her engagement got called off yesterday. Come for revenge, have you? Pointless.“ She flinches, scowling. The crows caw, jeering at her. ”How come she looks like she doesn’t care even when everyone hates her?“ ”The girl talks a big game, but she’s pathetic. Pathetic!“ ”Your reputation is ruined. Selfish, snobby damaged goods—“ “…Insulting your visitors out of the blue? Is that how you lot do things around here?” Aileen glares at the crows, her gaze steady. She stands tall and wears an easy, elegant smile. “Did you collect those rumors on orders from the demon king? I must admit I’m rather surprised that he has such vulgar taste.” Every crow eyes her angrily. Demons hold the demon king in the highest regard. A slight against him is a slight against them all. And taunting them is suicide. However, carrying herself like a hero on her way to challenge the demon king, Aileen issues a bold declaration. “I apologize for my discourtesy in calling unannounced at this hour. However, if Master Claude Jean Ellmeyer proves to be petty enough to base his decisions on mere hearsay, I will promptly take my leave. Now settle down, will you?” Ending her remark with a smile, Aileen gracefully walks on. For some reason, the crows keep their silence. Taking flight, they fall in behind her as she follows the trail through the gloomy forest. When she glances over, there’s a rustling in the bushes that seems to be tailing her as well. Failure is unacceptable. That is what Aileen has been taught, and so she ignores everything stalking her and presses on. Before long, the view opens up. Under a starless sky, the abandoned castle appears. The structure itself is on the verge of crumbling in several places. What tapestries that remain hanging are soot stained and tattered, and many of its vine-tangled pillars lie broken. The surrounding trees are withered and lifeless, while the small pond nearby is clouded and dark, having transformed into a bottomless swamp. The crows fly ahead of Aileen, creating a foreboding atmosphere that feels terribly appropriate. This is the demon king’s castle. The imposing silhouette revealed by the lantern’s light makes her gulp audibly. It’s all right. He’s supposed to turn out to be a kind person… But what if that’s only true for the heroine? That’s totally possible. Wishful thinking is the enemy. Aileen has little choice but to steel herself and go. She takes a deep breath and raises her head. As she continues forward, she passes a stump that’s surrounded by what appear to be scattered human bones. After finally reaching the rusted iron door, she pushes with all her might, but it shows no sign of moving. Panting, she tries again and again, but it refuses to budge. Still, she can’t just give up now. As she raises her hands again, someone speaks up behind her. “Let me help you.” “My. That’s very kind of—” With a roar, the iron door is blown away. The polite smile Aileen has reflexively assumed freezes up. She turns to get a look at the one who’s blasted the door away with the tip of a single finger. The lantern’s light casts a deep shadow. Lustrous black hair of a shade deeper than the surrounding darkness streams in the damp night wind, revealing the man’s features. She remembers what he looks like, or at least thought she did, but when she lays eyes on his living face, its diabolical beauty takes her breath away. A straight, neat nose and thin lips. Everything, from his features to his frame, is as perfectly sculpted as a first-class work of art. However, what’s most striking is his bloodred eyes. H-he’s way more impressive in person than as a static image…! But she does know this face. That fact alone strengthens her resolve. Aileen has no time. The broken engagement is an event flag on the Cedric route. At this rate, unless she does something drastic, she’ll die. Without ever getting a proper chance to love, dream, or even enjoy her old age. Just like how she frivoled away her past life. “What business does a human have with me?” Claude Jean Ellmeyer, demon king and oldest prince of the Ellmeyer Empire, speaks with absolutely no emotion in his red eyes. Only his lips move. I can’t lose my nerve after coming this far. Aileen draws herself up as she runs her fingers through her hair and flashes her usual smile. “It’s nothing unpleasant. I’ve come to propose to you.” Right around the moment she starts to wonder why he isn’t reacting, lightning falls from the sky, splitting a great, dead tree cleanly in two and setting it ablaze. It’s almost as if she’s provoked the wrath of the gods. “……” “Who…is proposing marriage…to whom?” Aileen’s smile has frozen up. Her question has just been politely turned back on her. Behind him, leaping flames crackle, illuminating their surroundings. It’s rather reminiscent of a scene from hell. However, even though she’s faltered, she points at him, determined not to lose. “A-as I said, I am proposing to you—!” When lightning strikes around her three times in a row, the courage she mustered gives way to her instincts, and before she has a chance to hear his response, Aileen keels over and faints. The shock of being jilted by my fiancé has caused me to remember my past life. If she’d said a thing like that, either her overprotective older brothers would have summoned a physician, or her mother would have told her that she clearly hadn’t trained enough and then ship her off to do drills. As such, last night—after returning home, alone and miserable—Aileen decided to spend her time reviewing in her mind everything that had happened that day. Fortunately, when she told her family she was feeling unwell and wouldn’t need dinner, they quite naturally assumed she was in low spirits because her engagement had been called off so unceremoniously. They said discussion of the future could wait until things had settled down and then left her to her own devices. Thanks to that, it had been a simple matter to leave undetected. Even if it was late at night, when it came to slipping out of the mansion, the d’Autriche household’s outstanding servants were always formidable opponents. The words Just let her be had never proved so useful as they did that night. In the first place, if it became known that she had gone to the demon king’s castle right on the heels of the current commotion, it would have ruined what reputation she had left. My brothers are inclined to spoil me, but they show no mercy. And Father is, well… Her name is Aileen Lauren d’Autriche. That is who she currently is. The sole daughter of the house of d’Autriche, the greatest noble family in the Ellmeyer Empire, linked to the imperial family by blood. Her father is the prime minister, while her mother holds the title of duchess and is the highly regarded niece of the empress dowager, commanding respect in both high society and the military. Aileen’s three older brothers fill out the rest of her family. As the youngest child and the only daughter, Aileen has been treasured her whole life. The way her brothers dote on her is particularly notorious. However, Aileen knows it’s because she is a girl and not as brilliant as her siblings. It’s clear they never considered her a rival, a real threat. She has often felt left out, and no matter how hard she studied, all her brothers consistently outstripped her. It has always seemed impossible to catch up to them in any field. Whenever Aileen sulked, her mother would tell her the same thing, time and time again: “Women have their own ways of fighting.” Aileen only realized what she’d meant the year she turned eight. That was when Cedric Jean Ellmeyer, a genuine prince, had knelt before her and asked for her hand in marriage. Frankly, she’d been overjoyed. Cedric was simply wonderful, and the mere thought that he needed her seemed to give her a special sort of value. Whoever married him would become empress, and her father impressed upon her what an achievement it would be to obtain that special title and position.