A shred of doubt wormed into Amelia’s heart. Would the plot be able to progress properly with her as the villainess? Or was it perhaps a move of confidence on Prisca’s part that she could make her target fall for her without any issues? After all, Amelia had been confined for many years, and Luke had been extremely frigid to her since their betrothal. They practically hadn’t even communicated with each other since.
No… Amelia shook her head. There seemed to be some kind of dispute between the pair during the time loop of the prime minister’s son, so maybe she just isn’t fussy about what happens along the way as long as she can win over her love interest at the very end.
“May I ask what you mean by villainess noblewoman?” Helt asked.
“It’s typically a young noblewoman who gets in the way of the heroine’s romance.”
“But Your Highness, you are a princess. Wouldn’t villainess princess or royal villainess be more fitting?”
Sparing a sidelong glance at Helt, who was nitpicking at something inconsequential, Amelia cleared her throat as if to move on from the topic. “In any case, I want to protect Lord Luke from Prisca and this world. I want him to find happiness, and if I’m going to take action anyway, I might as well get him to dump me mercilessly in person, don’t you think?”
“I’m afraid you are not making any sense again, my princess.”
Amelia sighed. “You don’t understand a thing about the heart of a maiden in love, Helt.”
If Luke called off this betrothal of his own will, he would at least think about Amelia in that split second. Considering how she probably hadn’t even skimmed one corner of his mind for the past four years, that was more than enough for her.
She nodded to herself. “Just imagining Lord Luke’s perturbed expression when his fiancée, whom he has no interest in whatsoever, is giving him unnecessary trouble makes even hard bread heavenly to gnaw on.”
There was a pause. “I must say that your affection for him has grown so convoluted that it has turned rather…peculiar.”
Though Amelia was somewhat aware of that fact, the only thing she could do in her situation was to entertain herself in such ways, so it wasn’t like she had a choice. “At the moment, I’m considering seeing Lord Luke in person before anything else. He might already be fond of someone, not to mention that it should be effective to confirm his own wishes and tell him to watch out. Plus, I also want to discuss calling off our betrothal.”
Despite practically being a prisoner, Amelia was also technically a princess. That was likely why Luke hadn’t been able to readily dissolve the betrothal, causing four entire years to flow by fruitlessly.
The next moment, she frowned. “But even if I managed to leave the Fifth Palace, I couldn’t see Lord Luke in this outfit.”
Amelia’s dress was pitiful. It had subdued colors, an outdated design, and stiff, worn-out fabric. It was a far cry from comfortable. She didn’t dislike it since it offered plenty of mobility, but it definitely wasn’t what a princess ought to wear.
She looked up at Helt again. “I can’t leave from the Fifth Palace’s gates, right?”
“Gatekeepers are stationed under the fourth consort’s orders, so that is likely an impossible venture, yes.”
The gatekeepers in question had never permitted her to leave from the front entrance for the past four years, so it wouldn’t be prudent to place her hopes on that route. She could break through with force, but she’d rather avoid that option, considering all the trouble it would lead to afterward.
Crossing her arms, she muttered, “In that case, I can only think of two methods right now. The first is to visit House Klein’s estate.”
The problem with that option was that she couldn’t leave through the Fifth Palace’s front entrance, which meant that she couldn’t formally request a meeting as a princess. Even if she snuck out, she hadn’t a clue where House Klein’s estate was. Assuming that she did somehow find it, no one would believe her claims of being the fourth princess, Amelia Glaisharle, when she was dressed more like a commoner. They’d probably turn her away at the gates.
It appeared that she didn’t have to spell the complications out for Helt, because he furrowed his brows.
She listed the next option. “The second method would be finding him at social events, such as balls, held in the royal palace.”
The gatekeepers probably wouldn’t let her leave officially from the front entrance, but it was more realistic than sneaking out and going to House Klein’s estate, especially given the distance. More than anything else, the fact that she knew the general way to the venue—even if her memories were somewhat hazy—tipped the scale in favor of this choice.
Shrugging, she said, “No matter which I choose, it’d be ideal to have some clothes or a dress that’s just a little more respectable than my current one.”
“And…may I ask what strawberries have to do with this?”
“Whether it be normal clothes or a fancy dress, I need money. And strawberries are the only things I can rely on, aren’t they?”
Amelia lifted her hand and stared at her palm. The next moment, a shiny, petite strawberry appeared out of thin air.
Yep, you heard that right. It’s a strawberry. I can summon strawberries.
Now that her memories from her life in Japan had resurfaced, she felt even more disoriented than before because she couldn’t figure out how it worked or why this was happening, but… Yes, she could summon strawberries.
The cause and effect of the manifesting strawberries aside, what mattered was that selling them could net her money. By merely using up some mana, she could procure them for free. Could there be a sweeter ability?
Amelia concluded, “Well, there are still all kinds of problems left—more like a gigantic pile… But I can deal with most of them somehow with strawberries.”
As someone with nothing of her own, strawberries were the only things she could use as she liked. But there was a saying that you could manage anything as long as you had strawberries, so surely her plan would go smoothly.
“Can you really, my princess…?”
Helt looked doubtful, but you never knew until you tried, or so Amelia told herself. Nodding firmly, Amelia raised her fist high into the air.
She would do everything within her power for the sake of Lucas’s happiness—the happiness of her first crush.
“I’ll make it happen,” Amelia declared. “I swear I will defy these time loops and help Lord Luke find happiness with my strawberries, just you watch!”