“Good morning, Leeds. Although it’s hardly ‘morning’ anymore.”
The wall clock read four p.m. when I glanced at it. The shadows being cast by the sunlight had been growing longer for some time now.
“Why, it’s already time for afternoon tea.”
“Goodness me. But it’s not that I’m late, you see. It’s simply a matter of time being too hasty, and the clocks just can’t put their feet down and say no. I wish they’d learn that no one likes a pushover.”
Leeds, another one of Alice’s potential love interests within the game, always had unique things to say like that. On the outside, he seemed like an effeminate man with plenty of life wisdom to offer, but on the inside, he was purehearted to a fault. That contrast between his two sides caused many players to fall for him.
There was one particularly famous scene during his route in which Leeds accidentally walks in on Alice changing. His face turns as red as a tomato when he sees her in nothing but her underwear. It was such a hit, the wall scroll they made of that CG sold out within five seconds, or so the legend went. Leeds’s story was called the “Sinful Man Route,” and once again, I was unable to pursue it in my current state.
“And here I thought that time always passed at a constant rate. Are you telling me now that it can slow down or speed up?”
“Well, can it?”
“Well, can it?”
Leeds winked at the three of us with a relaxed look on his face.
“You’ll understand someday, my dears. Just wait until you meet the love of your life but can never make the time to see them.”
“I don’t think that day will ever come for me.”
That line came from the game, not my own feelings. However, there was an extra layer of bitterness for me, stuck in the situation that I found myself in. Romance had to be the last thing on my mind with the many other problems I faced.
Protecting Great Britain from the shadows was no easy task. My duties included chasing the most heinous criminals to the ends of the earth to eliminate them, as well as investigating difficult cases that could be a threat to the order of the kingdom.
Being a secret executioner was the same as being a detective who holds the world together from behind the scenes.
I can’t be daydreaming about love with everything else on my plate.
As I sighed, Leeds put his hands on his hips in frustration, and the chain of his belt jingled with the motion.
“Of course you’ll meet someone. Everyone on this earth has a soulmate they’re destined to meet in life. And no one can hold a candle to your looks, Miss Alice. Your soulmate definitely won’t let you slip away.”
“My looks? I’m average at best…”
Only after the words slipped out did I remember. I was reincarnated as the ultimate beauty!
“Th-There are definitely people cuter than me in the rest of the world! I’m not even wearing makeup, and my clothes are rather dull too. I’m nothing compared to any other young lady out there.”
I was wearing a frilly apron over a black dress and had my hair down, with a black ribbon as an accessory. In my previous life, we would have called it “gothic Lolita” fashion, but to anyone playing the game, it was simply a normal outfit for Alice.
Otome game characters typically have two different kinds of outfits they can wear. There’s the “everyday style” that they wear for most of the game, but during special events, you get to see their formal outfits. At that moment, I was wearing my everyday clothes. It was a normal look, perfectly fitting for a normal day.
“Your clothes have got nothing to do with it, Miss Alice. Right now, I’m staring directly at the cutest girl I’ve ever seen! If you can’t see it, then I’ll cast a spell to boost your confidence.”
Leeds spread his arms and puckered his lips. He was going for something wild to distract from how purehearted he was being. A daily hug from Leeds was a guarantee, and an added kiss on the cheek wasn’t uncommon either.
As I watched his face approach mine, my mind suddenly sprang to life.
If I accept this kiss, will I be entering Leeds’s route?
I couldn’t remember his route at all.
I don’t want to fall in love with someone who’ll give me a low chance of survival…
I squeezed my eyes shut in a panic, but at that moment, I heard a deep, gloomy voice.
“How’d you like it if I sliced you up and turned you into fromage blanc?”
Leeds was now frozen in place with a dessert knife being pressed against his neck. A boy held the blade against Leeds’s artery with one hand, and with his other, he carried a plate stacked with mint treats. His glare was sharp and filled with anger.
This boy’s name was Jack. He was two years older than “Alice,” making him eighteen, with soft-looking, fine black hair. He was wearing an exquisitely tailored butler’s suit, though with his tie loosened and tailcoat wrapped around his waist, any tailor would surely shed tears if they laid eyes on it.
Though his appearance made him look careless, Jack was anything but lacking.
Known as the “Bad-Boy Butler Route,” his story was the most popular route in the game.
Young ladies always love their bad boys. It’s an irresistible formula: a scary-looking boy, whom no one wants to approach, showing his tender side only when it comes to the heroine.
“I’m the only one in the world who understands him.” The bad boy recognizes this shared bond and opens up his heart to you alone…!
In Jack’s case, he wasn’t alone in life, but the story of how he developed his grumpy personality was fascinating. The first time I played his route in my previous life, I cried until my eyes felt like they were about to dissolve. Then I prayed for three days straight that Jack would find eternal happiness.
He was, of course, my favorite character in the game, but even in my new life as Alice, Jack was someone I trusted with all my heart. He was also the only servant in the manor, so he took on most of the housework as well.
Where were all my other servants? Well, it was just as Dodsley had said. My family had fallen into ruin.
It was only recently that—
“Do as you please, Jack. But how exactly would you turn me into fromage blanc? Miss Alice, do you know how it’s made?”
“It’s a creamy spread made of cheese, milk, and sugar, is it not?”
“Oh dear, I didn’t hear my name in that list. Bad luck, huh, Jack?”
As Leeds snickered at him, Jack clicked his tongue and pulled the knife away.
“I know that, obviously! I’m tired enough as it is, so don’t test me. Bloody annoying…”