The unexpected proposal echoes through my room. I can’t believe what my father just said. He’s always helped me out of scrapes in the past, but this is different. If I run away, I’ll bring shame to my entire family.
Besides, fleeing is the one thing a villainess must absolutely never do. She must boldly stand her ground and fight…… Too bad I don’t know whom it is I have to fight.
“No, I’ll go with them.”
“There’s no telling what they’ll do to you. They’ll treat you like a criminal.”
“I am well aware of that, Father. However, I can’t exactly embarrass myself by running for it when I’m innocent, can I?”
My cheerful reply makes my father’s shoulders droop dejectedly.
“You have my word—I’ll prove your innocence.”
……Oh my, what a dashing line. Now I can see why Mother fell for him.
“Well, I’d best be off,” I say.
“Alicia!” my father shouts as I head for the front door. “There’s one thing I forgot to tell you.”
“What is it?” I tilt my head inquisitively. His expression seems even more desperate.
“I wasn’t sure whether I should tell you this…”
“What…? Come on, out with it.”
“Er, it’s just…the one who suggested you might be the culprit was His Highness himself. You’ve passed level ninety in magic, so you are capable of stealing a person’s memory.”
“Excuse me?”
By His Highness, he means…Duke? And wait a minute, does this mean Duke knows he’s missing some of his memory?
“The only thing His Highness has forgotten is you, Alicia. That’s probably why he thinks you’re the most suspicious.”
Now I’m up to speed.
Our little spat at school made Duke regard me with disgust. What’s more, I’m the one person he doesn’t remember.
……He probably thinks I did something horrible, so I erased it from his memory to cover it up.
“Aha, I see how it is…”
“It’s time, my lady,” one of the guards says, interrupting our conversation.
My, how polite we’re being to a criminal suspect. Thank goodness I’m in one of the Great Five noble families. That’s the royal guard for you. Impeccable manners.
“Well, I’m off,” I announce.
“……All right.” My father stares at me with worry.
Come on, you’re acting like we’ll never see each other again. At least send me off with a smile. You and I both know I’m not the one who erased Duke’s memory.
I swear, I will clear my name.
“Don’t worry about me, Father. I’m very strong.”
“Yes…I know.”
And with that, my father bids me farewell with an anguished smile.
The guards take me to a horse-drawn carriage, the body of which is secured with bars.
I feel like a prisoner… Is it okay that they haven’t bound my hands?
One guard speaks to me just as I’m shut behind the bars.
“Um, Lady Alicia…we believe you are innocent. Please pardon our insolence.”
All the guards surrounding the cell bow in unison.
Oh my…why are all the castle guards on my side?
“No matter what the situation is, we are always on your side, Lady Alicia!”
One of the guardsmen fills me in as I sit there, perplexed. “An esteemed gentleman gave us a command once. No matter what happened, we were to take your side.”
I find myself too stunned to speak.
Who is this “esteemed gentleman” of whom they speak? To get the support of the entire royal guard, he has to be powerful…
Still, look at me, carted off to the castle like a prisoner—peak villainess!
If the royal guard curses my name, the people of Durkis will recognize me for the villainess I am.
So, esteemed gentleman, I’m going to be quite all right, thank you very much.
The sun is shining, beating its brilliant rays onto me. Beads of sweat form on my brow. Though I have been accused of a serious crime, I’m not going to let my good noble upbringing falter inside the carriage.
Has a daughter of the nobility ever made such a grand entrance to the castle in a fortified carriage before?
Wait, am I the first?! Ah, I’m queen of the world! I’m so honored, I just might forget the heat and my parched throat.
Oh, but wait a minute. Why did I dream of being a villainess in the first place…?
Is that all I want to be? A villainess reviled by all?
Ugh…this heat is making it hard to think.
“Hey, Mom, what is that princess doing in a cage?”
“She isn’t a princess, honey. She’s a daughter of the nobility. And she’s in that cage because…”
A conversation between a parent and a child reaches my ears as we ride toward the royal palace.
“Wow, check out the beauty in that cage.”
“Oh! Isn’t that Lady Alicia of House Williams?”
“What has she done?”
“This is only a rumor, but I heard Lady Alicia behaves very poorly at school.”
Aha…Liz grew up in this town. Of course everyone here is on her side. Nobody here is under any obligation to defend me.
“I wish I could join her in that cage.”
I catch a little girl’s voice, even amid the clamor.
“Honey! How can you be so ridiculous? We’re going home.”
The mother yanks her daughter by the arm and snaps at her nervously. Still, the girl’s eyes glisten as she looks at me.
“She’s just so charming!” she declares spiritedly to her mother.
……Charming?
She just called me charming. Does this mean, even behind bars, I still exude an air of charm and refinement?! Wow, my villainess game has reached an advanced level without my even realizing it. What a wonderful sense of accomplishment I feel.
Who cares if they curse my name? I’m not even the slightest bit scared!
“Don’t let the jeers of the villagers dampen your spirit, my lady,” one of the guards murmurs.
Dampen my spirit? Quite the contrary, my good man. I don’t mind it in the least.
“Not at all a problem. Speaking one’s mind boldly is a beautiful thing.”
I pull my shoulders back and lengthen my spine. The fatigue I felt earlier was surely the heat getting to me. I want the public to know me as a villainess who never shows weakness.
I refuse to let the smile on my face falter for the remainder of the ride, no matter how hot or thirsty I am.
“This place is just as needlessly big as I remember.”
The castle guards raise their eyebrows at my comment. They probably think I’m belittling them. Indeed, belittling the royal palace is a grave offense, but I’m a criminal! Well, a suspect.
I figure I can get away with saying anything on that basis. Regardless, what’s to become of me? Are they going to put me on trial?
Does this kingdom even have a court system? It does, doesn’t it? In the game, Alicia gets tried and convicted in the Bad Ending… I believe she’s found guilty of torturing the saint…?