“That’s true. It’s a cliché, but let’s say the loser has to do one thing the winner says, whatever it is.”
“Agreed.”
She had suggested it casually, but he took the bait without missing a beat. She panicked. In retrospect, her actions and words had been full of mistakes. For instance, speaking disrespectfully to a duke’s son. She wasn’t backing down, but she was feeling increasingly anxious.
This might cost me…
“Can we say that it can’t be anything violent…?” she asked.
“Just what kind of person do you think I am?” he snapped back. Brigitte nodded, even though she was uncertain.
I can only trust him…
And that was how the one-on-one competition between the villainess despised for her incompetence and the villain shunned for his intellect began.
You’re kidding me!
As soon as Lisa poked her head into the classroom next to hers, she giggled. There was Brigitte Meidell—the girl who just days earlier had been dumped by her fiancé.
Given how haughty Brigitte was, Lisa had assumed she must spend her time in class shrieking miserably in that shrill voice of hers.
But she was wrong. A scene beyond even her active imagination was playing out before her eyes.
Brigitte was sitting at her desk next to the window in the back of the room. The desk was crowded with textbooks and reference books, which Brigitte was poring over while her right hand was busy taking down notes. It was obvious what this meant.
Could she be…studying? That idiot…?
It was so ridiculous, Lisa almost burst out laughing. Did she really think she could stuff anything into that empty head of hers if she started now? Or maybe she was too stupid to care what anyone else thought about her.
If she’s trying to show everyone she’s fine, that’s even funnier.
The other students were clearly avoiding her. But Brigitte pretended not to hear them, apparently wrapped up in her studying.
No wonder Joseph dumped her…
As she silently mocked Brigitte, Lisa thought back on how she had met Joseph—the fiancé she stole from Brigitte.
To Lisa, the Third Prince Joseph Field was like a perfect storybook prince. He had shining golden hair and eyes the same color. He was tall, with the elegant, distinguished bearing befitting a royal. All the girls in school swooned over his handsome face and gentle smile.
Fortunately for Lisa, Joseph was in the same class as her. When she saw the list of names on the bulletin board, she could have leaped with joy. It was like a dream. She had suddenly stepped close to a fairy-tale character she had never expected to meet.
But the gap between Joseph, a prince, and herself, a mere baron’s daughter, was wider than she’d realized. She didn’t have a single chance to speak to him.
The turning point finally came half a year after starting at the academy, in a medicinal herbology class. She had been placed in the same group as him, which was exciting enough…but then, when they were gathering herbs outside, she happened to overhear Joseph muttering about a plant.
“What is this…?”
She recognized what was in his hand. It grew all over her family’s domain. She walked up to him and told him the name and species; she had picked up a smattering of knowledge from her family gardener a few years back.
She was so nervous, she hardly remembered what she had said…but when she was done, Joseph smiled kindly at her.
“You’re very smart, Miss Selmin.”
“Really…?”
Lisa thought her ears were playing tricks, while Joseph frowned as if something was troubling him.
“You’re so different from my fiancée,” he said.
Only then did she blush, because she realized he was praising her.
So the rumors about Prince Joseph hating his fiancée are true…
Lisa knew all about Joseph’s fiancée and her awful reputation. She was a shameless girl who coasted on her status as the prince’s intended and behaved in ways unfitting of a noble. But Joseph had been kind enough to stay by her side until now. It was a fable familiar to everyone in the land.
Apparently, though, even Joseph had finally had enough. Really, Joseph and Lisa’s meeting must have been divinely fated.
Gradually, she and Joseph began to talk more often. Which isn’t to say she was able to approach him whenever she wanted—he was still a prince, of course. But he started taking notice of her. And she always worried about him when he looked tired. She cursed Brigitte and praised him for putting up with her bad behavior. Her feelings must have reached him because he opened up to her…and eventually, they overcame the obstacles to be together.
Bored of staring at Brigitte, Lisa returned to her classroom. “Prince Joseph!” She ran up to the Third Prince just as he rose from his seat. She started to embrace him, not caring who saw, but he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
When she looked up in confusion, he whispered, “People might get in the way here. Let’s go somewhere else.”
“Oh, of course,” she said, blushing like an innocent maiden as she left the room with him. Their classmates watched her enviously. She loved how it felt when every single person they passed in the hallway turned around to watch them. She kept her steps slow, her beautiful tresses flowing behind her, as she bathed in the attention of the masses.
Everything was so different from when she was just a dull baron’s daughter. She never imagined a day would come when so many people wished they could be her, the girl the prince had fallen for. She was surrounded by a clique that constantly fussed over her. Even though Brigitte was an earl’s daughter, Joseph had chosen Lisa instead.
True, Brigitte was pretty enough—but now she was no more than a miserable prop to enhance Lisa’s story.
Brigitte Meidell, I hope you continue flailing in humiliation forever. Lisa giggled to herself.
“Prince Joseph, Brigitte is acting strange,” she said as soon as they were alone in an empty classroom.
Joseph, who had walked in ahead of her, looked back. “…Did you go to see her?”
“Yes. I felt sorry for her. She was sitting at her desk writing something very seriously.”
She couldn’t help giggling, but Joseph raised his eyebrows. “Brigitte was studying?”
“Yes, it’s strange, isn’t it? It’s futile for a girl so stupid.”
“…”
Joseph suddenly fell quiet, but Lisa didn’t think too much about it. He must be tired of seeing his ex-fiancée make such a fool of herself. That thought made her even happier, and she went on excitedly.
“I mean, in the last written tests, I heard she got one of the lowest scores of anyone. I’m sure she’ll do even worse this time!”
“Ha-ha, I bet. Speaking of tests, you tend to struggle with written exams yourself, don’t you?”
“Uh…!”
Lisa blushed at his question. He was right—Lisa’s scores were usually closer to the bottom than the top. Still, she was far above Brigitte. That was why she’d been laughing.
But…
What if?
This was purely hypothetical, of course…but what if Brigitte threw herself into her studies and miraculously scored better than Lisa on the tests? Joseph would be disappointed. Lisa couldn’t stand the thought of it.
I should do whatever I can to prevent that…
Who cared if she was being paranoid? Either way, she’d be able to make Brigitte’s life more miserable.
Suddenly, as Lisa was scheming about how to harass Brigitte, Joseph wrapped her in a strong embrace.
“Ah…” She sighed from within his arms.
She was probably the only one who knew how forceful he could be. Her eyes closed in happiness at the thought.
After a few moments of bliss, she looked up at him, her heart pounding.
“Your Highness…I was wondering, when should we get engaged?”
“What?”
He tilted his head.
Lisa let her eyes grow moist. “I mean…I’d like to tell my parents soon.”
“…I know, but think of appearances. It doesn’t look very good to end one engagement and begin another right away. I think we should wait until the rumors die down.”