Chapter 2 It Was a Great Decision to Read Web Novels
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
In the Kingdom of Rendel, those who possessed magical power were given preferential treatment. At the same time, they were taught that this power must be used for the good of society. The institutions responsible for this education were the Royal Lemres Academy and the temples scattered throughout the land.
According to the history of the Kingdom of Rendel, those who wielded magic had long supported the nation as royalty and nobility. Conversely, most of the populace lacked any magical ability whatsoever, and their daily lives proceeded without the slightest inconvenience from its absence.
One might say that magic users, despite possessing great power, remained an absolute minority – and they escaped persecution precisely by making themselves useful to others.
Yet if you assumed they were being exploited, that wasn’t entirely accurate either. For magic users themselves, the training received at the academy and the temples carried life-or-death significance.
When magical control was insufficient, the body simply couldn’t withstand the wild energies raging within. Most would lose their lives before reaching their twenties. Moreover, mastering magic demanded rigorous training – either pushing oneself to the brink through solitary discipline or seeking instruction from a gifted mentor.
For those born with magical power, the academy and the temples were quite literally lifelines. It was a relationship of mutual give-and-take.
Setting aside the circumstances of magic users, sending one’s child to the Royal Lemres Academy was a mark of status for the nobility. Some families were said to go into debt just to secure their child’s admission.
If finances were a concern, one could always choose to have their child study at a temple alongside the rare magic users born among commoners – receiving proper education under the nation’s protection. But nobles almost always chose to take on the debt.
The temple route guaranteed a child’s future under state care and secured valuable talent for the nation – a win-win system. So why cling so stubbornly to the academy?
The answer was simple: for the nobility, prestige and pride were never things they could simply abandon.
”My son attends the Royal Lemres Academy.”
”My daughter attends the Royal Lemres Academy.”
Those words concealed an undeniable pride – or rather, a boast.
The entrance requirement for the Royal Lemres Academy was simple: one had to be a noble’s child possessing magical power. In other words, a family rank of at least baron was necessary.
One might call it elitism, but apparently the conservatives had refused to yield when the academy was first established, resulting in this restriction. Thanks to that, parents had no need to worry about their impressionable children falling in with the wrong sort – and it served as an excellent matchmaking venue to boot.
Moreover, the academy offered education of the highest caliber. For young men, it was the express lane to elite status. For young women, it meant suitors arriving in an endless stream – a sure path to success. Graduates launched their social careers as first-rate ladies and gentlemen. The advantages were immeasurable.
Beyond that, attendance subtly signaled economic power.
While the state covered tuition, dormitory fees were another matter – as were clothing, room furnishings, and the maids and servants. By putting these preparations on display, one could make a public statement: We have money.
Some rooms came with furniture left behind by previous graduates, so families with financial constraints only had to manage the dormitory fees. The fact that the child themselves would eventually have the means to repay their debts was another reason they didn’t hesitate to borrow.
I found myself somewhat unsettled as I received a report from Amber – one of my “shadows,” more family than subordinate, who handled intelligence – in my well-appointed room at the Royal Lemres Academy.
A condemnation event at the graduation ceremony…
That meant, what? That classic setup: the heroine’s life of being doted upon or a reverse harem, and the villainess’s dramatic fall from grace, starting from the end of an otome game.
A world of magic.
An academy in the royal capital.
The beautiful girl who enrolled there – Charlotte Silver, the baron’s daughter, possessing holy magic and slated as a candidate for sainthood.
Academy life spun around by the heroine. Romantic elements.
I’d never played an otome game myself, but I was an avid reader of web novels. I knew the general trends. The more I thought about it, the more perfectly everything aligned.
To make matters worse, Charlotte had apparently pumped her fist in her room and shouted, “Tomorrow’s the condemnation event!”1
…If that was the case, I could deduce that Charlotte was a reincarnated person with past-life memories, playing the role of an otome game heroine in the thick of a love game with her capture targets. And it was painfully clear that I was the villainess.
The Kingdom of Rendel had a surprising number of love matches, and many found their future partners during their academy days. Unless a significant class difference or parental ambition interfered, they’d often marry as they wished – though for high-ranking nobles, it was more common to already have a fiancé by the time they enrolled.
Naturally, as a marquis’s daughter, I had one myself: His Highness Garrett, the second prince of Rendel.
Garrett, who was the same age as me, would be graduating alongside me tomorrow.
As graduation approached, he’d grown increasingly distant, which had been bothering me slightly. Lately, I hadn’t even been invited to the student council room; I was the one doing all the inviting when I wanted to have tea with him.
The one who’d taken my place, coming and going from the student council room, was Charlotte.
It seemed she’d successfully entered the prince’s route.
”Condemnation… what did I ever do to deserve being condemned?”
”The fact that you assume it’s about you just shows you’ve got a healthy ego,” Amber shot back, responding to my muttered words.
I praised Amber for bringing me such crucial information and ruffled her brown hair. This cat with amber-colored eyes was still a clingy thing, no matter how much time passed.
”It’s not about ego. You’re the one who judged that this involved me based on the situation, aren’t you? That’s why you reported it.”
”That said, the things I’ve corrected her on were just basic decency expected of a noble. I wonder how she’s planning to get my engagement broken off.”
Charlotte’s conduct had been problematic for a young lady, and I’d repeatedly guided her as an upperclassman. However, I recalled that Garrett had indirectly told me to stay out of it, saying something like, “You don’t need to concern yourself with her.”
Furthermore, I had confirmation that Garrett had gifted her a dress for the graduation party.
Was this what they called “game logic”? I could only say it was terrifying.
According to the otome game tropes I’d gleaned from web novels, a condemnation event meant a broken engagement. I would be judged on trumped-up charges, my engagement annulled, and my future would be either exile, confinement to a convent – or if I was unlucky, execution.
Having regained my past-life memories, I felt a sense of liberation.
Even though he was my fiancé, what I felt for Garrett was more like the friendship of childhood companions.
Before, I hadn’t minded a marriage of convenience – a political union – as part of my duty as a noble. But I couldn’t do it anymore.
I refused to give my body to a man I didn’t love… no, to anyone other than my husband.
In the web novels I’d read, there were also stories of so-called “comeuppance reversals.”2 So I’d just make good use of this condemnation event, get my engagement broken off, retreat to my territory, and enjoy a life of singlehood.
I was no saint who would turn the other cheek after being struck. I was the type to brush off the sparks that fell on me and, if anything, set the other party ablaze.
”You’re not regretting losing the position of crown princess? I didn’t peg you for a materialist~” Amber added with a smirk.
The reason I allowed her insolent tone was because I knew this was merely the “tsun”3 part of this cat’s personality.
”Don’t be ridiculous. You know better than that. Now, I’ll need to do some groundwork. I have something to report to Father. Amber, could you run an errand to the townhouse for me?”
”If you insist, young lady… I suppose I can.”
”I insist.”
After sending Amber off, I held a meeting with Emma to prepare for the upcoming “condemnation event” with no stone left unturned.
As I let my mind wander to a future beyond being a crown princess – a path that had suddenly opened before me – a smile naturally crept across my face.
When I slipped into bed, I drifted into sleep, fully at peace.
—
Summary:
The protagonist receives intelligence from Amber that Charlotte has been overheard shouting about tomorrow’s condemnation event, confirming the protagonist’s otome game suspicions. While the protagonist has been engaged to Prince Garrett since childhood, he has grown distant and appears to have transferred his attention to Charlotte. The protagonist resolves to weaponize the condemnation event to break her engagement and pursue an independent life rather than fight for a crown princess position she doesn’t truly want.
—
Trivia:
Magic users are an absolute minority in the Kingdom of Rendel despite their power.
Without proper magical control, most magic users die before age twenty.
The Royal Lemres Academy requires both noble birth AND magical power for admission.
Attending the academy serves as both status symbol and matchmaking venue for nobility.
Garrett has stopped inviting the protagonist to the student council room.
Garrett gifted Charlotte a dress for the graduation party.
The protagonist views Garrett with childhood-friend affection, not romantic love.
The protagonist has recovered past-life memories as a web novel reader.
The protagonist intends to use the condemnation event to free herself from her engagement.
Amber is described as a “shadow” who serves as an intelligence handler.
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Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Amber – One of Rebecca’s four personal Shadows. Specializes in covert operations. Slender with a catlike build and amber-colored eyes. Once an orphan who experienced hardships in childhood. Has a contradictory personality: dislikes being tied down yet craves being owned. Demanded a unique contract—to be kept and never abandoned. Exceptionally beautiful. The protagonist’s shadow—a spy and intelligence handler who is more family than subordinate. Amber-colored eyes and brown hair. Speaks with a casual, teasing familiarity that would be insubordinate from anyone else, but the protagonist indulges it knowingly. Acts as both informant and confidante. Lazy and sharp-tongued on the surface, but her loyalty is absolute. Treats her mistress with an affectionate insolence that masks deep trust.
• Charlotte – Baron’s daughter and the heroine of the otome game scenario. Possesses holy magic and is a candidate for sainthood. Enrolled at the Royal Lemres Academy and has successfully entered Prince Garrett’s route. Reincarnated with memories of her past life. Has been overheard shouting about the upcoming condemnation event in her room. Her conduct has repeatedly been corrected by the protagonist as an upperclassman.
• Garrett – Reino’s second prince. Rebecca’s fiancé. The second prince of the Kingdom of Rendel and the protagonist’s fiancé. Same age as the protagonist. Has grown increasingly distant as graduation approaches. No longer invites the protagonist to the student council room; Charlotte has taken her place. Has been confirmed to have gifted Charlotte a dress for the graduation party. His indirect dismissal of the protagonist’s involvement with Charlotte suggests he has fully committed to the prince route.
• Emma – Mentioned as someone the protagonist holds a meeting with after sending Amber off. No dialogue or physical description is provided in this section. One of Rebecca’s four personal Shadows, codename Peridot. Also serves as Rebecca’s personal maid. Has beautiful clear yellow-green eyes matching her codename. Observant and concerned for her mistress’s wellbeing.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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