Lady Villainess Philia D'la Loewe's Mistakes Chapter 3

At first, it was fine. Like a small animal, Luca would be wary of me. But he gradually became attached to me and followed me saying, ‘Big sister, big sister!' In addition, his cherub appearance made him extremely cute. My strategy failed because my younger brother is too adorable!

Even though babies and pets are cute, if you spend too much time with them, in the end, they'll become sick of you and you'll end up being hated. I'm not saying he's on the same level as a pet, but it just so happens that he resembles one.

My younger brother who got attached to me is too cute! Should I have not smiled whenever I saw him stifling his tears as he searched for me when I hid in a secret place while playing hide and seek? Or making him a real dress-up doll in my old dresses? Or getting teary-eyed whenever I tried to tempt him into eating the vegetables he hated?

Luca was quite attached to me, so I became careless by mistake. Depending on the point of view, I may have actually been bullying him.

About five years ago, around the time p.u.b.erty started for him, Luca started avoiding me and couldn't even look me in the eyes. This mimicked the game's beginning. Luca's hatred of women was the same in the game, which was my fault.

Moreover, even though I acted like a child by telling Father ‘I don't want to marry someone who prefers someone like Mother!' in order to get out of becoming a queen candidate, I wasn't completely in the clear. No other candidates were suitable by age or t.i.tle. To make matters worse, the Crown Prince's displeasure for me is the same as the game despite reading the situation and only talking to him at a bare minimum.

Due to the memories of playing the game in my previous life, I knew the relations.h.i.+p between me and His Highness, the Crown Prince. Our fathers are friends who desired to become family, so I was brought to the Royal Palace under the pretense of being playmates around the age of six. You could say that we're childhood friends.

We're like family, so even though His Highness dislikes me, at the very least I was still a.s.sociated with him. I wouldn't be sad if we became completely estranged from each other. Those occasional thoughts made me realize that our relations.h.i.+p was deteriorating.

For several years, I received courtesy presents from His Highness, such as a cat doll or a painting of playing kittens. Last year he sent jewelry for the first time, a gigantic cat's-eye necklace. By the way, I have a cat phobia to the point that if I were to meet eyes with a real cat, I would have difficulty breathing. The way he's doing this is a little petty, but I have a feeling that it's out of spite.

Hated by my younger brother and neglected by the Crown Prince.

Is this the game trying to correct itself? Nowadays, all the gossip revolves around the Count's daughter, the commoner-raised heroine, entering high society — I was in the same position as in the game.

This is bad. Extremely bad.

What have I been doing these past 11 years? All my efforts to avoid the death routes were completely ineffective! It'll be dangerous if I keep at it!

I could only lament my actions, but it's still too early for me to give up.

Let's review things once more. In order to avoid my death routes, I can't become the heroine's rival. In short, I definitely can't be together with any of the love interests.

I have one last resort– marry someone that's not a love interest. Though, it's not as simple as marriage alone. In order to not become an obstacle in Luca's route, I have to relinquish the succession to the Dukedom and marry my partner.

“…In conclusion, marry me, Julio.”

“What do you mean by ‘in conclusion'?! Anyway, that's definitely impossible!”

Julio, who sat across from me in my room, immediately rejected my proposal.

Dark brown hair, light blue eyes, a medium build, and normal face — Julio Fidel. He was once a character in the game, only mentioned by name in the Knight Route. In the other routes, he was a mob character t.i.tled ‘Young Knight Apprentice.'

Regardless of whose route you chose, he had a pitiful role in a mini event where he would dispel the suitors who showed up, having fallen for the heroine upon meeting her.

We first became acquainted due to Father's business as the Duke and hit it off well. Because of that, we became close friends enough to have tea in my room.

He's the son of rich farmer from a remote region; in short, a commoner. It would be impossible for him to become the partner of a d.u.c.h.ess.

If I married him, it would become a morganatic marriage*, which would then revoke my succession to the Dukedom. “That's true, if we got married, a public edict would be necessary. We won't have time for that… Very well, let's just elope.”

Julio shook his head with tears in his eyes. “I don't want that even more!”

He's a precious friend that could clearly oppose me in things, but I wish he would sympathize with my situation.

“Hey, Julio, is there something about me that's not to your satisfaction? Objectively speaking, I thought I have a face that men like.”

I'm not being conceited, it's the truth. Because Philia is based on a villainess template, she was gorgeous. With a mole under her eye, an amorous face, and a slender, full-bodied, feminine figure– her appearance was extremely attractive to men.

“O-Of course Lady Philia is a beautiful woman, but before that, it's impossible with my social status, right?”

“That's why I said we should elope. It'll be fine, my father has long made the necessary arrangements, so even if he were to give up with the succession, he wouldn't have to give up on the succession. Even if he doesn't publicly accept us, at the very least, he would support us financially.”

“You're too calculating! It's scary! In the first place, even if I were to marry you, Lady Philia, I would dieee!”

“Even though my life would be in danger if I don't marry you… I guess there's no helping it.”

Phew. I let out a sigh and rose.

Etiquette dictates that when a lady rises, the man follows. As a knight apprentice, he also had proper etiquette beaten into him; thus the teary-eyed Julio also stood.

I walked around the table and stood in front of him. Despite him being average height, I still had to tilt my head up to look at him. “If you hate marrying me that much, then let us make some things straight for now.”

“Eeek… What do you mean, for now?” Julio turned red up to his neck in just a split second.

To prevent him from running away, I forced him backward until his b.u.t.t touched the couch. With a fearful stance, I pressed all my weight on his body.

“La–dy Philia!?”

“As a n.o.ble, if I lost my chast.i.ty, it'd be difficult for me to marry. I'll force the matter by saying after losing my chast.i.ty to you, we conceived a child.”

“You're being unreasonable! You're looking down on me…”

“It'll be fine. If there's love, we can make it work.”

“The conversation became like this before I knew it… In the first place, there's no love between us!”

“Oh my, you're rather impertinent for a stalking horse mob.”

“I don't get what you mean by that, but you're making fun of me, aren't you?”

Even though he's just an apprentice knight, if Julio were to seriously resist, he should be able to easily push me aside. But he won't be able to do that because it's instinctual in men to be tactful towards women. Right now, in my room, without corset to bind me, I pushed my voluminous, perfect, and huge b.r.e.a.s.t.s against Julio.

Of course, this body is pure, but even in my previous life, I had a tiny bit of experience with men, so when I straddled Julio's thigh, I understood his reaction.

I, myself, have a sense of virtue, but my life being in danger comes before my chast.i.ty.  “…I understand, I'll take away the chast.i.ty you're unwilling to give up.”

It's not as if I can't do it looking at the current situation with Julio's body. If I can't marry, I'll have to run away to a monastery. With my father's influence, he'd be able to bring me back, so that plan is second best, but if I had a reputation as an unvirtuous girl, he may quietly leave me alone.

Even though I'm compromising, Julio's crimson face turned pale and he violently shook his head. “P-please stop! I'll seriously be killed!”

“You'll be fine; Father is soft on me. I'll definitely protect you.” Smiling sweetly at him, I untied the ribbon at my collar.

Taken aback, Julio's neck was rooted downwards. He shook his head. “Y-you're wrong, it's not His Excellency, the Duke…!”

The fl.u.s.tered Julio irritated me. The moment when I had the unlady-like thought of ‘Should I strip first?'–

“———–Sister.”

At the cool, beautiful voice, both Julio and I suddenly trembled.

When I turned around whilst straddling Julio, the door that was first lightly opened as a courtesy fully opened, and there stood Luca, elegantly folding his arms.

*Morganatic marriage is a marriage between a n.o.ble and a commoner. The n.o.ble becomes a commoner, and their children aren't considered for the succession of a t.i.tle. Basically marrying down in status.

*Also quick note, 姉上 is actually elder sister (a little more formal than お姉さん), but we're translating it as sister because Luca has no other sister aside from her, is formal enough in real life, and it sounds a little better in English. That, and there's no word for just sister in j.a.panese, so this sounds good enough.

I like Julio, just that sadly, some people don't like him… lol.