The Duke's Daughter Goes Her Own Way
[Elizabeth, Sets a Flag and Immediately Resolves It]
Translated by: ME
It seems His Highness won't have any official duties that keep him away for a long time for a while.
Ever since His Highness returned from his official duties, he's been sticking to me quite closely. Well, it's fine, I suppose.
It's wonderful that both academy life and life at the royal castle are peaceful~.
***
Twelve years have passed since I was reincarnated into this world, this country.
I occasionally miss Japan (mainly the food and various technologies).
There are quite a few points where this country is better than Japan, but personally, I'd like to recommend the following:
First, the climate is stable.
There are four seasons. …Not that it matters, but you often see this tone where people boastfully say ['Japan has four seasons'], but I think pretty much everywhere in the world has four seasons… If they said ['Japan's *unique* four seasons'], I'd understand, but…
I digress.
Winter isn't exactly warm, but in the southern parts of the country, it doesn't snow enough to accumulate. Even in the royal capital, it might dust the ground a little and melt quickly. It snows considerably in the northern mountainous regions and their surroundings, but that's to be expected, I suppose.
The temperature, no matter how low, almost never drops below freezing. Warm. Wonderful.
In summer, the maximum temperature stays around below 30°C. There's no murderous intense heat or lingering summer heat. You won't find your shirt wringing wet just from sitting still at home…
Moreover, the humidity is around 50%, making it very comfortable to live.
Since being born here, I've come to like summer.
Spring and autumn, like in Japan, are very mild seasons that pass peacefully. Spring is uplifting.
Second. There are few natural disasters.
Compared to disaster-prone Japan, probably any country on Earth seems better!
First off, typhoons don't make direct hits, right? Snowfall isn't that heavy, so there's no traffic disruption from heavy snow or isolated villages, right? There's no guerrilla downpours either, right? So floods are rare, right?
And on top of that, there are almost no earthquakes!
Looking at the buildings, it's a bit scary. Probably, if an earthquake of seismic intensity 5 or so hit, a considerable number of people would become casualties… Well, judging from the topography, such an earthquake won't happen anyway.
That's all!
Don't say that's few! It's super comfortable!
There's no rainy season! Bread becomes bone-dry before it can mold! Hygienic, right?
And there are no earthquakes! You never get startled in the middle of the night by that emergency alert alarm!! …That sound is really bad for the heart… Though it's correct as a warning alert.
***
It's currently the beginning of July.
It's a very pleasant season with the slightly stronger pre-summer sunlight and winds that feel a bit chilly in short sleeves.
During a class break, I glanced outside and saw it was starting to drizzle. In this country without a rainy season, rain this time of year is rare.
There were quite a few clouds since morning, so it finally started, huh.
When it rains, a poem automatically starts playing in my head.
Isn't that girly!? A poem? Isn't that peak feminine prowess!?
…Well, the fact that the poem is the famous copypasta from a certain bulletin board that starts with ['Ame tte yuu no wa..'] means my feminine prowess is basically zero.
While I was blankly staring at the hundred million cucumbers falling from the sky outside the window, Marie came into my view, also gazing outside.
She had a very listless expression.
I wonder if she's reciting something like ['The violin on a rainy day…']? That would be high feminine prowess.
High literary girl prowess too.
For some reason, I feel like the original poem might be wrong… But I'm not very good with poetry…
…Ellie-chan reads quite a lot too… I wonder where I dropped my literary girl prowess…
Mother, what happened to my literary girl prowess? …Is it lying on the Usui Pass?
But what's wrong with her? She's usually overflowing with useless vitality.
[Is something the matter?]
I called out to her, curious. Marie looked at me with those same listless eyes. She calls herself a ['blending-in type young lady'], but she's quite a beautiful girl. Very picturesque.
[Ah… I was just thinking it started raining.]
Yeah.
When I nodded, Marie let out a sigh. Oh my, how ennui.
[I was… worrying about whether… I closed the window in my dorm room…]
Whoa!! Your feminine prowess is in the gutter!! Even if the weather's nice, close the window when you go out!
[Marina, could you go check her room?]
[As you wish.]
[Ah, it's the corner room on the southeast side of the second floor!]
Marina nodded at Marie, who told her the room location, and promptly left.
[Ahh… I can relax now! Thank you, Lady Elizabeth!]
Well, you can thank Marina later.
But more importantly…
[I think it's better to properly close the window when you leave your room? And lock it properly too.]
[No, I usually do! …Really!]
Why are you averting your eyes? Why so desperate?
You obviously don't usually do it, do you?
You're a girl your age! And a Count's daughter, at that!
Have a little more sense of caution about these things!
Perhaps because her worry was gone, her listless atmosphere had already dissipated.
Well, it's good she's energetic. This girl is really careless…
***
Among the students who are my peers, there are four girls, including me. Honestly, there are more than I thought.
…By the way, I am the youngest among the currently enrolled students. Don't treat me like a child, or I won't forgive you! (Tsun 4, Dere 6)
One of the few girls is Marie.
Her aspiration is apparently the Economics department. Since her family runs a business, she wants to focus on learning about expanding sales channels and improving efficiency.
She bears the fate of being an otome game heroine, but I want her to live strongly. The game period seems to be the one year when she's fifteen to sixteen. She cried, ["It hasn't started yet~"], but even if she cries, there's nothing I can do.
She declared, ["Anyone who won't marry into my family is out of the question."] …The Prince route and the Duke route are already closed.
Is that alright, oh otome game heroine… Go on and try conquering the Sinister Glasses. I kinda want to see it (scummy face).
Another one is Emilia Forsythe. She calls herself ['a commoner of distinguished lineage']. She can trace her lineage back about five generations, but apparently, everyone is a commoner as far as she can see.
She's a fifteen-year-old girl with a gentle smile. On days when His Highness is absent, she almost always gives me sweets. So kind. Thank you always. They're yummy.
Apparently, her younger sister, three years her junior, was often sick, so they frequently relied on a clinic. Unfortunately, her sister has already passed away, but she was deeply impressed by the clinic staff who did their best until the end.
Naturally, her aspiration is in the medical field.
She smiled and said, ["I want to become a doctor so skilled that I'd think, 'If only I had been there then, my sister wouldn't have died!'"] Her tone wasn't strong, but one could sense the strength of her will and determination.
Since she's a soft-spoken young lady, she'll probably become a good, kind doctor to her patients.
And the last one. Miss Ingrid Everton. The daughter of the Everton Marquisate.
She has slightly upturned cat-like eyes, and her chin is always slightly raised, making her look perpetually haughty. Her eyebrows are also thin and arched, giving off a ["She's got a strong personality, intense!"] vibe.
She's a beauty, with a figure that would make both Fujiko and Cutie Honey pale. …Huh? She's sixteen, right? I feel like confirming. I won't, though.
True to her appearance, she is strong-willed. Even though no one said anything, she seems to regard the boys around her as enemies. That kind of thing isn't good, you know.
And for some reason, she seems to regard me as an enemy too. Because of that, His Highness is wary of her. Also, Alphonse seems to be wary of her too. Both of you, be cool, be cool! She hasn't done anything yet! And there's no guarantee she'll do anything in the future!
…Making an enemy of both His Highness and Alphonse is overkill. Both in terms of simple combat power and political power.
I don't know why she's being so prickly, but I wish she'd realize that.
Well, they are few in number, these female students.
I'd like everyone to get along and live peacefully.
***
…Not that I was trying to plant a flag or anything.
Our Macnagan Ducal house is a pacifist family! We dislike disputes and hate standing out; we're a ['Peace is Best'] household!
And yet, Miss Ingrid keeps picking on me, Elizabeth "Peaceful" Macnagan…
My middle name feels subtly fitting. Maybe I can use this name!? It has a 'I won't let anyone say it' kind of feel.
***
[Norman, what exactly is that young lady?]
It's currently lunch break. We're on the terrace of the cafeteria, having our lunchtime with boxed lunches brought from the royal castle.
The tea is chamomile tea, brewed by Marina.
I suppose she wants to soothe His Highness's irritated heart.
[I cannot say either. I find it hard to understand what she intends to achieve.]
Alphonse's voice, replying to His Highness's irritated words, also has a bit of an edge to it.
Calm down, both of you. …Your Highness, the tea is delicious, you know? Would you like some?
Ah, Marina, I'd like a refill, please.
[She's the eldest daughter of the Everton Marquis, correct? I may need to have a word with the Marquis…]
[Shall I make the arrangements?]
His Highness immediately replied, ["Yes, please,"] to Sir Gray's confirmation.
You work fast today too! As expected, Your Highness!
[Ellie, please try not to get close to her, alright?]
He smiled and patted my head.
Of course, I won't go near her. Actually, I haven't been going near her today either, you know.
Actually, on my way here after class, the aforementioned Miss Ingrid tried to bump into me. …Naturally, since Alphonse is here, I suffered no harm.
But it was obvious to anyone that she intentionally tried to make contact with me.
That's the part that displeases His Highness and Alphonse.
What is her aim?
[It's fortunate that there's been no harm so far… But I wonder, what exactly does she find disagreeable about Ellie?]
As His Highness sighed, Marina nodded vigorously.
Miss Ingrid, I don't know what you want, but please stop, seriously… Because His Highness, Marina, and Alphonse are scary…
***
Now, a week later.
Marie reported to me with a snort, ["Today I properly closed the window and locked the door!"]
Well, that's just common sense. There's a saying, ['When going out, say a word and lock up'], right? From my previous life.
Setting aside the careless heroine, let's talk about Miss Ingrid.
As expected, she tries to pick a fight with me at every opportunity. His Highness's irritation meter and Alphonse's alert level have skyrocketed.
As for Marina, she even said in an emotionless voice, ["Shall I make her disappear if it comes to that?"] Scary.
As Elizabeth K. Kotonakare MacNaughton, I'd like to handle this peacefully.
It seems His Highness also gave a warning to her father, the Marquis. The Marquis apparently turned pale and was trembling (According to Elsa).
…By the way, Elsa has recently become kinda like she's attached to His Highness. Well, it's fine, I guess.
Did she switch to being part of His Highness's dedicated covert ops? If Elsa is happy, then Ellie-chan is fine with that~.
Even though she must have received a warning from her father, she still picks fights. What does she want?
***
And so, it's time for the segment: Let's think about the reason she picks fights with me.
Our guests are the Careless Heroine, Marie, and the Healing-type girl, Emilia. Ladies, pleased to have you.
We bring you this segment while nibbling on cookies brought as a gift today by Emilia on the cafeteria terrace after school.
Ah, His Highness is absent from this afternoon.
[What I think is…]
What is the Careless Heroine's opinion!?
[I think she might be the ultimate tsundere…]
Emilia looked puzzled, saying ["Tsundere?"]. After explaining tsundere to Emilia, Marie bit into a cookie and broke it with her front teeth with a *crack*.
[About Tsun 9, Dere 1 level.]
[Was there any dere element? From her?]
I couldn't help but ask. Marie tilted her head slightly.
[Well, it doesn't seem like it. But maybe we just haven't noticed it, you know?]
No way.
What's with this heroine? Is she defective?
[Perhaps… there is ['something'] that Miss Ingrid gains by picking on Lady Elizabeth…]
I nodded at Emilia's murmured words.
Next to us, Marie nodded with a smug look, saying, ["Ah! I thought that too!"], but she's probably lying. She was just advocating the tsundere theory until a moment ago.
[Um, since I'm a commoner of distinguished lineage, I'm not very familiar with the affairs of nobles…]
It's fine, you don't need that preface. Because you're more proper than that noble young lady heroine over there.
[For example, could it be that by ousting Lady Elizabeth, she could take Lady Elizabeth's place… something like that?]
[In short, you mean… whether she could become His Highness's fiancée?]
[Yes.]
I had certainly thought about that a little. But the answer is clear.
[No.]
[May I ask about the circumstances, within the scope of what I'm allowed to know?]
Really, Emilia is so dependable. The defective heroine is just gobbling cookies, saying ["Eh~, so she can't~"]…
Cookie crumbs are falling on your skirt! Get it together, heroine!
[His Highness's and my engagement involves political strategy. In other words, if she were a young lady who meets ['the same conditions'] as me, then it's possible. Conversely, unless that's the case, she cannot be chosen as His Highness's fiancée.]
[So, Miss Ingrid does not meet those ['conditions']?]
[That's correct.]
The ['political strategy'] between His Highness and my family is a difficult thing that seems insignificant at first glance—['neither good nor bad']—but is actually more significant than it appears.
By having a daughter marry into the royal family, no one loses, but no one gains either.
Our Ducal house is famous for lacking ambition for power, and indeed, no one in the family has strong power ambitions. They are people who wouldn't think of using their status for personal gain, even if their daughter became Queen or even a god.
And because we don't actively form factions, there's no one to promote us either.
It's a very peculiar family lineage within noble society.
In contrast, the Everton Marquisate isn't like that. There are those who would gain benefits and those who would suffer losses.
[I wonder if Miss Ingrid herself is aware of these circumstances. That would change the story again, but…]
That's the thing.
That His Highness's and my engagement is ['political'] is probably known to everyone. But whether they know the details is another story…
Her father, the Marquis, probably knows.
[Could it be that she's getting all worked up on her own, thinking something like ['A marriage without love is wrong!']?]
[That's one possibility. Another is the possibility that she thinks if the engagement with Lady Elizabeth is ['political'], then it should be possible to have a ['political'] marriage with her as well…]
Yeah, that makes sense.
…But Emilia, a commoner, speaks more sensibly than Marie, who's supposed to be a Count's daughter…
[As a further possibility…]
Emilia glanced briefly behind me.
Alphonse is standing by today at a distance where our conversation shouldn't reach.
[She might be aiming for that knight over there.]
Marie looked at me as if struck by a realization. Your face is a bit scary.
[I understand, Lady Elizabeth! This is what they call a ['Heroine Move']!]
…Ehhh…
She's saying something weird again, this defective heroine.
[Setting up a villainess on her own and performing the role of ['The pitiful, bullied me']! And the capture target who falls for it hook, line, and sinker! What do you think!?]
Hmmm…
Well, what she's doing is more like…
[Wouldn't you say it's more of a ['Villainess Move']?]
Hah!? No way, Marie.
[Heroine Move…?]
As Emilia looked puzzled, Marie explained it in terms of ['a cringey girl who tries to advance the story by acting like a story's heroine'], omitting the parts about otome games and reincarnation.
Even with Marie's somewhat incoherent explanation, Emilia nodded as if she understood.
[But if that's the case, then indeed, as Lady Elizabeth says, ['Villainess'] seems to fit better.]
Right?
[Oh, and I figured out one more thing she might ['gain by ousting Lady Elizabeth']!]
Marie said, raising her hand, going ['Yes, yes, yes!']
Calm down you.
[Don't you think she might be thinking that if Lady Elizabeth were gone, she could steal the position of academy idol!?]
…Huh?
She's saying incomprehensible things again, this defective one.
No, Emilia, don't go ["Indeed…!"]!
What? Does her defectiveness spread? Ew, that's scary.
***
And so, the first Girls' Meeting came to a close.
…Marie ate almost all the cookies Emilia brought… I'm not sad at all!
***
In novels and such, there are often scenes where the heroine is bullied by the villainess. …Well, in novels, it's usually a performance by the flower-field-brained heroine herself.
Things like tearing dresses, ripping textbooks, throwing snide remarks when passing by…
…Somehow, none of these seem particularly damaging.
Also, I've seen instances where indoor shoes are hidden, and I remember being shocked at the part, ['So schools in this world change into indoor shoes…']. By the way, here at Steinford Academy, there are no indoor shoes. Or rather, there are no shoe lockers.
Another classic is falling down the stairs, where the level of harassment jumps straight from elementary school level to murderous intent, which is startling.
When I go up and down the stairs within the school, His Highness is always supporting my back. …It's probably kindness, but… The feeling of being watched so I don't fall is intense. I know His Highness is worried about me!
There are no shoe lockers, no dance classes so no dresses, I don't leave my textbooks in my desk…
And the stairs are under His Highness's ironclad escort.
If it's a standard villainess move, it seems I don't need to be particularly wary, I thought.
Well, her goal might not be a villainess move.
***
Mid-July passed, and on a day that felt quite summery.
During a break between classes, while I was talking with His Highness, Emilia came over.
His Highness is here today, so it's not a sweets day, right?
[Pardon me. Lady Elizabeth, this is for you…]
Saying only that, she swiftly placed a small, folded piece of paper on the desk, bowed, and returned to her seat.
What's this?
I picked up the folded paper. It looked like a memo sheet folded into quarters. The corners were aligned perfectly, showing Emilia's meticulousness.
That defective heroine would probably fold it more carelessly.
[What is it?]
His Highness next to me also looked curious. I wonder what it is?
Opening it, I saw Emilia's neat handwriting.
['I overheard the Target muttering, "Why won't Elizabeth just disappear? I'm definitely more suited for the position." I believe the subject is #3.']
[…Ellie, what does this mean?]
Eep!? His Highness's voice is crawling along the ground!!
I looked beside me; His Highness was smiling. …But his smile is super menacing…
It's not like I've done anything wrong, but I feel compelled to explain myself.
No, seriously, I haven't done anything bad!
[Um…]
But where should I even start explaining…?
As I was thinking that, the bell for class to start rang.
[We'll talk later, Ellie.]
That's a ['I won't let you get away'] smile, isn't it? I understand.
I nodded repeatedly. His Highness gave a small smile and turned forward.
***
[Now, shall we hear the story?]
Our current location is the garden near His Highness's room. Yes, I was taken straight back to the castle after school.
Your Highness, what about your work? I want to ask, but I'm too scared…
Ellie-chan believes in going with the flow…
[I've been talking with Emilia and Mariebell for a while now. We were wondering what Miss Ingrid's goal is.]
[Hmm… We've been investigating on our end too, but we don't have confirmation yet.]
As expected, you were investigating.
Emilia had said, ['Wouldn't entrusting it to His Highness be the best course?'] You're truly admirable!
Now, about that memo.
The ['#3'] is a code we use in our Girls' Meetings.
#1 is ['Aiming for His Highness (the Queen's seat)'], #2 is ['Aiming for Alphonse'], #3 is ['Aiming for both'], #4 is ['Aiming to be the Academy Idol']. Honestly, I wonder what #4 is even about…, but Marie insisted ["It's not impossible!"], so we included it.
[…I see.]
When I explained it like this to His Highness, he sighed and said that.
Then he smiled and patted my head *pon pon*.
[Can you leave the rest to me? Ellie doesn't need to get involved with her.]
He smiled, saying ['Okay?']. Nodding was the only option.
When I nodded, saying ['Yes'], His Highness said ['Thank you'] and kissed my fingertips.
Hyaa! Hasn't His Highness been doing this a lot lately!?
***
Three days later, a notice of Miss Ingrid's expulsion was posted on the school bulletin board. It said ['The following individual is expelled due to discovery of cheating on the entrance examination.'].
Yikes…
What did you do, Your Highness…?
I learned one thing: entrusting things to His Highness means the otome game doesn't start.
What a sense of security…
But if this were an otome game, what position am I in now? I absolutely don't want the heroine position.
***
[Your Highness, Lady Elizabeth, good morning.]
I returned the greeting to Emilia, who bowed with a smile. His Highness also greeted her, saying ['Good morning'].
Emilia's smile is so healing.
Thanks to Miss Ingrid's villainess moves, the bond between the only three girls in the class has strengthened. I'd rather we all get along!
[I read the book you recommended the other day, Lady Elizabeth! It was very interesting!]
I replied, ['I'm glad it was helpful,'] to Emilia's beaming smile.
Emilia, being a commoner of distinguished lineage, apparently hasn't read many academic books before. Well, they are expensive, after all.
So, I recommended about three medical-related books that I found interesting.
I confirmed that all of them are available in the academy library.
[If it's alright, please tell me about any other interesting books.]
[Yes. Of course.]
I don't have that many medical-related recommendations.
Well, if she just gets a starting point, she'll probably be able to proceed on her own from there.
Emilia bowed slightly to His Highness and me and moved to her seat.
[She's aiming for the medical field, right?]
[Yes. I think she'll surely become a good doctor.]
After all, her motivation is amazing. I want to learn from her.
[Your Highness the Crown Prince, Lady Elizabeth, good morning!]
I turned around at another voice and found our defective heroine standing there with a smile.
If Emilia's smile is a soft, healing type, her smile is a carefree, laid-back type. …Sometimes I think this girl being an otome game heroine might be self-proclaimed.
Isn't her feminine prowess and heroine power way too lacking? Or perhaps that kind of heroine was popular in recent otome game circles?
[…By the way, Marie, there's something like a stain on your skirt…]
It's not extremely noticeable, but it's not completely unnoticeable either… a stain of a perfectly awkward size.
When I pointed it out, Marie squeezed that part with her hand as if to hide it.
[This is… um…]
Marie bowed her head slightly, seeming hesitant to speak.
Could it be that she's being harassed as an otome game heroine!? …Probably not.
[This morning… I spilled coffee in the cafeteria…]
It's not 'Kuu…', you know!?
[I didn't have time to change, so I came like this (crying)…]
Where did you drop your feminine prowess, even lower than mine!? Somewhere around the Japan Trench!?
[…How about getting it washed? Marina.]
[Yes.]
Marina nodded, said to Marie, ['I'll assist with the stain removal,'] and left the classroom.
His Highness seemed a bit lost for words, saying, ['She's quite a young lady…'] That girl was probably like that even in her previous life…
You're a precious otome game heroine, so polish your feminine prowess…
Glancing around the classroom, I saw Emilia talking happily with the ['Lord of General Education'], the Head Upperclassman.
It seems Emilia likes him, and the very air around them is sparkling.
Seriously, isn't ['Heroine'] a much more fitting for Emilia?
Looking at Emilia's sparkling, cute smile, I couldn't help but think that…
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