The Villainess Hid Her Identity and Everyone Got the Wrong Idea
Episode 2
I calmly reread the choices again.
From option 1 to 3, I had already tried them countless times. They were familiar, and the outcomes were obvious.
But what was this?
Threaten…?
My brow furrowed on its own.
It was a choice I had never seen throughout 99 regressions. What on earth was going on?
But considering Evelyn’s usual personality, it wasn’t entirely impossible. She might not be able to act calmly, but she had always resorted to all sorts of threats.
While I was momentarily distracted by the system window, Ludwig spoke as his hand rested on the reception room door handle.
“If there is nothing else, I hope we never have to meet again, Evelyn.”
As if urging me, the system window blinked rapidly, demanding a choice.
It was obvious a new route—one I had never attempted before—was about to unfold.
…Nothing to lose, I guess.
I looked back and forth between Ludwig and the system window, then finally spoke.
“Your Highness, are you sure you won’t regret this?”
He froze.
The strength slowly drained from the hand holding the doorknob. I narrowed my eyes, observing his reaction closely.
Without turning around, Ludwig replied.
“…What do you mean?”
What mattered was that the system window had written “threaten.” It didn’t describe the exact action or specify how it should be done.
So did that mean I could act freely within that boundary?
After a moment of thought, I spoke again.
“You might regret letting go of the Rosenthal Ducal House like this.”
My tone and words were completely different from Evelyn’s usual behavior.
After so long speaking like a normal person, I almost felt refreshed.
Would this work too?
“This kind of engagement is… ugh!”
I bit my tongue instinctively.
Tch. So that wasn’t allowed.
I had tried to say something like “I wouldn’t accept this damned engagement even if it were given to me for free,” but it seemed any line that violated the overall flow was prohibited.
That meant there was no method outside the given choices.
Was that good? Or bad?
Ludwig, sensing something odd, frowned and slowly turned back toward me.
“You’re saying I’ll regret it?”
“…Of course. You’ll end up making my father, my brother, and even me your enemies.”
“You’re overly confident. I don’t deny the influence of the Rosenthal Ducal House, but… I have many other options.”
Good for you. Must be nice having so many options. Some people can’t even speak freely.
I smiled faintly.
“Are you certain about that?”
“…I really don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”
Honestly, I agreed with him.
Based on 99 prior runs of data, the easiest way to prevent Ludwig from becoming a tyrant was to stop him from falling for the saintess.
But I had no idea if doing something like this would help.
“If you break off the engagement, I can’t stop you. But I wonder which noble families will remain on Your Highness’s side in the coming struggle for imperial power.”
I added gently with a soft smile.
“My father has quite a temper. If he’s even slightly hurt… he tends to hold grudges for a very long time.”
Ludwig’s brow twitched.
It was the first time.
Throughout all these regressions, he had never shown anything toward me except contempt or disgust. Yet now, he looked… displeased.
But soon his expression returned to its usual cold composure.
“…Are you threatening me right now?”
“No, Your Highness.”
I lowered my head politely.
“I’m simply stating possibilities.”
Even this alone was already very unlike Evelyn. But Ludwig, perhaps unfamiliar with anything other than hostility, didn’t seem to notice.
“…So if you remove the name Rosenthal, you have nothing left.”
Tch. So you only realized that now?
Wasn’t that exactly why he got engaged to me in the first place—because I was a Rosenthal daughter?
I wouldn’t deny that Ludwig had suffered plenty because of Evelyn’s behavior. But the fact remained—he had never once treated his fiancée kindly.
So of course Evelyn kept acting out more and more.
And wasn’t he in the same position anyway? If you removed the title of Crown Prince from him, what would be left?
“Anyway, I won’t stop you. But whatever happens afterward, you’ll have to bear it all yourself.”
“Are you going to throw another tantrum like before? With every noble lady I treat kindly?”
“Of course, Your Highness. Do you still not know me?”
I deliberately smiled brightly.
Hmph. Go back to the palace and tremble in fear! I’ll make sure you never touch a woman’s hand again!
The muscles in Ludwig’s cheek twitched. But perhaps deciding I wasn’t worth further response, he turned away.
“I will discuss the engagement termination with the Duke of Rosenthal separately. I hope we don’t meet again.”
Go to hell.
Without hesitation this time, Ludwig opened the door and left.
Only after confirming he was completely gone did I spit out the blood pooling in my mouth.
“Ptooey… disgusting.”
Seriously, has he lost his mind? Does he even realize I’m a woman?
I wiped the blood from my lips with the back of my hand and collapsed into the reception room chair. Only then did reality begin to settle in.
“Haah… what am I supposed to do now?”
I rested my arm on my forehead.
“How do you even get a proper ending in this damn thing? Just change my character already!”
Ding!
“I’m already sick of seeing that Crown Prince’s face!”
Ding!
“Ah! Shut up! What is it now?!”
Searching for the source of the chaotic notification, my eyes landed on a slightly different-colored area in the corner of my vision.
“Oh, a notification? There’s a notification button?”
A small bell-shaped icon was flashing loudly. Instinctively, I reached toward it—then froze in shock.
[In celebration of achieving the 100th regression, a new ability has been unlocked.]
“…What?”
The floating system window immediately opened another screen.
[Tutorial will begin.]
Tutorial…?
Right. There had been another strange window earlier too.
At the same time, multiple system windows began popping up chaotically, like the opening screen of a game—tutorial explanations everywhere.
At first, I just stared blankly. Then I started pressing the buttons one by one. Memories of my original world slowly resurfaced.
“This is insane… so why couldn’t I see this until now? Wait—does this ‘new ability unlocked’ mean the system window itself?”
As I opened and closed the system interface repeatedly, I discovered something unbelievable in the status window.
“What is this… mental strength is S++? And stats are 3,259?”
This is insane… so that’s why I didn’t go mad even after 99 regressions!
If anything, it would’ve been better to just go crazy!
“Oh, freedom stat!”
Only then did I remember the message I had seen earlier with Ludwig.
It said something about branching choices being activated based on the freedom stat…
So that meant this is why a fourth option appeared.
[Freedom: Lv. 0 (2/5)]
“…That’s way too low!”
My mental stat is 3,259 and freedom is 2?! That’s way too underpowered!!
“Ugh… no, at least it exists now. Because of this, I didn’t go completely insane today and made it through alive.”
I scanned the other stats.
Memory, judgment, observation… ah, charisma too. Well, Evelyn does have plenty of charisma.
But wait. If there are stats…
“Does that mean I can increase them?”
[Please complete the quest.]
“Ah! You startled me. So it can talk?”
It can even respond? That’s pretty advanced. Is this AI?
So convenient…
“….”
It… responds?
“Th-then tell me how to get out of this world! Please, get me out!”
Ding!
[Impossible.]
“What do you mean impossible?! I don’t even know why I’m here in the first place! Who brought me here?!”
[Unable to answer.]
“Give me a proper answer, not this garbage! You trap a person in here and act like this?!”
[Unable to answer.]
“You—!”
I reached out furiously toward the blinking system window, but my hands passed straight through the translucent screen.
Having lost my target for rage, I screamed instead.
“Damn it! Do I look easy to you?!”
[Unable to answer.]
No matter how many curses I threw, the response remained the same.
“This is supposed to be a system?! Where’s customer support?! Call your manager!”
[Unable to answer.]
I’m going insane.
I grabbed my hair and slammed my forehead against the table repeatedly. Just when I thought I had found a clue—it turned out to be a rotten ball of thread.
“Arghhh! So annoying!”
As I leaned back and shouted into the air—
Ding!
[A main quest has been generated.]
[Quest: Secret of the Rosenthal Ducal House
Objective: Reform the internal structure of the Rosenthal Ducal House.
Reward: <Freedom> +20]
“…What?”
Reform the internal structure?
“…So you’re telling me to renovate a ducal estate?”
[Correct.]
“Right after breaking off my engagement and being on the verge of social ruin?”
[Correct.]
“Are you insane? Are you trying to drive me crazy?!”
