Chapter 61
A little while later.
“…….”
Even after I explained my “plan,” Princess Cecilia just sat there blankly, without saying a word. I felt my patience starting to wear thin.
‘Huh, her reaction is… kind of weird.’
In the original story, Princess Cecilia was portrayed as a pure “villainess” young lady, completely naive and sheltered from the world.
But the Cecilia I was facing now…
‘Rather than feeling like a villainess, she honestly feels like a clueless idiot.’
To be precise, she seemed like a princess who had been raised in utter luxury, with no concept of the outside world.
Maybe that was why faint traces of a “villainous” aura occasionally showed, but overall, she didn’t seem like a typical villainous noble at all.
Of course, that didn’t mean she was easy to handle.
If she had been like Princess Francia—someone cunning with a completely different face behind her polite exterior—it might have been easier to deal with her. But a character like Cecilia, with her naive purity and stubbornness, meant there could be serious problems ahead.
Then she spoke.
“So….”
“Yes, Princess?”
“If I follow your plan, I can really win the election?”
Her round eyes blinked as she asked, and I didn’t hesitate to nod.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“How? Just look at the current approval ratings—Princess Francia is already over 90%!”
“Well…”
I trailed off slightly, then spoke with confidence I didn’t usually feel.
“You just need to surpass her by any means necessary. So if your question is whether it’s possible to win, I can say with certainty that yes, it is.”
“…….”
Cecilia tilted her head slightly, confused, and I reached out my hand.
“Take my hand, Princess.”
No matter what, I was determined to make her the next student council president of Flaines Royal Academy. And as for Francia…
‘I’ll throw her straight to hell and make sure she loses, and we’ll get that ring.’
“I will make you the next student council president of Flaines Royal Academy, no matter what it takes.”
“Wait. Before that, I have a question.”
“Go ahead.”
Cecilia, who had been silently staring at my hand, looked up at me and asked,
“What exactly are you?”
“Huh?”
“What kind of person are you?”
“…….”
What? She’s asking me that now?
She continued.
“Honestly, I can’t understand this situation at all. I’m completely bewildered.”
“What do you mean…?”
“I don’t understand why you suddenly want to help me, but even more incomprehensible is this.”
She looked me straight in the eyes.
“How can someone like you even think like this?”
“Huh?”
‘Someone like me?’
“You… weren’t you of noble birth? From the Beyde Marquis family, right? Then… could it be that’s why you were stripped of your title?”
“What, what?”
“But even so… this is too low-level. Is it normal for commoners to think like this?”
Without pause, she muttered to herself.
“Well, I guess our perspectives are just completely different, so it makes sense that you might have such a unique opinion. It’s an interesting idea. But…”
She shook her head.
“Still, this is far too low-level. Sure, this kind of provocative method would grab people’s filthy, ugly attention. But you expect me to do it? How on earth could I?”
“…….”
I was left dumbfounded at her ridiculous words.
Low-level? Filthy? Ugly?
What?
A naive, clueless flower princess?
‘These are lines that any noble villainess would say.’
“Hmm? Why do you see it that way? Did I speak too honestly? I can’t help it—it’s the truth.”
I sighed quietly, considering how to convince her, when she suddenly grabbed her face with both hands and shook her head violently.
“No, no. Even if it’s low-level, it was interesting. Maybe I was just being narrow-minded.”
“……?”
“Yeah, I was short-sighted. To crush that wretched woman, sometimes you have to step in it.”
What? You mean the idea I came up with is ‘stepping in it’?!
“Cameron Beyde!”
“Yes?”
“I guess my thinking was too shallow just now. Ignore what I said before.”
“…….”
She was completely her own master. She’d said everything that could hurt, then told me to just ignore it?
Then she continued.
“The students in this academy aren’t all nobles. If you’re right, commoner students wouldn’t like these low-level strategies, would they?”
“…….”
“And as the student council president, you have to consider the tastes and opinions of all the students you represent.”
“Wait, Princess.”
I quickly interrupted her before she could ramble on further, taking a moment to think.
‘What she’s really saying is, she’d never do this normally, but if it’s for becoming student council president, she’s willing to grit her teeth and do it.’
“So you’re saying my plan isn’t bad, and you’re willing to go through with it to become student council president?”
“Yes, that’s right. I want to flatten Francia’s nose.”
She nodded firmly, then grabbed my hand, which had already lowered.
Tap!
“……?”
“So Cameron, I’ll take your hand. Even if I don’t like your method, make me the president.”
I stared at the pristine white hand gripping mine.
‘Is this how it’s supposed to be?’
Of course, I had already promised to make her president, but actually facing her and talking like this made my head spin.
‘What a completely unpredictable character. More so than I imagined….’
Then, suddenly.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Thud!
The closed door to the parlor burst open, and someone hurried inside.
“Sis… wait… huh? R-really Cameron?!”
It was a familiar face, shouting in surprise as he entered.
At the same time…
“Huh? Lois, what kind of rude behavior is this?!”
“Lois?”
This was Lois, my fellow tank partner from the dungeon practical exam.
‘What the hell? Why are you here, Lois?’
“What, cousin?”
“Yeah, my mom and Cecilia’s mom are sisters.”
I nodded at the explanation of him being a second cousin.
‘So that’s how they’re connected?’
Even though I had read the original story, I couldn’t possibly remember all the family relations of the characters. I’d only remember details connected to the main character, Kyle.
“Hey, Cameron. But you know…”
“Hmm?”
“My sister is really kind and pure. So…”
What? If she’s that kind and pure, then all the genuinely kind and pure people must have died in this world.
Still…
“Don’t worry, Lois. I have a rough idea.”
I hid my inner thoughts and gave a nod to the concerned-looking Lois.
“She’s clumsy when talking or dealing with others, but she’s really kind.”
Yeah… if ‘clumsy’ is her worst trait, then someone slightly worse would shred people with words.
“Please take care of her, Cameron.”
“Got it, Lois. See you next time.”
“Okay, bye.”
After parting ways with Lois, I let out a quiet sigh.
“Phew.”
Cecilia Romanov.
She was definitely a more peculiar and unique character than I expected. From our brief conversation and some of the explanations from her cousin Lois, I could infer that:
‘Her personality is far stronger than in the original story.’
Her naivete and lack of awareness, as well as the faint traces of villain potential, were impressive.
The fact that she had a burning desire to surpass Princess Francia and to become student council president was a good thing.
Even better, her will was strong enough to change her own hesitation.
‘Not just good, it’s excellent.’
If I had a choice, would I have picked her?
If there had been a way to join under Princess Francia without being scorned…
‘No way I’d suffer like that. Not a chance.’
Anyway, I had no other options. Cecilia was the only candidate who could realistically challenge Francia.
“Even though the odds are 9 to 1, having even a single chance is better than none.”
Even if she became more villainous or terrible than now, I had to support her and make her president.
“Eh, whatever. Thinking about it won’t help.”
I vented my frustrations briefly, but it didn’t matter.
The important thing wasn’t who Cecilia was or what kind of personality she had—it was whether she would listen to me and follow through.
No matter how brilliant my plan was, or how unbeatable my strategy against Francia, it would all be useless if she didn’t cooperate.
“Phew.”
In that regard, Cecilia’s current attitude wasn’t bad. Even if it was something she didn’t want to do, she expressed her willingness to endure it for her desire.
Of course, she might still act stubbornly or on her own later, but for now…
“Phew. Has anything ever been easy for me? It’s always been like this. Maybe I should finally get used to it.”
I muttered to myself bitterly, shaking my head.
In the end, what I had to do hadn’t changed. My fate in this world had been set from the moment I fell into it.
If the world oppresses me, I would resist with all my might and seize what I wanted—by any means necessary.
‘Whether it’s survival or the way I live, that’s how it works.’
So…
“Let’s do whatever it takes.”
With that, I left my meeting with Princess Cecilia behind and returned to the dormitory.
