The Scenario That Began - 2
The attendant asked with a worried expression, “You seem to have a lot on your mind lately.”
Had he noticed how strangely unenthusiastic I was despite meeting the Grand Duke of the North, Rogiwell, several times? Lobelia stared into the mirror with hollow eyes. Then she let out a frustrated cry and ruffled her hair wildly.
“Agh, I don’t know! I’m going to lose my mind because the name Hawin won’t leave my head!”
“…Hawin. That’s quite an unusual name. Have you met him before?”
“No! And the fact that I haven’t makes it even more infuriating!”
Lobelia flushed red and snapped irritably. She slammed her hand down, and the table shook with a loud thud. Earlier, when Rogiwell had flashed that dazzling smile of his, her mind had been such a mess that she’d only managed a blank stare.
“I shall look into this person named Hawin.”
“Ah, no! That’s not necessary…”
Lobelia sighed and shook her head. The attendant’s face flickered with surprise at her unusual behavior. In the end, she pressed a hand to her forehead and rose from her seat.
Whenever her thoughts grew tangled, she always walked through the imperial palace. As she passed down the corridor, she heard murmuring voices coming from somewhere.
What now?
She was already in a foul mood from all the irritating thoughts swirling in her head. If there was some kind of commotion on top of that… Her sharp gaze swept over the scene. A group of people had gathered. Nearly all of them were laughing and chatting, creating an atmosphere that resembled a social gathering.
Lobelia had intended to simply ignore them, but then she spotted Rogiwell among the crowd.
…Rogiwell?
The next Grand Duke of the North, Rogiwell. He was laughing heartily, even wiping away tears. Lobelia carefully scanned her surroundings and confirmed no one else was watching. After quickly fixing the hair she had messed up earlier, she approached.
High-ranking nobles were deep in conversation. The man at the center was speaking with polished eloquence.
“Ahem.”
She cleared her throat deliberately. The gazes of Rogiwell and the others turned toward her. Their eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment before they all dropped to one knee in deference.
“We greet the Empire’s little sun, Your Imperial Highness the Princess.”
“Indeed.”
Lobelia gave a haughty nod, her eyes arrogant. Only then could she properly see the man who had been standing in the center. A man dressed in formal attire. He was staring at her with a dazed expression, seemingly unaware of how flustered he looked.
…Who is he?
There was something strangely familiar about him. No, she was certain she had never seen him before, yet he felt… missed. How could that be?
Lobelia was equally unsettled as their eyes met. He offered a gentle smile and immediately knelt before her.
Her heart gave a heavy thump.
Lobelia stared at him in a daze. A splitting headache surged through her skull as if her mind were being torn apart. Without realizing she had furrowed her brows, the man spoke.
“I greet the Empire’s little sun, Your Imperial Highness the Princess. Though I only caught a glimpse, your beauty was so overwhelming that I committed a momentary discourtesy. I humbly beg your generous forgiveness.”
She glared at him with piercing eyes.
“You… Are you Hawin?”
“…Pardon?”
He looked even more bewildered as he stared up at her in confusion. The moment their eyes met, Lobelia felt her heart pound violently. Flames sparked in her gaze.
This damned man is Hawin!
She pointed at him with her finger and shouted, “Guards! What are you waiting for? Throw this man in the dungeon!”
“Eh…? Eh? I entered through the proper— Your Highness! Your Highness!”
The man stammered desperately in protest, but the guards dragged him away regardless. In his final glance, his eyes were filled with bewilderment and resentment.
He must have cast some kind of curse.
Lobelia snorted dismissively.
…
Ah, no—fuck!
Had I made some kind of mistake? I stared blankly at the cold prison floor with a stupid expression. The clinking of iron chains grated on my nerves. In all the times I had built connections before, Lobelia had never once appeared. I had wondered why Rogiwell, who had never shown up during those networking moments in the past, was suddenly there.
Is something twisted this time?
I might need to overhaul the entire plan.
“Should I regress quickly?”
I frowned, muttering under my breath as I glanced around. The place looked more like a temporary holding cell than a proper prison. I would probably be thrown into the underground dungeon soon after. Rather than being tortured, it would be better to end my life quickly…
“Ugh, this is a disaster. Since things have changed, should I take a chance on the new possibilities?”
Come to think of it, when the scenario began, the status window had mentioned something about memories…
There really is something going on here.
This time, I had planned to step fully into the role of the villain to turn Lobelia into the Empire’s hero, but it hadn’t gone well at all.
“Lobelia is still too young. It would be better if I just took on everything and died.”
Dealing with her one by one was too dangerous. Originally, I hadn’t been acting as a villain from the start. In the beginning, I had stayed close to her and offered advice, focusing on preventing the disasters that were to come.
“Haaa… Damn it.”
I let out a long sigh and gazed tiredly at the ceiling. But the Empire was rotting from within. Nobles blinded by greed, kingdoms waiting for any opportunity to strike. There were more than enough reasons for Lobelia to die. No matter how hard I tried to protect her, she would still perish.
It would be better… if I took on everything, caused an explosion, and normalized the situation.
I had tried it about three times. Looking back at the previous regression where I had even ascended the throne before dying, it seemed to have a real effect. If I became a more perfect villain and had my head cleanly severed on the execution platform…
“Then I too will finally find eternal rest.”
I smiled bitterly. Closing my eyes, I reflected. The thought of returning to the modern world had vanished long ago. After regressing so many times, I no longer even missed it. What that place had been like, whether I had someone I loved there—I could barely remember any of it. All I knew was that it had once been important.
Therefore, my perfect exit could only be death. Simply leaving the stage as a villain.
“…”
Was this truly what I wanted? The question arose, but it was nothing more than something worn down and eroded within this endlessly repeating, cursed play. There was no longer any hope.
Slowly, the world flows on.
I remembered the image of Lobelia smiling happily. Then came the memory of her dying a miserable death. It was almost always like that. Happiness was always followed by tragedy. As if orchestrated by someone’s scheme. In that case, I simply needed to end things with tragedy and begin with happiness.
“It wasn’t a curse? Then what the hell is that guy?”
“…There is almost no information available on the man named Hawin. It appears he entered solely through recommendations from nobles such as Mainas and Kalupen.”
“What the hell is going on!”
I could hear Lobelia’s irritated complaint and cold voice. It seemed she couldn’t hold back and had come herself. Her footsteps were quick and agitated. When I opened my eyes after keeping them closed, Lobelia stood there with her arms crossed, staring at me with icy eyes.
Facing her gaze, which clearly showed cold fury, I smiled awkwardly.
Now that I think about it, how did she know my name was Hawin?
It wasn’t a name that would be easy to come across.
“I greet Your Imperial Highness the Princess.”
“You. Who are you?”
“I am Hawin.”
“No, I’m asking why your name keeps echoing in my head!”
Lobelia stepped closer and burst out angrily.
What?
It keeps echoing? My name? What is she talking about?
Lobelia’s face was flushed red. Whatever was making her so anxious, she couldn’t stay still, fidgeting with her fingers.
…
In her crimson eyes, anger and—for some reason—confusion were tangled together.
“This is the first time I have ever laid eyes on Your Imperial Highness. Please dispel any misunderstanding.”
“Didn’t you cast some kind of curse?”
“Who in their right mind would dare to single out Your Imperial Highness and cast a curse within such a heavily guarded imperial palace? As you can see, I am but a humble man. I possess neither mana nor the ability to do such a thing.”
“Stop smiling! Because of you, I can’t even sleep!”
When I spoke with a relaxed smile, Lobelia ground her teeth.
This is really driving me insane.
What had changed? Everything had been going smoothly until I blackmailed the nobles and secured plenty of funds.
“Perhaps there is another man named Hawin… I am not foolish enough to cast a curse on Your Imperial Highness and then appear right in front of you.”
“Well, there are curses that only work when you stay close to the target.”
“As I said earlier…”
“I know! Agh… My head hurts. Why does my heart pound so violently whenever I look at you!”
Lobelia clicked her tongue and looked away from me.
Hmm…
This might actually be useful. Starting from this strange relationship could produce a more dramatic result than beginning from complete ignorance. For now, I would put regression on hold. I needed to escape this damned prison first and then think things through.
“I have neither the ability nor the motive to do such a thing. Therefore, could you please release me?”
“You will stay right there for a while. I need to investigate the exact cause and figure out exactly who you are.”
“…Ah.”
I was screwed. She basically just said she was going to torture me.
“Your Imperial Highness, this man truly appears to be innocent. Upon investigation, there were no assassination tools or any special artifacts…”
“But… why. Why…?”
Lobelia pressed a hand to her forehead and shot me an irritated glance.
“You… Hawin.”
“Yes, Your Imperial Highness. It is an honor to have you call my name.”
“Stay out of my sight.”
She spoke with a tone laced with contempt.
“Of course.”
I smiled softly and nodded. That’s going to be a bit difficult, though. Hmm…
This is definitely strange.
Could the princess have regressed as well? Does she remember me?