Table Of ContentPrologue: The Beginning of Everything
My head feels heavy; it hurts. I don’t understand why.
The world is pure white.
Where am I looking?
I feel bad; the nausea is terrible.
Cordelia felt as if the space around her was warping and slowly closed her eyes.
The feeling that crept over her wouldn’t disappear just because she closed her eyes.
It was at the beginning of winter when an epidemic appeared in the world.
In a flash, the epidemic spread to the Crista Kingdom, the place referred to as the kingdom of fertility,
without exception.
Many people would refer to this period as the『Dark Winter』for many years to come.
Many people collapsed and suffered and, in a world covered in darkness, in a noble house of the Crista
Kingdom, the symptoms of the illness also appeared in the youngest daughter of the Pameradia House;
Cordelia.
Shock ran through the Pameradia House.
“We can’t afford to lose the daughter who we raised with care to be the future queen here,” they said.
It wasn’t like there wasn’t a treatment for the epidemic, but no matter how abundant their assets were,
or what doctor they obtained through connections, or what state-of-the-art knowledge and medicine
they had, Cordelia did not recover. The doctor quietly muttered, “She isn’t just afflicted with the
epidemic; there might be some other illness that’s complicating this.”
For Cordelia, who showed little reaction to the nurses by her side and around the time when people
around her began to think, 『It might already be too late』; sudden changes started to occur inside of
Cordelia’s body.
The epidemic had already disappeared from her body. However, with similar symptoms, but
different…… Something no one could guess, let alone a doctor, was happening inside of her.
A mysterious sight appeared inside her, who was now free of the epidemic.
The first thing she saw was a girl.
She had loose-wavy platinum blonde hair and red pupils with pink irises; the signature of the
Pameradia House’s magic power. She had a lovely aura about her that would make people look twice.
But the impression of that figure suddenly changed.
The girl’s eyes were icy and scornful words spewed from her mouth.
『Know your place.』
That appearance; that voice.
Cordelia realised.
She is 『Cordelia』and she’s the future 『me』.
I knew about her when I was in Japan.
She was the rival of the protagonist in an Otome game. [1]
The moment she understood that, things that she had never seen before flowed into her mind……
However, a lot of the scenery was familiar to her.
Mountains of buildings, the station, the school, cars.
Cordelia’s brain screamed from too much information, but even within her dazed consciousness,
Cordelia firmly understood her standing.
――― I was reborn into an extremely horrible villainess noble girl.
That was the last thing she’d realised before a whirlpool of information once again swallowed her.
↑1 Love simulation Game
Act 01: Cordelia
Platinum blonde hair and white skin. She had red pupils with pink irises, the signature of her house’s
magical heritage. Those who saw her, who strongly inherited the unique features of Earl Pameradia’s
House, would unanimously say, “She’s exactly like a fairy,” in praise.
She was Cordelia Enna Pameradia.
She was the youngest sibling out of four in Earl Pameradia’s House and the second daughter. She was
raised while being showered in praise ever since she was born into this world, and there were whispers
that she would one day marry the Prince, who was close to her in age. It didn’t matter how young
Cordelia was, nor if the person herself had no intention of marrying him.
Yes, Cordelia had no intention of marrying the Prince. Even though she was born as one of the
kingdom’s nobles, and in addition to that, she was a daughter of one of the most prominent Earl
families. No matter how honourable she was taught it was ―――, no, instead, she was informed that it
was her duty to do so.
Cordelia was aware of the fact that 『she wasn’t normal』.
She possessed memories from her previous life.
She was three years old when she remembered it.
As her consciousness was hazy from suffering the nightmares of the epidemic, memories of her being
『Japanese』began to flow into her mind, one after another. As a result, her brain screamed, and she
hovered at the border of life and death for about ten days…… She could certainly say that her life had
been extended because of that, since if things went the way they were, then the future where she killed
herself would come.
Yes, her situation also existed in the frightening memories that she had recalled. No, to be more
accurate, it was the her who would grow up to become an adult.
『Cordelia』was in a game she had played in her previous life; to be more specific, it was a game that
had a heroine and beautiful young men…… In short, she was the 『Selfish Villainess Ojou-sama』that
appeared in love simulation games.
The 『Cordelia』in the game was gorgeous, but she wasn’t suited to her appearance. She was an
extremely nasty person with a lot of pride. She was a cruel girl who looked down on those who had a
lower social position than hers and saw them as only things to be used. That girl fell in love with the
Prince, and she despised the heroine, despite the heroine also being from an Earl house like
『Cordelia』, since she lived for a long time amongst the townspeople. Also, she always plotted against
the heroine.
Naturally, 『Cordelia』was not chosen by the Prince and the goal of the game was to marry the heroine
and the Prince according to the player’s choices.
…… If it were just that then it would still be fine. There wouldn’t be any problems.
However, 『Cordelia』was impatient because of the relationship between the Prince and the heroine.
She caused a riot with magic to raise her reputation but she failed when she tried to control the
situation, and it caused her to lose her life. As a result, her whole family also received punishment. That
was also implied in the story.
I think that it was the education policy in her house that caused her to grow up to be that kind of
person, but that’s not the story at the moment.
Cordelia was astounded.
What a nuisance I’ve reincarnated into.
Why, would I be reincarnated into the option I wouldn’t choose at all if I had the choice? It’s awful.
But there was probably a silver lining in the dark cloud; Cordelia was still only three years old when
her memories returned to her. Her innocence had yet to be distorted and, as a noble, she was still a
relatively normal Ojou-sama. She didn’t even sneak around to eat snacks; she was a good girl who
properly listened to what people said. In other words, she wasn’t infamous or anything. She also didn’t
have a radical personality or aimed too high.
In brief, she would live within her means. If she didn’t get involved with the Prince and avoided the
heroine, then she should be able to prevent the worst outcome.
This was for her survival.
She would be told to aim for the position as the Prince’s consort in the future (in fact, she felt as if they
were already pressuring her to do so), but she wouldn’t yield at all…… No matter what happened, she
was determined to avoid the Prince. She would eliminate any seeds of anxiety. Her instincts to avoid
him were screaming at her.
Thus, a feverish three-year-old Cordelia made a firm and resolute decision. She had then recovered
from her illness and was now in the present.
Of course, her resolution at that time remained unchanged.
However.
(Now that I’ve calmed down and thought about it, it’s a waste to devote my life to just 『Avoiding the
Prince』.)
What fun would it be to live my life like that? No matter the reason, wouldn’t it be boring to live my life
like that?
Besides, to begin with, it would be harder to 『get close to the Prince』than 『avoiding him』.
She didn’t think that she would get closer to him herself, but assuming that she did so without meaning
to, then she would need to devise some plans ―――; for example, she felt like she could accomplish
her goal if she 『did not match the Prince’s taste while in conversation』. It was unlikely that the Prince
would go out of his way to make a girl, who didn’t have similar values to him, the Queen. After all, the
Prince had the choice to have any girl in and out of the kingdom for his bride. Even if she were to get
involved with the Prince, she would act curtly and try not to get too deeply involved with him as best as
she could. Then, no problems should occur.
(Anyway, if I only focus on avoiding the Prince, then what should I do after he gets married? It would
surely be a peaceful life, but it’s sad to be left with nothing.)
Her life goal wasn’t to avoid the Prince.
Avoiding the Prince was just a 『checkpoint』that she must pass.
(Then…… What else should I do?)
Cordelia suddenly looked at the mirror while thinking those thoughts, and found an answer.
(『Cordelia』is cute. It isn’t a problem to say that she would grow into a beautiful girl.)
Even if she was cute at the age of three, it was still too early for her to say that she would turn into a
beauty.
(If it’s like this, ―――.)
Cordelia came up with one thing that she wanted to try.
She wanted to improve the beautiful appearance that she was born with.
It wasn’t a very childish idea, but her mind, too, was indeed not that of a 3-year-old. 『It is better to
improve yourself as soon as possible』; that was her determination.
She took action the same day.
Her outward appearance was important, but so was her aura, which enriched her beauty; things such as
posture and gestures, which she would have to learn from then on. To be not only beautiful but also
elegant ――― that was what she was determined to do.
Thus, Cordelia began her journey down the road of being a diligent child.
Of course, ever since she had that incident, before and after her illness, there was a difference in what
Cordelia asked for and wanted from those around her. But luckily, no one around her ever grew
suspicious of her. They said it was thanks to her growth period. “Ojou-sama is very intelligent,” and
“You are growing more and more every day.” Those who noticed the change in Cordelia were the
servants and tutor; her family members, who usually had little interaction with each other, didn’t notice
it. But still, the head of the family, her father Earl Elvis Pameradia, was informed by the butler.
About a year later, Cordelia started to practice her 『Lady Training』.
When she turned four, Elvis clearly said to Cordelia in a stronger tone than usual, “You must strive to
marry into the Royal family.”
It wasn’t something that he had brought up before. No, she could understand that from the mood, but
she never imagined that he would say something like that at this point.
A noble girl of high standing should obey her father’s orders.
However, she had no choice but to shake her head.
Die. I’ll die. I can’t die.
So, she appealed to her father with a desperate look on her face.
What should I say? The Prince and I are close in age.
She would still be at a disadvantage if she threw a tantrum there. However, Cordelia yelled even if she
understood that, “I don’t wanna!”
It was completely inexcusable for her to joke about it.
(What can I say to persuade him?! What should I say……?)
The maids, who took care of her, also started panicking seeing Cordelia so desperate.
Furthermore, Cordelia’s tantrum made Elvis furious. He slapped her across the cheek…… At that time,
Cordelia said with her eyes redder than usual, “Cordelia will marry Otou-sama in the future! That’s
why I don’t want to marry the Prince!!”
Yes, the only thing she could come up with was a child’s privilege.
That was by no means Cordelia’s true feelings.
That was just merely an『excuse』.
Cordelia and her family rarely interacted with each other.
The relationship between her siblings was fine, but it was strictly 『fine』at best. Her soon-to-be-
married older sister seemed busy working as a proxy for their mother, who was a recluse. Her older
brothers lived in a dormitory, so they were rarely home. However, their relationship wasn’t bad. It
might even be good.
Her relationship with her parents, however, was extremely devastating. She had only seen her mother’s
face a handful of times and only met her father when he had 『things to talk about』, like just now.
So naturally, Cordelia had no reason to put forth the effort into her reason for her father.
She only uttered those words to simply buy time.
However, those words were unexpectedly useful on the stubborn Elvis.
Elvis, who was not concealing his intense anger, lost his composure and looked at Cordelia,
dumbfounded.
“I-is that so……” Elvis said awkwardly and then hastily left. It seemed that his anger had disappeared
entirely. That surprised both Cordelia and the maids. That was because it was the first time that her
usually stern father was unable to mask how troubled he was.
Although Cordelia did understand that he 『was happy and wanted to hug his child for the first time
ever』and thought, Eh, why is the way this person thinks so cute? Then, two days after the 『I want to
be Otou-sama’s bride』incident, the old butler told her why her father acted like that while 『talking to
himself』.
Since then, Cordelia took every opportunity to appeal, 『I love Otou-sama』to Elvis since he was
adorable.
But even more than just Cordelia thinking that her father was cute, she was spoiled by him a lot more.
Her father was still the same stern man in front of her other siblings, but when it was just the two of
them talking, the way he worded things was completely different ―――. To be more specific, it was
only a slight change, but he also wore a small smile on his face.
At first, when she declared, “I want to be your bride,” she wasn’t serious; but now she thought, (If
there was someone like father then I’ll swiftly propose to them). She thought that someone with a gap
moe personality [1] might say something like that.
But even though Cordelia hung onto the 『I love Otou-sama』filter, she began to think and gradually
feel, (Isn’t father doting on me a little too much?)
The first time she fully realised that was when she was eight.
At that time, the thing that Cordelia was most interested in was medicinal plants.
People in the Pameradia House could use various kinds of magic, but she found out at that time that
they especially excelled in magic that boosted the properties of plants.
That was why when she 『came home from school』, she secretly snuck into the garden, where she
sucked on the nectar of a flower and was surprised by its sweetness. It was convenient magic where she
could use it if she touched the plant while thinking about the magic.
Therefore Cordelia thought, (If there is an ability to enhance the properties of plants, then I might be
able to make amazing medicine if I use more effective medicinal plants). Even though it was just a
rough idea, she immediately went home and hunted for books in their beautiful library. That was how
much she was interested in it.
In her past life, she was so fascinated by plants that she studied them at the『university』. However,
she was even more intrigued by the possibility of being able to create something even better. If she
could do so, then it would be a waste not to use it.
One day, Cordelia suddenly said to the workaholic Elvis, who had shoulders as stiff as boards, “There
might be something good for father’s body, so I want to study medicinal herbs in the future.” Elvis was
so touched by his daughter’s words that he promised that he would give her a glass-covered
greenhouse.
Be that as it may, Cordelia thought he was joking.
However, ten days later, she got it.
There shouldn’t be any greenhouses in this Kingdom…… Or so she thought, but it seemed that it was
designed and supervised by her father. The greenhouse was constructed with technology from all ages
and places. Even though it only took ten days to build, it was able to withstand all types of magic.
Incidentally, her father seemed to have used something called annual leave for the first time so that he
could build it.
(Does this world even have yearly leave? And the first time…… You work too much, Otou-sama.)
Cordelia looked off into the distance as she thought that, but he was spoiling her way more than she’d
expected he would. It was still far too early to prepare for the future. This was too lavish a present to
give to an eight-year-old.
In this world, with neither gas nor electricity, there were instead magic tools similar to 『electrical
appliances』that consumed magic power. But the expensive prices they had was nothing compared to
Japan. A magic tool that blew hot wind to dry hair…… Or what was called 『Dryer』in her previous
life, was the same price as a carriage there.
None of the magic tools lasted as long as electrical appliances, and at the same time, there weren’t any
innovations in that field. That was why there was very little variety. If there were just even a little
variation in the magic tool, then the price would skyrocket. That was why Cordelia wasn’t able to even
fathom the cost of the greenhouse, which utilised all the advanced magic tools. Cordelia felt
lightheaded before being happy.
However, it would be a waste not to use the building that she’d received. She hated being wasteful.
Cordelia, who was still thinking about what was yet to come, began to think about what she could
research on, before making rapid development. First, she decided to work with wild plants that were
referred to as 『herbs』in her previous world. The reason for that was because she had some
knowledge from researching them in her previous life.
It wouldn’t be a lie to say that she wanted to research for her father’s sake, but she had such a fantastic
facility. Since she had it, she wanted to make something that would be useful to herself in the future.
Another reason was the cosmetics situation in this world.
She learnt from a book in the library about refined essential oils obtained from faintly sweet nuts with
hard shells that looked like walnuts from her former world. With just that level of stimulus, and lacking
any scented balms and perfume, by combining it with the effects of magic, products that were
beneficial for skin could be made. But it had been patented ever since it was announced 200 years prior.
Yes ――― it was reasonable to hear that the tradition had been patented, but there had been no further
innovation for it in the previous 200 years. Nothing had been done to improve the production method,
or to improve the variety itself. The reason for that was that there weren’t many types of nuts that could
be refined and the fact that the trees could only produce a certain amount of nuts at once, and in turn,
those trees themselves were challenging to grow. Above all else, the nuts were too delicate, and the
refining process required a high amount of magic power to be channelled and was very difficult. That
was why the price was extremely high.
In spite of its limited use and variety, it was still hard for even high ranking nobles to get their hands on
it. Some said, 『There is value in it because it can’t be obtained』. Because there were circumstances
like that, there were a lot of nobles who substituted perfume, and used garden flowers concealed as
potpourri. However, the potpourri was only dry flowers, and she had a hunch that the only thing it had
was its fragrance.
However in contrast to the hard to obtain nuts, herbs with little magical waves hadn’t been considered
until then. Herbs were different from nuts and didn’t need complex magic adjustments. Since nuts
didn’t contain toxins, it shouldn’t be necessary to cancel it out with magic.
So why do they continue to ignore herbs……? The reason was most likely because it was 『wild
grass』.
Excluding the few that used herbs in cooking, most people thought of herbs as nothing but 『weeds』in
this world. At least, that was how books treated them. That was why it wasn’t at a level where they
would be recognised for their fragrances. It was instead because of that that the idea of using herbs
wasn’t created.
To make matters worse, fragrant herbs only grew deep in the mountains. The herbs that chefs used were
either grew at the base of mountains or cultivated by people. However, it was quite easy to make fertile
land that was rich in magic and grow flowers, as long as they could be obtained…… For example,
