I slowly walked towards the maze, so as not to scare the prince away. Cursing the system for not allowing me time to appreciate the lovely statues, I looked ahead.

A man was standing near a big tree, in front of the maze garden. He sighed deeply, as if he wished to be somewhere else.

I get you man, I would love to not meet you.

I accidentally stepped on a stick, making noise.

“Oh, my. My apologies, your highness. I didn't mean to disturb you.” I bowed, hoping to seem like a usual lady.

“It’s quite alright, there’s no need to worry. Has the party been to your liking?” He slowly turned to face me.

“But of course, your highness, the ballroom was so pretty I could barely breathe the first time I saw it!”

Even if I’m more fond of those pretty statues. They probably have a whole story behind them. Not that the ancient ballroom doesn’t, but… 

“I’m glad. Your dress is very beautiful.”

For the first time, I took a good look at him. He’s very handsome, as a love interest in a game must be.

Long hair, dark as the midnight sky, sharp deep blue eyes, full lips and a sculpted nose. Undeniably handsome. Although despised by his family members for not meeting the “royal traits” pattern, he’s greatly praised by the public for his beauty.

“I’m honored to be complimented by your highness. You too look stunning tonight.”

He gave a small smile. Honestly, he seems pretty sweet.

"Lady Macbelle, what do you think of these statues?"

"Oh? Oh! They're lovely." a woman, head covered in silk, held a baby. Her protective pose, the soft expression, even her hand playing with the child's nose gave such a warm vibe that if I were to touch it, I would most probably be remembered of my own mother's embrace.

"I'm sure she would be happy to hear that."

Huh? But I said so little?

"You... Spoke the last phrases out loud, my lady." Alexander covered his mouth, but I still heard the muffled sound of laughter.

"Oh! I... I deeply apologize for yapp- rambling in your royal highness presence!"

My God, my God, my God, my God! Did I seriously just yapped? Is it okay for you to do that? I bowed deeply, worried about etiquette rules. I completely forgot about them with Lady Lucille! Was I being rude?

"My lady...! Oh, please, my lady." his highness hesitantly patted my shoulder. "It's fine, really. I'm sure my mother would be touched you understood her art this way."

His mother? HIS MOTHER MADE THIS STATUE????

"Your highness! Is... Is this baby you?"

"I guess? As you must imagine, I have no memory of this statue being made, so it could be me. Or a doll, since it would be easier to keep quiet."

Suddenly, I remembered something very tragic about his backstory: he lost his mother early, as usual for male leads. Poor guy.

We talked a bit about art, since I did NOT want us to stray to the 'dead mother' storyline. Consoling him? Dangerous move. You're sweet and all, crown prince but I do not want your obssessive ass killing people left and right later on. You think I don't know your route?

I excused myself shortly after. Let’s hope this was enough, being around imperial members makes me nervous. Imperial members who later on will kill people for you and not for the throne are usually even worse. He’s super kind in-game now all, but that’s because the lore still hasn't gotten dramatic yet…. I’m a bit sad he won't have the "lovely" MC's support, but it's better as it is. Yanderes are for gameplays and gameplays only.

As I walked towards the front door, there was someone crying on a marble bench.

It was…

“Lady Delafontaine?”

Why is the villainess crying???

***

Ophelia Delafontaine. The villainess.

A character fated to be nothing but an obstacle and my favorite character.

She’s crying right here, right now.

That wasn’t in the damn game! But also, I never tried to end the chat with the crown prince early, so maybe it was. Still.

What do you do when you see a villainess crying?

Perhaps noticing my stare, she slowly turned her head.

“Greetings, Lady Macbelle. Has the ball been enjoyable for you?” Even with her eyes swollen from crying, her face was serene, calm and collected as she always was.

The option she displayed right in front of me tasted bitter. Ignoring what I just saw. Pretending everything is normal. 

And that's so her. Putting public image before her well being. And so… Sad.

Before I realized, I was asking in a weak voice.

“Are you… Okay?”

Obviously, it was such a stupid question. She’s crying, how could she be okay?

“I- I mean… Is there something… Very urgent, troubling you?”

It still sounded dumb.

She frowned at my awkward waving of hands as I tried to come up with a normal consolation. 

“Not at all, you shall not worry. I’ll just-” Ophelia Delafontaine got up from the bench with the smoothest movement I’ve ever seen. She carefully put a strand of hair behind her ears and looked at me. “I will go back to enjoy the ball. After all, I didn’t come all the way for nothing.”

Despite the slight trail of tears in her cheeks, she still looked perfectly scary and mischievous.

She then turned and started walking away. Her dress, red as blood, fluttered elegantly with every step. 

“Wait!”

Main characters usually aren’t supposed to get along with villains. They were not made for that purpose. Still, a main character was made to shape the story to her liking. And I’d much rather have a powerful duchess-to-be on my side than all those ridiculous side characters.

I offered my handkerchief with both hands, bowing a tad more than necessary.

“... Those who get to the point of tears should be offered comfort, no?”

There was a cold look in her damp phoenix eyes, and her red painted lips were no more than a thin line.

“What an odd thing to say.”

Still, she picked up the pink cloth, embroidered with red roses and small, bluish butterflies around them.

“Don’t hope to get this back.” there was a faint smile on her face as she said that. Then, she walked away.

“[Congratulations!!!]

[Hidden quest- One’s true face.]

+1 affection points for [Ophelia Delafontaine].

+2 reputation points for [Varia Lily].”

One point? That 's all? How much do I have in total?

“Calculating affection points for [Ophelia Delafontaine].

[-34 points]”

WHAT??? I’M IN NEGATIVE POINTS WITH HER? BUT WHY????

NOOOOOO!