CH 3

“Thank you so much, Margaery. It’s all thanks to you.”

QOTD's Thursday Big Show: June ...

As the conversation turned to a pleasant chat, Serge spoke to Margaery again.

It wasn’t a formal greeting. As a close friend, Serge scratched his cheek bashfully with his finger.

“I want to protect Flora. I’ve had that feeling in my heart for a long time, but I couldn’t resolve the situation so smoothly on my own. I’m truly grateful to you.”

“I am too, Margaery-sama.”

Flora next to him also had tears in her eyes. By the way, thanks to Margaery’s three years of solid production, she had been reborn as a lovely beauty that everyone nodded to.

“If only I could have communicated my feelings to Serge-sama. I always thought it was just a dream from the past. But Margaery-sama pushed me forward.”

“Please stop it, both of you.”

Actually, she wanted to do a victory pose from the bottom of her heart. Margaery hid that impulse behind a beautiful smile and elegantly waved her hand.

“As I said earlier, I just wanted the two of you to be happy.”

“Margaery…”

“Margaery-sama…”

Serge and Flora, the perfect couple, both choked up at the same time. After exchanging a smile with each other, they modestly brought up the topic.

“Will you still meet with me after graduation? Will you still be friends with me?”

“Flora will spend time in the castle until she gets married. It’s easier to prepare for everything that way. I’d be happy if you could come and visit us from time to time too.”

Their sincere gaze was truly befitting of a protagonist couple. Margaery smiled, feeling oddly convinced that they were pure-hearted.

“I would be delighted. If you call me, I will come right away. Of course, I will also invite you to my house. Shall we make cookies together again during the season when the fragrant olive trees that Flora loves are in bloom?”

“Yes!”

Flora smiled brightly and hugged Margaery. “Oh my,” Margaery accepted it with a smile, but inside, she was grinning like a mischievous devil.

‘Has there ever been a villainess who avoided the destruction route so perfectly like me?’ Margaery waved goodbye to the two of them, who left arm in arm, and chuckled to herself.

In her past life as a company employee, reading romance novels during her spare time on the train or before bed was her bliss. Among them, there were many stories about the protagonist who reincarnated as the villainess in an otome game.

‘Even compared to those, this ending was so perfect!’

The likability of the heroine and hero was outstanding. Not only as a best friend, but also as a benefactor of love, she had built a solid foundation for a long and good relationship.

In addition, she had already made arrangements with her father at her home, so any other death flags that might have been ahead were already crushed.

(Oh no! My perfection is terrifying even to myself…!)

Margaery hugged herself with both arms and praised herself. It was now difficult to hide the laughter that was seeping out from within.

Looking back, she had been working as a foreign trader for high-end jewelry in her past life, and every day was filled with missions.

She knew her clients’ anniversaries better than they did, searched for hints in their daily exchanges, and found the true intentions behind their words.

After accumulating steady efforts, she presented a proposal that exceeded expectations with impeccable timing.

It was because of that confidence that she was able to overcome this challenge as well. Even though she felt like giving up many times, she encouraged herself, saying, “I can do it; I definitely can; I can do it,” and persevered.

(I feel like crying for some reason.)

In fact, her eyes were a little teary. If this were a sports-themed youth novel, this would be the part where she would be bathed in the sunset, shedding tears of emotion to her heart’s content.

There was nothing left to worry about. She just had to maintain a moderate relationship with Flora and Serge and spend peaceful days completely unrelated to the original work.

Being unrelated to the original work was important. She had spent three years living on the edge every day. ‘From now on, I wanted to enjoy a slow life without a care in the world.’

(What should I do? What should I do?)

Feeling liberated, Margaery skipped lightly. Those around her were surprised by the eccentric behavior of the “perfect lady,” but she didn’t care tonight. She felt like having a solo celebration.

After all, she had been reincarnated into another world. She could go on a journey for about six months. Maybe she would have some wonderful encounters. After all, this was a world of romance novels.

Maybe she should try opening a café in her territory. It was a common thing to do. She could use her hobby from her past life to open a bakery or bake cakes. Her father, the Prime Minister, would probably overlook it for about a year.

With her expectations soaring, Margaery walked lightly. There, a passing waiter elegantly pointed to a tray.

“Would you like some champagne?”

“Oh my!”

Her throat gulped. There were no age restrictions on drinking in this world. Even at the academy, alcohol was served on special occasions like today.

“Gladly.”

While maintaining the appearance of a lady, Margaery accepted it with excitement. As she sniffed it, a pleasant and high-quality fragrance wafted into her nose. Margaery narrowed her eyes in ecstasy.

When she put her lips to it, the bubbles tickled her throat. Margaery was completely elated by the pleasant sensation.

(How delicious!)

After work, a drink was truly exceptional. Perhaps it was the most delicious drink, even counting from her past life.

Margaery, who was getting carried away, emptied glass after glass. Tonight, she felt like she could drink as much as she wanted. She could even spend the whole night drinking.

The rich champagne smoothly disappeared down her throat. The night of the party grew late. Gradually, her consciousness became hazy and unclear——

——And now, Margaery’s face had turned pale as a sheet.

“Finally awake, huh? I’ve been waiting for quite a while.”

A voice that was deeply resonant and oozing with sensuality echoed in her ears.

The bewitching gaze was looking at her with pleasure.

The glossy jet-black hair that was like the night sky with the curtain of night drawn, and the red eyes that looked like fresh blood peeking out from underneath.

The slender face with a straight nose, exuded a somewhat androgynous beauty, and the body peeking out from the loosely draped robe was undoubtedly male, exuding an irresistible sex appeal.

Even just that was enough to make her want to cover her eyes, but the man pushed her into further despair.

“Sleeping soundly next to the king, you’re quite an interesting girl. As expected, you’ve spent the night with me.”

‘One night.’ The reality of it made Margaery feel like she was about to faint.

She was not naive enough to not understand the implications of the man’s insinuations. Moreover, ‘what did he say? Next to the king. Could it be a misunderstanding?!’

No matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t look away from the despair in front of her.

The man in front of her had a beauty that was entwined with a regal aura. Above all, he had the lustrous jet-black hair that only a select few of the Legrand royal family were born with. There was no mistaking the identity of the man in front of her.

“Your Majesty, Julius Loui Legrand…”

As she called out his name in a daze, the young king of St. Legrand Kingdom smiled with satisfaction.

He was the half-brother of Prince Serge and one of the characters in the novel. He was also known as the Wolf King of Legrand.

He was the other death flag that Margaery had kicked far away a long time ago.