Chapter 211 - 3−15 Margaret's Perspective
I had a long, long dream. It felt like an eternity in heaven after those few minutes with that demon.
"These memories... what are they?"
I woke up in a bed in an unfamiliar room. It was a spacious room surrounded by lavish furnishings, far grander than anything I had lived in before. The bed was wide enough for three people to sleep comfortably. I didn't know why I was here, but waking from that long dream, I could see my situation from a different perspective. Because...
"...I've been reincarnated into a game world."
In the dream, I had watched a screen inside a box through someone else's eyes for an eternity. Perhaps the owner of that body was my past self. I saw myself holding a controller, glued to the screen of a box called a television. Occasionally, I would look things up on a small box called a smartphone while making choices one by one. There were numerous routes and numerous characters. The protagonist, a young girl, would find happiness or friendship. If the wrong choices were made, she could even fall into misfortune.
Yet, even the so-called bad endings of that romance game seemed better than my current reality. At least they didn't have to live in constant fear of being murdered.
"Still... both the first game and the sequel... the protagonist was so wonderful—bright, kind, and always positive."
The protagonists of games and anime were my idols. Their happiness gave me dreams and joy.
So the 'life flashing before your eyes' thing is real. I must have searched my memories for a way to avoid death and found this... but to think I'd regain memories of a past life. Though, even with these memories, I can't remember anything unrelated to this world.
"...But these memories are useful. With this, I shouldn't be killed immediately."
Looking around the room, I saw stationery and a pen on the desk. I climbed out of bed, my legs still shaky, and sat in the chair to organize my knowledge of the world and the game. The Tratia Empire where I was born was undoubtedly the center of the game. It was a story where the protagonist, a princess of a fallen kingdom taken by the Empire, interacts with imperial royalty and nobles to defeat the villainous Emperor, reclaim her homeland, and build a peaceful nation.
"But there's one problem. Twenty long years must pass before the game begins. This game is set in the world of the child born to that man... the brother who tried to kill me. His son is the main hero. Of course, the protagonist princess hasn't been born yet, and the homeland my brother is supposed to conquer still exists."
"If I had to be born in this era, I wish it had been the first game..."
The Tratia Empire is the setting for the second game—the sequel. Right now, the first game is taking place in a peaceful, beautiful country far from here: the Kingdom of Dutoit, where spirits dwell. If I was going to be reincarnated, I wish it had been there. To be born as a princess who doesn't even qualify as a mob character in a country ruled by such a hopeless madman...
I don't believe in God. If such a being existed, I'd want to grab them by the collar and ask why they birthed me in such a terrifying country.
♢
While I was agonizing over what to do with my past-life memories, a certain person appeared.
"So you're the Seventh Princess."
"You're... the one who was beside my brother..."
He had soft, milk-tea beige hair and captivating gray eyes. He was definitely the person standing next to my brother on the day I almost died. Seeing my blatant wariness, he narrowed his eyes gently.
"I'm Lute. Your cousin."
Lute... if I recalled correctly, he was the son of the Grand Duke, the younger brother of the Former Emperor. I had heard his name was known to all for his beauty and exceptional talent since childhood. Since last year, my brother had recognized his abilities, and at the age of fourteen, he had been serving as the Emperor's aide on the battlefield.
Even someone so kind and beautiful has to go to war...
"You won the bet."
"A bet? I don't remember making one."
"No, you proposed it. A bet with your life on the line."
With those words, I remembered. The Dragon's Heart. Back then, before I had remembered the game knowledge, I had blurted out its location.
"Was it found?"
"Yes, in a cave on the western edge."
"...I see."
That treasure was originally supposed to be obtained by the protagonist princess as a means to defeat the villainous Emperor Alec—my brother.
Even if it was to save my own life, I've given that villainous Emperor, the man who took so many lives and killed my only ally, the chance to obtain that treasure...
"Oh, you don't look happy. I thought you'd be more pleased since you escaped death."
Pleased? Me?
"I don't know which is happiness anymore. If I have to live in fear every day, maybe it would have been better for this country if I had died then and been reborn in a new world."
If the protagonist had found the Dragon's Heart and eventually avenged my nanny... the thought that a tiny, insignificant person like me might have prolonged this country's nightmare just because I clung to life filled me with sudden regret.
"Hehe, you really are an interesting child. Just as His Majesty said."
What was so funny? I felt weary watching Lute chuckle elegantly behind his hand.
"Your ability is Foresight, isn't it? A very rare trait even among those with Dragonewt blood."
Foresight? That can't be right. My game knowledge is just a type of flashback. In fact, I don't have the bruise on the back of my hand that only appears to the individual when an ability awakens.
However, both Lute and my brother seemed to believe I had awakened because I told them the location of the Dragon's Heart, which no one could have known.
If they find out this convenient lie is a bluff, I'll definitely be killed.
But this was a misunderstanding that worked in my favor. If my brother believed I had the power of Foresight, I could become an important pawn to him.
"I'm sure you'll be useful to His Majesty. He even cares for you in his own way."
"Cares for me...?"
"This is actually my home. His Majesty always says the Imperial Castle is the most dangerous place in the country. He ordered that you be entrusted to my family, the Grand Duke's house, so you can live in peace."
"If I can leave that place, that's enough for me."
"I thought so. You're still small and weak. Without someone to protect you, it would be difficult to survive in that den of demons. So, from today, I will protect you."
"You will?"
"Yes. From today, I'll be your big brother."