kscans

Chapter 7 - The Protagonist (The Main Heroine)

"Lupia went to her territory?! N-No way..."

Falty was stunned as she read the contents of the report submitted to her. It couldn't be true. She had been so sure that Lupia would stay by her side for her Crown Princess education.

One after another, the reports piled up, each one containing information that went far beyond Falty's expectations. Lupia's actions were so unpredictable that she held her head in her hands.

"But... I was told... I already cleared it.... I've reached the ending... so why...?!"

"Uh, Your Highness the Crown Princess...?"

"...! I-I'm sorry. I was just... a little shaken..."

She hastily forced a strained smile to cover her distress, but the lady-in-waiting attending her had a dubious look on her face. Her expression was one of confusion, as if to say, Why is she so fixated on the duke's daughter who was in her way?

Paying the maid no mind, Falty seemed to start pondering the reason for Lupia's departure. She walked over to her work desk and began to jot down the current situation on a piece of paper. But then, realizing she might accidentally say something aloud and be overheard by the maid, she quickly stood up again.

"You there. I need to organize my upcoming schedule and the plan for my Crown Princess education, so could you leave me for a moment? Oh, but I'd like some tea to calm my nerves, so please bring some for me."

"As you wish."

The maid gave a deep bow and left the Crown Princess's room. Once she confirmed she was alone, Falty sat back down and began to swiftly write down everything that had happened up to this point.

"Let's see... the story started in my third year at the Royal Academy... right. I successfully won the position of a special scholarship student, and now I've married the Crown Prince. That's the basic premise. I gathered all the elements to enter the Grand Finale of 'Love☆Star' without any problems, but... this is so strange..."

Falty hummed and groaned in thought. Until she had entered her third year at the Royal Academy, she had lived as a completely ordinary count's daughter. Raised by incredibly lenient parents who believed that 'you may decide your marriage partner by your own will,' she still didn't have a fiancé at seventeen. And because her parents were so relaxed, Falty had a habit of slipping into a tone unbecoming of a count's daughter when she was alone or with friends—a habit that hadn't disappeared even as her Crown Princess education was about to begin.

"I've already cleared it, so... I can't talk to the System anymore..."

She sighed, wondering what to do. Just then, the maid returned, pushing a trolley with a tea set. Since Falty had said she wanted to calm down, the maid had apparently brought a fragrant herbal tea.

"Thank you."

"Not at all, Your Highness. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to call."

"Yes, I will."

After confirming the maid had left, Falty focused her mind.

"...Alright, [Status Open]!"

FLASH! The area around her brightened for a moment, and a screen-like object appeared at her eye level. Displayed on it was Falty's own current status, as well as her relationships and the level of closeness—so-called 'affection ratings'—with the people around her, quantified into numbers.

"...Huh?"

Just a few days ago, everyone's affection ratings had been displayed, but now, the notation had become strange. First of all, Lupia's affection rating was gone.

"Wh-Why...?!"

It hadn't just disappeared; it was completely blacked out, making it impossible to see anything.

"N-No way... Could it be that something is twisted... or... something like that? Ah... but they said Lupia was feeling unwell, so maybe it's because of that...?"

She dismissed the window and quickly wrote down the current situation on the paper in her hand. At present, her affection ratings with the Crown Prince and those around him were at their maximum. Furthermore, Falty's own stats were displayed as monstrously high numbers. But that was proof of Falty's hard work. She wouldn't let anyone deny that.

Still, Falty's face grew pale as she realized she had to do something about this.

"The only thing that's weird... is Lupia's part..."

She was used to her own numbers. No matter how monstrous they were, they were ultimately the product of her own results, so she thought nothing of them.

"If I go visit her... maybe I'll find something out..."

The words she murmured were heard by no one, dissolving into the air.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

The female-oriented romance simulation game, 'Love☆Star.'

The story was simple enough, but the route to the true Grand Finale and the process of raising affection ratings were extremely complex and severe.

First, the story begins when the protagonist (heroine) enters her final year at the Royal Academy. The heroine, born as a count's daughter, enrolls in the Royal Academy, which all nobles attend. There, she falls in love with the Crown Prince, Liam, and after overcoming the difference in their statuses, they are united for a happy ending. Furthermore, she becomes friends with the duke's daughter who was the Crown Prince's fiancée, and as best friends, they join hands and live peacefully and happily with the Crown Prince, the three of them together.

Falty herself didn't dislike studying, so she enrolled in the Royal Academy as a matter of course. By achieving high marks, she was placed in a class above the average. As a school for the children of nobility, there was no more fitting place of learning. She had thought this was where nobles deepened their family connections and decided on their future paths, but...

She remembered the confusion she felt one day when a bizarre line suddenly echoed in her head: 'You have been chosen as the heroine. This is a decision by the System.' And then, every time she acted, that inorganic voice would give her instructions, telling her to do this or that.

When she did as she was told, things went smoothly with surprising ease. Not only did her grades improve, but even wishes that should have been impossible came true. That was, to become the Crown Prince's fiancée, then the Crown Princess, and then the Queen of this country.

'Who would have thought a queen would come from a count's family?'—that feeling of accomplishment swirled within her, along with another emotion: 'This is thanks to the System; do not get conceited.'

"But... I worked hard, too...!"

The daughters of high-ranking nobles were, naturally, on the side of the duke's daughter, Lupia. But the daughters of commoners and lower-ranking nobles who had rebelled against them became Falty's allies. She certainly felt a sense of guilt, but it was far surpassed by a feeling of accomplishment. If she had lived an ordinary life, she would never have encountered such fortune.

Moreover, thanks to following the System's instructions, she graduated without any particular conflicts with the duke's daughter. She had studied as the System told her, became friends with the male and female students, and even thought she had become friends with the duke's daughter.

She never doubted for a moment that the System was correct, and that she, the heroine, was also in the right.

"So... I haven't done anything... wrong..."

Before the wedding ceremony, Lupia had come to congratulate her, but Falty's miscalculation was that this was not the 'true' Grand Finale ending. She hadn't realized this and had simply pushed forward. As a result, a crack had formed in the game system itself. She had reached an ending that, while not the Grand Finale, was still of a considerable difficulty. The 'main story' of the world concluded, and the world 'after the end' began. And so, the post-story world was now progressing, with Falty completely unaware of her greatest miscalculation: that the duke's daughter, Lupia, had 'returned to her senses.'