‘When was it again? Around the tail end of winter, I think.’
That was when the ‘memories of her previous life’ came crashing back into Chloe, without warning—
[I hear a drink called ‘coffee’ has become all the rage among the nobility lately, brought up from the south. Apparently it’s more bitter than tea, with a much stronger aroma.] (Maid)
Her maid recommends it, and Chloe, curious, decides to give it a try. She has a healthy interest in novelties, and if it’s what all the nobles are drinking, a taste for the sake of conversation is hardly something to balk at.
The liquid that pours from the silver pot is black as ink. Chloe frowns at the colour, but then a rich, roasted scent tickles her nose, and it’s oddly appetising. The black against the glistening white porcelain is beautiful in its own way, too; it catches the eye.
‘Smells a little bitter… but it isn’t as bad as I thought.’
Slowly, she takes a sip.
And that is the moment.
—Her vision lurches sideways.
[……Eh……?] (C)
The back of her skull flares white-hot, and her heart starts hammering like an alarm bell. In the next instant, images so vivid they defy words come flooding into her mind, all at once.
[—!] (C)
The cup slips from her hand. Porcelain shatters across the floor with a shrill crack, and the room goes dead silent.
She can’t breathe. Her chest is clenched tight. Memories that shouldn’t exist—memories of a world that isn’t this one—surge in like a flood.
The maid’s voice reaches her as if from very far away.
[My lady!! What’s wrong?! My lady……!!] (Maid)
Chloe doesn’t answer. No—she can’t.
—This isn’t a dream. It isn’t an illusion or a fantasy either. The feeling lodged deep in her chest tells her that much.
‘What… is this… ‘Heroine’? ‘Villainess’? Huh? What is that supposed to…?’
Confusion, then terror, and then, slowly, her mind settles and finds its focus again. It’s as if her brain is finally catching up with reality, and her thoughts begin falling into line.
‘A previous life… That’s it. These are memories of the me from before…’
In that moment, Chloe understands.
—This is the world of an otome game. One she played in her previous life…
＊
Chloe von Calendula is hailed as the noblest and most beautiful young lady in the kingdom. Her sapphire eyes steal the heart of everyone who meets them, and her silver hair, as if woven from moonlight itself, gives her a beauty so ethereal she might as well be a goddess of the moon. Breeding and refinement show in her every gesture and every step, and she carries a grace that the word “beautiful” alone could never capture.
But her appeal doesn’t stop at her looks. Born to an imperial princess of the Empire and heiress to the illustrious House of Calendula, she is nobility of the highest order. She commands respect even at court, and it’s said that the King himself minds his manners around her.
The family’s lands sit on the largest and most fertile plains in the north, and with rich farmland and mining resources to their name, House Calendula boasts an enormous fortune. Beauty, pedigree, wealth—Chloe wants for nothing, and there’s no shortage of young lords who’d love to have her as a wife.
Above all, she is set to inherit the title and become duchess in her own right. For second sons and younger, who’ll never inherit their own houses, marrying into hers is the very definition of a lottery ticket in life.
And out of that crowd of suitors, the lucky man who won her hand was Leonardo, second son of the Duke of Linden. On top of his striking looks, his bearing carries the polish and quiet dignity that only the high nobility possess. Society compares him to a cut diamond, and it’s said he can charm any lady with a single smile.
It’s often told that Chloe was the one who wanted him. The truth is different. The match was arranged by her father, the Duke of Calendula, and his reason for choosing Leonardo was political calculation—that, and nothing more. When the engagement was settled, all he told Chloe was, “He’s a necessary partner for our politics.” Nothing else.
Cold words to a daughter, but for Chloe, that was simply how things were. Her father’s lack of interest in her was nothing new, and she didn’t give it much thought. More than anything, for a man chosen purely by politics, Leonardo was far too beautiful—like a prince who’d stepped straight out of a storybook—and Chloe was thrilled from the bottom of her heart.
Every time Leonardo treated her with care, she fell for him a little more. Standing side by side, the two of them looked like an ideal made flesh, and everyone around them said so.
She wanted to marry him soon, to become his wife, to build a happy home together. And right when she was painting that dreamlike future for herself, Chloe remembered her previous life. All because of a cup of ‘coffee.’
[My lady! Are you all right?! I’ll fetch the doctor at once……!] (Maid)
The maid who prepared the coffee rushes over to a visibly unwell Chloe and steadies her as she sways. The warmth of the maid’s hands snaps Chloe back to herself, and she shakes her head in a fluster.
[I’m fine! It was just a little dizziness, there’s no need to call the doctor!] (C)
[But my lady, you might be unwell somewhere……] (Maid)
[I’m fine, really, don’t worry. I just need a little rest…… I’m sorry, but could you clean this up for me?] (C)
Chloe soothes her worried maid and makes her way to her own room. She sinks into a chair, props her elbows on the desk, and holds her head in her hands. Not the most sophisticated manners, maybe, but she has no room to care about that.
[You have got to be kidding me…… This is that game with more plot holes than cheese? I…… I’ve been reincarnated into an otome game?] (C)
Chloe’s face has gone pale, and she murmurs it in a voice that’s barely there. The empty room swallows her words, and only silence remains.
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Simplyrical 