The Young Lady Has Disappeared

“Lillian, Lillian. Wake up. Lunch time is over.”

“Uheh?!”

Lillian, who opened her eyes with a strange sound, looked around with dazed eyes. Seeing the golden hair of the person who woke her, Lillian looked up blankly. The intense eyes that captivate people, pink lips, and fair skin were enough to make Lillian dazed. 

No, is it just because she’s not fully awake? Lillian, who lightly slapped her own cheek without hurting herself, looked up at Yulia. 

Yes, it was just because she wasn’t fully awake. Nodding to herself, Lillian got up from her seat.

“Where’s the next class?”

“Lecture Hall A. Ah, right. Lillian. Did you see Catherine at the library during lunch?”

“Catherine?”

Thump, thump, as Catherine’s name came out of Yulia’s mouth, Lillian’s heart started beating wildly. A strange emotion began to bloom in her chest, and Lillian started taking deep breaths inwardly. 

Lillian herself didn’t know why she was reacting this way.

Catherine’s long, well-groomed black hair and her bright red eyes came to mind. Those bright red eyes that seem like they could set anything they look at on fire. The color, reminiscent of blood, feels ominous, but it’s a color familiar to Lillian.

No, is it really familiar? 

The old ‘Lillian’ might have been used to it, but her current self was startled every time she saw those eyes. Her heart beating roughly, feeling like something was poking at the corner of her heart. 

Lillian, who thought this was fear, convinced herself that she was still just feeling fear.

“Yes.”

“What did you two do?”

By the way, the library? If it’s the library, there was an important event, but Lillian momentarily wracked her brain but couldn’t remember properly. It was just an ordinary villain elimination scene without even a cutscene. Of course, she remembers that the favorability increased quite a bit… 

Surely Catherine hasn’t stolen another event, right? Thinking this, she cautiously asked, and Yulia smiled shyly.

“Mmm, she just found the books I couldn’t find.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Thank goodness. She didn’t steal an event after all. As she was thinking this and feeling relieved, Yulia scratched her cheek and added:

“And… when other nobles came and started saying things, she saved me… She was really cool. How can Catherine be so confident?”

“W-Wait. What did you say?”

“Hm? How can Catherine be so confident?”

“Ah, no. Before that.”

“When noble young ladies came and started calling me a commoner and such, Catherine came and saved me.”

Yulia’s face was full of blush as she said this. 

…Is it ruined? 

Lillian thought for a moment. It had already become impossible to follow the original story from the point where she and Yulia became friends, but it wasn’t a good thing for Yulia to become lovers with Catherine. It was close to impossible both politically and gender-wise.

But if it were her, if it were her, she could embrace Catherine. Suddenly, such a thought occurred to her.

“Ah, no. What am I thinking?”

“Lillian?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. So, what happened?”

“Hmm? They just ran away?”

“No, I mean Catherine.”

“Ah. Catherine chased away those young ladies and then read her own book. She seemed to be looking into things like demon lords?”

Demon lords? Was Catherine interested in such things? She knew Catherine often visited the library, but to think what she was looking into was related to demon lords. Does Catherine, who was always expressionless, have such childlike interests? 

As Lillian was thinking this, she suddenly remembered what she had said before coming to the academy.

Her question about what Catherine thought about demon lords, and Catherine’s answer of not knowing after seriously pondering. Could it be that she had taken that day’s conversation to heart? 

Thinking this way, she didn’t feel too bad about it. It’s a bit unfortunate that she unknowingly seduced Yulia, but well, Catherine was originally that kind of woman. Blunt but always serious, always quick-witted but slow when it comes to these kinds of things.

To be honest, if Catherine could move her facial muscles even a little, Lillian was sure she would have been much more popular with people of all ages and genders than she is now. The black hair and red eyes were certainly a color combination that people found off-putting, but Catherine’s uniquely beautiful appearance could package such hair and eye colors as mysterious.

Thinking about how many people at the mansion used to give Catherine looks, this was even more so. Those who tried to go beyond just looking were all hit with Lillian’s power and chased out of the mansion, but Catherine probably didn’t know this fact. She did express doubt about why the servants around her changed so frequently, but well. That much could be brushed off with vague explanations.

Thinking about it that way, ‘Lillian’s’ obsession was truly frightening. Her current self knows that Catherine is a villain, so she’s keeping some distance, but if it were ‘Lillian’, wouldn’t she have believed everything Catherine told her?

Just like ‘Lillian’ in the game.

“Lillian? Lillian?”

“Huh, yes?”

“What’s wrong? You suddenly had such a scary face.”

“Did I?”

“Yes. It was enough to make me wonder if something happened.”

“It’s nothing. I’m just a bit worried.”

“Worried?”

To be honest, young lady Ramsdale is an extremely timid person who doesn’t even qualify as a villain. But the problem was that the person controlling her from behind was someone with even stronger power than Lillian herself. 

Chloe von Salvius, the imperial princess. Being the empress’s daughter, she naturally didn’t like Yulia, who would end up marrying her brother.

Of course, unlike Lillian who was the final villain, she was a villain who reformed after realizing how righteous and good Yulia was, apologizing for her past actions and no longer bullying her.

The thought “Why only Lillian?” comes to mind, but she could understand that it might be because a commoner accusing an imperial princess was too unrealistic even for a fantasy. Then one might wonder if it makes sense for a marquisate young lady to be accused, but in any case, it wasn’t Yulia who was at the forefront, but the prince. That much could be overlooked as a minor detail.

“Come to think of it, was there a lecture in Lecture Hall A?”

“Yes. The History of the Empire. I heard the director is teaching it?”

“…The director?”

“Yes.”

If we’re talking about the director of Aptem Academy, isn’t that the person called the child genius? A genius who, at the age of late teens, defeated all kinds of scholars of the empire and proudly mastered the truth of the world, dominating the academic world, yet standing at only around 140cm tall.

“Aselia Zaide?”

“That would be my name, student.”

“Uwah?!”

“Kyaah?!”

They quickly turned around at the sudden voice from behind, but couldn’t see anything. Tilting their heads in confusion, they heard a voice from below.

“Down here, down here.”

“Ah.”

Looking down, they saw a doll jumping up and down. 

The girl jumping up and down with her red hair tied in two braids had an appearance that anyone would call cute. But Lillian knew who she was. The director of Aptem Academy who had a standing CG despite not being a heroine or an important character. It was Aselia.

“Umm, Director?”

“That’s right. I’m Aselia Zaide, who has been appointed as the director of this Aptem Academy this year. I’m 27 years old! Still plenty young enough to get married!”

What kind of self-introduction is this? No, of course she knew about this self-introduction, but has she been giving this kind of self-introduction to girls too? Lillian was momentarily stunned, but soon raised her hand slightly as something caught her attention.

“Can I be honest?”

“What is it?”

“I think only men with unusual fetishes would like the director.”

“…Do you think I don’t know that?”

Seeing Aselia’s face suddenly become depressed, Lillian felt sorry for a moment.

“Umm, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I hear it a lot. Besides, there’s no guarantee that a marriage partner has to be a man, right?”

“…Umm, that’s true, but…”

While this world isn’t very tolerant of homosexuality, it’s not a world where same-sex marriage is completely impossible. The Empire rejects homosexuality, but the Republic, which can be considered the Empire’s enemy country, is a country where same-sex marriage is possible. 

Whether there was someone who liked yuri in the game company or not, all female characters with standing CGs except for Catherine and Lillian, who are complete villains, and the director, could be pursued. 

Of course, all the endings involved defecting to the Republic.

According to Aselia’s inclination in the game, she was a character who would defect to an enemy country and more for the sake of finding her true love.

Of course, it’s not shown in the game whether Aselia finds her true love or not.

“Ah, it’s already this time. Hurry up and go in. It’s time for the lecture to start.”

“Ah, yes.”

Lillian nodded and looked back at Yulia, who was following blankly from behind. Yulia was muttering something absentmindedly.

“There’s no guarantee it has to be a man…”

“Yulia? Aren’t you coming in?”

“Huh? Ah, yes! I should go in.”

Why is she acting like that? Lillian tilted her head and entered the lecture hall first, with Yulia hurriedly following behind.