PROLOGUE

“Milady? Milady! You’re awake? How are you feeling?”

When I opened my eyes, a woman in a long, steel-blue dress and her hair bundled back with a kerchief, was just adjusting the blankets on my bed.

Un. My limbs feel heavy and my throat feels clogged up, but I feel fine.

That is, better than I have in the past many, many, many days.

How long have I been lying here?

Coming in and out of consciousness, feeling like my head was going to explode, or that my body had suddenly become paralyzed… there’s no surprise I’ve lost count of the days.

But who is this woman?

Hm?

Wait a second.

Who am I?

No, I don’t have amnesia, but somehow, I feel all muddled up.

I… am Fluvia Dellarose, a 4-year-old daughter of a noble… no?

Hm?

What kind of noble thinks in coarse language like this?

… What the heck kind of 4-year-old would think like this?

Would a 4-year-old even know what amnesia is?

Besides, Fluvia Dellarose… Fluvia Dellarose…

Why does the name sound so familiar?

Other than the fact that it’s my name.

It feels like I’ve heard it in a way that was completely unconnected to myself.

Let me think.

I am Fluvia Dellarose, the daughter of Earl Ernest Dellarose and the Lady Estella Dellarose.

I have an older twin brother, Fedor Dellarose, and a daughter…

…

Daughter… ?

Waitwaitwait!

Back up a minute!

Daughter… daughter?

That’s right, I had a daughter.

We lived in a small apartment, in a country called Japan.

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Japan… no matter how I think about it, there is no way a country like that exists in this world.

Or like, one part of me can’t believe that a crazy place like Japan, with technology that subdued lightning and controlled lights to show things that you wanted to see, or communicate all the way around the world; a place with mystical technology like that, I can’t believe it exists.

The other part of me can’t believe that the world I’m living in, with magic and monsters and dragons and the death penalty liberally used, exists.

My brain is literally resisting the idea that Japan and this world could possibly coexist.

Conclusion: because I refuse to believe otherwise, this is a different world than the world Japan existed in, and I have been reincarnated as a girl named Fluvia Dellarose… aaaah!

“Mou! Why is she only in four scenes? I want to see more of her!”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Fluvia Dellarose, a sub-villain in YabuKoi!”

“…Haa. That otome game again? Are you making sure to do your homework?”

I suddenly remembered a conversation I often had with my daughter.

That’s right, Fluvia Dellarose was a character in a dating-sim that my daughter loved.

A beautiful but sickly girl who only showed up in four scenes, the first being simply passing the Heroine in the corridor, the second in a scene where one of the main rivals orders Fluvia to do some dirty work for her, the third where that rival tosses Fluvia away after revealing Fluvia’s backstory, and the last of which was Fluvia’s execution.

Even though I’ve never played it, I know it so well just from conversations with my daughter~.

Ah, mou, I thought I had raised my daughter well, how did she become an otaku?!

Hm? Playing an otome game or two won’t make her an otaku?

Of course I understand that, but that girl … [Kizuna o Yaburu Koi], or YabuKoi, was her favorite, not because of the hot guys, or good storyline, or great art, or anything that most girls her age playing otome games would be into.

No, YabuKoi is apparently famous for its plot holes and story elements that go no where.

That’s what my daughter excitedly talked about!

She would get online and look up all the plot holes and fan theories and other things I don’t really understand!

The more obscure a character was, the more popular, because they could make more and more theories!

Fluvia Dellarose, the most obscure character in the storylines which had the villainous Ryllia Piermont as the rivals, was my daughter’s favorite, and she constantly talked about her and the new fan theories that came up.

Even our last argument was about being allowed to purchase limited edition Fluvia Dellarose merchandise!

That’s right… our last … argument.

“Eh? Milady?! Are you hurting somewhere?! Doctor… Doctor!”

I feel sorry for the woman in the blue dress, but I don’t really want to talk to anyone so I didn’t stop her as she darted out of the room.

My daughter, my daughter…!

I left my daughter behind!

I remember now.

We went to bed angry, after saying things we didn’t mean, and I had woken up when the light had fallen from the ceiling in my room.

Our apartment was in flames.

Arson? Someone forgot to put out a cigarette? Faulty wiring?

I could only scream and cry and pound on the door as my hands burned.

I was completely trapped.

My daughter, my daughter, my daughter…!

Even though I was in pain and the smoke was suffocating, burning in my lungs, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t break through the door.

No no no no no no.

I, here, in this weird world, I left my daughter … behind?

Why couldn’t I break through the door?

If she died as well, why couldn’t I have been with her?

Wasn’t she terrified? Why couldn’t I make it to her side?

If she survived… why did I die? Why did I die?!

A fire like that, who will pay for her hospital bills?

Where will she live?

Who will take care of her now?!

Mother, mother… you hated me, but my daughter… someone, please, my daughter!!!

Why am I here?! WHY am I HERE?!

I vaguely remember screaming and crying as the woman came back, white-faced with terror, and tried to restrain me as I tried to get out of bed, but then I didn’t remember anything.

I had never fainted from sorrow in the previous life before, but given my body’s current, delicate condition, I suppose it wasn’t surprising that I did so now.