I Was Reincarnated as the Prince in a Villainess Story, so I’ll Use My Cheat Knowledge to Create a Noble Lady Harem and Make Them All Happy - 55

Chapter 55: The Silver Tiara and Mother’s Wish

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It was a quiet, white morning. Deep within the royal castle, plaques detailing the ceremony’s order were neatly displayed, and the corridors echoed with the sound of footsteps, rustling hems, and the faint clinking of pins fastening floral decorations. It was as though every sound was pushing the day forward. This special day would mark a new beginning.

Inside the waiting chamber, Valis, dressed in a pure white formal suit, couldn’t sit still. He stood up, sat down, adjusted his collar, brushed at his waist, took deep breaths, and let them out again and again.

“Groom, deep breaths~ Okay? Want me to count with you? One, two, three—♪”

Milia teased him with a cheerful voice, but there was warmth behind it—like a little spell meant to loosen the tension that filled the air.

“Your Highness, your boutonnière… It’s just slightly crooked. There, that’s better.”

Now it was Feril’s turn to quietly adjust him. Her careful, composed gestures made Valis lower his head in slight embarrassment as he thanked her. And then… His gaze stopped at the back of the room.

Reina stood there, draped in a pure white wedding gown. A soft smile shone through the translucent veil that caught the morning light. She looked like a queen out of a storybook—one who truly embodied the title “True Queen.”

“Valis. Today will be a long day, won’t it?”

Reina’s words loosened the air a little. But at the same time, some might have sensed there was a deeper meaning hidden behind them.

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Knock, knock.

A soft knock echoed through the waiting room. The door opened, and led by an attendant, a woman stepped inside. Her black hair was tied neatly back, and though her face held the grace of age, her demeanor radiated quiet strength and nobility.

“…Mother?”

The moment Valis murmured that word, the air in the room shifted. Milia’s cheerful expression tightened slightly, and Feril unconsciously held her breath.

Mina. Valis’s mother—and the current queen. But the way she carried herself, her vitality and calm presence, made “warrior and comrade of King Ars” feel far more fitting than the word “queen.” Mina stepped toward Reina and performed a graceful curtsey. Then, she gently unfolded the white cloth she carried in her hands. Revealed within was a silver tiara of exquisite craftsmanship—the crown passed down through generations of the royal family of Alveria, worn only by the queen. Yet Valis had never once seen his mother wear it.

“It was too heavy a crown for me. But at last… I can pass it on to the one truly worthy of it.”

Reina froze as she accepted the tiara from Mina’s hands. She stood motionless, almost dazed. And then…

“Reina-chan… No, Reina-sama. Please… Take care of my son, Valis.”

At that moment, tears began to fall silently from Reina’s eyes. They were so quiet, so soundless, that even she herself didn’t seem to realize she was crying.

“Hey, Reina, your makeup will smudge.”

“Nee-sama, I’ll fix it before the ceremony… It’s fine, really.”

Feril offered her a handkerchief, and Milia smiled softly. Valis felt his chest tighten painfully.

…I’ve never seen her cry like this before.

She was crying, yet her voice made no sound. Her eyelids didn’t even close, only clear drops traced down her cheeks. It was such a clumsy way of crying. Maybe it was because he had heard from his father, Ars, about Reina’s late mother, Laura—but something about her tears carried the same fragile strain. Watching her, a vow naturally formed in his heart. No matter what happened—no matter what awaited them—he would make her happy.

…Lady Laura, I swear to you. I’ll make your daughter happy. No matter what it takes.

He swore silently, in his heart, to Reina’s late mother.

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The doors opened once again, and the two slowly made their way to the hall. At the heart of the white-lit castle lay the chamber of vows, where Alveria’s nobles and knights had already gathered. The moment the couple appeared, a wave of cheers burst forth.

“Long live King Valis the Wise!”

Hearing the overeager young knights, Valis smiled wryly. But when Reina stepped into view—cheers far louder than before erupted across the hall.

“It’s Lady Reina, the War Goddess!”

“The Guardian who drove back the Demon God!”

Reina answered their voices with a calm smile. At this point, she had become a national symbol—her name rivaling, or perhaps even surpassing, that of King Ars the Warrior.

The ceremony began in solemn silence. At the castle’s center stood an enormous stone pillar, ancient since the kingdom’s founding. Its presence both literally and symbolically supported the realm. By laying their hands upon that pillar and swearing their vows, the king and queen would be formally recognized as those who “uphold the kingdom.” Reina reached out her hand. Valis followed, placing his hand beside hers. And then…

“…Ah. So, you choose this time, this place, after all… Mother.”

Her whisper was soft, but unmistakable. Valis looked at her in shock.

“Reina…?”

She smiled gently, yet her eyes seemed to be gazing somewhere far away.

“Valis. Do you remember the first day we spent together?”

“Eh…What’s with you, all of a sudden?”

In his confusion, memories flooded back—of their childhood, the day they visited the library tower together. A younger Reina, her golden hair shining, declaring with confidence.

“Valis. For today’s lesson, I’ll be the one asking questions.” 

“There’s a rumor that beneath Alveria lies a ruin from the age of the gods. Do you believe it?”

It was probably something she’d just learned and wanted to sound impressive about. But…

Yes. That memory existed in his “original story.” A ruined city, ancient magical structures left unstudied—later used as the enemy’s stronghold in the final arc of the tale. But…

…Why did I forget that? And that event—it wasn’t in the original story at all.

Valis’s mind reeled. He hadn’t just forgotten. He had remembered wrong. There was no such “ruined city” or “final enemy stronghold” in The Crown and the Cage of Purity by Feril (Yuko Sonomura). He had confirmed that with Feril herself.

Then why… Why did I think it was in the original story?

Even as confusion clouded his thoughts, Reina’s expression didn’t change. Though she had asked the question, she didn’t seem to expect or even want an answer. And then… The hand Reina had placed on the pillar began to turn black. Valis instinctively pulled her into his arms. The hall began to stir. This was not part of the ceremony.

“Wait—Reina, what are you doing?”

“Ah… Mother. Things will not go as you wish. I won’t let them. Valis… He belongs to me.”

Her whisper brushed his ear. The next instant, black wings spread from her back, tearing through the white of her gown. A chilling aura filled the hall, and screams echoed.

“W-What is this…?”

Valis’s voice trembled. But Reina spoke calmly.

“…Morrigan. I’m speaking with my mother right now. Be silent.”

At her command, the wings vanished, and the miasma began to fade. Just as Valis started to breathe again…

“Ah…Poor Mother. You will never surpass Mina-sama, the woman who bore Valis. Not in anything…”

The moment those words left her lips, a second pair of wings erupted from her back, and the miasma exploded outward, engulfing the entire chamber. Valis’s hand was flung aside as Reina’s body rose into the air.

“Ah… a-ah…”

His own voice sounded distant to him. What… What was this scene before his eyes? The blessed white wedding gown, now soaked in darkness, twisted into armor streaked with crimson like blood. In her hand appeared a massive black blade, far more sinister than the twin swords once wielded by the Demon God Biblos. From her back spread twin black wings, and above her head floated not a silver tiara but twisted horns radiating corruption.

Her aura far surpassed even Biblos at his strongest. Reina looked once toward Valis, now collapsed and motionless on the floor, and then placed her hand upon the pillar once more. In that instant, the castle quaked. A flash of light burst out and the pillar vanished. The symbol of Alveria was gone. And in its place remained only a gaping, endless darkness. Furthermore… Reina herself… She was no longer there.

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