The Reincarnated Villainous Noble Still Won't Try His Best!

Chapter 29 : A Big Mistake!

“…Nnn?”

Flora slowly opened her eyes.

After returning to her room, she had somehow fallen onto her bed and drifted into sleep.

“I had… a nostalgic dream.”

She could vividly recall the dream’s contents.

It was a memory from her childhood… A memory of the happiest moment in her life.

Why was she remembering it now?

Somewhere deep inside, Flora had an idea of the reason.

『More importantly, what matters is how you feel about Marius-sama. As his fiancée, I cannot overlook this issue.』

The words of Princess Lilia echoed in her mind.

“How do I feel about Marius-kun…?”

At that moment, Flora had told the princess that she had no intention of stealing Marius from her.

But that was not an answer to the real question.

She had unconsciously avoided saying aloud the true feelings hidden in the depths of her heart.

And now that she was recalling their conversation — she realized it.

“I… Could it be that I’ve liked Marius-kun all this time? That kind and gentle boy who made me a flower crown… Did I fall in love with him?”

She questioned herself.

Of course, there was no reply.

But even without one, the answer was already clear.

Flora’s face turned red instantly.

“I see… So that’s why Princess Lilia said those things…”

『You didn’t notice it yourself? You were looking at Marius-sama with flushed cheeks, as if you found him absolutely adorable.』

“……”

Recalling it made her face heat up even more.

She wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.

And yet, now that she had realized it, her heart overflowed with love for Marius.

So this is what happiness feels like, Flora thought.

But at the same time, she felt sadness.

The fact that Marius was already engaged to Princess Lilia made her chest ache.

“They… really do suit each other, don’t they…?”

The two of them seemed to have a relationship where they could speak openly and honestly with one another.

That was something that didn’t apply to Flora and Marius, who were merely cousins.

Though recent events had brought them closer, could they ever truly be so open with each other?

Flora hesitated.

Then, shaking her head, she muttered,

“No… No, I can’t think that way. Thinking that I could accept Marius-kun as he is… Thinking that he would accept me as I am… He’s the fiancée of a princess. A mere count’s daughter like me has no place—”

No, that wasn’t entirely true.

The House of Santa Maria was still a noble family of considerable standing.

Besides, even though Marius was the princess’s fiancé, he was still the son of the most prominent noble family. It wouldn’t be unusual for him to have multiple wives besides his primary one.

If she could become even just one of his wives, she could love him and be loved by him.

“Would… would that be so bad? If it’s just that much, surely Princess Lilia would permit it… right?”

Though the princess had seemed quite possessive earlier, as a member of the royal family, she ought to be able to accept such an arrangement… or so Flora reasoned.

In noble society, it was common for wealthy and influential nobles to take multiple wives.

In fact, the royal family even encouraged it to preserve superior bloodlines.

So surely, becoming Marius’s second wife wouldn’t be out of the question.

After all, even the royal family members itself had multiple spouses.

Gradually, Flora’s thoughts became more optimistic.

Her feelings for Marius were growing too strong to be contained.

“—Wait, but… what if Marius-kun doesn’t like me that way? He’s always seen me as nothing more than a big sister, and now that we’re older, he might only think of me as his cousin…”

Once she started thinking about unpleasant possibilities, her mind spiraled into negativity.

Holding her head in her hands, Flora was overwhelmed with despair.

She felt as though she could break into tears at any moment.

“…What should I do?! If he rejects my confession, I won’t be able to handle it! I need… I need to do something that will catch Marius-kun’s attention…”

Flora thought.

She desperately thought of a viable solution.

For someone who had never been interested in romance before, this was her first love.

She needed a way to make her feelings known.

And more importantly, she needed a way to make him see her as a woman.

After much thought, she came to a conclusion.

“That’s right… Someone once told me — If you sneak into a gentleman’s bedroom and show him your body, he’ll fall for you instantly…”

Her emotions were so intense that her first love was fueling her in completely the wrong direction.

Fortunately, Flora’s figure was the ideal of male desire.

She had curves where they mattered, and a slender waist that increased her charm.

Compared to Lilia, who was rather plain and slightly flat-chested, she had a decent chance of success—or so she unconsciously thought as she glanced at her own body.

Though the thought made her blush, her desire to captivate Marius overpowered her embarrassment, leading her down a dangerous path.

“Al-alright! I’ll do it! Tonight, I’ll put my plan into action!”

With a determined resolution, she pumped herself up—

And immediately began preparing her lingerie.

◇◇◇◇◇◇

“—Huh!? Th-there it is again… That ominous chill…”

“What’s the matter, Marius-sama?”

“I don’t know… I just suddenly felt a shiver run down my spine.”

“But today’s rather warm… Could it be a cold?”

“I don’t think so. This… This might be a sign that something bad is about to happen.”

“Well, please be careful. If anything happens, let me know — I’ll do everything I can to support you.”

“Thanks, Lilia.”