The Villainess Who Was Dumped Got Married into My Family, a Mob Noble from the Frontier, and Turns Out, She's an Amazing Capable Wife? - Chapter 23: The Lunch Event! Eh, Who...?

Chapter 23: The Lunch Event! Eh, Who…?

“Hmm…”

In the afternoon, I found myself alone on the roof of a building, deep in thought. 

“This is a difficult issue…”

When I think about it calmly, it’s all about that story.

If the duel wasn’t with Mariana, then who did she fight? 

I couldn’t directly ask Alicia.

I didn’t want to dig up her trauma. 

I thought maybe someone who knew about the famous incident could tell me, but everyone avoided me, so that was impossible. 

Today was my first day of school life. 

As expected, Alicia and I were avoided by the other nobles. 

Well, that’s okay. 

Not being harmed and avoided is the most peaceful for both Alicia and me. 

The commotion Alicia caused is a fact, and being looked at with curiosity or disdain is inevitable. 

There’s no need to raise our voices about the treatment being strange.

If she accepts the situation and lives quietly, I’ll support her no matter what.

To hell or anywhere, I’ll be by her side. 

Let’s get back to the story. 

The Mariana I found in the classroom is the protagonist, but doesn’t seem like one. 

To verify the truth, I was following an event in my memory. 

The school lasts for three years, but the game depicts just one of those years. 

A rich year woven by a commoner protagonist and handsome nobles. 

The events with each target character finish early after enrollment, and advancing flags with the prince quickly leads to a broken engagement event.

It’s all about dodging the villainess’s interference with the help of the target characters and deepening bonds along the way. 

Looking back, starting with a broken engagement is quite a bold move for a game, isn’t it?

But maybe that’s necessary to avoid being labeled as just another cliché storyline.

“The protagonist is clearly setting up flags with the prince. The broken engagement event wouldn’t happen otherwise.” 

As I mutter this aloud, I sort through the information in my memory. 

In that case, the protagonist and the prince wouldn’t eat in the dining hall but under the shade of a tree in the courtyard. 

For commoners, the noble’s dining hall feels uncomfortable because people there criticize every bit of their dining etiquette. 

So, the protagonist starts bringing her lunch and eating alone in the courtyard, which becomes a routine when the prince joins her. 

If flags with other characters are advanced, they too start showing up uninvited. 

If all flags are pursued, it turns into quite a large group. 

After clearing the scene, you can see an illustration of everyone happily spending time together, titled “Lunch Harem 01.” 

Seems a bit too casual. 

Three months into the story, it’s almost certain that the lunch event is being pushed forward.

That’s why, from this vantage point, finding Edward Gran Aetherdam, the prince of this country and the top-ranked target character, makes it clear who’s in the protagonist role.

The prince is, indeed, what you’d call a classic route. Because he’s easy to get along with.

The beginning of the protagonist’s story with him traces back to before their academy days.

The prince developed a faint admiration for the protagonist when he discreetly visited the bustling town below the castle, where she introduced him to the life of the common people.

As time passed, their reunion at the academy felt like destiny, making the prince easily charmed. 

Whether it was the dungeon segment, the demon invasion, or the war with other countries, the prince’s basic abilities were so high that he could easily clear them. 

It’s as if the creators were saying, “First, go conquer this guy,” making him the tutorial prince.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting!”

“I just got here too, Your Highness.”

“Hahaha, it’s unbecoming of royalty to keep a lady waiting, right? Also, when we’re eating your lunch here, please call me Edward, not ‘Your Highness’. I want you to call me by my name, not my title.”

Here he comes, the handsome guy.

A blond handsome guy arrives in the courtyard, spouting such sweet nothings.

And the girl in front of Edward wasn’t Mariana.

“That’s too presumptuous of me…”

“Patricia, you used to call me Edward without any concern in the past.”

“That’s because I didn’t know you were royalty…”

“Please, Patricia. I just want to be Edward, not royalty, in front of you. Hearing you call my name gives me strength.”

“Then, then… Edward… it’s embarrassing.”

A pink atmosphere unfolds before them. 

The woman in front of Edward, though blonde with blue eyes, was unmistakably a different woman.

Who is she, who could she be?

No matter how much I searched my memory, there was no student named Patricia.

When I looked closely, using body enhancement, I noticed the roots of her hair were black. 

Clearly, it was dyed. 

Someone who wasn’t Mariana, an imposter, was taking the protagonist’s spot.

“Hey, Edward, don’t forget we’re here too, okay?”

“That’s right. You can’t just sneak away by yourself.”

“Your Highness, lunch tastes better when we all eat together, doesn’t it?”

“To think this courtyard has become our dining hall, Patricia really knows how to capture our stomachs.”

“But it’s delicious. Eating Patricia’s homemade lunch here with everyone is several times better than eating in the dining hall or dorm. It’s strange.”

“Looks fun, doesn’t it? Can I join in too, fufu?”

“Ahaha, everyone’s here. Don’t worry, I always make extra thinking you’d say that, so let’s all eat together?”

“Really, you guys… Patricia must have a hard time because of you all. Can’t you be a bit more self-aware?”

“It’s fine, Edward, I’m totally okay.” 

“Patricia, you’re such a natural… Well, that’s what makes you wonderful…”

I-It’s Harem 01!

Sitting in the protagonist’s position and forming a Harem 01. 

At that moment, I was certain. 

This Patricia, posing as Mariana, must be someone similar to me.

But then again, if one had a normal sensibility, they wouldn’t create a harem, right?