Chapter 11 - I discovered the truth (2/2)

“……Prince Alan’s fiancee?”

“It hasn’t been decided officially yet, but it should be soon. Marquis Hunt’s family is quite high status and wealthy, and she is the same age as Prince Alan and a good match for him…… Hey, nee-san, where are you going?!”

In the middle of Keith’s explanation, I had already run inside to my room.

Prince Alan, or Alan Stuart, was one of the heroine’s capture targets. I had to review my “Previous life’s game memories” notes as quickly as possible.

I immediately opened up to the section on Prince Alan as soon as I returned to my room.

Alan Stuart. Jared’s younger twin brother, the fourth prince of the country. Until he was five, he was quite sickly, and almost died. Because of that, he was raised over protectively, and became a rather spoiled prince. However, compared to his older twin that can do anything, he’s a bit perverted. He always had a strong sense of rivalry and inferiority towards his older twin, and barely interacted with him at all.

Such an Alan attended school with his twin, viewing his brother as a rival to defeat, and strove to train in magic. During this time, for the results of the first academic tests, Alan was ranked third. In first place was his brother Jared, and second place was the heroine. Not only did he not beat his brother, but since he also lost to a commoner girl, he got involved with her by viewing her as a rival to beat.

Then, while getting himself involved with the bright, optimistic heroine, he fell in love. And, the heroine told him that “it’s fine for Alan to just be Alan,” his strong sense of inferiority gradually faded, and he even began interacting with his brother Jared normally.

By the way, the villainess Katarina Claes does not appear on Alan’s route. She slightly teased the commoner heroine for her good grades, but it was nothing obnoxious like the Jared or Keith routes. There was a different rival that appeared instead. That would be, Prince Alan’s fiancee, Marquis Hunt’s daughter, Mary Hunt.

Mary, who loved Prince Alan from the bottom of her heart, was jealous of the heroine, but…… she didn’t stoop to the level of Katarina’s harassment.

Mary was an obstacle to the heroine in the form of a wonderful lady. Showing the difference between her and a commoner in areas such as etiquette and dance, she was a dignified rival to the heroine.

In contrast to Prince Jared’s utter lack of feelings towards Katarina, although Prince Alan didn’t hold romantic feelings towards Mary, he treated Mary very well and thought of her as a cute sister.

The game’s ending was also completely different from the Katarina endings.

If the heroine captures Alan successfully, and gets the happy end -

Mary will give up Alan over to the heroine, and congratulate them while asking the heroine to “always support Prince Alan from now on.” However, it was a saddening scene where there were tears in her eyes as she said so.

And, if the heroine fails to capture Alan, and gets the bad end -

Alan gets married with Mary as originally promised, and all is well that ends well.

I thought as hard as I could with this information in front of me.

Why is it only to Katarina!! Even though she is also a rival character, Mary doesn’t have any destruction flags! To begin with, Mary is such a wonderful character! Why is it only Katarina that’s such a terrible villain!

What could the production staff possibly be thinking! Why, is it only Katarina that’s this pathetic! The setting is too pitiful! You guys should have went over Katarina Claes again, and given her a chance to redeem herself!

And somehow Alan, is lucky enough to become happy in both the happy and bad ends! Even though Jared and Keith have to disappear as criminals for killing Katarina in their bad ends! It’s preposterous! I can’t forgive the production staff! If I can return to my previous life again, I’m definitely going to go to this otome game company and make a complaint!!

……And, after releasing my hot-blooded passion, I looked at the notes again.

There’s no mistake about it, “Mary Hunt” definitely seems to be my kind, cute friend. Because the game’s Mary was such a perfect lady, it was hard to connect her to the Mary that is so timid now.

To begin with, there was no friendship between Katarina and Mary in the game, I think. Rather, Mary didn’t seem to think highly of Katarina’s style of getting her own way in everything by abusing her father’s authority.

No way, even though Mary is also a rival character like me.

However, Mary doesn’t even know how to write Alan’s name currently. It seems that the engagement hasn’t been decided yet, and they probably haven’t even met.

If I recall correctly, the heroine heard about their first meeting during the confrontation with Mary in Alan’s route.

In her childhood, Mary often clashed with her sisters from a different mother, and grew up hearing mean comments from her sisters every day, losing her self-confidence completely and thinking herself a useless person. In front of such a Mary, appeared Prince Alan, who praised Mary for her garden that she raised.

“Mary’s amazing. You have a green thumb!”

It is said that having a green thumb means your hands have a special talent for growing plants. And then, the prince told Mary that she was an amazing, special existence for having a green thumb.

Mary regained some of her lost self-confidence from hearing Prince Alan’s words. And then, before she realized, she had come to love Prince Alan more than anyone else.

After that, Mary worked hard every day to become a worthy enough person to stand next to Prince Alan, and became a splendid lady admired by everyone by the time she entered school.

Such a big difference from Katarina, who neglected her magic studies, only chasing after Prince Jared instead. Mary is really great.

You and your green thumb are an amazing, special existence, eh… Prince Alan also said such wonderful words.

……Green thumb…… Oh, that’s it! This is why I know about what a green thumb is. Ohh, it’s refreshing to have finally remembered.

So that was it, it’s something that Prince Alan said to Mary…… that you and your green thumb are an amazing, special existence……

Huh? I, I just said this a little while ago to Mary……

……Oh no!? I, ended up stealing Prince Alan’s words!? I couldn’t have used the Prince’s famous pick-up lines before he did!! What should I do, at this rate Prince Alan will tell her rehashed lines instead. Even though they’re great lines, it’ll only have half the power the second time around.

Ahh, I’m such an idiot, if only I had noticed quicker…… I reflected in remorse alone in my room for a while……

Well, I can’t take back what I’ve already said. I felt defiant about it. And, because Prince Alan is a wonderful prince in an otome game, he’ll be fine even if I steal one of his lines. I’m sure, he’ll think of something even more fabulous in order to make Mary enamored with him! It’s nothing much if I just take one line! Not a big deal!

After coming to a conclusion, and sorting out my feelings, I went back to find Keith, who I had left behind.

★★★★★★★★★★★

My name is Mary Hunt. I’m the youngest of four daughters in Marquis Hunt’s family.

Although my mother was a very beautiful person, she wasn’t highly thought of in the mansion because her social status was low.

Even so, father and mother were very much in love. However, my three older sisters didn’t seem to think very highly of me……

However, when mother passed away - the environment around me changed completely. Since father was often out working, without mother anymore I had no more place in this mansion.

Originally, since the servants were not very accepting of mother as she was low in social status, they would also not treat her daughter very well either.

And, my three older sisters began to harass me once my mother’s protection was lost.

They would hide my things, or break them, or call me all sorts of names.

“Dirty redhead,” “filled with low status,” “low class.” Hearing this abuse and harassment every day, my heart became quite weak, and I became afraid to come into contact with people, and was always frightened. And, I was thinking that I’m just such a helpless child.

My only escape was the courtyard garden. The only peace I got was when I was taking care of the plants there.

Then, one day, I met her at a tea party that was hosted by the Hunt family. While I was only frightened, the other girl identified herself as Katarina Claes.

Katarina returned a magnificent greeting to me in our first meeting, it was like we were from completely different worlds.

Since I’m a wimp that’s afraid of people, I ran from the tea party while it was still going on. And, just like usual, I escaped to the courtyard garden.

There, the issue of Katarina Claes appeared.

Katarina, who ran up to the garden suddenly, praised the plants that I had been taking care of. Since nobody had praised me like this since mother died, I had completely forgotten what it was like.

Then, Katarina asked me to look at the field she made herself, because it was in bad shape. Honestly, I’m shocked that a duke’s daughter would make a field by herself, but the way Katarina talked about her field passionately with a twinkle in her eyes was actually pretty cute.

Then, I agreed to go visit the Claes family, and help with the matter of the field. I studied desperately about vegetables because I wanted to help Katarina even just a little.

Katarina was always so grand, bright, and optimistic, she was really amazing. And, each time I got praised by Katarina I regained some of my lost self-confidence.

“Mary, you have a green thumb! It means your hands have a special talent for growing plants! Yep, you and your green thumb are an amazing, special existence!”

I had thought that I was only a good-for-nothing cowardly wimp. However, Katarina was telling me that I was a special existence. And that I was amazing. I was really, really happy.

I want to become someone worthy of standing next to Katarina as a friend.

That’s why, I shall say goodbye to the cowardly wimp Mary Hunt. Definitely so, in order to one day stand proudly next to Katarina.