思えば、幼い頃からよく変な夢を見た。
名前も分からない自分になり、消毒液の匂いがする白い部屋で、仕組みが不可解な機械を持って、一人きりで遊んでいる夢だ。
夢なので詳細は思い出せない。自分の名前ですら曖昧だ。なのに。
『またアンタはゲームばっかりやって――』
瞳の奥で白昼夢がものすごい勢いで再生された。ぐらりと体が傾き、両手と両膝を冷たく固い床に突く。
忘れ物のありかを突然、全部思い出したような感覚だ。津波のような情報量に襲われて、頭ががんがんする。
やがて焦点があった視界が、大理石の床を映し出した。磨き上げられたそこには、自分の姿が映っている――はず、だ。
(......この顔......ゲームで見たような......え、ゲーム?)
金髪の青年だ。唇を歪めて、膝を突いている自分を上から見下ろしている。
「そうして跪いて悲しんでみせ、同情をひこうとしても無駄だ。君以外、ここにいる全員が分かっている。俺の婚約者であるのをいいことに、散々横暴に振る舞った君に、同情の余地などない、とね」
「――セドリック、様? あなた、本当にセドリック様?」
か細くなった震え声に、金髪の青年は皮肉っぽく応じた。
「らしくないと言いたいんだろう? でも俺の素はこっちだ。君は何年も婚約者をしていて、そんなこと一つ見抜けなかった」
ずきりとした胸の痛みが、現実感を取り戻させる。
そうだ、ここは現実だ。そして、目の前の人物は、自国の皇太子・セドリック・ジャンヌ・エルメイア。幼い頃からの知り合いで、自分の婚約者――そして、大好きだったゲームの攻略キャラだ。
(え、何それ)
自分の記憶にうろたえて、周囲を見渡す。だが冷たい視線が突き刺さるだけだった。
今宵は、自分が通う学園が冬学期の終了を祝う自由参加の夜会だ。既に教師達は出払っており、いるのは学友達ばかり。なのに誰も彼もが冷たく自分を遠巻きに見ていた。
唯一、労るような目を向けているのは、セドリックにそっと寄り添う女性――名前はリリアという。
柔らかそうな栗色の髪、ふっくらとした頬に甘そうな唇。大きな瞳は今、自分を案じている。
さすがヒロインだと見上げる格好で観察して、はたと気づいた。
なら、自分は。
「アイリーン・ローレン・ドートリシュ。俺は君との婚約を破棄させてもらう」
「――お待ち下さい、それって!」
自分の名前だ。そして、ゲームでの悪役令嬢の名前だ。
(まってまってまって! そう、セドリック様はわたくしの婚約者で......なら私は)
どこか他人事のように見えていた今の状況に対して一気に思考が巡り出す。焦るアイリーンを、セドリックは嘲笑った。
「俺はもう、自分に正直にリリアと生きていくことにした」
「......アイリーン様、ごめんなさい」
ごめんなさいってなんだ。
その喉の奥からせり上げた激情は、正しくアイリーンのものだった。
再度視界が霞んだが、唇を噛んで気を確かにもとうとした。もう一度、自分の姿を見てみる。
幾重にもレースを重ねた豪奢なドレス姿で、へたり込んでいる。公爵令嬢にあるまじきはしたない格好だ。だが、誰も手を差し伸べてくれはしない。
だってこれは、悪役令嬢の婚約破棄イベントだから。
「僕に愛されているという君の勘違いにはもう、うんざりだ」
ならどうして、君のことは分かってるなんて微笑んだの。
その惨めな言葉は飲みこむ。それは鉛を飲むような重さだったけれど、飲みこむと不思議と心が穏やかになった。
(......なんていうか、記憶が戻るにはタイミングがひどいと思うけれど......でも、少しだけ冷静になれたわ)
――要はいいように使われたのだ自分は、と判断できるくらいには。
「何か申し開きがあるなら聞いてやらないでもないぞ」
もしこれが何も知らないまま起こった出来事であったなら、徹底的に戦っただろう。戦う相手を間違えたまま。
そう考えると、余裕が出てきた。薄く微笑み、顔を上げる。
「いいえ、セドリック様。――最初から素直に仰ってくだされば、なにもこんなに大仰な舞台を作って大事にせずともよろしかったのに、とは思いますけれども」
冷めた目で周囲を見渡すと、意味が分かったのかさっと目をそらす者がいた。だがセドリックは鼻で笑い返す。
「俺とリリアの決意表明だ」
「ここでなく公の場なら、ドートリシュ公爵家と皇帝からお叱りを受けてしまう――という脅えからではなく?」
「そんなわけないだろう。君の罪は皆の前で裁かれるべきだと思っただけだ」
「罪? ――つっ」
首をめぐらせ、アイリーンは相手を見据える。
「乱暴にしないでくださる。レディに対してなってないのではなくて」
「何がレディだ。いい加減にしろ、アイリーン。君の所業はもう誤魔化しようがない」
そう言って目の前に書類の束を突き出したのは、幼馴染みのマークス・カウエルだった。未来の騎士団長と目される彼はすらりとした体躯を持つ、寡黙な人だ。正義感が強く、不正を許さない。その威圧感のある眼差しが、アイリーンを罪人のように睥睨する。
「......自分で立てますわ。放して下さる?」
冷めた目でマークスを見返したアイリーンは、自力で立ち上がり、腕を取り返した。差し出された書類を、ぱらぱらとめくる。いわゆる告発状だ。いつの間に集めたのか。
リリアは身分が低いから『先に挨拶するな』といじめられていた。学園祭の劇の演目をアイリーンのわがままで変更させられて、台詞を覚え直したリリアが可哀想だった。言うことに従わなければ、官僚の両親を降格させると脅された――云々、何枚も続く。
すべて匿名で、署名はもちろんない。呆れてばさりと後ろ向きに全部放り投げてやった。
「馬鹿馬鹿しい、これが証拠ですって?」
ひらひらと大量の紙が舞う中で、優雅に笑う。
「マークス。教えて差し上げるわ。『誰々がそう言っている』というのは証拠ではなく、ただの噂、あるいは中傷というのよ」
「ッこれだけ大勢に告発されながらまだ言い張るのか! ドートリシュ公爵家令嬢であれば誤魔化せると思うな!」
「ドートリシュ公爵令嬢が本気で誤魔化そうとして、証拠なんて残るとお思い? しかもこんな幼稚なこと。この学園の学生はいつから幼児になったのかしら」
そう言って天鵞絨の絨毯に落ちた一枚を、靴の先で踏みにじった。そしてにこりと笑う。
「どうしても目を通して欲しいなら、もう一度署名つきで集めて下さる? そうしたらきちんと覚えるわ――一人一人、お名前をね。まさか匿名でなければわたくしみたいな小娘一人糾弾できないなんて、情けないことは仰らないでしょう?」
アイリーンの物言いに、マークスが苛立ちと一緒に吐き捨てる。
「それだけ口が回るのに、謝るという選択肢はないのか」
「謝る? ええ、なら謝りましょうか。リリア様。庶民育ちのあなたに、『身分の高い者から声をかけられなければ話しかけてはいけない』という貴族のルールを押しつけようとして申し訳なかったわ。学園祭の劇の演目も、長すぎて台詞を覚えるのが大変だろうと気を回して変えてしまって、ごめんなさい?」
「アイリーン! リリアを侮辱するのはやめないか」
侮辱されているのはこちらだ。
こんな大勢の人間の前で、皇太子本人から婚約破棄を言い渡される。お前はみんなに嫌われているんだぞという、幼稚な告発状まで集めて――アイリーンを皆で笑い者にしようという意図がなければ、こんな展開にはならない。
だが、顔を真っ赤にして怒るセドリックも拳を握って震えているマークスも、瞳を潤ませているリリアしか目に入っていないのだろう。よくよく見ると、周囲の前面に陣取っている学生達は、攻略キャラやその取り巻きだ。
この夜会は自由参加だ。わざわざ申し合わせて出席したのだろう。そして教師が席をはずした瞬間を狙って、仕掛けてきた。
(なんて小ずるい。――いえ、でもしてやられたのはわたくしね)
これ以上ここにいても、むなしいだけだ。むなしさを吐き出し、新しい息を吸った。
「おしゃべりがすぎましたわ。ではそろそろ失礼致します。皆様がお望みだっただろう、泣いてみっともなくすがるわたくしをお見せできなかったことだけが、心苦しいですわ」
最後まで泣くな。いっそ笑え。してやったなどという優越感など欠片も与えるな。
だから、幕を引くのは自分でなければならない。
「では、ごきげんよう皆様。セドリック様――お慕いしておりました」
セドリックが虚を突かれたような顔をした。
だが全てを過去にしたアイリーンは完璧な作法でドレスの裾を持ち上げ、礼をする。そして優雅に踵を返し、シャンデリアの輝きを背に退場した。
泣くまいと歯を食いしばっているからか、ずきずきとこめかみが痛む。それでもひたすら考え続けた。
これから確か自分は『顔も見たくない』というセドリックの一存で、貴族子女が通う学園から無理矢理退学させられる。ゲームの終了は確か学園の卒業式だ。まだ三ヶ月ほどある。
だがその間にもいくつかイベントがあったはずだ。まだ記憶が混乱しているのか曖昧な部分が多いが、確かアイリーンはこれから公爵家から勘当を言い渡され下町に放り出されたり、自滅の道を歩んでいく。
(そうよ。ここが本当にあのゲームの世界なら、泣いてる場合じゃない)
――そうして皆が学園を卒業するだろう三ヶ月後、いわゆるエンディングの時、悪役令嬢のアイリーンは死んでいる。
「冗談じゃないわ」
泣いてなどやらない。諦めもしない。あんな連中の幸福のために、死んでなどやらない。
考えろ。思い出せ。記憶があるからこそ何かできることを――そこまで考えてはっと瞠目した。
「......敵の敵は味方、って言うものね?」
くすりと赤い口紅を引いた唇だけで笑う。
その微笑は悪役令嬢そのものだっただろうが、涙はこぼさずにすんだ。
Thinking back, ever since I was little, I always had a strange dream.
It was a dream about me becoming someone who's name I don't know, alone, playing with an unknown machine with an unknown mechanism in a room filled with a smell of disinfectant.
Because it was only a dream, I could barely remember the details. Even the details such as my name were fuzzy. Nevertheless.
{You're always playing games----} 
The dream was regenerated with tremendous amount of momentum at the back of my eyes. My body fell forward until both of my hands and knees were touching the cold hard floor.
I suddenly had a feeling that I'll be able to remember all the things that I've forgotten. A tremendous amount of information came flooding inside my head like a tsunami causes my head to throb.
Eventually, my vision cleared up, and I was able to see what was currently reflected on the floor. A reflection of a figure was reflected by the polished floor----it was supposedly me.
(......This face......looks similar to the game's......eh? Game?)
It was a blond-haired young man. He was looking down on me, who was down on my knees, with a sneer on his face.
[There's no use trying to be dramatic and act pitiful to ask for compa.s.sion. Everyone here knows who you are. There's no sympathy to spare for someone like you who've been acting like a tyrant by using your position as my fiancee.] 
[----Cedric, sama? Are you really Cedric-sama?] 
The blond-haired young man responded ironically in a thinly veiled trembling voice.
[Are you going to say that this isn't like me? But this is the real me. We've been engaged for years and yet, you can't see right through me] 
The sudden mysterious pain in my chest forcefully brought me back to reality.
That's right, this is the reality. And, the person in front of me is the Crown Prince of this country, Cedric Jeanne Elmeier. My childhood friend and betrothed----as well as, a capture target character in my favorite game.
(Eh, what's that)
I looked around me while feeling irritated with my fragmented memories. But, only to be greeted with cold stares by the people around me.
Tonight, I attended an evening party held by the academy to celebrate the ending of the winter term. The teachers were all gone, and all that's left were fellow academy students. And yet, in this supposedly fun party, everyone only looked at me coldly from a distance.
The only person who looked at me in sympathy was a woman who's currently nestling close to Cedric----her name is Lilia.
She has a soft looking chestnut hair, with plump cheeks and sweet looking lips. Her big eyes are currently, fixed at my contemplating form.
She is indeed the heroine is what I think while I was observing her from down below, and then I realized.
Then, what about me?
[Irene Loren D'Authrice. I will annul my engagement with you] 
[----Please wait a moment, that's!] 
My own name. As well as, the name of the villainous daughter in the game.
(Waitwaitwait! I see, Cedric-sama is my fiance......then I am)
I feel like I'm currently seeing someone else's affair as memories of this situation came bombarding me at once.
[I no longer want to lie to myself anymore, and honestly decided that I want to live the rest of my life with Lilia] 
[......Irene-sama, forgive me] 
What on earth is she apologizing for?
The pa.s.sionate words that almost came out of my mouth are the words that "Irene" would say.
I feel like my gaze was becoming hazy once again, but I forcefully bit my lips to wake myself up. Once again, I tried to look at myself properly.
Dressed in a luxurious dress filled with complicated laces, surrounded by people. It was not a rare sight for a duke's daughter. But, no one's reaching out a helping hand.
Because this is the villainous daughter's engagement annulment event after all.
[I've had enough of you who've mistakenly thought that I've been in love with you.] 
Then why are you smiling like you think you know me?
I swallowed those miserable words back. It felt like swallowing a lead but because of it, my mind gradually became calm.
(......How should I say this, although the memories came at the worst time......at least, I calmed down a little.
----I can at least use those points to make a good judgment about this situation.
[I can't ask for something better than this, can I?] 
If this were to happen without me knowing anything, I would've fought tooth and nails for my cause. Perpetually making enemies out of a wrong person.
Upon thinking about that, I outwardly composed myself. Raising my head with a thin smile on my face.
[No, Cedric-sama. ----I thought, if only you honestly told me from the very beginning, then you wouldn't need to prepare such a grand stage for something like this] 
While I was looking around with a cold look on my face, those who catch my meaning immediately looked away. But Cedric on the other hand, let out a snort.
[This is me and Lilia's declaration of determination] 
[In other words, you're doing this here instead of in public because you're afraid of getting scolded by the D'Authrice Ducal Family and His Majesty himself----aren't you?] 
[Of course that's not true. I only thought that you should be judged for your crimes in front of everyone else's here] 
[Crimes?----what?] 
I turned my head around to ascertain "Irene"'s opponent.
[Can you be more gentle? Is that how a gentleman treated a lady these days?] 
[What lady? Stop with your nonsense, Irene. Your bad deeds can no longer be hidden] 
While he was saying that, someone thrust out a doc.u.ment in front of me, that person was a childhood friend of mine, Max Cowell. He was seen as the future Knights' Leader, a silent type of person with a slender body. He was someone with a strong sense of justice and abhors injustice. The owner of that pair of intimidating eyes is currently looking at Irene like he was looking at a criminal.
[......I can stand up on my own. Can you let go of my arm now?] 
Irene, after recovering back her arm from the rough grasp, stood up on her own while looking back at Max with the same amount of intensity. She looked over the presented doc.u.ment. It was the compilation of the so-called accusation letters. Since when did they collect this, she wonders.
Lilia was being bullied because for someone who's low in status {she didn't greet Irene first} . When Irene selfishly changed the play's script at the school festival, poor Lilia had performed poorly as she was unable to memorize her line in time. If Lilia does not obey what Irene said, Lilia was faced by the threat of demoting her n.o.ble parents----and this type of almost similar accusation continued for many more pages.
All of them were anonymous, and of course, without a name. I was so amazed by the stupidity of its content, I threw them all behind me.
[This is ridiculous, is this the so-called proof?] 
I laughed gracefully while a large amount of papers fluttering down behind me.
[Max. Listen to me carefully. The thing with{Everyone said so} is that, it's not a solid evidence. It's just a rumor or to a certain extent, a slander] 
[After all this, you still insist that you're being accused by many! Don't think just because you're the D'Austriche Ducal family daughter, you can get away with everything!] 
[Do you think you can still hold on to that piece of evidence, if I were, the D'Austriche Ducal family daughter, really want to get away with crimes? Moreover, over something that is so childish. Since when do the students of this academy become infants] 
While saying that, I stomped on a piece of paper that had fallen down on the velvety carpet with my shoes. And then my lips formed into a smirk.
[If you really want me to look through that garbage, how about you collect that once again? but with signatures this time. And then, I'll make sure to remember them carefully one by one----all the names that are on the doc.u.ment that is. Don't say that you want to do something as pathetic as condemning one little girl like me over an anonymous piece of evidence?] 
Max clucked his tongue in frustration over Irene arguments.
[If you can run your mouth up to that point, can't you at least let out an apology?] 
[Apology? Eh, shall I apologize then. Lilisama. I apologize for teaching you, who's been raised as a commoner, the rule of the n.o.ble society like{don't talk to a person of a higher status than you unless they talk to you first} . Also about the play during the school festival, I'm sorry for thinking that memorizing such long script must be hard on you and thus, ended up changing it at the last minute for your convenience] 
[Irene! Will you stop insulting Lilia?] 
I'm the one who's being insulted here.
In front of these large number of people, the Crown Princess herself was sentenced to an engagement annulment. If you didn't have an intention to make everyone laughed at "Irene", and making a pathetic attempt to make "Irene" being hated by everyone by collecting those letters of accusation---- this kind of development will not happen.
But, Cedric whose face had turned red due to anger and Max whose fist was trembling, only had their eyes on Lilia who currently had unshed tears in her eyes. Looking carefully, the students in our immediate vicinity were all capture target characters.
Everyone could partic.i.p.ate in this evening party. Then, I bet they're in cahoot in this. And then they've planned to catch me the moment when the teachers were all gone.
(How crafty. ----no, but the one who's been done is me, I guess)
Even if I stayed here, all that's left is nothing. I let out all that emptiness and breathe in something new.
[I think I've said too much. Then, it's about time I excuse myself. Though it saddens me greatly that I am unable to show you my crying and begging form, as what you would've all desired] 
Don't cry until it's over. Keep smiling. Don't give them any sense of superiority over their action.
That's why, the one who has to have the last laugh, must be me.
[Well then, farewell everyone. Cedric-sama----I really did was looking forward to meeting you, tonight] 
At that, Cedric made some sort of foolish looking face.
But Irene as per usual lifted up the hem of her dress in a perfect manner and gracefully saw herself out.
Maybe because I clenched my teeth too hard to prevent myself from crying, my head kinda throbbed a little.
From now on, if I'm not mistaken, I'll be forcibly expelled from the aristocratic school that I attended under Cedric reason of {not wanting to see her face} .
But, there should be several other events going to happen in between that. There were still huge chunks of my memories that were still hazy but if I'm not mistaken, Irene will be stripped of her t.i.tle as a duke's daughter and continue down the path of destruction.
(That's right. If this really is that game's world, then I don't have the time to cry)
----Because in 3 months time, at the so-called ending, after everyone graduated from the academy, the villainous daughter Irene would be dead.
[Are you kidding me] 
I will not cry. I will not give up either. I will not die for the sake of those people's happiness.
Think. Remember. Because I have these memories, I can still do something----Although I say that, I still don't know what to do.
[......well, the enemy of your enemy's your friend, isn't it?] 
The lips adorned with a red lipstick pulled into a smile.
It was a smile befitting of a villainous daughter, but it kept her tears from falling.
Villainous Daughter Aims for the Last Boss
悪役令嬢なのでラスボスを飼ってみました
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/villainous-daughter-aims-for-the-last-boss/
Drama Fantasy Romance School Life Shoujo
Adapted to Anime Adapted to Manga Aristocracy Beautiful Female Lead Bloodlines Broken Engagement Business Management Businessmen Calm Protagonist Demon Lord Demons Female Protagonist Handsome Male Lead Hated Protagonist Kuudere Multiple Reincarnated Individuals Nobles Otome Game Politics Reincarnated in a Game World Royalty Saints Sword And Magic Villainess Noble Girls
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2766dz/
永瀬さらさ