Chapter 1 The Disheartened Villainess
"Hehehe, congratulations! By being rejected by Sir Werner, you've avoided the doom flag, my lady!"
"H-Huh?"
Caught off guard by the sudden remark, Rhiannon Mimi Clahsen was left speechless.
The speaker was the butler, who had been oddly quiet until now, and to Rhiannon, he was like air.
So when this man suddenly started laughing and saying something nonsensical, it was only natural for Rhiannon to panic.
As the only daughter of the Clahsen family, she had been spoiled for 15 years, and she was terrible at handling unexpected events.
(Wh-What is this butler saying...? I don't get it...)
Rhiannon was clearly taken aback.
The butler, on the other hand, seemed satisfied as he sighed, basking in Rhiannon's cold glare.
"Ah, I love that cold stare. It's just delightful!"
"That's so creepy!"
She shot back immediately.
The insult came out in a split second, and the butler's smile only widened.
He didn't seem to be affected at all.
On the contrary, he looked even more pleased.
Rhiannon was left flabbergasted, her mouth opening and closing in confusion.
It was completely incomprehensible.
It was only natural, after all.
The butler, who had been so well-behaved until now, suddenly declared that she had "avoided the doom flag," and when she instinctively insulted him, he smiled as if it made him happy.
Rhiannon was starting to get angry at this ridiculous situation.
(Why do I have to hear this from the guy who messed up my engagement in the first place!?)
* * *
So how did Rhiannon end up in this situation?
The story begins 3 days ago.
The white castle of the Count Clahsen family, perched on a hill in the Ariassel Plains, was unusually lively.
Rhiannon, the only daughter of the Clahsen family, had finally received a marriage proposal.
Her suitor was Werner Gerhardt, the third prince of the Tortone Kingdom.
Although he had a bit of a short temper, he was a 16-year-old prince with a dazzling beauty that captivated many young ladies.
Rhiannon, being 15, was just a year younger than him.
Since the years are close, and if Rhiannon keeps quiet, she fits the category of a beautiful girl.
Among the nobles, it was a common rumor that they would make a perfect couple.
On top of that, Rhiannon's family background is quite impressive.
The Clahsen family, although they have territory in the countryside, has been a noble family since the founding of the nation, known as a so-called prestigious house.
Furthermore, Rhiannon's father, Fellui Clahsen, the head of the Clahsen family, is an old friend of King Réel, Werner's father.
The engagement between Rhiannon, the only daughter of the Clahsen family, and the third prince was nothing surprising; it was a perfectly reasonable match for nobles.
Nobles who heard the rumors nodded in agreement, saying, "There's an 8 or 9 out of ten chance they'll get engaged.".
As for Rhiannon, she was all fired up in anticipation of her engagement with the third prince of this country.
"Gather dresses from all over the country that suit me!"
She commanded the merchants, collecting about 20 dresses, and chose the most extravagant one that matched her milk tea-colored hair.
The accessories were lavishly adorned with rare pearls from neighboring countries.
They were all things that a villager could never afford even after a lifetime of work.
On the day of the engagement meeting, she even invited a highly praised barber from the capital to do her hair.
Of course, she spent twice as long on her makeup.
Rhiannon worked hard, wanting to make a good impression on her future fiancé.
Moreover, just as Werner was about to arrive at the Clahsen mansion, Rhiannon came up with another surprise.
"That's right! For my future fiancé, Sir Werner, I'll personally brew some special tea as a welcome drink!"
Rhiannon had exceptional confidence in the taste of her tea.
After all, everyone praised the tea she made.
──Well, of course, that was complete flattery, and her tea was just ordinary tea.
Anyway, once Rhiannon had an idea, she couldn't help but put it into action immediately.
In her extravagant dress, she marched to the kitchen with a line of maids, ignoring the annoyed looks from the cooks, and began to carefully prepare her special tea.
Using plenty of tea leaves sourced from a neighboring country, and with a careful brewing method, the water temperature and steeping time were just perfect.
The cup was also one that Rhiannon chose herself.
"Is this good enough? I think it turned out pretty well."
"As expected of you, Lady Rhiannon! You're a genius! If Sir Werner drinks this tea, he will definitely fall under your spell of love!"
"Hehe, well, even if I didn't prepare the tea myself, it's only natural that the prince would be crazy about me. After all, today I'm just so beautiful, cute, and perfect!"
"Of course, Lady Rhiannon! After all, you are called the pearl of the Tortone Kingdom!"
"...Oh, don't you think I deserve a diamond instead of a pearl?"
"Absolutely, Lady Rhiannon! That sparkle of a diamond is truly fitting for you!"
The maids all tried to please Rhiannon.
She tilted her chin up and nodded proudly.
Her life had always been like this, so Rhiannon thought it was just the way things were.
Before long, a chamberlain came to announce that Werner had arrived at the mansion.
Rhiannon quickly carried the tea to the guest room where Werner was.
It's well-known that tea is best enjoyed while it's still hot.
Rhiannon, holding the tray with the tea, opened the reception room door with a flourish.
Werner, lounging arrogantly on the sofa, was startled by Rhiannon's sudden appearance and let out a small yelp.
He then put on a sulky expression on his perfectly arranged face.
"Hey, Rhiannon. I came all the way to this remote place, and you were awfully late."
"Prince Werner, welcome. I apologize for the delay."
Without seeming to care about Werner's sulky attitude, Rhiannon elegantly tilted her head and smiled.
As a daughter of a noble family, her movements were beautiful.
After all, Rhiannon was still a noble lady.
"You must be tired from your long journey, right? How about some tea? I specially brewed it just for you, Sir Werner. While it's still hot──..."
When Rhiannon was happily bringing tea to Werner, suddenly, a shiny, polished leather shoe popped out of nowhere.
In her good mood, Rhiannon didn't notice the foot.
And that leather shoe stepped right on the hem of Rhiannon's dress, which was covered in lace.
"Ah!"
Losing her balance, the cup filled with hot tea flew out of Rhiannon's hand.
By the way, this cup, which Rhiannon had agonized over choosing, was decorated with astilbe.
The flower language of astilbe is "the arrival of love." However, sadly, love never arrived as the flower language suggested──...
That aside.
The cup filled with hot tea landed with a clatter right on top of Werner's head.
His shimmering blonde hair got drenched in the hot tea.
After a long, awkward silence.
"...Ah, hot──!!!"
Werner's scream echoed throughout the room, no, throughout the castle.
From there, it turned into complete chaos.
Werner, furious about being doused in hot tea, stormed out of the room with heavy footsteps.
Rhiannon could only watch in shock as he left.
She never imagined she would mess up like this in front of a prince.
In less than a minute, the matchmaking meeting was forcibly ended, and naturally, the engagement talk between Werner and Rhiannon was swiftly called off.
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