I Appear to have been Reincarnated as a Love Interest in an Otome Game - Volume SS - Chapter 7

Side Story 7: April, the miserable girl?

Author:
April’s annulment of engagement from her perspective.

“Hughie is obsessed over a daughter of a baron that enrolled this year.”

When I heard this rumour, I felt as though the world crumbled.

.

My betrothal with Hughie was arranged three years ago.
{TN: She uses atashi to refer to herself.}

I was to enter school soon back then, but my marriage was not yet set.
The reason being my personality.
My older sister like personality was apparently insufferable for men of my age.
Then there was Hughie, who also had trouble finding a fiancée because of his personality. With a petty reason of ‘the spoiled Hughie needs a motherly figure like April’, we were betrothed……

.

“Hughie…… you are free to love, but can you please refrain from doing things that will harm my reputation as well?”

Why do I have to caution him on something so obvious.
I suppressed that feeling and talked to Hughie, but……

“What are you talking about, April? Older women’s jealousy is ugly, you know?”

It was wrong of me to expect a noble bearing from a childish young master.
Hughie despised me too, so these kinds of insults were an everyday thing.
Having a strong personality, I really always wanted to rebuke him, but because of my family circumstances, it was hard to break up so I was always the aggrieved……

.

My House was a count’s house, but we were not that rich. Also, we had many children, so it was hard to make ends meet.
We had a long history, so our house is prestigious, but it also meant that prestige was all we had.
The betrothal with Hughie, whom everyone went, “he’s a bit……”, was purely political, because House Woodlloyd, which had a short history, could import our ‘class’ into theirs.
So, I did not mind too much if Hughie tried to make lovers. However, I at least expected the minimum manners.
“Many men are surrounding one girl, infatuated with her,” or “Prince Kyle is counselling Hughie, yet he is ignoring him.” When such rumours are spreading, things are different.
Furthermore, when he says things like, “Oh, of course I would choose a lovely young woman over an older nagging woman, don’t you see?” which hurts my reputation as well, anyone would want to complain, no?

So, I told him to be a little cautious to not earn the ire of the crown prince, something very obvious, but Hughie just returned an idiotic remark back.
Feeling lost, I decided to call both my house and House Woodlloyd for counselling.

As a result……

At the point I thought ‘I can’t do this anymore!’ the betrothal was annuled, with House Woodlloyd taking responsibility.
They apparently received complaints from Prince Kyle too, and even the Woodlloyds sent many letters telling Hughie to ‘fix his attitude’.
On top of that, even his butler was advising him to change his attitude, but he’s still like that.
I heard that even his house was considering how to take care of him……

Then, I should observe a little more, and if his attitude remains unimproved, I’ll abandon him!

The day after I resolved to do so, that incident happened.

.

The commotion was between Robert-sama ‘the musclehead’, as assessed among nobles, and Angelica-sama, Kyle-sama’s fiancée, at the dining hall……
Thanks to Prince Kyle and Louis-sama’s quick thinking, they were able to prevent the worst. Still, Kyle-sama looked enraged……
His rage was pointed not only toward the perpetrator of the commotion, Robert-sama, but also toward Hughie and Douglas.

Thus……
Kyle-sama summoned them to caution them……
But Hughie’s attitude then!

What if Prince Kyle was not a magnanimous person……
What was with that arrogant and rude attitude?

Right there, I decided to break off the betrothal.

After being chastised from Prince Kyle, Hughie met up with me to discuss some things. However, only excuses came out from his mouth. I could not see a trace of him feeling sorry.
Even towards his butler who advised him, “You’re annoying! Go back home already!” said Hughie, and chased him out of the room.

For a noble to not understand the importance of a butler……
How stupid are you??
Did you even receive education back home?
Here I am struggling this much at school because we do not have the money to spare for a butler!

After chasing his butler out, Hughie made a satisfied smile of victory.
To him, I spoke very coldly.

“Hughie-sama, let us break off our betrothal today. I already have permission from both houses, and I will notify this to both houses later.”
“Huh? What are you talking about, April? A woman like you, if you fail to marry with me, you’ll never be able to get a proper marriage, don’t you see?”

When I notified him that I am breaking off the betrothal, he said that in a very condescending tone……

You, just how many times do you need to insult me to be satisfied?
Of course, if I break off my betrothal with Hughie, no one would approach this unlovable girl.
However, in comparison to marrying this idiot, I would rather stay single forever and work as a palace maid!

“I’d rather stay single forever than marry you.”

So I said that straight at him.
This spoiled man could not bear hearing that.
Of course, he turned bright red and started trembling.

“W-w-who are you to say that to me! I even took it on myself to marry with an old maid like you……!! Ungrateful woman, I almost feel sorry for you! I don’t even want to see you, get out!”

As I expected, he was cursing and shouting “get out!” hysterically.

I, to purposefully rub him the wrong way, politely bid farewell and exited the room.
Even so, Hughie was screaming, ‘Get out! Get out! Get ou—t!!!” like an idiot.

I feel much better!
When I returned to my room, Kyle-sama requested me. “Please counsel Douglas, he is mentally unstable,” he said.

Douglas lost his fiancée last year from disease.
I also saw Douglas back then, and also felt that recently he did not feel like himself……

From the thing with Hughie, I seem to have caused Prince Kyle some trouble. It looked like he worked behind the scenes a lot.
To repay his kindness, and also out of consideration for my future, I accepted his request.

.

I was planning to take the request with this light feeling……

I was already pierced by those shaky pupils, that I held romantic feelings for Douglas before I realised it……

Aah.
To fall in love in such an absurd manner……
I really am a miserable girl.

Author:
Hughie did like April, in his own way.
However, because he was just a childish kid, his way of expressing it was lacking……