Let's assassinate him.
That is the conclusion I reached after careful consideration. It was by no means a decision made solely out of personal grudge.
Although insulted by my fiancé and dragged half-forcibly out of the imperial palace, I miserably boarded a carriage heading home, receiving a look from the coachman that seemed to say, "Tsk tsk, you've caused trouble again."
Although that was not what actually happened.
I am thinking extremely rationally.
If a crown prince with such a personality becomes emperor, this empire will surely be ruined. He will make a complete mess of politics, occasionally shoving his handsome face in the people's faces and saying, "You all love me, don't you?" and trying to get everyone to fall for it, so he is bound to ruin the country in the end.
Even if he meets the heroine Yuri later and gets reformed… … … … … . No, he's beyond the point of being reformed.
I recalled how he had deceived Melissa by deliberately pretending to be affectionate occasionally. And even then, only at major events where they were bound to meet. So that even his slightest smile would give Melissa false hope.
Hmm, as expected, it's got to be assassination. It could be nothing but an assassination.
Well, since I've already become a villainess, an assassination once is nothing. Where and how should I commission it? Still, he is the Crown Prince, so I should be careful...
I muttered to herself like that for a while. Before I knew it, the carriage stopped.
I was still thinking about what to do with the Crown Prince's head.
“………………Yeah, maybe I should just cut it off.”
“Miss, we've arrived, but……. Eek?!”
When I didn't come out no matter how much time passed, engrossed in plotting the assassination of the Crown Prince, a servant opened the door and held his breath. He must have been frightened by the sight of me biting my nails and talking about cutting them, with a terrifying look on my face as if I were about to cast a curse.
It was only then that I came to my senses, nodded, and hurriedly grabbed the servant's hand and got out of the carriage. The servant's hand was trembling.
“Th-th-th-you must not just... cut anyone...”
At the pitiful voice, I smiled faintly to tell him not to be afraid.
“Eek! I have a wife and a rabbit that is like a daughter to me! Please spare her!”
Hmm. The meaning was severely misunderstood. Damn villainess face.
***
"Could you spare some time?"
I put my hands on my hips and spoke in a gentle voice.
It sounds like a pickup line, but the person hearing it is none other than Melissa's father, Duke Podebrat.
He was so tall that I, being quite tall myself, had to look up at him until my neck ached a little, and his face was the spitting image of Melissa's fierce face. In the novel, his impression was the very definition of an old-fashioned, bossy person.
As is typical of medieval fantasy novels, the worldview of this novel was subtly underpinned by patriarchal ideology and a conservative social atmosphere, but Duke Podebrat took this to an extreme.
You can tell just by looking at how he never once showed interest in his first daughter, Melissa, let alone a warm glance, while showering her younger brother and first son, Jake, with the utmost devotion and even sending him to study abroad in a distant country. There is a reason why the child is going astray.
Melissa, who had naturally come to hate her father, never once spoke to him first, and the same was true for the Duke.
"......."
So, the fact that he brushed past me with the same blank expression even after hearing what I said might not have been intentional disregard, but simply that he didn't answer because he didn't realize I was speaking to him.
Of course, that doesn't mean I don't feel bad.
“Duke, I do not wish to talk to you for long either. However, since this is important, I have no choice but to ask you to bear with me for just a moment.”
I gritted my teeth and spoke as gently as possible.
Perhaps because I had empathized with Melissa's emotions, I still couldn't bring myself to say the word 'father.'
"………………What?"
Only then did the Duke stop in his tracks and turn around to look at me. He had a look of genuine surprise on his face.
"Yes. There's no need to drag this out. I'll get straight to the point."
I shrugged my shoulders, thinking that the surprised Duke's expression was somewhat like a catfish.
"I-."
“Wait, wait. You said this was important, so are you saying you’re going to do it like this?”
Huh?
I just blinked at the Duke's words.
“I have never heard an important conversation held in the hallway. I will get things ready, so please come to the drawing room.”
After saying only what he wanted to say, the Duke turned around and disappeared with quick steps.
No, it is certainly a bit ridiculous for a noble to be standing in the hallway talking, though.
Do I really need to go so far as to prepare? Besides, what preparation? At most, I just intend to talk about breaking off the engagement. After all, I have decided to keep assassination as my own last resort for now.
'Did he need time to mentally prepare himself to talk to a daughter he hates the sight of, or... maybe a glass of water to splash at me just in case?'
Tilting my head, I was about to head toward the drawing room, but the Duke soon reappeared. Breathing slightly heavily, he peeked his head out from behind the wall, shouted, “Come in after five, no, ten minutes!” and vanished immediately.
What on earth is going on? I seriously worried that I might be assassinated by my father before the Crown Prince.
Anyway, I don't think drawing rooms suit me at all, especially considering what happened with the Crown Prince last time.
I had a bad feeling.
***
Ten minutes later, I knocked on the drawing room door and went inside.
And at the sight unfolding before my eyes, I ended up having to stop a moment to prove just how wide my jaw would open.
"………………Duke?"
"Alright. Come on in."
“Um……………. Are we holding some kind of hidden unveiling ceremony today, like a birthday party for my younger sibling?”
Although there was not much reason to come here, according to Melissa’s memory, this was definitely the drawing room of that usually fancy Podébrat mansion.
However, it had now transformed into a space that was cute and excessively adorable, the kind a five-year-old would love.
Pink ribbons hung from the chandelier, flowers made of colorful balloons were attached to the back of the chairs, and instead of ashtrays, the tables were littered with charming macarons, cakes, and chocolates. Of course, the highlight was the sight of the peacock, beautifully dressed in a pastel pink robe adorned with lavish lace. Yet, its face remained as fierce and solemn as usual, creating a tremendous sense of dissonance.
I barely managed to hold back the immoral remark asking if he had been hit on the head.
“What nonsense is this? There are only three Podebrats right now. Take your seat.”
I really had a lot to say, but since it wasn't safe enough to blurt out it right in front of the Duke, I quietly kept my mouth shut. Looking around in dismay, I sat in the seat farthest away from him. The Duke’s eyebrow twitched for a moment, but I ignored it.
"Uh... um... Then I would like to get straight to the point and excuse myself shortly..."
"Tea has been prepared. Help yourself to the refreshments as you please."
"I'm fine, really... So, what I want to say is—"
"I heard it's a popular tea among kids these days."
Damn it, this Duke isn't listening to me at all.
I struggled to focus my trembling pupils on the strange-smelling magenta color beverage that the maid poured into a cute pastel blue cup.
Is this poisoned? Are they telling me to drink it quickly and die?
Whether or not he was aware of my anxiety and nervousness, the Duke simply sipped the black coffee in his cup nonchalantly.
'Oho. He isn't drinking it himself. There is definitely poison in this hideous magenta tea.'
I racked my brain, desperately trying to figure out how I could spill it naturally.
Meanwhile, the Duke spoke up.
"Now, let's hear what you have to say. …………… It has been ten years since we last had a conversation like this."
"But we eat breakfast and greet each other every single morning…………."
Even though I retorted in a grumbling tone, the Duke merely gazed at his cup with sentimental eyes.
Communicating with this person is a lost cause, a complete loss.
I let out a deep sigh inwardly and decided to say only what I had to say and run away.
“So, um... I want to break off the engagement.......”
However, before the sentence could even finish.
BANG!
The drawing room door burst open with a loud crashing sound. I won't deny that I swore under my breath at that exact moment.
"………………Melissa?"
My mistake. I must have actually blurted the swear word out loud.
Biting my lip, I averted my gaze from the Duke's shocked expression and looked toward the door.
Standing there was a figure completely covered from head to toe in a dreary black robe. The person, who seemed to be around the same tall height as the Duke, remained silent for a moment before slowly pulling down the hood of the robe and speaking.
"…Have you lost your mind?"
I had a bad feeling, and of course, I was right.
He had long, snow-white hair and a delicate, pretty face that looked completely different from both the Duke's and mine. Keeping his blue eyes half-closed—eyes said to be a spitting image of the late Duchess—the man directed a look of pure contempt right at me.
"…I’m really hearing that a lot today."
I said, curling the corner of my mouth into a smirk.
"Welcome back, my prodigal little brother."
His name was 'Jake Podebrat'.
He is one of Yuri's men, the next Duke, a current imperial soldier, and the classic "cold, handsome, and quiet" type. He is also my younger brother, whose character setting dictates that he absolutely despises his older sister.
"………………Why are you even alive?………………”
Right. To the point where he instinctively blurts out crap like that every single time he sees me.