(That girl just now is clearly a main character, right?)
Vittoria, the daughter of the Grand Duke Casunat, felt the voices of her retainers fade into the background as she drowned in her sea of thoughts. Eleonora, who introduced herself as the Acting Knight of Kamitafira, had a physique that could be mistaken for a man's, short hair, sharp eyes, and a neutral expression. She seemed like the kind of popular beauty who would be labeled a "[Tomboy]" or "[Tough]" in her past life.
(I've never seen an "Acting Knight of Kamitafira" in the "[TYLS Series]" before!)
"TYLS" is short for "To You, Lords of the Stormlight," a popular otome game. The first half focuses on romance, while the second half includes RPG elements with a war segment, earning mixed reviews from both genders. Three games in the series had been released during Vittoria's past life. On the video-sharing site "Nyanyanya," the series was famous for RTA (Real-Time Attack) videos, where players competed to form relationships with characters and win wars as quickly as possible.
Vittoria, a single, childless office lady in her past life, had been deeply obsessed with the series during her high school days. She saw her reincarnation into this world as a silver lining, despite the less-than-ideal circumstances.
(Moreover, being reincarnated as a villainous young lady... If I don't change, I might end up exiled. That's why I've been actively trying to turn things around since I regained my past life memories in childhood...)
Her interest was particularly piqued by Eleonora. She had never heard of her before, but with such a striking appearance, Eleonora couldn't possibly be just an extra character.
(Could she be a DLC character added after my death? That seems most likely... If so, she might become a valuable asset in the future.)
Vittoria's thoughts drifted to the invasion of the neighboring Empire of Loriengita into the Kingdom of Ashreach.
The Empire of Loriengita, which held territory in the northern Tyria Peninsula and the region of Clanf, aimed to unify the Tyria Peninsula. They demanded that the Ashreach throne be handed over to the 3rd Imperial Prince of the Loriengita Imperial Family. When Ashreach refused, the empire declared war, sparking a fierce conflict between the two nations—this was the main storyline in the latter half of the game.
The war segment was notoriously difficult, likely designed by a developer with a penchant for RPGs. It often overwhelmed players who were only interested in the popular voice actors, leaving the task to their brothers. DLCs (Downloadable Content) provided a solution to this high difficulty, offering powerful items and characters to ensure an easy victory.
This was the beauty of capitalism: everything could be solved with money. Those without money were left behind. If Eleonora was indeed a DLC character, she could prove to be a valuable ally later on.
(I should order an investigation into her background later. If I find any weaknesses, I can use them as leverage to bring her to my side.)
Vittoria's goal was singular: to overcome the broken engagement event that would occur in her final school year and win the war. She wanted to secure a situation where her current comfortable lifestyle would remain unchanged.
For that, she needed powerful allies. She was willing to take reckless measures to ensure her survival.