Beware of the mysterious girl’s toxic behavior. Fake tears, blame-shifting.
Charlotte, weeping and insisting she is not at fault, looked heartbreakingly fragile.
In her previous life, she apparently died while still in high school. She was not blessed with good looks, was constantly compared to her brilliant older sister, and was betrayed by her boyfriend. If only she had been beautiful, everything would have been different. That thought had probably been eating away at Charlotte’s heart for a long time.
When she was reincarnated with a beauty anyone would envy, her parents pampered her rotten. Even when she acted spoiled and selfish, no one scolded her. That is probably why Charlotte came to believe that “if you are beautiful, you will be loved unconditionally.”
To be fair, her parents’ skewed upbringing is a huge part of the problem. I hope this will be a chance for her to finally face reality and use it as fuel for her life going forward.
Please, let those tears not be a strategy to turn the situation in her favor.
Holding that prayer in my heart, I explained things to her, one by one.
”Nobody ever taught you that? Are you sure?”
Charlotte looked at me with tear-filled eyes.
”Garrett-dono tried to correct your rudeness many times. He is not particularly eloquent, and he is kind, so his reprimands were gentle. But can you honestly say you listened to his criticism? ‘I am so happy the prince is jealous of me. I do not mind at all, that is not what this is about.’ Did you not just brush it off like that?” I asked.
These were all words Charlotte herself had spoken. Perhaps because I pointed that out, she made a sulky face.
”And I did not say all those things to you just because I am the villainess. You called me mean, said I was bullying you. But the things I have been pointing out were all reckless behavior. You should not underestimate the class system. You are a baron’s daughter, even if you are a noble. Everyone at this academy is either your equal or above you in rank. Sooner or later, you would have been crushed,” I said.
At the word “crushed,” Charlotte flinched. Her tears had already stopped, and she was carefully watching my reaction, desperately trying to figure out if I was just threatening her.
”Crushed…?”
”If they go the gentle route, you would probably just be expelled from the academy. As for marriage, a scandal serious enough to break off an engagement would spread, especially if the other party is Garrett-dono. Royal marriages cannot avoid political considerations. Love alone does not solve everything. And if they do not go gentle… there are countless ways to destroy a person, mentally and physically.”
Mentally. Physically.
At those words, Charlotte’s face twisted. She must have thought I was being sarcastic about what she had tried to do. The assault ending she had helped set up.
”Th-that is not my fault! This is a game, and… yeah, even Rebecca admitted that this world was made for me. So I am not wrong!” she insisted.
I watched her, cold-eyed, as she started making excuses with that kind of absurd reasoning.
I was hungry and tired. Even now, she was in this state because things were not going her way. She had had countless opportunities to realize that this was reality, yet even here, she was still saying things like that.
Suppressing a faint sense of resignation, I continued.
”Right now, you are on the brink. If you do not want to fall into darkness when you awaken, you need to change your ways and work desperately on improving yourself,” I said.
”Huh?”
She stared at me blankly, and I held my head, wondering if she had even properly attended her lectures.
”Saints are not guaranteed to awaken. You should have learned that in magic control class. Go check your textbook when you get home. Oh, and this is not widely known, but… what do you think happens to former Saint Candidates who are consumed by darkness? They become very popular as (human sacrifices) for curses.”
Charlotte’s eyes went wide. “That is a lie, you are just trying to trick me,” she muttered, and then, finally sensing the danger she was in, she looked genuinely afraid.
In the first place, there was no way such a young girl could commission a job to ruin a prince’s consort candidate with the kind of money she had. Which meant: there was someone behind this. Someone trying to corrupt a Saint Candidate (Charlotte) by making her commit an unforgivable crime, so they could use her as a sacrifice. And the target of their curse was someone important enough to warrant a human sacrifice. For example, a member of the royal family.
When I realized that possibility, my body trembled with shock.
I could not let such people run free. With my father’s help, I mobilized every resource in the shadows and darkness. In the end, I managed to get a lead on the clan that had taken the curse contract. They should be in custody by now. After that, the rest of the crimes should unravel like dominoes.
To be honest, this entire response might look like an attempt to save Charlotte. But it was not.
I chose not to prevent the incident from happening. Instead, I deliberately let her commit a crime. I used this incident to crush the criminal clan and wipe out the curse network. That was the best way to protect the people I cared about.
Since I had used Charlotte, I owed her a debt. Even if she herself had no idea she had lent me anything.
That is why, when I handed over the dismantling of this criminal organization to my father, I made one condition: Charlotte’s involvement would be buried. As long as he could promise me that, he could use the incident however he pleased. To curry favor with the royal family, to boost his reputation at court, or to quietly bury it in the dark.
When I told him I wanted Charlotte to become a saint, my father gave me a strange look… but in the end, he gambled on the possibility that a new saint might be born in the kingdom. Though he did add the ominous remark: “If she falls into darkness, we can just kill her.”
Still, the only reason I could keep lecturing her, even knowing I would be disliked, was because of love or a sense of duty. Fellow countrywoman, elder, game role. These were the roles I told myself I was playing when I scolded Charlotte.
Right now, I was hit with the double punch of fake tears and blame-shifting. The helplessness was so strong that I nearly abandoned even that role. At that point, I figured: if they will not respond to pressure, give them space. I had no choice but to distance myself.
”If you do not believe me, suit yourself.”
If the kingdom has a saint, it receives divine protection. But even without one, there is no particular disadvantage.
”I made sure this incident would not become public. So make sure you stick to the story that you had a healthy relationship with that merchant. Personally, I would like you to devote yourself to training your mind and body with everything you have got, and awaken as a saint. But it is your life. You think for yourself, and act accordingly.”
After seeing Charlotte out, I let out a long, deep sigh.
I had explained the current crisis, laid out the worst possible future scenarios, and offered solutions. I had done all I could. The rest was up to her.
From now on, Charlotte would have watchers disguised as guards, keeping an eye on her without her knowledge. If anything happened, I would hear about it immediately.
Emma was trembling, her face red with anger.
”Why…? That kind of person always bites the hand that feeds them! I do not mean to question your decision, my lady, but I think you are being far too lenient!” Emma burst out.
It is not easy to forgive someone who tried to set you up. And even knowing she would self-destruct if left alone, I had chosen to hide her crimes and give her a chance at reform.
I had no intention of revealing that I, too, had a past life. I had used her to eliminate the rotten elements infesting the kingdom. That much was true. But if asked why that led to this outcome, it still came back to my previous life.
”Perhaps… I do owe her something.”
Thanks to Charlotte, I had remembered my previous life and the husband I loved.
”And at the same time, I resent her.”
Because she had made me realize I could never live with him again.
”I am neither gentle nor indulgent. I gave her a trial alongside a path to salvation. I want her to become someone who brings happiness to this kingdom. If that happens, wonderful… but judging by how she is now, the road to sainthood is going to be grueling.”
So grueling that she would probably feel it would have been easier to fall into darkness knowing nothing at all.
Summary:
The narrator confronts Charlotte about her manipulative behavior and class privilege, explaining the severe consequences of her actions within the noble hierarchy. The protagonist reveals she deliberately allowed Charlotte to fall into a criminal plot to expose a curse network, using her as bait while securing her father’s help to bury Charlotte’s involvement. Despite offering Charlotte a path to redemption as a Saint Candidate, the narrator admits she is neither kind nor forgiving, leaving Charlotte’s fate uncertain as she faces the brutal journey toward awakening or damnation.
Trivia:
The narrator is reincarnated from a past life where she had a husband she deeply loved and lost.
Charlotte was a high school girl in her previous life who died due to bullying, comparison to her sister, and betrayal.
The narrator deliberately allowed Charlotte to commit a crime to expose a criminal curse clan rather than preventing the incident.
Charlotte’s parents are blamed for their skewed upbringing that spoiled her into believing beauty guarantees love.
If Charlotte fails to awaken as a saint and falls into darkness, she could be used as a human sacrifice for curses.
The narrator made a deal with her father to bury Charlotte’s involvement in exchange for using the incident politically.
Garrett-dono previously tried to correct Charlotte’s behavior with gentle reprimands that she ignored.
The narrator’s father made an ominous remark that if Charlotte falls to darkness, they can simply kill her.
Charlotte is a baron’s daughter, placing her relatively low in the nobility hierarchy at the academy.
The narrator is currently having watchers disguised as guards monitor Charlotte without her knowledge.
Emma, the maid, is furious at Charlotte’s behavior and believes she will inevitably bite the hand that feeds her.
The narrator feels both gratitude and resentment toward Charlotte for helping her remember her past life and lost love.
The narrator claims she is neither gentle nor indulgent, viewing her actions as calculated rather than compassionate.
Charlotte’s belief that the world is a game designed for her is used as an excuse to avoid responsibility.
The narrator warned Charlotte that royal marriages cannot be based on love alone due to political considerations.
The narrator’s father gave a strange look when she asked him to spare Charlotte for the sake of a potential new saint.
The narrator mobilized “shadows and darkness” resources with her father’s help to dismantle the curse network.
The criminal clan that took the curse contract is now in custody with more crimes expected to unravel.
Charlotte’s face twisted when the narrator mentioned “mentally and physically” destroying someone, realizing the irony of her own plans.
The narrator felt helplessness so strong she nearly abandoned her role as mentor to Charlotte.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ Literally “butterfly and flower” – a Japanese idiom meaning to be treated as something precious and delicate, pampered excessively. This expression conveys the idea of being raised with extreme care and indulgence, often to the point of being spoiled. The English rendering “pampered her rotten” captures this meaning at a B2 level while maintaining the idiomatic sense.
2 ↩ Literally “sweet potato vine style” – a Japanese metaphor meaning one thing leads to another in a chain, like pulling a sweet potato vine and discovering more potatoes connected underground. The English “like dominoes” conveys the same cascading cause-and-effect relationship in a way that feels natural to US readers at B2 level.
3 ↩ Literally “return kindness with enmity” – a Japanese proverb meaning to repay a favor with betrayal or harm. The English “bites the hand that feeds them” captures this proverbial meaning while using a natural US idiom accessible at B2 level.
4 ↩ Literally “if pushing does not work, pull” – a Japanese expression meaning if direct pressure fails, try backing off and giving space. The English rendering “if they will not respond to pressure, give them space” conveys the pragmatic strategy while maintaining the push-pull metaphor for B2 readers.
5 ↩ Literally “human pillar” – a historical and dark concept in Japanese culture referring to a person buried alive or sacrificed at the foundation of a building or structure to appease spirits or ensure stability. In this context, it refers to a Saint Candidate being used as a sacrificial pawn for curse magic, with the parenthetical (human sacrifices) preserving the weight and taboo nature of the term.