The sweet sunlight danced upon the window as Maria was being transported towards the other end of the continent. She never really realised just how far divorced the academy was going to be from her old life, and honestly she wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

It did not matter, though, as either way she was going to be heading to the academy to try and get herself a husband. At least the official events of the Otome Game won’t start until half a year when the protagonist transfers in.

Maria would admit it was both odd and revolutionary on the reasons the academy exists. The Clergy realized that the Nobility always seemed to perform better when they gained some kind of advanced education in writing and literacy, so they created essentially a highschool to educate all the Nobles to better the sect.

If one didn’t attend, they were not given the Divine Right to Rule. While a Count could get away from it Dukes, Kings, and Emperors were not given that advantage. Thus all of the Royal Family attended with those of higher class while Counts and Barons tried their best to get into it as well.

Her cart soon stopped outside of the grand academy, marble white walls stretching out into the sky.

She would spend her next four years here, she should probably get the best out of it.

>>Choose who Maria brought as her Servants to School
>No one
>A simple Maid *Give a Name*
>Gunnar the Valrian Guard
>A Knight of the Tectonic Order *Give a Name*
>Other

>>4250797
>>A simple Maid *Give a Name*
>Melody

>>4250797
>Frida, a simple maid

>>4250797
>>A simple Maid
I'll go with the majority for the name.

File: 1575330483951.gif (605 KB, 400x400)

605 KB GIF

LET'S GO!
>>4250797
supporting
>>4250810
>Frida
Daddy can only hope.

>>4250797
I probably know the answer already but will we be able to romance the maid?

>>4250797
>>4250809
+1

>>4250797
>A simple Maid *Give a Name*
Amalia

>>4250823
Get outta here! What do you think an otome game is about?

>>4250797
>A simple Maid
Catastrovia

>>4250841
Like I said, not expecting a yes.

>>4250823
Get out of here! Only husbando are allowed here reeeeeeeeeeeee!

>>4250841
>>4250848
Well, it's supposed to go wrong.

>>4250841
>Get outta here! What do you think an otome game is about?
lewding our enemy ?

>>4250797
>A simple Maid
Amalia

>>4250848
Getting the game protagonist to fall for us is 100% required to destroy all death flags

>>4250993
Our harem shall grow, and eclipse all nations underneath our mighty banner!

>>4250993
Only in the worst examples of the genre (Looking at you, field-tilling girl). It's much better when she stays a rival.

>>4250797
>>Gunnar the Valrian Guard

Maria turned to face the door which was making a small sound. The door opened to reveal a maid with straight black hair and a heavily stern face who went by the name of Melody. As Maria took steps down and into the open, she noted that this maid might have been Maria’s original in the game.

“Kingslayer, we are to report to the amphitheater for the introductory speech by the First Prince Lucien.”

“Then we will go that way, Melody. Do you know the way already?”

“I do.” And with that she turned about to lead Maria from the front as a vanguard.

No nonsense and almost perfect at her job, the best money could buy. Apparently Nobles would rate people based on the ability of maids. So Maria’s father saw fit to find the gem in the rough that was Melody.

[Intrigue Passed]

Somehow though Maria felt there was something more to her maid than meets the eye.

They were walking through the courtyard, a great many Nobles being there too. It seemed that the Theater would be located in the back of such a facility, out in the open air in order to give light.

It was then Maria noticed the largest crowd forming, one that somehow forced men and women alike to move aside and join the congregation. At the front of it all was a rather unigue group of men.

The one upfront was a rather staunch looking fellow, straight back and easily the most handsome of all the men with golden hair. It only took Maria a moment to recognize the standard features of the Austin Royal Family.

Leaning on his shoulder while waving to all the others was a smiling burnet, his demeanor was fluid and easy going. Her sight then moved to the last one behind them, a man wearing glasses whose eyes continuously searched the people and growing crowds.

Suddenly, if for a moment Maria felt his eyes upon her. Though in the next moment they left, as if viewing her as insignificant.

This was the Second Prince Elric and his fellows. The two boys were of Matheo; Son of the Prime Minister and Albert; son of the Steward.

They were all infact capture targets in the game, and none of them were endeared to Maria in the gameplay.

>Approach them to make an introduction.
>Stay her distance, now was not the time to bother them.
>Try and draw some of the crowd with Maria’s sheer presence *Royal Demeanor*

>>4250797
>>Gunnar the Valrian Guard

>>4251117
>Try and draw some of the crowd with Maria’s sheer presence *Royal Demeanor*

>>4251117
>Try and draw some of the crowd with Maria’s sheer presence *Royal Demeanor*

>>4251117
>>Approach them to make an introduction.

>>4251117
>>Try and draw some of the crowd with Maria’s sheer presence *Royal Demeanor*

>>4251117
>Try and draw some of the crowd with Maria’s sheer presence *Royal Demeanor*
P R E S E N C E
I'm eager to see this.

>>4251117
>>Try and draw some of the crowd with Maria’s sheer presence *Royal Demeanor*

You write like a girl OP.

>>4251117
>Stay her distance, now was not the time to bother them.

>>4251117
>Try and draw some of the crowd with Maria’s sheer presence *Royal Demeanor*
>>4251136
>You write like a girl OP.
that's good for the quest, also why are you saying that ?

>>4251117
>Try and draw some of the crowd with Maria’s sheer presence *Royal Demeanor*

>>4251153
I can't tell if it was a praise or not

>>4251117
>>Try and draw some of the crowd with Maria’s sheer presence *Royal Demeanor*

Though we probably shouldn't make it obvious it's an attention ploy

I mean calling attention to ourselves would set up the villain rumor infamy and stuff.

>>4251195
A statement I guess?

>>4251136
>You write like a girl OP.
What does that even mean?

>>4251117
>Try and draw some of the crowd with Maria’s sheer presence *Royal Demeanor*

>>4251217
>>4251222
I think its technically a compliment since the MC is female.

File: vlad crop.jpg (192 KB, 880x1158)

192 KB JPG

>>4251117
>Try and draw some of the crowd with Maria’s sheer presence *Royal Demeanor*


CHARISMA or *MENACING*?

also, here's as shitty edit, how do i MS paint?

>>4251462
noice

>>4251462
Weird

>>4251462
Why not both

>>4251462
You need at least 9000 hours minimum to make it acceptable.

>>4251462
Bravo!

Everyone there seemed extremely enamored by the Prince and his people, and while Maria would admit they were quite nice to look at they were nothing compared to the supernatural draw that the Miaphs had. Why there were times she wanted to forget about them, but she knew their blessing would forever keep them within her mind.

Her eyes crossed over the crowd once more, though this time around she focused much more on them. Most were likely the sons and daughters of Counts and Barons, none on the same stage as Maria.

Hmm, maybe she was thinking like a Villanese now?

A small laugh escaped her lips, which quickly drew the attention of a few within the crowd.

“Melody, lets us start moving.”

“Understood, Kingslayer.”

With the help of Melody, almost all the heads turned towards her with widened eyes of surprise. As her feet began to move, some murmurs soon broke out as to what her servant announced. As she began to walk, some of the crowd who once surrounded the Prince began to break off, curiosity overcoming them.

Crossing the grounds felt a little awkward of course, but thanks to her training and attitude she was more than able to overcome it. Like insects to a fire, Maria guided a small possy away from the prince.

Before she entered the Amplitheater, she could not help but notice that the Prince’s eyes were on her.

[Conversation Failed]

Though what it could mean, she did not know.

Soon she had taken a seat within the theater, the place in somewhat of an ancient style. There were no true chairs to speak of, but instead the place was littered with white limestone slabs to act as seats. For Maria, who wore a rather light dress, was not troubled by the more primitive arrangement.

As for her group, they seemed to have opted a few rows behind her, as if studying her like birds. However one person approached her, a rather plain looking redhead who had no discernible features.

If Maria remembered correctly, she was one of the nameless members of the Villanese’s Group, “E-excuse me, are you by chance, uh, the Noble from the East who slayed the Miaph?”

>Shoo her away, as there is better fish to fry than her.
>Critizise her for lack of manners, but overall answer her cordially
>Embrace fame like a Valrian regailing his tales of war.
>Other Interactions? *Write In*

I really need to get a bunch of stock character images for these people.

File: 18-183403_jojo-menacing-hd.png (204 KB, 860x980)

204 KB PNG

>>4251652
>Embrace fame like a Valrian regailing his tales of war.
>Other Interactions? *Write In*

"Which one?" or "Slayed the Miaphs, plural"

pretty sure someone else can write something that sounds better. Or we just go full DIO

>Critizise her for lack of manners, but overall answer her cordially
>"Oh? You're approching me?"

>>4251652
>Embrace fame like a Valrian regailing his tales of war.

Make sure to ask her "Which one?"

>>4251683
Supporting the full DIO mode

>>4251652
>>Critizise her for lack of manners, but overall answer her cordially
The social game has already started.

>>4251652
>>Critizise her for lack of manners, but overall answer her cordially

>>4251652
>Critizise her for lack of manners, but overall answer her cordially
That [Conversation Failed] notification... we're really embracing the villainess route, aren't we? So much for the reincarnator dodging her role!

>>4251743
It's fine, we just have to win.
>>4251652
>>4251683
Supporting DIO.

>>4251652
>>4251683
Supporting

>>4251652
>Critizise her for lack of manners, but overall answer her cordially
>>4251652
>Other Interactions? *Write In*
>"That's what the rumors say, but what do you think?"

>>4251652
>Critizise her for lack of manners, but overall answer her cordially

>>4251652
>Critizise her for lack of manners, but overall answer her cordially

“Oh? You’re approaching me?” Maria answered the girl with a wicked smile.

The girl before Maria answered with a slight whimper, “I-I can’t get to know unless I get closer.”

“I guess you are right, but are you not being rude to me? Why do not even know your name.”

“Oh, sorry!” In an instant the girl’s face became something of a red beacon, “I am Elizabeth Von Ire, uh, Daughter of Duke Hilter Von Ire.”

“Ah, there we go.” Maria announced with a smile, “I am Maria Louisa Regnia, Daughter to Rado the Dragon and Slayer of Miaphs.”

“S-so you are here! I heard rumors that you would be here but I didn’t know they were true!”

“Oh but they are,” Maria announced with a healthy laugh, “Though the rumors seem to be selling me a bit short, for I have killed two Miaphs. Men who were Emperors of the Miaphate!”

And like that Maria was off like one would expect from a Morse. Maybe it was because in her three years imprisoned, she had gotten into the habit of listening to the warriors gloat about their achievements or maybe it was just naturally in her genes. Either way, Maria could not stop herself from talking all the achievements she had done over the years.

“Y-you killed him with poison!”

“Indeed I did, as you see the human body does not have any method to properly purge itself of heavy metals. It simply takes half a coin to outright kill a man, even if it does take about three months to accomplish.”

“That’s amazing, and you went to the Pope because of that?”

“Indeed, it was quite the enlightening experience. I-” Before Maria could finish talking, the sounds of a cane slamming the floor grabbed everyone’s attention.

Standing upon the stage was an elderly man fitted in the same white robes all Clergy wore. Though unlike the many that Maria met, this man was instead wearing a red mantle piece about himself. Such an item, as far as she understood, meant he was second only to the Pope when it came to religious authority.

“Attention, attention.” The man announced with a dry look about himself, “I believe you all can hear me properly, so if you do not be sure to check your ears. I am Cardinal Whise, current Head of the Holy Academy, as you are all my students within these walls.”

No one made a whimper or a bur, the man’s voice quite easily cutting through the air. Maria had to admit the man had skill, as such a voice did not hold her attention like the magics of the Miaph.

“To introduce you to the academy, I have asked the current head of the Third Year’s Parliamentary Representatives to speak to you. Here is the First Prince, Lucien the Third.”

While Maria would have expected an applause back in her old world, in this land people took things quite a bit more seriously. In silence, she watched as a man with Golden hair and blue eyes crossed onto the stage. Clothing was something of a formal feel, but was more loss that he probably should have been.

He finally took center stage with a smile, “Welcome one and all to the Holy Academy. Here you will learn and grow amonst your fellow nobility to further the realm itself. I come to…”

All in all, Maria was the first to admit his speech was something straight out of a brochure on how to make speeches. Nothing was really new or revelating, if only his good looks were keeping him up there. If she could not keep her composure up so well, she surely would have fallen asleep.

“And do not forget, here in a month you will need to elect your members of the School’s Parliament. There are five per grade, twenty in total. As such, I ask that you learn about one another and unite yourselves so that your words can be heard. That is all.”

And with that the place went in applause, but not for Maria. In her honest opinion it sounded like a perfect start to creating a Political Faction, something to help her control the entire place.

Hmm, wasn’t that being a bit too diabolical? She blames that damn Doge for teaching her all this kind of thought.

Her thoughts were wrapped up as the Cardinal finished himself, wishing everyone a good four years of schooling. With that, everyone started to get up.

“Uh, excuse me Maria.” Elizabeth called out to the Villanese, “I, uh, I-”

“Calm down for a moment, I am not going to kill you.” Maria said with half a laugh.

“W-would you like to join me in a Tea Party here soon. I have already organized it with one of my other friends, and she would surely want to meet you!”

>Take her up on the offer
>Go see Maria’s Brother
>Simply explore the School Grounds
>Other

>>4252178
>>Take her up on the offer

>>4252178
>Go see Maria’s Brother

>>4252178
>>Take her up on the offer

>>4252178
>>Take her up on the offer

>>4252178
>Take her up on the offer
Time to start making our clique.

>>4252178
>Take her up on the offer

>>4252178
>>Take her up on the offer

>>4252178

>Take her up on the offer

>>4250793
Shouldn't it be Maria Louisa Regina QM?

>>4252269
No were Riama Saloui Ginare

>>4252178
>>Take her up on the offer

>>4252178
>Take her up on the offer
I hope they have the good stuff

>>4252178
>Take her up on the offer

>>4252178
>>Take her up on the offer
Maria is a very polite, if vicious, lady.

>>4251743
I thought that was for failing a background roll

>>4252711
Not so much a roll as a skill check. I think the details are on our character sheet, but it's basically a pass/fail system without dice.
My point was that our highest ratings are in villainess-like skills, while we fail at the skills you expect an otome game heroine to specialize in. In other words, during the training section at the beginning we ended up specializing right into the role we were 'born for'.

Maria displayed to the girl a calm if content smile, “Sure, I do not have a problem with that.”

“Great! Here I’ll take you to where we are meeting!” Elizabeth announced with a wide smile.

So the pair traveled from the Amphitheater and through the Garden, taking a few cuts and corners from the main part of it towards a much more simple part of the affair. There was a small set of tables about the place, each looking like they could hold about four or five people each.

Elizabeth and Maria took seats at one of these tables that had a servant standing next to it. Elizabeth mentioned something to the Servant, and then he quickly ran off to do who knows what.

“Alright, let us take our seats.” She announced while taking a pair of cups and filing them with some kind of tea, “My friend should be here shortly, it's just sometimes she can get distracted easily.”

“Sounds like an odd friend.”

“Indeed, but I love her all the same.”

So they drank tea, the Servant coming back with what Maria realized was just an extra tea cup. Some minutes passed, but soon another rather bland person appeared out from the woodwork with a worried expression upon her face.

“My apologies Elizabeth, I got too distracted! I heard that the Kingslayer was here and was- uh oh I did not see you there!” She gave a courteous bow as one would expect from a trained noble, “I am Erica Bell, daughter to the Duke of Upper Bellyor.”

“And I would be Maria Louisa Regnia the Kingslayer.” Just as Maria guessed, the girl quickly became lit up with excitement as she heard the name.

“S-she’s here! You found her Elizabeth, I didn’t know you had it in you!”

“Hey, thats a little mean,” the accused retorted.

“Sorry sorry,” She quickly took a seat and grabbed a cup, “So what was the Miaphate like? Was there any handsome men there?”

Maria simply laughed internally at the girl’s antics, though something told her this girl had a lot of knowledge crammed into her skull.

>Try and learn the Holy Austin Empire’s Political Climate
>Try and get some of that sweet juicy rumor
>Get to know these two a little better.

>>4252768
Yeah, honestly you guys did it by focusing on Intrigue and Royal Demeanor.

>>4252772
>Try and learn the Holy Austin Empire’s Political Climate

>>4252772
>>Get to know these two a little better.
We just met after all.

>>4252772
>>Get to know these two a little better.
N E T W O R K I N G
>>4252768
>>4252778
Well if it wasn't one, it was the other, I suppose

>>4252772
>Get to know these two a little better.

>>4252772
>Get to know these two a little better.

>>4252772
>Try and get some of that sweet juicy rumor

>>4252772
>Get to know these two a little better.

>>4252768
Kinda hard to not do so when you know the otome is out for our blood.

>>4252778
I thought that also specializing into stealth, combat, and military also didn't help much. Isn't she going to be one of those holier then thou blessed maiden otomes with strong magic?

“That’s awesome!” Erica said with her mouth wide open.

[Conversation Passed]

“I know it is, I’m the one who loved it.” Maria jokingly answered with a wave of her hand, “So what about yourselves, while I know you have not killed any men, you surely have something of interest.” Maria thought to herself for a moment before growing a grin, “How did you two meet? You seem to be very good friends already.”

“Oh that, it is nothing.” Elizabeth answered quarterly, “We were simply girls whose fathers were allies to one another.”

“Is it really that simple?”

“Yeah, Elizabeth tends to keep things more tranquil then what they were.” Erica retorted with a smile, “You see, we first met when our Fathers were lobbying for more rights. It was in a lobby outside their rooms, oh what were you doing Elizabeth?”

“... I was trying to get a flowerpot off my head…”

And like that the group laughed at her embarrassment, though Maria soon queued in, “Do not worry much about your childish antics Elizabeth. Why, I was an avid climber back in my childhood. In that time, I fell into the stables maybe one too many times.”

“Really, well I guess that explains your heroing climbs about the Miaph’s Palace.” Erica said with a smirk.

“You know, Elizabeth. Now that we both have given something embarrassing, is it not right for Erica to do the same?”

“Definitely!” Elizabeth answered cordially with a smirk, “Erica, wasn’t there a time you came running to me when you caught your families Physician and Maid ‘wrestling’ in the stables.”

“H-hey you swore never to talk about that!”

“And you brought up the flower pot.” Maria could not help but smile at the two. They were good friends for sure, and Maria was never going to be bored talking to them.

Though as they all continued to chat, Maria could not help but feel something was amidst.

[Military Success]

It did not take her long to notice someone hiding in the bushes, the large figure just barely passing through the bushes. He had the same purple hair Maria had, with hard purple irises as well.

It seemed her brother, Bon, saw fit to spy on his sister.

>Call him out and tease him
>Maria excuses herself so her brother can meet with her.
>Ignore him, as knowing Bon something silly will happen.

>>4253294
>Call him out and tease him

>>4253294
>>Maria excuses herself so her brother can meet with her.
It's been three years, start off on a good foot.
I do want to tease the scaredy cat though.

>>4253294
>Call him out and tease him

>>4253294
>Call him out and tease him

>>4253294
>>Maria excuses herself so her brother can meet with her.

Are our stats set in stone now, or can they still increase? All we need to do is up our conversation and weapons slighty and we're as good as we're gonna get.

Also what does expression govern because we suck at it.

>>4253294
>Call him out and tease him

>>4253294
>>Ignore him, as knowing Bon something silly will happen.

>>4253294
>>Call him out and tease him

>>4253294
>>Call him out and tease him

>>4253294
>Maria excuses herself so her brother can meet with her

“Hmm…” a small coming out of Maria seemed to grind the two’s complaining to a stop, their eyes moving towards, “Oh, sorry, I thought I saw something in those bushes. Must have just been a dog or something.”

The two she was with easily took the hook and turned their eyes towards the bushes, which blew Bon’s cover. The older boy, who was close to a man, soon emerged the bushes with a grumpy look about his face.

“Come on Maria, I’m not a dog!”

“Says the man who was hiding from his sister.”

“I was checking to make sure you were doing alright!”

“But to stalk his own sister, were you looking for more~”

“Maria!”

“Or maybe it was for these two ladies~”

“Maria, please stop!” Red in the face and on his knees, Maria saw her older brother of only a few years defeated soundly with words. She could not help but laugh at him, though not once regretting the sheer embarrassment upon his face was priceless!

“Sorry Bon, come here!” She soon got up, quickly giving her brother a healthy hug, “I haven't seen you in almost four years! Why didn’t you come back when I sent you letters!”

“Sorry Maria, I uh, became occupied by the Prince.” He admitted while scratching his hair, “Guy’s got a lot of Paperwork and nothing else to do.”

“So you stayed away from me because of paperwork?” Maria pouted before simply shaking her head, “It's alright, I am sure you had a good reason for that I am sure. Though why were you hiding in the bush anyways?”

Bon grew a small bit of a blush while scratching the back of his neck, “Well, uh, you see I, uh, alright. I just wanted to make sure you were doing alright. It just looked like you were having lots of fun and I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Well you did much more than interrupt more by doing this, so I would say you failed. However let it be known that I thank you for coming to see me brother.” Maria ended with a smile.

“Yeah, your welcome. It’s nice to see you after so long and all grown up.”

>Go talk with Maria’s Brother More
>Beckon him to drink some tea with everyone
>Shoo him away as you all can talk later.

>>4253794
>Beckon him to drink some tea with everyone
One of the prince's group, huh? I wonder if this guy was a capture target.

>>4253794
>>Beckon him to drink some tea with everyone

>>4253794
>Beckon him to drink some tea with everyone

>>4253794
>Beckon him to drink some tea with everyone

>>4253794
Ah, Bon. Still a dork.
>>Beckon him to drink some tea with everyone

>>4253794
>>Beckon him to drink some tea with everyone

“Well, come over and have some tea, it has been so long.” Maria happily announced while Melody produced a tea cup from somewhere. As Maria poured him a cup, she quickly realized that she had no idea where this cup actually came from.

“Uh… sure.” And like that, Maria was hosting tea to her brother.

Now that she could widen her attention to the other two, she quickly noticed the hush talk that they were making. She quickly noticed however that they were red faced which was enough to get Maria interested, “What are you two talking about?”

“GIE!” Elizabeth squealed for a moment before turning back to Maria, “S-sorry, we just didn;t realize you were related to Bon.”

“Oh, but we have the same colored hair and eyes, why would we not?”

She then heard a small laugh coming from Bon himself, “Sorry sister, but I wasn’t going to run around singing your name.”

“Its alright, though you said something about the Prince. Are you good friends with him?”

“These days it's like that.” The man admitted with a coy smile, “Originally I was after the man to find some support to rescue you, but I learned he was not bad to hang out with either.”

“Really?” Maria could not help but widen her eyes at those words, “So, uh, how far were you able to get?”

“He agreed to help, actually. Though if I gotta be honest, he agreed too quickly for my taste.” Her brother leaned back a little, “It didn’t feel honest or genuine, so I stuck around to make sure he was working towards it. Turned out he was a yes man who needed a lot of help.”

Maria could not help gawk at that, as sudden realization hit her.

The personality of Lucien the Third could be characterized as quite the lackluster. He would never display any real emotion and would agree to everything said to him, only personal stuff he would decline. A perfect puppet to place on the throne.

The Heroine would fix that, making him experience a true emotion in Love. From then onwards, he would disagree on things as long as Chloe was affected which in turn included the Empire.

For how Maria would use this information, she would need to figure out.

They talked a little more, the sun setting over the horizon. Maria said her goodbyes to Bon, after which she went to the student dorms.

And with that, it was night
>Take a nice bath in the public baths
>Take a moment to organize knowledge of the Otome
>Prepare for classes tomorrow.

>>4254189
>>Take a moment to organize knowledge of the Otome
>A perfect puppet to place on the throne.
Welp, time to prepare to become Empress

>>4254189
>>Take a nice bath in the public baths

>>4254189
>Take a moment to organize knowledge of the Otome

>>4254189
>>Take a moment to organize knowledge of the Otome

>>4254189
>Take a nice bath in the public baths

>>4254189
>Take a moment to organize knowledge of the Otome

>>4254189
>>Take a moment to organize knowledge of the Otome

>>4254189
>Take a nice bath in the public baths

>>4254189
>Take a moment to organize knowledge of the Otome

“Melody, you can leave now.”

“Are you sure Mistress?”

“Yes, thank you for your help today.”

“You are welcomed, I will be here at first light.”

With that Melody left Maria by herself, which was to Maria’s advantage. If she had to be honest, she did not know what kind how this kind of knowledge affected someone’s sanity. The idea of being in a game was still quite knawling, as does it mean she is also being played by people in the modern world?

The girl shook her head before any more thoughts could accrued. Now was not really the time for Philosophy, but instead to scheme.

First thing to note about the Game this all was from, Otome Love Empire, was that there were essentially two different paths that diverge into three character captures.

The first path was getting close to the Second Prince Elric’s troupe. Unlike his brother, Elric was much more willful, and his desire for the throne was much higher than that of his brother. However as he never made word to his brother, Lucien had never formally given up on his position. In the game, Chloe would convince Lucien to give up his canaditcy for Elric if you went towards the Elric troupe.

He has two followers, Albert and Matheo. Albert was the silent strong type who was educated in finance just like his father. However, the boy gained a good wit with himself in the process. Matheo Seemed to be a playboy, but holds a great amount of skill in diplomacy which kept him from being married for so long.

On the other end was Lucien and his troupe. While Lucien is drawn out, the characters he is with have something of a competition between themselves. First would be Waltz, son of a lonely Count who’s skill in intrigue tantamounts to dangerous. Waltz wants to control the Prince for his own gain, however the reason is always to take care of his realm.

The other would be Ford, son of the Marshal. A Glory Hound who is also extremely loyal to the Prince. He quickly recognized the Prince’s passive personality and tries his best to make sure the Prince does not do anything stupid. At one point in the game, he had to convince the Prince not to give all his money to a single greedy Baron.

All in all, this was the dynamic in the game. While there was a rumored Reverse Harem Ending, Maria never had time to pull it off completely.

Now how does Maria fit in all this, well no matter what Maria would face the protagonist. Let it be shitty luck on Maria’s part or laziness on the developer side, Chloe’s love interest was also Maria’s ‘chance’ to secure a marriage into the Empire.

If this is the case, Maria does not really know.

In any case, the story was purely one of Love, so there was no real intrigue or wars happening. However Maria would not be surprised if something like this actually happened given her childhood. Let alone she might have fucked up the Prince Lucien’s troupe.

Now where to focus her efforts tomorrow…

>Try and meet with Prince Lucien
>Try to meet with Prince Elric
>Simply focus on her studies
>Try to talk to a minor capture target *Which one?*
>Build up Maria’s network of gossip *Intrigue*

>>4254629
>>4254630
>Build up Maria’s network of gossip *Intrigue

>>4254629
>Build up Maria’s network of gossip *Intrigue*
Gotta act on this quick before cliques form among them, and more importantly we gotta beat out Waltz to the mark.

>>4254630
>Try to meet with Prince Elric
Say it with me. Power couple.

>>4254630
>>Build up Maria’s network of gossip *Intrigue*

>>4254630
>Build up Maria’s network of gossip *Intrigue*

>>4254630
>>Build up Maria’s network of gossip *Intrigue*

>>4254630
>Simply focus on her studies

Hi there. Catching up to the quest . Still on the prologue. We missed a golden opportunity to sass the emperor by offering him his father back if he gives us back our brothers.

We probably shouldn't have accepted the marriage. It removes all sorts of intrigue from suitors/etc we could have had fun with (As anons. Not as her) and just about no husband would be anything but paranoid that she's out to kill him. She's an easy scapegoat for going from publicly vilified on a path to the guillotine if she makes things a pattern. (i'm sure there are Cleopatra and other equivalents to our situation in ancient history in this world.)
And then to reject him we could have declared that the only thing that would make any future husband trust her is love in true sappy otome fashion.

>>4254630
>>Build up Maria’s network of gossip *Intrigue*
we need spies

>>4254630
>>Try to meet with Prince Elric

>>4255075
Well you guys didn't agree to be his, only consider.

However, thanks for the ideas

>>4255075
you absolute fool you have given the QM ideas you have doomed us all

>>4255246
We're an isekai Otome Villainess. We were already doomed.

I'm kinda wondering how our modern sensibilities clash with the setting.
Eg instead of getting bad at the protagonist ho we get mad at the cheating scoundrel and demand restitution.

I hope Ghost Meido is doing ok. Bit of a shame that the way divine rights to rule works in the empire works means we can't argue that the pagan gods clearly have seceded that right to us and/or we clearly own the entire empire by right of conquest.

It has been about two week since Maria arrived in the academy, and in such a time things have expanded swimmingly. Classes were quite simple in her honest opinion, as they mainly focused on the literature and accounting education for operating a Fiefdom. Maria, thanks to the drunken Doge, her methods of accounting easily trumped her schoolmates.

As such, Maria did not really focus her time on the scholastic studies, but instead going to forming his clique of friends and confidants.

That brings her to today, the morning after church Services were over. As expected of a Clerical institution, students were expected to attend as much as they possibly can. For now Maria expected attendance to stay steady, it will surely drop once the month is over.

It was after that though, as Maria was sitting among those who can easily be considered the next line of powerful nobility.

“So Count Salem finally kicked the bucket?” Erica asked everyone present at the tea party.

“Indeed, and his daughter will be the one to suffer.” A girl by the name of Tracy Humperdink answered with a cruel smile.

“Why would she have any problems? I thought she was already betrothed to Count Wallace’s Son?” Elizabeth chimed in with a question mark above her head, “Didn’t right before her Father’s death the man introduced Cognitive Succession.”

“True, but now people are arguing that it was not a legal change in law.” Tracy answered with a slight frown, “From what I understand, the only other who has claims on the land is a man by the name of Waltz Renter.”

“Waltz…” Maria finally spoke up with a frown, “Is he the same one who hangs out with the First Prince?”

Both Erica and Tracy nodded, which only built up the sense of wrongness. By getting two Counties, the man who became a Count at the meer age of ten would equal that of a weak Duke. Why he would be obligated to hold the title of Viscount in its stead until then.

“I would hate to be her.” Elizabeth admitted with a tasteful snarl, “To lose all her family built up just to a technicality.”

“Well sounds like she’s definitely kicking at things to see if anything works.” Erica claimed with a slight shaking of the head, “Doesn’t help her Father died so suddenly. Apparently he suffered a mortal fall from the balcony.”

[Intrigue Test Passed]

Upon hearing this, Maria was quite sure something was rotten about that entire scenario. In something like this, Maria might get someone who was willing to add to this small group.

>Look into the situation Discreetly
>Try and talk to this Daughter of a Count
>Stalk the aggressor, Waltz instead
>Simply let it go, too much trouble it sounds.
>Other ideas? *write in*

>>4255301
>Stalk the aggressor, Waltz instead
He may not be one of the princes, but a chance to share a secret with one of the minor capture targets (and put ourselves in his confidence) is a good thing to take.

>>4255301
>Look into the situation Discreetly
"gravity can be a cruel mistress"

>>4255301
>Talk to this daughter of a count (or learn more about her as a person) DISCREETLY.
I think hearing all of the meido gossip back when we were a hostage means we probably have heard a bunch about the nasty things nobility can do if our own isekai knowledge doesn't give us mexican telenovela tier knowledge of plots that people might hatch. We wanna be sure she's not a crazy bitch who will make us look bad if we win that fight.
>Check things out from a legal standpoint since we have so much free time.

They can try to claim a technicality about the default method of succession, but they can't dispute that her father's publicly known intent for inheritance was for her to inherit the Count's fiefdom or at least his property within it.
I hope I explained that right. Basically (innocently) ruin the plans of the soon to be puppet duke. That way we can see what people to watch out for in the future who might try it again.

>>4255325
I feel like it's really easy to get confused about what I wrote, so I'm gonna try and explain further.

The dead dad apparently can't change the inheritor of the title since it's too late, but since he basically announced that his daughter inherits everything he owns she gets all of the property.

So Waltz Renter ends up inheriting the title while the daughter owns any and all property/assets within the fiefdom not considered public property of the King.

In one of the better case scenarios:
What this effectively does is stick Waltz with the obligation to pay all of the expenses for an entire fiefdom without owning much of anything from his new fiefdom. His backers fought hard to drive themselves into debt and Waltz will probably want to give the Count title back to the daughter to stop his new money sink.
If she's savvy she can still stick him with some/most of the bill/obligations out of spite for him probably having her dad killed. Eg. pay the debts for the next 20 years in exchange for him not having the financial burden for the rest of his life.

Too sneaky and calculating?

>>4255301
>Try and talk to this Daughter of a Count

>>4255352
It's good calculation, but coming from a totally inexplicable motive. Why would you want to make an enemy in the prince's party, when the best way to dodge out of our villainess bad end should be to make positive connections with them? Your suggested course seems like a good setup to having Waltz as an enemy for life and making sure we don't get any closer to the capture targets.
What's our obligation to this random girl?

>>4255370
Good point. I was going for us having a personality somewhat closer to Medea from To be you even for a day. Aka a minor justice boner hidden behind the villainous facade.

If we did do that we'd have to tip off a friend of hers instead to make the revelation/argument seem spontaneous instead of having come from us?
Get enough popularity with all of the women in the school and we'd be untouchable unless the husbands want to deal with the wrath of angry wives.

>>4255382
>minor justice boner hidden behind the villainous facade.
Interesting idea; definitely not where I was picturing us going. I guess we'll see how our motives develop, but I definitely think setting ourselves up to be well-liked (or beloved) by the capture targets should be our top priority for survival's sake.

>>4255325
I'll support this. We can figure something out after we get some more information.

>>4255301
>Look into the situation Discreetly
As much as I want to see our intrigue rival, let's try to sniff out some more info first before picking a side.

Being an dab hand at intrigue himself I doubt Waltz would paint himself in such a suspicious light if he truly was the mastermind behind this - which means someone might be trying to kill two birds with one stone here, ruining the count's daughter while dragging Waltz's name through the mud at the same time.

>>4255382
>>4255370
Plus loyalty matters. Everyone who isn't a friend undoubtedly expects us to be conniving and/or power hungry, but I'm probably being paranoid in thinking so. Kingslayer is a cool title, but not a welcoming one when you have a chance at being King.
We'd gain the backing of the daughter and the fiance for saving them out of nowhere in the long term. It's (secretly) casting a net of loyal people we can slightly trust at home.

Having a bit of trouble remembering which prince is backing whom for no good reason as well. My brain didn't prioritize remembering since we knew that the succession itself isn't even an actual fight. One just has to ask the other to be King without getting the other mad. Clearly that was a mistake.
>>4255398
We have the Pope on our side. We're pretty safe on that end until at least graduation unless the princes want to be excommunicated from the church and lose their right of succession.
The protag isn't our main danger anymore unless we get super jealous. It's paranoid people and noble plots trying to use us for political gain (which might involve people bullying the protag to try and gain our favor)

>>4255301
>Look into the situation Discreetly

>>4255301
>>Stalk the aggressor, Waltz instead
Let's dance with the son of a 'lonely Count'.

>>4255301
>>4255406
Switching my vote to
>>Stalk the aggressor, Waltz instead

Because I actually really do wanna see our intrigue rival

>>4255301
>Stalk the aggressor, Waltz instead

>>4255301
>>Stalk the aggressor, Waltz instead

>>4255291
It was pointed out that we are a distinctly insanely dangerous individual due to our capability to bypass divine protection and the right to rule to slay those blessed by the gods. Its why the Miaphat god despises us so and why our Church had to reach out to offer their protection. Since we drew the bad kind of attention from the gods thanks to fucking up their game. As in their eyes, we are one hell of a wild card.

The reason there is still a Miaphat scion seeking our hand has to do with ambitions and bypassing certain divine conundrums. If a royal can stomach such an insanely dangerous partner we are the ultimate fuck you to other royals and wild card against godly tricks.

I would imagine its to that point that should ever vanish from the public eye for long you will see a lot of royals get incredibly paranoid and cautious until we show up again.

>>4255352
A noble's word is law and his family has rights even after his death unless his title is stripped away from him. So keep in mind we can pull the challenging of a noble's rights and trying to take(steal) their assets which will make every noble out there very concerned. Hint at that and every other nobles out there will be up in arms over the 'precedent' it may set.

It will also make an enemy of every noble out there for whoever is behind it. Say that to a group of noble girls and they'll tell their family who will take such words seriously. Especially once they find out it was the kingslayer who said it. It will serve as both a warning, gratify us with other nobles, and win the girl's support for daring to spit upon the dignity and honor of her noble father.

>>4255370
>>4255398
There is no point in maintaining good relations to capture targets or their allies because the Otome WILL without fail turns them against us with ease no matter what because she is the otome. There is no point and nothing we can do about it as the villainess. In truth, we should be distinctly concerned if the Otome decides to treat our own brother as a capture target too. As we are obligated to keep him safe since our other two brothers died as he is the only heir left. The Otome if she really wants to fuck our shit up will target our brother. As both royals deeply fear us due to our title of Kingslayer. They are in fact unreliable counters to us because of it.

As for the random girl, it's about setting a precedent and making friends. Right now people have every reason to fear us but none to like us. If we show a helping handle to a mere count's daughter and make such a strong enemy what can they do about it? Challenge the kingslayer? Do you wanna die? Even kings take us seriously and the gods pay attention. People will know that if your trouble you can beseech the Kingslayer for aid even if its someone powerful targetting you and know that the kingslayer can in fact be kind. All of which is incredibly valuable to be known for.

>>4255412
Don't blindly trust in the pope. He is only on good terms with us because of how badly we fucked the Miaphate up. Plus he intends to keep an eye on us in case we should ever turn our king slaying against those he endorses. The princes can't afford to challenge us unless their willing to risk their lives against the Kingslayer and they are no king yet. If we didn't fuck with them they won't fuck with us...if the Otome didn't get involved but even so using royals against a Kingslayer is going to end poorly.

>>4255612
>>4255628
I really feel like you're ratcheting the importance of this whole kingslayer thing up to an unreasonable degree. We're neither the first nor the last assassin to get lucky and do something unlikely twice, and we're still only 14. Plus, during the legend roll we managed to build our reputation up to an only "moderate" degree.
Regarding Waltz' actions, he's the one with rights, precedent, and the law on his side. Try to overturn salic law to benefit a schoolgirl and we're going to be the one with the whole nobility up in arms against us, not him. I'm sure there was a ton of contention about the old count trying to leave his property to his daughter, too; remember the pragmatic sanction in Austria?
>>4255628
>the Otome WILL without fail turns them against us with ease no matter what because she is the otome
Considering how massively often the 'otome villainess reincarnation' genre throws that idea out or otherwise overturns it and allows the villainess to win the affections of the capture targets out from under the heroine, I'd say that's a totally unsupportable claim; it's just deciding to fail before we have any reason to expect we can't win.

>>4255406
Ooh.I didnt even think of that.

Our Dad is getting old too. If our remaining brother dies somehow, then it's all too easy to repeat what just happened to us. We have no backup brothers.

We really need to figure out who all of these guys are incase it's some overly ambitious group that might target us or our friends in the future. The downfall of rival villains secretly could be instigated by them in the game's backstory.
>>4255628
Not really blindly trusting him, but at the very least he seems to like us well enough.

He gave us a holy relic. That alone is a major endorsement and/or threat against anyone getting too cocky so long as we don't do something stupid like abuse the protection his name provides.
It's similar to how dumb it is to a bully a heroine when a royal heir likes her, except the pope is a higher rank than King in this setting. All we have to do is not screw that up.

I'm not saying to act cocky or anything like that. I'm just saying that unless the protag is considered a saintess or something along that tier we won't have to deal with any troubles

Now if only it wasn't a finger. Makes the thing look creepy enough that we probably won't feel ok with wearing it often.

>>4255612
Not really sure what the local law is concerning everything in this setting. (hence research)
You can say a Noble's word is law, but the current conundrum is entirely because his word isn't enough law to secure a basic inheritance for his daughter over some random 8th cousin twice removed. They aren't even appointing a regent to manage the territory until her arranged marriage goes through.

There are just a bunch of unknowns that we won't figure out in character until there's been time to learn all of the social norms of our homeland. Eg our family seems to love us very much, but IDK if other families are only using their daughters as commodities for trade. Our first memory was our father plotting an arranged marriage.
It makes a big difference on if the fiance will just dump her for convenience or genuinely care about her in addition to telling us how the nobles in general will react to the situation.

From her view, Maria had a clear watch over the entirety of the gardens. At the corner of her eyes, she saw two people arguing with one another.

It happened sooner than Maria realized it, but having so many Nobles in one place was bound to cause trouble. Each person here held some form of power, either De Jure or De Facto. As such, what would have been a normal argument actually had weight on the outcome of it.

“You are trying to steal my Family’s legacy!”

“Hey, I didn’t plan on it. Your Father’s Council were the ones who decided this matter. They simply did not wish to risk their realm being attacked because a girl was on the throne.”

“You lie! You planned all of this!”

“Look, this is the reason your Council does not want you in power!”

So she should not be surprised that the two would interact with one another negatively.

“Mistress, are you simply content with just watching them go at it?”

“For now we will Melody. For now we will be content.”

Maria had spent the previous week trying her best to cram in local Laws and where to find them. Some simple things were found that she made sure to mark down.

1. Succession based on Gender is based on the title’s laws.

2. Such changes can be reviewed by the Title’s Council

These were the important parts she found, as they were in question during the Count’s death. From complaints and words spoken by Waltz, the Count had a Council who would vote on the changes of laws and customs for the region. While the Count declared a law should be changed on his deathbed, it was up to the Councilors to vote on it even if he was dying.

So then the Council became a Deadlock. Three men for and Three against, the girl’s regent not wanting to decide himself even though he held the Leige’s vote currently.

How Waltz relates to this is that his mother was the sister of the Count. As such, he was next in-line to inherit right up until the Count died with a widowed wife and Child.

Maria had done some light stalking to see what his life has been like during this time, and it seems a little bit stressful. When she can see him, he is being pestered by the girl everywhere he goes and for the most part women do not seem to like him much.

The Kingslayer however has not been very abt at getting into his personal life. She had seen him with her Brother, Prince, and the Knight but nothing else really. Unless she did real work into it, she will not be able to learn more.

However, Maria could not help but notice he was talking to Bon much more than before these days…

“We need another approach.” Maria answered her thoughts with a call for action, “He’s got to have a more private side…”

“What would that entail?” Melody asked with a raised brow.

>Break into his room to find more information.
>Steal letters that he sends
>Talk to Bon to learn more about the man.
>Confront him directly
>Other

>>4255837
>>Talk to Bon to learn more about the man.
Discreetly of course

>>4255837
>Talk to Bon to learn more about the man.

>>4255837
>Talk to Bon to learn more about the man.

>>4255837
>>Talk to Bon to learn more about the man.

>>4255837
>Talk to Bon to learn more about the man.

“I’m going to go see Bon, Melody.” And with her declaration Maria picked herself off the chair and began to start moving to where she would surely find her brother.

In her time here, Maria had gotten modestly used to the academy. The place was elegant and fantastical, but for some reason she never felt it was that special. Maybe it was because she was spoiled by the wonders of the Papal States and the Miaph’s Castle, but the place felt dull after a few weeks of being there.

In her time here, she had slowly been making her dresses more extravagant as a means of blending in. In her honest opinion having to dress up with something so pompous was annoying, but at least she could always carry something defensive underneath. A dagger was always quite fine in her opinion.

The man who was her brother was exactly where she thought he would be, in the arena training with Ford. Oh how simple minded was her brother, while being able to get into the Prince’s Troup through conversation he stuck around the stubborn Ford.

“Hold a moment,” Ford quickly raised his hand a moment after his eyes flashed towards Maria, “Bon, who is that girl?”

“Hmm? Oh Maria why are you over here!” He exclaimed with a surprise.

“I just wanted to talk to you Bon, however,” Maria quickly turned towards the other man with a smile, “It is a pleasure to meet you Ford, I believe this is the first time we have met face to face.”

The man gave a stern nod, “Indeed, Kingslayer.”

“Hey Ford that was a little cruel. She’s my sister, so treat her better!”

Upon saying those words Maria’s and Ford’s eyes met for a moment. Maria could swear that it felt like she was being scanned from head to toe, Judgement being placed upon her.

Maria should not have been surprised that the right hand man and guard to the Crown Prince was suspicious of her.

“Well can we take a break for a moment then,” Bon interrupted the two before static started coming out of their eyes, “If my Sister has come over here, it would surely be urgent.”

The man simply gave a nod, to which Maria and her brother went off to a corner, “So what do you need?”

“I wanted to talk to you about Waltz, things like what kind of man he is.”

“Oh, did you by chance fall for him?” Her brother claimed with a coy smile, “I mean he’s been asking about you more and more lately.”

“No such thing,” Maria announced with a wave of her hands, “He has simply gotten himself into a certainly precarious state of affairs.”

“He did.” Bon shook his head, “From what he told us, the situation just rolled into his lap. Apparently he made quite the impression on some Councilors and now they want him to reign over them.”

“So you don’t feel like something is fishy?”

“Not from my end. I know he can be sneezy, but I’m starting to expect it's a running theme here in the Empire.”

Now Maria felt something was off about this entire situation.

>Continue Asking Questions *Write in*
>Talk directly to the victim
>Go for more aggressive actions around Waltz
>Try and reinforce Maria against Waltz’s counter spying attempts.

>>4256277
>Continue Asking Questions *Write in*
>Did he mention anything about the regent? It's his vote that's stopping the councillors from getting their way, after all.
I thought the regent was dragging his feet because he wanted to stay in power, but now it feels like his reluctance is because he doesn't want those councilors to get their way.
and

>Do you get the impression that Waltz particularly wanted to rule the ducy?
If he's not actually gunning for the dukedom then we might be able to talk him into putting a halt to those councillors plans/

Then
>Talk directly to the victim
Get a sense of her character - for all we know she's totally unfit to rule and that's why the councilors want to disinherit her. But we also don't want to look like we're singling her out and thus chosing a side in this whole thing - maybe ask to meet under a guise of a tea party with the rest of our posse in attendance?

In regards to Waltz spying on us, let's leave that for now. The spying might actually paint us in a good light, since it'll prove we're not actually planning to murder any of the princes after class (which as Ford's attitude towards us showed is a very real fear some people have). We just can't count on Bon to help us hide the bodies.

>>4256279
>Continue Asking Questions
What is Waltz asking Bon about Maria?

Don't reinforce, but keep an interest in who Waltz is speaking to, and what might be said, if possible
.
>>Talk directly to the victim
The dance continues

>>4256279
>>Talk directly to the victim

>>4256279
>Try and reinforce Maria against Waltz’s counter spying attempts.

> he is going to try to cum in you mouth Maria be careful

>>4256293
+1

“Just to make sure, what exactly was he asking about me?” Maria questioned.

“Hmm, mainly things like what you were like.” He admitted with a shrug, “It wasn’t anything more intrusive besides asking for what you looked like.”

“Alright, and lastly, do you think he wants to become a Duke?”

“Waltz? Of course he would, since he’s been struggling to justify being the Prince’s friend for a while now. A lonely Count he is, so I guess getting a County could justify him getting a title fron Lucien.”

“Alright, thanks Bon.” Maria ended their conversation with a smile.

“You’re welcome Maria, be sure to come by another time please. I still don’t get to see you that much.”

“I will try.”

It was the next day when Maria hosted a small tea party. The classes she participated in were becoming quite easy, so she and her posse agreed to hang out together in a bit of an informal fashion. However there was one girl who was new to the group.

“Thank you for having me, Maria.” The new girl said while giving a curt bow.

“It is a pleasure to welcome you, Annelies. Please make yourself comfortable.” Maria answered with a small smile and a wave of her hand.

With that tea was served, everyone started to drink their favorite flavors. For Maria she had gotten herself some strong black tea, something about her tastes starting to dull seemed to be the problem.

“So I think I should speak what's on everyone’s mind,” Erica started with a small grin, “Apparently a Baron’s heir and wife died, so he’s bringing in a bastard daughter!”

“R-really?” Annelies said with a bit lip, “I feel really bad for her.”

And like that everyone began talking. Annelies seemed like a kind of timid girl from simply talking to her. Maybe it was because of all the pressure the events or the tea party placed on her, but it seemed that she was able to manage talking to everyone here.

Maria would admit things would look a little weird from the outside, her inviting a Count to her party. However such a thing was mitigated by the simple fact that everyone saw her as interesting at the moment.

Now that she was within Maria’s grasp, what to do…

>Simply continue observation
>Ask her about the Council problems.
>Ask for her opinion of Waltz.
>Other Questions
>Try and make her comfortable instead

>>4257087
>Try and make her comfortable instead
Get Annelies settled, and *then* gently probe her about the council and Waltz.

She's already timid, so interrogating her on something that's such a sore point is a great way to get her to clam up completely.

Plus Maria should know the benefits of the slow and steady approach - this is the girl who killed a god emperor in three months with just a lead coin.

>>4257087
>Try and make her comfortable instead

>>4257087
>Try and make her comfortable instead

>>4257087
>>Try and make her comfortable instead

>>4257087
>Try and make her comfortable instead

>>4257087
>Try and make her comfortable instead.

There are a few things regarding this situation that are probably known by the characters but not by me since I don't want to assume. Also some stuff/questions rattling in the back of my head.

1) What happens to her if she loses her title. Does she become homeless? I haven't seen or heard anything about anyone possibly taking care of her outside of knowing her fiance exists. I have no idea if that could break apart at any moment. Paints Waltz as a bit of a dpshit if he's not making any accomidations for his own family after she becomes an orphan. Then again, I think he's a dipshit if he's ok with taking advantage of his own uncle's death by suspicious backers instead of trying to figure out the culprits.(Assuming he isn't keeping quiet to give them a false sense of security)

2) How long does the regent's lack of a vote last for? Could she theoretically train herself to enough competency to become Countess to prove her worth? Since the two main candidates are in school right now it could/would get formally delayed until graduation?

3)Not enough rock climbing. Should we start scaling the walls to visit our brother at night?

4) No friendships with the maids. I get that we have nobility to think about, but servants are practically invisible to the nobility and a good source of information if we can get into their gossip networks.

5) We seem to have forgotten our first lesson. Get them drunk and let them blab. Then again, our brother is probably the one at events with alcohol. We should invite ourselves into one of those events with him as a chaperone.

6) Should we learn lockpicking to escape from prison if we still get the bad end?

7) Forgot all about the regent. What's his motivation for abstaining from the vote? Is he in on it? Blackmail?

8) Who are these people claiming Waltz isn't good enough to be friends with the prince? Did they forget the prince has more authority than them to decide whom he wants to deal with? Sounds like a bunch of overconfident blabbermouths that are gonna overreach or try to use us against the heroine in the future. These elitist shit stirrers are people to watch the plots of.

9) If he can't keep cordial relations with his own family, why should we expect him to be able to handle nonfamily? I think this calls for a snarky remark of some sort that worms it's way to his ears. Hopefully it'll make him rethink what he's doing. Everything during this era is built on familial relationships. Breaking those off means breaking apart the trust everyone else has in you. It marks him as one who will stab anyone in the back for some power.

The conversation seems to be something a good bit on the steady side of things once everyone was comfortable. Though as Maria listened more and more, she could not help but feel a small itch growing inside of her about who this Baron’s daughter was.

However that was something Maria did not need to worry about for a few more months. For now, she needed to deal with someone who was trying to make a power play.

“Hey Annelies.” Maria had sat herself next to the girl, itching closer when everyone else was talking about their gossip, “Are you feeling well now?”

“I am, thank you very much Maria.”

“You have had some troubling times for sure.”

“Its because of that damn Waltz. If only he never showed up at our Manor nothing like this would have happened!” She steamed and cursed the name of the man quite fluently.

“Is that so? He is not taking very good care of his family from what I understand.”

“Hmph, definitely. Why oh why did my Aunt have to marry such a wicked man!”

“Oh, was his Father the worst I take it?”

“Power hungry and manipulative, like father like son.” She grew a nice grin, “We would have celebrated his death if my Aunt didn’t die with him.”

“Then my apologies for bringing it up.” Maria’s eyes did a quick double take, seeing that no one was really paying them much attention now, “So you said something about him visiting the Manor? What was that about?”

“Oh, that happened only a year ago after his Father died. Apparently the Council liked Waltz more than my Father, so when he died they started ignoring his words.” She quickly took in the entire cup of tea, “By the one above I hope they are damned.”

With that the two fell silent, Maria thinking about all that was said. The Waltz path… if she remembered correctly it was about trying to give a cynical man a new meaning to life. Trained by his Father, Waltz would take opportunities as they present themselves.

His Father… didn’t he die of suspicious circumstances. It was hinted that the man killed his own Father. Never in his route did the man mention his family, let it be this half or the other.

>Continue Questioning *What?*
>Invite Waltz over for a drink, a lot of drinks
>Intercept Waltz’s mail to see what exactly is he doing.
>Looking into those on the Council

>>4257629
>Continue Questioning *What?*

>>4257629
>>Continue Questioning *What?*

>>4257629
>Continue Questioning *What?*

Points 1 and 2 of this >>4257542
>What would happen to her if she loses her title?
>Ask more detail about the regents vote - how long can it be delayed for?

“I do need to ask you this, Annelies, but what happens if you lose your title?”

“If I lose it,” the girl’s face became quite grave at the moment of Maria mentioning it, “Well, I guess I can either become a Maid or Nun. It would be quite embarrassing if I became Waltz’s maid after this.”

“Hmm, I guess it’s no different than in MaKain.” Maria quipped with a shaking of her head, “How long can your Regent delay his vote? Surely you can have him hold out until after school.”

“Tsk, him? That man is the reason all this mess started. Yes, he does have the last vote, but if he has not yet crushed this stupid inserection than I have no idea what he is doing.” She called out, annoyance easily drawn.

“Hmm, well that sounds like a bad problem.”

“You tell me.”

“Alright, now what was this about a Bastard child?” Maria then rejoined the greater conversation, her mind mawling over everything she has learned.

She felt there was something missing in this endeavor, that much was certain. Probably the biggest question of them all was why exactly the Regent was holding out his vote. Something told Maria she was missing something major from the situation. Just what then…

>Go through either Annelies’ or Waltz’s mail.
>Invite Waltz for a lot of drinking
>Try and contact her Regent to get the full story

>>4257985
>>Try and contact her Regent to get the full story

It is highly unlikely that he will tell us but we might as well try

>>4257985
>Go through either Annelies’ or Waltz’s mail.
Going to the regent is our last resort since that will show our hand to everyone. Let's have a rifle through the mail first.

>>4257985
I feel like the QM is bashing us over the head to sneak in and read the letters. Sadly I am too paranoid about the wax seals being annoying to get past and our actual skill at this.
>Suggest to Annelies that she should work on her studies. Sitting around passively won't help. If she can get higher scores than Waltz or at least fairly good ones then the excuses about her competency falls apart. As Regent it is also his duty to make sure you know what he is doing until the titles is transferred.I suggest you make him do so while you still can.Regent might be up to something and using this delay to cook the books to hide what he's been doing. If she gets to see the information while he thinks she's too incompetent to understand what's in them that might give us a chance to take a glance and find something.


(Not sure what the argument about her being pissed off when some dude just yoinks her entire life away from her without remorse equals her being incompetent is supposed to be)

>>4258086
true changing vote to this, but which ones mail are we going to go through?

>>4258118
well we don't have to take un opened mail we can take the mail that has already been opened before

>>4258118
I like the suggestion, support.

>>4258139
Ideally both, but if we have to pick one then Waltz's.

>>4257985
>Go through either Annelies’ or Waltz’s mail.

>>4258146
So are we personally rifling through the mail or do we have a capable subordinate to do so?

>>4258413
>capable subordinate
Unless our Melody is actually a super spy in disguise we're going to be doing the dirty work - I wouldn't trust our mean girl posse as far as we can throw them.

>>4258431
I'd be disappointed if he was dumb enough to do his evil conspiracy in regular mail. I think we need to relax on the rooftops for a while to see if any sort of messenger animal regularly comes to him?

“Here are some coins for your services, sir postmaster.” Maria answered with a smile while sneaking a few gold ducats into his hands.

“It is a pleasure madam, be sure they make it to the recipients would ya.”

Indeed Maria will, as she walked away form their little spot of exchange and through the corridors. Within her hands were a series of letters, three of them in fact that were being transmitted through the school’s courier network.

Such a network was made of several people who were quite easy to bribe, in Maria’s opinion. Sitting down upon her desk, she carefully removed the wax seals with a knife so as to not damage it. Something like this she never really had experience in, but thanks to the old Doge she knew the basics on how to sneak letters to herself.

The first she read was from the Regent directly to Annalies:

Dear Annalies,

The longer I hold my vote the more they become irritated, and an irritated Council is one that you do not wish to have. Simply put, I request full heartedly that you return to the Fiefdom of your late Father to talk to the Council and acknowledge the power it holds.

As your Regent I can cast my vote, but now is the time you must learn the Council’s ways. You came home only for a day to attend your Father’s funeral, then quickly as that you returned to the Academy’s walls.

Return, or my hand will be forced the other way

-Regent Charles Ringright

And with that read, Maria changed to the one meant for the Regent himself.

Dear Charles,

You hang this above my head, saying Council this and Council that. You must understand that I, unlike all you who plague the Council, own the title to the land. It is simply you yourself who do not acknowledge my Father’s desire and squabble causing me to lose hair!

To bring in Waltz, why I do not know what you are planning but I will make sure you pay dearly. I do not remember Father having to Acknowledge the Council as much as you demand I myself to, so I myself will not.

-Countess Annalies Tetu

And lastly to Count Waltz:

Count Waltz,

You must understand that we the Council should retain the rights of Imprisonment to ourselves. Understand that we the Council shall govern over the people of this realm from tyranny. Not that of yourself, but those of mad descendents like Ciro the Mad Emperor.

However, we do recognize that you shall distribute any Titles as you see fit, as it is the right of the one chosen by God to give those he himself gained through hard work.

-Richard Ringright, Marshal of Rial County

By the time Maria finished reading, the evidence was clear to all to see. All they were experiencing was a power grab by those underneath Nobility chosen by God’s men on earth. As Maria looked over them one last time, she could not help but get a small nagging feeling in her mind.

Did Maria from the Otome game see this happen herself? Is this the reason she gained disgruntled taste about Commoners?

>Go visit these two, as they surely would crimple up to blackmail.
>Give these to Annelies, let her do what she wants
>Make sure Waltz knows he’s dealing with scheming schundrols, as their sheer dishonesty would force him away.
>Submit these to the Church, as evidence to get them Excommunicated *Church Relations*

>>4258806
>Go visit these two, as they surely would crimple up to blackmail.

>>4258806
>Submit these to the Church, as evidence to get them Excommunicated *Church Relations*
this reminds me of ck2

>>4258806
>Submit these to the Church, as evidence to get them Excommunicated *Church Relations*

>>4258803
>They were dumb enough to put it in writing

Going to the church or Waltz probably won't help since I assume that these fools cannot possibly be stupid enough to send written confessions to their crimes right in front of the second in command for the entire church. I can only assume the lack of modern forensics gives them some form of deniability here.

Ergo Blackmail is the way to go.
>Go visit these two, as they surely would crimple up to blackmail but be prepared. They have probably killed at least one count. They won't be too apprehensive about adding another member of nobility. Remember to bluff that you instructed a third party to present copies to both of the "mad descendants" should anything happen to us.

>>4258806
>Submit these to the Church, as evidence to get them Excommunicated *Church Relations*

>>4258806
>Submit these to the Church, as evidence to get them Excommunicated *Church Relations*
We've in the Church's good graces, right?

>>4258998
To be fair, they're expecting the academy to be filled with pampered noble brats, something which Maria is not.

>>4258806
>>Submit these to the Church, as evidence to get them Excommunicated *Church Relations*

>>4259023
I feel like the fallout here is going to be something extremely bloody as nobility everywhere get an excuse to execute entire councils. I'm just a bit wary of how brazenly they thought they could do this. Maybe keep at least one letter incase it turns out the church is in on this?

>>4258806
>Submit these to the Church, as evidence to get them Excommunicated *Church Relations*
Well, this little bit of intrigue is turning out fun. Killing Miaphs, stomping down on upstart commoners, we're turning into a regular champion of the Holy Imperial church and state!

>>4259216
that's what makes it fun

Maria slowly made her way through the halls of the Academy, making her way closer to its center. While places closer to the centers of learning tended to be more plain, but elegant pieces of art and styling. When closing in on the center, the place tended to have many more religious works and the like.

Soon she arrived outside of the Headmaster’s office, which doubled as a Cardinal's Position. As Maria knocked upon the door, the worn voice of the Headmaster rang through to welcome her in.

The place was rather spartan, Maria quickly noticed. In the center however was the Holy amn wearing his red vestments, “Headmaster, I am sorry to have interrupted you. I am Maria Louisa Regnia.”

“Hmm, you would be the rumored Kingslayer I assume?” He asked with an indifferent stare.

“Indeed you are correct.” Maria reached into her cloak and brought out a large envelop, “I am here to deliver an Anonymous Tip. Surely you have heard of Annelies and Waltz’s tussling.”

“Indeed, the guards were becoming worried that Annelies would be taking matters into a more grave direction.” He accepted the package slowly, “I take it this is information on their circumstances?”

“Indeed, it seems their Councilors were playing both sides and abusing their rights. I would expect them to be Excommunicated for such acts.”

“Hmm, that is quite the incriminating statement. I take it whatever is in my hand will be just cause for such a charge?”

“Indeed I would believe so, or at least enough to give them a warning to stop and a just firing.”

“I will see what happens, Kingslayer. This case is not large enough for the Pope himself to care for, neither am I their religious head. Thus I will have this delivered to the local Bishop.”

“Thank you, Father.” Maria claimed with a bowing of her head.

“Indeed, thank you for taking care of this before it gets out of hand. Be careful about retaliation however, as these two men will likely have nothing to lose. While I can try to keep you hidden, someone else might leak that information.”

“Thank you for the worry Father. Than I will be off.”

“Indeed, though I expect you to be in the Chaple on the coming days of rest.”

“And you will see me there.” Maria finally exited the room. She just needed a task before she could watch shit hit the fan.

>Hang out with Bon, since he is her Brother.
>Take a few days to relax, enjoy some tea.
>Practice some Larceny just in case
>Try and keep a close ear to make sure things ended the way they should.
>Other downtime acts.

>>4259546
>Hang out with Bon, since he is her Brother.

>>4259546
>Hang out with Bon, since he is her Brother.
Work on developing that brocon trait.

>>4259546
>>Hang out with Bon, since he is her Brother.

>>4259546
>Hang out with Bon, since he is her Brother.

>>4259546
>>Hang out with Bon, since he is her Brother.
>>Try and keep a close ear to make sure things ended the way they should.

>>4259546
>>Hang out with Bon, since he is her Brother.

>>4259546
>Hang out with onii chan.
>Brush up on swordsmanship with Oni Chan
>Ask Melody to keep an ear out concerning things

The sound of blades going against one another could be heard across the training grounds, though the kind of blades they were was up to the wielder.

For Bon, he wielded a bastard sword that had just a sheer practicality to it. A weapon of its kind was able to be wielded one or two handed, making varying types of stances possible. He was trained to use such a practical weapon by his father, and it shows as his strength was used more on the brutal edge.

For the other however she wielded an axe. Unlady like and tribal, it was something no one would expect to use in such a situation.

“Hey sister, what’s up with the axe?” Bon asked with a question mark appearing over his head.

“This?” She looked over the weapon and gave a small shrug, “Well I got trained by the Valrian, and you can say it stuck pretty well.”

“You know, I expected my sister to use a sword. Those Morse are quite corrupting.”

“No, it’s just they took a nice liking to me.”

“Well, let’s stop for today.” Bon admitted as his breath finally became unstead, “If I’m like this, your probably worse arn’t ya?”

Maria grew a small smile while dropping her weapon, “Indeed, I am exhausted. I need to take a bath after this all.”

“Well thanks for hanging out with me.” He shinned one hell of a smile to Maria, “Say, after we finish cleaning up you up for meeting the First Prince?”

“The First Prince? Are you sure about that Bon?”

“Yup, I was talking about you a while back and he said he wanted to meet ya.”

Well, that was quite unexpected.

>>This will be for next thread
>Go visit the Prince
>Delcine, as Maria does not want any death flag chances

>>4259914
>>Go visit the Prince
Explain the death flag chances though, is this meta knowledge that Maria should know?

>>4259914
>Go visit the Prince
We should learn to use a sword again ASAP. We never would've killed the first Miaph if we'd had an axe at the time; they're far less versatile weapons.

>>4259914
>Go visit the Prince
why do you always end the thread so early

>>4259919
have you forgotten the fact that we are an isekai otome protagonist reincarnated into the villaness body

>>4259922
A poleaxe or a warhammer (bec de corbin actually) would seem like a natural progression from a waraxe, has better reach and more period appropriate.

>>4259928
Isekai otome antagonist actually, just wondering what the death flags meant since the game scenario apparently hasn't started proper.

>>4259937
I could get behind using a glaive or some similar polearm. It'd work nicely with our background of having been a Japanese woman in our past life, since in Japanese martial arts the naginata is known as a weapon primarily for female use.

>>4259914
>>4259914
>Go visit the Prince
That's our bon-bon. It'll be interesting to see how Waltz treats us after the whole countess thing.

Also QM now that we're finally meeting all these pretty boys are they finally going to get upgraded to stock images.

>>4259937
In the actual game Maria automatically persues whichever guy the otome has decided to court, a decision which winds up in her death.

Honestly the best way to avoid it is either befriend the otome or keep a close eye on her to see who she's going after and work from there.

>>4259954
or we could just not get involved and just go impale some people

Is the Isekai language different from the one we knew in our past life? We could probably turn our old native language into a mostly uncrackable cipher. Mostly in the off chance that it's a real foreign language or the prototype version of it exists.

>>4259914
>No point in declining. turning him down would probably make him MORE interested anyway.

>>4259954
It'll be fun to say he can thank us for it if he's mad. Trying to shut up the snooty gossips via giving them even more fuel that he'll never be able to get rid of was a dumb idea and the prince can befriend whomever he damn well pleases. They have no authority over the prince's social life.

>>4259914
>Go visit the Prince

Hey does someone wanna archive this. I am never good at archiving these things.

Next Thread: >>4261905