This is the worst. Alice stared at the mirror and whispered those words. The face reflected back at her was one she recognized. Shallow purple short hair. Vivid golden eyes. Slightly upturned eyes with a sharp, intimidating gaze. A slim, delicate frame that suited the white and black academy uniform perfectly. A red rose brooch adorned her chest. She was probably around 160 centimeters tall. Despite her perfectly refined features, she emanated an unapproachable atmosphere. "...It really is me." Alice stepped closer to the mirror and pinched her own cheek. It hurt. This wasn't a dream. It had been like this since last night. She had suddenly remembered everything right before bed yesterday. Memories from her past life—of being an ordinary high school girl in Japan, deeply immersed in an otome game—had flooded in like a torrent. The game's title was "Rose Eternal." It was a romance game set in the Royal Academy Stella Magnifica, where the heroine fell in love with multiple romance targets. And the girl in the mirror was... Alice Von Claire, the villainess. That character who bullied the heroine relentlessly and ultimately lost everything in the game. Alice traced the red brooch on her uniform lightly with her finger. The rose-shaped brooch now felt somewhat resentful. Outside the window, morning light illuminated the royal capital of Kronstadt. The spring breeze blowing from a tributary of the Liebefluss River felt soft through the glass. From the second floor of the girls' dormitory Lilienhaus, she could see the brick and white stone school buildings. The Royal Academy Stella Magnifica, built on a hill in the northeast of the royal capital. Today was the first day of the new term. "[sad]This is the worst," She whispered it again. --- Alice took a deep breath in front of the mirror and organized her thoughts. According to the game's knowledge, Alice's fate in "Rose Eternal" was the same regardless of which route: a broken engagement announced by Crown Prince Lucas Van Eldrich. Permanent expulsion from high society. The Von Claire family's title frozen and their house in decline. A complete destruction ending, all three bundled together. In this country—the Kingdom of Eldreiche—a noble's reputation and family honor determined everything in life. If one's standing in high society fell, engagements were broken and houses declined. Moreover, this country had a terrifying system called the "Social Expulsion Decree," and with the approval of just one member of the royal family and three or more great nobles, even a noble lady could be permanently expelled from high society. The Von Claire family was one of the top twelve houses represented in the Great Noble Council Faervalthung. Alice was their daughter. A single action of hers could topple the entire house. "[serious]In other words...I have no choice but to run," Alice told herself this. The game's destruction ending began with Alice harassing and tormenting the heroine. If that were the case, then if she didn't approach anyone, the scenario shouldn't progress. If there was no contact, no events would trigger. If she was hated, that would be perfect. "The strategy is simple. Drive everyone away with a venomous tongue." Alice nodded at her reflection. She thought it was a calm judgment on her part. The original self—or rather, this Alice Von Claire character was apparently already famous for her sharp tongue. If she turned that to her advantage, she wouldn't even need to act hateful. She could be hated naturally. A perfect strategy. That's what she thought. At that point. --- The moment Alice stepped into the dormitory hallway, she encountered them immediately. Two young ladies who had apparently just come out of rooms on the same second floor lit up with smiles when they saw Alice. They wore pale pink dresses with white lace collars—outfits clearly suited for high society. "Good morning, Miss Alice!" Their smiles were dazzling. Alice hesitated for a moment. But this was where she needed to stand firm. "[sarcastic]That hair ornament...it's from last year's trend, isn't it?" Alice stared intently at the young lady's golden flower-shaped hairpin before continuing. "[cold]Nobody wears those anymore this year. And please, don't talk to me," Perfect. This would make them hate her. That's what she thought. Yet— "...!" The young lady froze for a moment. The one beside her opened her mouth in shock. Alice internally did a victory pose. If they'd just get angry and leave— "「「「Wow, that's hilarious!!!」」」" Laughter erupted. Young ladies gathered from nowhere, their shoulders shaking as they covered their mouths. "Miss Alice really does have a venomous tongue!! It's addictive!!" "I've never met anyone who says things so directly! You're amazing!!" Alice went rigid. (…What?) --- Thirty minutes after arriving at school, Alice's strategy had completely collapsed. Walking down the hallway meant being chased. Turning a corner meant being ambushed. The more she ran, the more they delighted in "Miss Alice is running away again!" It was a complete hellish loop. When she passed in front of the Magic Practice Building Arcana, she noticed an upperclassman wearing a rose ornament in her hair. The same shape as yesterday. The real rose hadn't wilted at all—it looked exactly the same as before. "[sarcastic]That rose ornament is artificial, isn't it?" She said it without thinking. "If it were real, it would wilt in half a day, but it's looked exactly the same since yesterday." The upperclassman's mouth fell open. The next moment— "Sharp!! Your observation skills are too sharp!!" She was praised again. Alice held her head in her hands. On the stairs of the main building Luxhall, she got irritated at the students walking slowly in front of her. Trying to pass them quickly, she said "You're in the way, could you move?" and "As expected of the Von Claire family's young lady, what presence!" came the cheers. Alice's inner voice was screaming. (Why aren't you angry?! Normal people would be angry!! What's wrong with the young ladies of this world?!?!) The Royal Academy Stella Magnifica had 600 students enrolled—70% noble-born and 30% scholarship commoners. It was the highest institution of learning, teaching magic, etiquette, and swordsmanship over three years. One's reputation here directly translated to one's reputation in high society. Rumors spread quickly. In other words, right now, the reputation of "the amusing venomous-tongued young lady Alice of the Von Claire family" was spreading throughout the entire academy in real time. "This is the worst...completely backfired..." Alice slumped against the hallway wall and looked up at the ceiling. The white arch came into view. She wished she could just melt away and disappear. --- Lunch break came. The Great Dining Hall Mirabelle had 300 seats. Alice secured the table at the very edge by the window and was projecting an air of "don't come near me" with all her might. Yet somehow, the surrounding seats kept filling up. (Why...why are they coming...) Alice barely touched her meal as she organized the game's memories in her mind. The soup grew cold. The bread dried out. But that wasn't the priority. Alice, as a game addict, knew the flow of the destruction ending in "Rose Eternal" intimately. First stage—the crown prince Lucas becomes interested in Alice. In the game, Alice bullies the heroine so severely on the first day of the new term that word reaches the crown prince's ears, and he takes notice because "there's an interesting person." That's how it starts. Alice hadn't bullied anyone today. She'd just said some sharp things. Different from the game. So it should be fine— "Hey, did you hear? The Von Claire family's young lady was amazing this morning," came a voice from the next table. "Is it true she used her venomous tongue on like ten people in the hallway?" "And apparently word of it reached the crown prince too..." "If she made that much of a scene in front of Luxhall, of course it got around~" Alice's spoon stopped. Slowly, the color drained from her face. The blue spring sky outside the window, which she'd thought was pleasantly clear just moments ago, suddenly looked gray. (…The reason is different. But the result is the same.) The crown prince becoming interested in Alice—the first destruction flag—had been triggered on the very first day. Alice stared into her soup. No steam rose from it anymore. It had gone completely cold. (Seriously...seriously?? On the first day?!) --- She somehow made it through the afternoon classes. During magic class, they covered the basics of handling magical power, and Alice sat quietly in the back, trying not to stand out. In this world, people consumed "Mana," the magical power within their bodies, to cast spells. Incantations and hand gestures were necessary, and about 15% of the population could use basic magic. Alice was one of them. She could use it reasonably well, but overusing it made her tired and her senses grew hazy. She didn't use any today. During etiquette class, the teacher explained proper bearing and deportment. Alice mostly knew the content already, so she zoned out while looking out the window. A small sparrow landed on the window frame outside, bobbing its head back and forth. It seemed nice and carefree, she thought. After classes ended, Alice timed it for a less crowded period and headed to the academy's rose garden. A small courtyard between the main building and the Magic Practice Building Arcana. Over fifty varieties of roses were planted there, and in this spring season, pale pink, white, and red flowers bloomed all at once. The air smelled sweet. Bathed in the slanting light before dusk, the petals were tinged orange. This was a famous "confession spot" in the game. She had no connection to such uses. Right now, she was just using it as a place to escape. Alice sat on a bench and covered her face with both hands. "This is the worst, the worst, the worst...!" "[angry]This is the worst, the worst, the worst...!" Her voice leaked out slightly. The roses swayed in the wind. Somewhere in the distance, a bird sang. It was a peaceful evening. Completely at odds with Alice's inner turmoil. (The strategy was to be hated for my venomous tongue, but why am I becoming popular instead?! That doesn't make sense!! Instead of being driven away by my sharp tongue, people are gathering around me because of it—what kind of mechanism is this?!?!) Alice dug through her game memories while pressing her head with her hands. The next step—the crown prince Lucas makes direct contact with Alice. In the game, that was the next day. Tomorrow. Tomorrow, the crown prince would come. Alice leaned back against the bench helplessly. The rose scent was strong. Sweet to the point of making her head ache slightly. This was the Kingdom of Eldreiche. A medieval fantasy world where carriages and carrier pigeons were the main means of communication, where a noble's dignity and family honor determined life itself. Magic existed but wasn't omnipotent. In her past life, she'd enjoyed this game world on a screen, but now she was living in it. Yet it wasn't enjoyable at all. (I just want to avoid the destruction ending. That's all.) Alice stood up and looked around the orange-tinted courtyard. The roses swayed quietly. "[serious]I'll learn from today's failure and think of another approach for tomorrow," She spoke aloud. No one was listening. Only the roses heard her. The strategy of being hated through a venomous tongue had failed. She needed another plan. But—Alice thought for a while and couldn't come up with any means other than her sharp tongue. It was just how she was born. Besides, she'd already lost count of how many times she'd used her venomous tongue today. "[sad]...Why didn't they get angry? Those people..." She really couldn't understand it. The evening wi