I remembered that Richeli was supposed to marry the prince, become queen, and produce an heir.

“No way.”

I instinctively held my head, feeling like I was forgetting something. What was it…?

For a while, I was groaning and holding my head, but I couldn’t remember, so I started flipping through the diary again.

“Julian seems to love the Sherwood the gardener’s granddaughter. She’s precocious like me. The girl doesn’t appear to mind either. But I won’t let them get close. Julian is the future successor of a duke’s family. It would be a disaster if he fell in love with a commoner’s daughter and wanted to marry her.

…I wonder if I’m jealous of Julian, who hasn’t decided on his fiancée yet, and that little girl who can freely choose her partner and fall in love.”

Flip, flip.

“Lately, my body has become sensitive and throbs strangely at night. It must be because I saw the bedroom demonstration and read the indecent novel. To be honest, it was disconcerting. But am I supposed to do that with Zinon in the future? That annoying childhood friend, who is arrogant, mean, defiant, proud, and calculating, that Zinon? You must be joking. There’s no way I could feel the excitement and indecent feelings I have when I read romance novels with Zinon in the same bed. I can confidently say that I wouldn’t feel good, let alone get wet. It’s depressing.”

“Hmm…”

Flip, flip.

“I need Majiram. I asked Wanda to give it to me every night. I couldn’t help but feel a throbbing sensation at night. If I don’t do this, I’m not confident I can resist the urge to lure someone into my bed or a hidden spot in the garden.

Why did my body become so lewd? Is it because of growth? If so, what will happen to me? Especially as I’m becoming more and more of an adult woman.

So, on the third day of drinking Majiram, I was relieved to see it worked well. I’m glad; I don’t want to be a nymphomaniac.

But I wonder how great it would have been if I could fall in love with Zinon. If he were my fiancé, I could have sex as much as I wanted without any trouble.”

It seems like I can remember something. What was it?… What was it…?

Flip, flip.

As I turned the pages, they became blank, and when I returned to the last page and read it, I screamed.

“What should I do? I’m really indecent, but I can’t control my sexual desire. Recently, Reginald, Sherwood’s nephew, has been visiting frequently. At first, I was only interested in enjoying the sensuous atmosphere. But it seems I might have fallen a bit in love, too. I can’t imagine that Reginald has been staring at me meaningfully these past few days. If he invites me, I might not be able to resist my curiosity.”

“What, what, what’s going on, Lady?”

Immediately, Mira, the maid waiting in the back, rushed over. The nanny’s name seemed to be Wanda, who was the head maid from my birth.

I looked blankly at Mira’s flustered face and murmured weakly, “It’s nothing… I thought I saw a bug running around, and it scared me. But it seems like it was just my imagination. I’m sorry for startling you.”

Then, with her blue eyes and navy hair tied back, Mira widened her eyes and approached me with concern. “Are you alright, Lady? The prince said you might have hit your head somewhere and lost your memory. Is it true? It’s unusual for you to apologise…”

I shrugged my shoulders and sighed. I remember Richeli’s attitude in the sky. Is that what they call a villainess…?

“Can I go for a walk? I want to breathe in the outside air and refresh my mood.”

***

Why is Zinon here, too?

I understand Julian, but why him?

Such questions were quickly erased. The sight outside was just too wonderful. Richeli’s mansion, befitting a duke’s daughter, was astonishingly luxurious. I had asked to go for a walk, and Zinon and Julian had come to accompany me outside.

Today was the day for tea time with Zinon. Richeli and Zinon, being engaged, seemed to have regular meetings scheduled.

A paradise-like world unfolded before us as we walked through a small path and came out into the courtyard. A garden planted with a rainbow of flowers in arch shapes, a natural lake flowing beside it instead of a fountain, and neatly arranged trees making a refreshing sound of rustling leaves, the sunlight glittering through them.

“Wow! Look, look, are those fairies? Real fairies?!”

Adorable fairies in pink and orange dresses were flitting from flower to flower. Their fluttering wings sparkled in aurora colours, scattering sparkling particles like scales, which danced and fell before my eyes.

“…? Richeli? What’s wrong?”

“Richeli? Were you always like this…?”

Even the fairies seemed to sense something different about Richeli as they flew overhead with their bell-like voices, but I was too excited to care.

“Wow! They called my name! Amazing! So amazing!”

While it seemed even the fairies were sensing something off about Richeli, I didn’t care. I was utterly absorbed in the fantastical world before me, jumping and cheering like a child.

When I turned back, Zinon and Julian were staring at me, taken aback. Especially Zinon was now looking at me as if I was an oddity, probably because my attitude was so different from the usual Richeli’s.

“…Did you hit your head?”

“Ehehe… Did I get too excited?”

As I giggled sheepishly, even that seemed to make Zinon suspicious. I might have to put more effort into my acting before the excuse of memory loss becomes too strained.

(But it’s okay for today, right? I mean, fairies? How can you meet fairies in the real world?)

Feeling a gaze, I followed it with my eyes, and under the arch of pink roses, a cute little girl was quietly watching me. She exchanged glances and smiles with Julian. Her flaxen curly hair was tied in a ponytail, and her young grass-coloured eyes seemed honest.