Volume 3, Chapter 3: Captive
I open my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling.
I jerk upwards and look around. The room is about the same size as a dorm room and the furniture seems fairly expensive. Uh, where was this again?
If I remember correctly, I magnificently played the villainess in the play and was praised for it. I then got carried away by the praise and starting posing in front of the mirror… that was when someone suggested that I should go to the ballroom since it would be starting soon… huh? What did I do after that?
Also, it was nighttime when I left, but right now, bright sunlight is coming in through the window.
As I was wondering what was going on, a woman appeared after softly knocking on the door. She was a plain girl with brown hair and blue eyes.
“Ah, you’ve awakened,” she says on seeing that I’m awake, looking relieved.
“Um, yes…” I respond without thinking, even while wondering who this person was. She’s a woman I don’t recognize (though since it’s me we’re talking about, it’s possible that I just forgot her after meeting her once or twice).
Jared and Keith usually help me out in situations like this, but it seems they aren’t here. For now, I’ll just have to ask her straight-out.
“… Um, and you are?”
“My sincere apologies for the belated introduction. My name is Lana.”
“Lana-san?”
Hmm, from her reaction it seems we haven’t met before. Thank goodness I hadn’t forgotten her.
“Please, call me Lana. I will be serving you from today on.”
Ah, is Lana-san a maid? Now that she mentions it, she is wearing a maid outfit… but…
“Um, but I have a maid that’s served me since I was young…” I say. Wait, where is Anne?
Normally, she would swiftly slip over like a shinobi as soon as I woke up and brush my tangled hair and stuff.
“My apologies. As that maid is not here I will be taking care of any of your needs in her stead.”
“… I see.”
I see, so Anne isn’t here. That’s discouraging.
… Wait, speaking of which –
“Um, where is ‘here’?”
It’s a bit of a late reaction, but I have no idea where I am. I don’t even know when I came here.
“My apologies. I am not permitted to answer that question,” Lana says, looking troubled.
“What? You’re not permitted? What does that even…”
Lana continues looking troubled after I raise my voice at the unexpected answer.
“I believe you will understand in a moment or two,” she says. That instant, the door was knocked again and new people appeared.
One is a fairly handsome glasses-wearing young man with blue-tinged hair and eyes. Rather than being conventionally handsome like Jared, he’s more of a lady-killer overflowing with sex appeal.
This lady-killer is wearing something that only pretty old grandpas would wear in the Claes household – butler’s clothing.
Admittedly though, the old grandpa butler of the Claes household actually pulled the look off pretty well and I even secretly praised him by calling him ‘Sebastian’ in my heart… but he doesn’t hold a flame to this glasses-wearing young man.
Someone small stands behind the young man who won against Sebastian.
She was in the young man’s shadow when they entered and completely melted into the background thanks to the flashy young man’s aura… but looking at her again, I can see her brown hair and eyes, short height
and large eyes – she’s a girl like a cute animal that makes you want to protect her despite yourself.
While I am forgetful and terrible at remembering names and faces, even I remembered her. After all, according to my mental timeline, we just met… Prince Ian’s fiancée, Selena Burke – we greeted each other at the school festival, in the area where the academy was showcasing its talent.
Why is she here? And seriously, where am I?
“What a relief. You’ve safely awakened.”
Even as I grow even more confused due to Selena’s arrival, she looks at my face and makes the same relieved face Lana had.
“Katarina-sama, I sincerely apologize for our violent conduct towards you. However, I pledge to safely bring you home once everything is over, so please live here until then,” she says, bowing deeply.
Huh? What does she mean by ‘violent conduct’? Why am I in this unfamiliar place?
Once I desperately trace back my memories… I recall that after following the person who had been leading me to the ballroom, I had been taken to some other place instead. Then someone had suddenly grabbed my arm and shoved cloth or something to my face… that’s when my consciousness faded… huh? This feels like the kind of scenario I’ve read in a manga before. And whenever something like this happened in a manga, it was always a…
“… Kidnapping…”
On hearing the words that slipped from my mouth, Selena looked like a deer in headlights. She then bowed deeply again, looking terribly apologetic.
“I am truly sorry. However, I pledge to not harm you.”
For real?! To think I was seriously kidnapped!
I had thought that kidnapping was something that only happened in my previous life’s manga… this is totally unexpected.
However, although I was an average salaryman’s daughter in my previous life, I’m now (technically) a Duke’s daughter. There should’ve always been a fair risk that I be kidnapped. But up until now I had been desperate in destroying the otome game destruction flags and hadn’t even thought about stuff like that. To make things worse, I had let my guard down in my happiness after finally dealing with all those destruction flags.
Argh, if I should’ve paid more attention to Keith’s warning if things were going to turn out like this.
I wonder how much ransom money they’ve demanded for my return. I am (technically) a Duke’s daughter, so it’s probably a pretty high sum.
My father is crazy for his daughter so he’ll probably immediately pay any ransom… but I wonder how much my mother would pay?
If it’s just too high… she seems the type to say “It can’t be helped. We have Keith, so we might as well give up on our idiot daughter.” I’m surprised at just how realistically I can imagine her saying that! No… mother, don’t abandon me! I won’t break your precious flower vases and plates while playing catch indoors anymore! I’m begging you!
I desperately plead with my mental version of my mother.
“… Um, so about how much will my ransom be?”
Please be a sum that my mother would agree to pay!
However, Selena just looks confused at my question.
“… Ran – som?”
“Yes. Ransom money for my kidnapping. About how much has it been set to?”
“… Ah, no. We do not plan to ask for that kind of money,” Selena responds hurriedly.
“Uh… you don’t want money? Then why did you kidnap me?”
They don’t want money? Then why?
I’m not really proud of this, but it’s not like I’m a beauty like Maria and the others (what with my villainous face), nor am I talented in magic, nor am I particularly intelligent. I think the only use you could get from me is my family’s money…
Well, I’ve got the basics of agriculture down pat so I’d probably be able to be a farmhand for a farmer’s household, but I can’t imagine that I was kidnapped for something like that.
“… That is…”
She struggles with my question. Just when she opens her mouth…
“Selena-sama, we’ve confirmed Katarina-sama is safe, so let us return your room.”
The lady-killer butler who had been completely silent up until then speaks as if he’s cutting off Selena’s words. He puts a hand on her shoulder.
“Rufus… you’re right. Well then, I will be returning to my room.”
Apparently the lady-killer butler is called Rufus. The way he’s escorting Selena is erotic.
Wait, I still have a lot of things I want to ask! It doesn’t feel too good being left in the dark like this.
“Um, wait a second…”
I call out to her, but Selena just looks troubled again and says:
“I’m sorry. Lana, I’m leaving Katarina-sama to you. Katarina-sama, if you need anything, just ask Lana. She’ll do whatever she can.”
Selena leaves the room, led by Rufus. I look towards Lana, who was left in the room, but she quietly shakes her head.
In this way, still completely in the dark about everything, I ended up having to live in this room in who-knows-where.