The Villainess Is Being Doted on by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Country 51
Ring of the SeaTiararose had been scolded by Aquasteed over sneaking out and was forbidden from eating her favorite sweets.
However, she still could not ignore her curiosity for the hidden stages of the Fairy Kings. She wanted to go to the hidden passage that Levy had shown her, and see what was there.
"But Prince Aqua will be angry…but I want to go…. But he won't like it…oh, what shall I do?"
She fell onto the sofa in her room and sighed. Philiane would scold her for her lack of manners, but she was thankfully alone now. She rolled around and thought about what she should do.
And suddenly, it all seemed so clear.
"I have to go, no matter what…!"
She rose from the sofa. She wondered why she had not thought of it sooner. She had realized that she had to go to the hidden stage of the Fairy King.
-The place that Aishira was supposed to have gone.
However, Aishira, the heroine had not been blessed by the Fairy Kings. In other words, she could not go.
But, there was a possibility that there was something important to this country's future there. After all, the hidden stages of the Fairy Kings was a very important event.
"If it turns out that it is necessary to go there… Prince Aqua has been blessed as well. I can ask him to go."
Tiararose began to think that it would be better for the crown prince himself to go. The problem was…how would she explain to him how she knew of that place.
She decided that she would think of something when the time came.
"But, how can I slip out of the castle and go to the hidden Fairy King stage…"
Tiararose had slipped out once already, and she knew that the guards had been increased since then. Of course, if she was honest about wanting to go out, they would allow her to. But that wouldn't do.
As the villainous daughter, Tiararose could not go to the hidden stage in plain view of everyone.
She did not want to accidentally ruin the game's intended scenario. …Well, things had already gone off course quite a lot.
-Besides, there is someone else besides me who knows about the game.
That butler, Levy, knew about this otome game without a doubt. However, she had not been able to talk with him for very long, and the details were still a mystery.
"I can't leave at night, because Prince Aqua is here. But Philiane and Tarmo are around during the day…"
But more than that, she wasn't sure how much time she would need if she did go to the hidden stage. She couldn't make an alibi. This felt like a hopeless situation.
As she considered this, she heard a tapping on the window.
She stared at the window to see what it was. There should be knights guarding outside, no one should be allowed to get close.
-Was it Prince Aqua?
Before they were married…Aquasteed had come to her window in Lapis Lazuli. They had talked on the veranda after that.
Of course, he had no reason to sneak up to her window now. She opened the curtains to find out who it was and saw that it was a very angry looking Levy.
"Ahh!"
Wh-wh-why is the butler of the sequel's villainess here? It should not be possible for anyone to so easily get close to Tiararose's room. She was the princess and wife of the crown prince.
She couldn't help but raise her voice, but Levy put a finger to his mouth and motioned for her to be silent.
"What are you doing here? Levy…"
"I just used some of the hidden passages in the castle."
"Oh…"
She had assumed that those were a state secret, but if he knew about the game, then perhaps it wasn't too surprising. Still, she held back the urge to ask him about it.
She looked at him suspiciously. Then Levy said, 'we should find the ring quickly.'
-He wanted the ring then?
Perhaps the villainous daughter who he worked for… Olivia, perhaps she wanted it. Tiararose didn't answer. Levy allowed himself into her room without asking.
"Hey, you…! Do not come into my room without permission!"
"It's just 2 in the afternoon."
He said as he looked at his watch. 'We have time.' he mumbled.
Tiararose didn't want to ask what he meant by that, but there really was only one thing that he could be referring to.
Yes.
They could sneak out of the castle and go to the hidden stage of the Fairy Queen.
Levy's gloved hands began to touch the walls as if he were looking for something. Tiararose considered calling Tarmo, but she couldn't drive Levy away. He knew things about the game that she did not.
-Was there a secret entrance to this room?
While she had never heard of anything, she did not think it would be surprising as this was the princess' room. And as expected, Levy said 'here it is' and then part of the wall rotated.
"…Oh, my. To think that such a trick lay behind these walls."
"It is an escape route for the royal family. We can leave the castle from here, and acquire this ring of the Fairy Queen. I am suffering from Olivia deficiency enough as it is."
Levy stretched out a hand to Tiararose and said, 'let us hurry.'
"But…"
"You can just lock your door. Just say that you were sleeping when you get back and act as if nothing happened."
"…Fine."
She had thought hard over what to do, but in the end, the hidden stage won. As long as she hurried back, she would not be caught again…and so she used the secret passage to slip out of the castle.
The only one who could enter the hidden stage of the Fairy Queen of the sea was Tiararose. And so Levy said he would wait at the entrance, as Tiararose went in alone.
"I'm glad I didn't meet Aishira this time…"
This place was facing her mansion, so there was a high possibility that they could meet. For this trip, Levy had prepared a carriage just outside of the passage exit, and they had ridden in it to this beach.
It was the first time that Tiararose had gone down the underground tunnels, and it was much more complicated than she had imagined. Her honest opinion was…that she was not sure she remembered the way back.
-She had learned of them before Prince Aqua told her.
She felt bad but happy that she knew about it now.
And while she still had her doubts, it wouldn't hurt to know about it in case it became necessary to use later.
"…But still, it is very cold here."
She was wearing a dress that left her shoulders bare, and the cold air bit into her skin.
The hidden Fairy Queen stage that she stepped in for the first time, was like an underwater cavern. Indeed, one might describe it as a hidden sea passage…
It was cool and damp, but the coral on the walls was emitting a soft light that illuminated the area. She was relieved that it wasn't dark, and slowly moved forward.
As she was the villainous daughter, perhaps nothing would even happen.
-Well, if that were to be the case, I will quietly leave.
It wasn't as if she wanted the ring no matter what. Tiararose did not even know what kind of power this ring had.
"Maybe Aishira would one day be blessed, and be able to come here…"
Though, Tiararose knew that the chances of that happening were very slim.
But if Akari were in her own position-she wouldn't think about Aishira. She would surely conquer this hidden stage of the Fairy Queen.
"Thinking of it like that, I suppose I'm being very reserved?"
The fact that she was coming here without telling anyone at all, would make her a completely reckless princess in Aquasteed's eyes. Unfortunately, there was no one here to tell her that.
But thinking that she was moderate compared to Akari made her feel a lot more light-hearted. She did not want Aquasteed to think of her as a tomboy.
"I wonder what this fairy ring is like?"
The title of the game even referenced a ring, so it must be something very special.
As she continued to walk, the walls that had appeared to be part of the cave, turned into coral. She didn't have much time to stare in surprise, because she quickly reached a door that looked like it had been caught in the coral.
This must be the hidden stage of the Fairy Queen. She gulped.
The air here was completely silent, and she felt as if her existence here as the villainous daughter was something wrong. Still, she did have the right to enter the hidden stage, and so she put her hand on the door.
The lonely door was decorated with gold and looked majestic. There were designs of fish on it, as if to represent Pearl, and Tiararose grew excited.
"…Queen Pearl's hidden stage."
She hadn't thought that she would arrive so soon.
She slowly opened the door-and walked inside.
"Oh no…"
In the office where Aquasteed was currently absent, Elliot was holding his head.
As a brilliant attendant, he was also skilled in intelligence activity. And he had meant to be careful, but he had only now just realized that Tiararose was absent from her room.
"But, she's not in the castle? Maybe…she slipped out again?"
Elliot tilted his head and wondered what reason she could have to slip out without telling Aquasteed. She may have wanted to know more about the country or the fairies. But Tiararose was loved by the fairies of the forest.
She didn't need to slip out like this. The fairies came to play nearly every day.
"Or is there perhaps a different reason?"
He had no idea what Tiararose was thinking.
There was a library that only the royal family were allowed to access, but Tiararose had never entered it. In that case, Tiararose was getting information from somewhere else…what did that mean?
"In any case, I must report this to Prince Aquasteed."
He knew this would darken his mood, but it would be even worse if he did not tell him. He prepared a horse so that he could leave the castle immediately.
Of course, he did not forget to cancel everything that was on Aquasteed's schedule.
Oh, please be safe. Elliot could only pray for the disappeared Tiararose.