『Lidiana von Vivouare.』
This is my name.
I possess memories of my previous life.
I remembered at a young age. It happened quite spontaneously, but I accepted the fact that I had been born and raised in a country called Japan, and had been an adult woman.
Along with those memories, I gained some serious worries.
The world where I reincarnated had absolutely no affiliation with Japan; it was the so-called alternate world.
The common sense I had fostered there had no applicability here, and was a different place in many regards.
There was magic here, and there was even a clearly defined caste system.
My social standing in that was, in a strange twist of fate, the high-class daughter of a Duke.
My Father was the Prime Minister, and was famed as the leading Duke of the country.
In other words, in the near future and with an alarmingly high possibility rate, I would have no choice but to become engaged to someone from the royal family. Something like that.
Although I am still young, my mind is already that of an adult woman. After recovering my memories and thinking about this matter, I began to shudder in fear.
Certainly, I am the dignified daughter of a Duke. However in my last life, I was but a common member of the general populace.
Furthermore, now that I've remembered, the feelings from then are stronger, and it goes without saying that marrying into the royal family is unfathomable.
As the royal family, they have a royal obligation to fulfill. Of course, nobles have responsibilities as well, but please understand that the scale isn't comparable. Tiresome affairs would much outweigh the pleasurable ones.
I could only think it was best to proactively avoid such things.
Also, there was another matter I couldn't shut my eyes to.
The royalty of this country has a polygamous system. Polygamy was not permitted outside of the royal family, but because they had no choice other than to leave behind an heir, it was a privilege only recognized for the royal family.
It was unthinkable that I, who was born and raised in Japan, would be able to bear with that. In fact, I would hate it.
I would have no choice but to share my husband with another woman. It would definitely be impossible for me.
Due to the reasons above, even though I was young, I swore in my heart that I would avoid marrying into the royal family.
Much to my grievances, it didn't go well.
My Father seemed to want to create ties with the royal family no matter what, and would one way or another try to bring me to the castle for an introduction. To that, I would desperately insist that I had caught a cold, had a headache, or some other feigned illness in refusal, and somehow or another a rumor spread that I was a noble girl with a weak constitution.
In reality, I was a healthy and superior child to the point where I had never even gotten a proper illness, but if I didn't have to meet the royalty because of that, then it was a cheap exchange. In the meantime, if they would decide to get married to someone else then it would be a great matter of celebration on my part, so I persisted in this method.
Thanks to that, I didn't have to appear in the high society which I didn't favor, and to me there was nothing more joyous, but to the me that was still fiancé-less even though I became 18, my Father had begun getting impatient.
Of course, for a top of the list noble girl it wasn't as if there weren't any talks of engagement partners, but none of them suited Father and he brushed them all off.
Also, unluckily for me, the Crown Prince of this country and I seemed to be very well-balanced in age. At this rate, Father will send me off as a bride to become Crown Princess. Even if it wasn't put into words, just by looking at his behavior, it was easy to tell that it was what he wished for.
Yes, much to my reluctance, to this『Wilhelm Country's』Crown Prince Frederick, I was at the top of the list of engagement candidates.
◇◇◇
「What to do, what to do?」
In my room, I held my head.
As expected of the daughter of a Duke, the width of the room was implausible to that of a normal Japanese person's common sense. The many furniture set up were things that women would like with an elegant design, and there were lavish decorations scattered here and there. In the inner chamber of the two adjoining rooms there was an enormous king sized bed, and there was where I sat.
「This isn't good. If this continues, I'll really become Crown Princess...」
While muttering to myself, I shook with fear.
Indeed, why did things turn out like this?
Just the day before, I became 18.
The age of 18 is when one is officially recognized as an adult in this country. It's the same for males and females.
Once they become of age, having an engagement partner is a matter of course. Especially if it's the high-ranking daughter of a Duke, it's natural for early identification, and it wasn't strange for a fiancé to be allocated from long past.
To my Father who was enthusiastic about someone from the royal family, I had desperately escaped until now, but if this continued it was likely that my impatient Father would forcibly take action. Before that happened, I was beginning to think that it was time for me to get rid of my sickly setting and make a move.
Just then, my Duke and Prime Minister Father delightfully returned home from the castle a few hours earlier in a high spirits.
I had a bad feeling, but once he returned, my Father summoned my Mother and I with a face full of smiles.
「Rejoice, Lidi! Your engagement partner has finally been decided!」
Lidi is my nickname.
Hearing that my fiancé was decided, with a hand over her chest and saying Oh my, my Mother raised a joyous voice.
She must have been worried about her daughter who had been having quite a hard time deciding on a fiancé.
Looking at Father, even now it seemed like he would break out in a small dance.
It was an unpleasant topic, but with Father's mood, he naturally spilled the identity of the opposing party.
As long as it wasn't a member of the royal family, I had no intention of raising any objections.
As I was taught, I planned to fulfill my obligation and meekly marry away.
My hopes were thin but wishing for it to be that way, I waited for Father's words with a pounding heart.
「Your fiancé is Crown Prince Frederick!」
「Oh my!」
Forcefully, as if a gloomy sound resounded, my mood sunk.
My extremely joyful Father and Mother. The servants who were congratulating them.
Everyone other than me seemed to be elated.
...How did this happen. I had escaped for many years but all my efforts were now established as meaningless. Above all else, by him.
Crown Prince Frederick.
He is approximately 3 years older than I am at 21 years. With golden hair and a turquoise like blue eyes, he was indeed a handsome man with blonde hair and blue eyes originating from royalty. With not one frivolous rumor, he certainly had irreproachable conduct. A few years ago he was part of the Imperial Guards in the Chivalric Order, and was employed as the Vice Captain. Knowing him from childhood, he was close friends with the Captain, and his demeanor was gentle and kind; everyone adored him.
Rare for someone from royalty, like me he had yet to decide on a fiancée, and all the prominent nobles of the country thought to marry their daughters to him. My Father was also included in that category, and I don't know what he did, but he splendidly came out on top.
What I've narrated before was just conjecture, as I've never met the Crown Prince.
Of course my Father tried various means to fabricate the Crown Prince's and my so called『destined meeting.』But when I noticed, I used my unbeatable feigned illness excuse and evaded it.
Since to me, the Crown Prince ranks number one as the person I don't want to marry.
That kind of event where you meet once and it's over, who would want to participate?
I can only see it as a straight line from engagement to marriage, what a nightmare.
Thinking that, to every evening party that the Crown Prince seemed likely to attend, I had a no participation policy.
Consequently, it became that I only knew about him from rumors.
Glancing from the side at my merry Father and Mother, I let out a big sigh.
◇◇◇
「Really, what to do...」
I couldn't refuse the engagement partner that my Father decided on. Moreover, since my partner was royalty, I had no right to decline.
If considered normally, the Crown Prince was an excellent catch, but he didn't garner my interest at all.
No matter how good-looking he was or how kind he was, just because of the possibility of polygamy, I instantly labeled him as『no good』in my mind.
Is there some way to avoid this engagement?
I wrenched my brain for a plan, but in the end I didn't receive any good answers. This was my Father I was talking about. If I didn't move fast, in the blink of an eye there would be a marriage ceremony, and it wouldn't do to have him spreading announcements about it everywhere.
Crown Princess had a dreadful ring to it.
While saying it my body shivered, and I suddenly remembered my friend's conversation at the tea party just the other day.
It appears that recently, a『Masquerade Ball』has been gaining popularity with the public.
All the attendants wore masks that covered their eyes, and while hiding their faces and identities, they enjoyed the evening ball. I didn't understand what would be fun about it at all, but that was the point of the event.
Only the comparatively upper class nobles could participate in the festivities, and during this event it was said that a superb young man would definitely appear.
Of course his face would be covered by a mask, but the aura he exuded was one of a high-ranking noble, his movements and manners were beautiful, and once the young noble women caught the recently appearing young man in their sights, they would burn with desire. It was that kind of conversation.
What I remembered, was what my friend had said next.
「That person, would without fail slip out along with someone else during the ball. Where to, you ask? That's a boorish question... I heard this from one of the people who haas been with him, and they said it was an amazing experience. But it seems like he would never take the same person as a partner, and the person I heard it from also seemed very disappointed about that.」
Hearing that, I laughed like a refined young lady, but now I would have to express thanks to the girl who informed me of this.
「That's it!」
There is only this option left.
I made a strong resolution.
I am a virgin. Let alone marriage, but I haven't even been engaged yet, so it's only natural.
But in reality, this world is pretty lax on those things. There isn't much high regard attached to maidenhood. Just because someone said they weren't a virgin, they wouldn't be able to avoid marriage.
Unless, their partner was from royalty.
For some reason, one of the conditions to become the Princess Consort was to have their virginity intact.
「I can just have that person take my virginity!」
If that happened, then I would be able to break off the engagement with the Crown Prince without fail. It would raise a somewhat tasteless rumor, but unless they were royalty, then it wouldn't bother others as much. The possibility remained that I could get a different engagement partner.
If I angered Father to the point where he disinherited me, then that was fine in itself. Moving into a monastery somewhere or something, I could enjoy such a peaceful life. Much more than becoming the Crown Princess.
Why hadn't I realized this possibility up until now? Thinking so, I realized that in my life I've had very little contact with the creatures called『males』in my surroundings. The only one was my long time childhood friend.
It seems that my Father, so that his daughter wouldn't lose her precious virginity, had been scheming.
But I already knew that.
According to what my friend says, that man seems to be quite a playboy.
He strings along women one after another, so there shouldn't be any mistake.
There was the concern that we might fall in love at first sight, but it was probably fine. Looking objectively, the appearance my current self could be said to be beautiful, and I had a reasonable chest.
Since the conditions were only to find『my first partner,』as long as I got close enough it would be possible to invite him.
There was no reason to decline someone who came, so if I invited him before anyone else, then it would be my victory.
Precisely because he's that sort of man, he may be willing to take away my inconvenient virginity.
No, he might say that it's troublesome to take away my virginity and refuse, so let's keep silent about that.
The current me is definitely a virgin, but in my past life I was a proper riajuu.
Of course, I also have solid experience.
At any rate, since I'm giving away my first time again then it's obvious that an experienced partner is better.
Mutual first timers can only be seen as a nightmare. Recalling my past life, I shuddered. No thanks for a painful experience.
「Alright, let's do this!」
Once I decided, I hurriedly researched the most recent Masquerade Ball.
With my perfect plan set I was in high spirits, and contacted the Earl's daughter that had given me the information.
All credits go to Kagura no Konbu