Volume 1 Chapter 1 Prologue - Was This An Otome Game？
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"I can't take it anymore!"
A loud voice echoed through the glamorous party hall celebrating the end of the semester. The sudden outburst made the young ladies present fall silent.
As everyone hushed and leaned in to listen...
"Elizabeth von Braubelg, I hereby break off our engagement today!"
"Pfft!"
At this dramatic declaration, a young man burst out laughing, spitting out the contents of his mouth.
The red-haired youth, named Randolph Victor, coughed and hunched his large back while holding a cocktail in one hand.
(Breaking off the engagement. Did he really just say that?)
Randolph took a small deep breath to calm himself. With his breath and feelings settling, he glanced toward the source of the voice. There, he saw suspicious looks directed at him. Even the people involved in the situation were looking his way.
Panicking, Randolph quickly turned his gaze back and shrank his body even more. It was too late to lament his unnecessarily large stature that made him stand out. Just as he decided to blend into the background...
"E-Elizabeth von Braubelg, I hereby break off our engagement today!"
The second announcement of the engagement being broken was made. The words lacked the force of the first declaration, and it was undoubtedly Randolph's fault. Still, from Randolph's perspective, it was foolish to make such a declaration in a place like this.
Now fully blending into the atmosphere, Randolph decided to take another peek at the unfolding drama of the engagement being broken. He hadn't understood it well the first time, but now he could see the scene clearly──a woman in a stunning dress shining among the crowd and a pompous man standing proudly in front of her.
(The woman is... the daughter of a Marquis in this country. Her name is, if he remembers correctly──)
"Elizabeth von Braubelg! Why don't you say something?"
(──Yes, that's right. That's her name.)
With beautiful platinum blonde hair and deep blue eyes like the ocean, she was said to rarely smile. To students like Randolph, her nickname, "The Ice Princess," was more famous than her actual name.
In fact, even now, as she was exposed to everyone's gaze, her expression remained as still as iron. And the man standing arrogantly in front of Elizabeth was none other than the Crown Prince of this country──Edgar Roa Alexandros. He had his entourage behind him and was casually draping his arm around another girl while facing Elizabeth alone.
(She's not backing down at all.)
It could be said that she had guts, and Randolph felt a bit of interest in her calm demeanor in this situation. But just a bit. Both Elizabeth and Edgar were like beings from another world to Randolph.
Elizabeth displayed a composure worthy of her nickname.
Edgar, rumored to be talented in both academics and sports, was a bit reckless.
The tension in the air between the two was broken by the girl leaning against Edgar.
"Sir Edgar~."
The pink-haired girl purred in a sickeningly sweet voice as she snuggled up to Edgar.
She wore a frilly dress with a large neckline, shamelessly pressing her body against Edgar.
Everything here seems to be a big no-no for a noble lady.
For some reason, Randolph feels nervous under the cold stares from some of the other noble girls.
(What's up with that silly-looking girl?)
In contrast to Randolph's annoyance, Edgar seems to be enjoying the attention from the female students, even acting protective of Elizabeth. And his entourage? They don't seem to care at all, not even scolding the girl with teary eyes.
(Seriously, it's ridiculous when you see it in person.)
Randolph almost lets out a sigh, which he quickly drinks down with the last of his cocktail.
A party to celebrate the end of the semester.
A foolish prince and his entourage.
A silly girl trying to get close.
It's a situation he's seen more times than he can count. And then──
──I will break off our engagement.
He can't help but think about how stories like that have become popular. It's because he's heard so many of them in his previous life.
Now that he recognizes the engagement-breaking drama as a reality and a situation he knows well, there's no reason for Randolph to stay here. He grabs a nearby sandwich and quietly decides to distance himself from the heated crowd that's talking about "your many misdeeds" and "I'll have you exiled."
On the way, a guard at the entrance looks shocked, but Randolph just gives a polite smile and quickens his pace toward the carriage waiting nearby.
"Oh, Young Master Randy. Are you heading back already?"
"Yeah. Got caught up in a bit of a storm."
Shrugging his shoulders, Randolph──now called Randy──sees Harrison, his coachman and attendant, glance back at the party.
"Don't read too much into it. We're just outsiders. Besides, we're minor nobles from a small country. If we get caught up in the troubles of a big nation, we'll be wiped out."
With a wry smile, he hears Harrison say, "Understood," as he cracks the whip to get the horses moving.
That's right. Randy has no intention of getting involved. No, he can't get involved. After all, he's just a minor noble from a small country visiting here as a student.
If someone like Randy, who doesn't really belong, tries to step in, things would only get messier. The other party is a major noble from a big country, and she's the Crown Prince's fiancée. If any strange suspicions arise, it could put her in a more dangerous position. Being a foreign minor noble, if it's said he was in cahoots with her, it would cause trouble for both her and Randy's family.
So all Randy can do is leave before the commotion gets out of hand.
He glances back at the venue from the carriage window. It looks so calm, as if it doesn't even know there's a commotion happening.
"Status, open."
As Randy mutters, a small window appears showing his status. It's like a world from a game he used to play in his past life.
A man who died from overwork has been reincarnated into a world like the game he loved.
It's a common story.
This time, he'll enjoy life.
A slow and easy life.
It's a typical story, and Randy thought so too, but...
"Even if it's a game, it's an otome game, isn't it...?"
With a big sigh, Randy lays back in his chair.
"It's a common story, but still."
Randolph Victor, 17 years old, discovered that he had been reincarnated as a mob character in an otome game.
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