"Anastasia von Nibelheim... I am annulling my engagement to you!"
The voice of Sahara von Baronia, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Baronia, echoed through the party venue he himself was hosting.
Staring at the finger Sahara pointed at her, Anastasia felt a shock so dizzying she could no longer stand. Then, suddenly, her memories of her past life came flooding back.
Wait, no way. Is this... the world of Princess A-la-mode?!
The dating simulation RPG Princess A-la-mode—commonly known as Prialle—was a classic otome game.
Set in a fantasy magic academy, it depicted the romance between the protagonist, Kasha—a commoner with overwhelming magical talent—and various princes.
At first, the love interests would mock Kasha for her lowly status, but they were gradually drawn in by her pure-hearted nature, ultimately finding true love.
It was an otome game packed with all the beloved tropes that made players think, Yes, yes, this is exactly what I wanted.
In her past life, Anastasia had played Prialle religiously, loving it enough to thoroughly enjoy the differences between the ported versions and console releases.
And I didn't reincarnate as Kasha, but as Anastasia von Nibelheim, one of the main rivals...
As the fianc��e of Sahara von Baronia and the daughter of the ducal House of Nibelheim, she was the one who had stood in Kasha's way, spewing endless venom, only to be spectacularly crushed.
She had reincarnated as a textbook example of a doomed villainess.
Normally, that wouldn't be fine at all, but right now there was something far more important to worry about.
Both Sahara and I have already graduated from the academy. In fact, I'm twenty-two! This isn't an individual character route—it's Kasha's reverse harem route!
In Prialle, the story branched during the academy's second year.
The player would choose one love interest, overcome various hardships, and aim for a happy ending with them before graduation.
However, the hidden route unlocked after completing all individual paths—the reverse harem route—was different.
To force a scenario where the protagonist ended up with every love interest, the timeline and event flag management were complete trainwrecks.
Ignoring the men's individual traumas and narrative consistency just to pair them all up with Kasha, this route had so many absurdities that even a die-hard fan like herself couldn't defend it.
The fact that Anastasia was having her engagement annulled now, rather than in their third year, meant that Sahara was involved with Kasha but his route hadn't been completed by graduation... In other words, it was glaringly obvious that they were on the reverse harem path.
"Heh. What's the matter, Anastasia? Collapsing to the floor like that... Was my declaration of annulment really that shocking? Did you love me that much? Truly, I am a sinful man."
Realizing she had been completely lost in thought, Anastasia looked up at her fianc��e. Blonde hair, blue eyes, tall, and slated to be the next king.
Staring at this egotistical prince who possessed top-tier magical talent, Anastasia thought:
Wait, before I got my memories back, why on earth was I in love with this guy?
Sure, he was handsome, rich, and powerful, but that was it.
In a game, his assertive "take-charge" attitude might have been charming, but in the real world, marrying a man like Sahara would utterly ruin any chance of a happy marriage. An egotist who insisted on getting his way in everything would undoubtedly end up being emotionally abusive. Besides, the moment he started fooling around with another woman while engaged, he was completely out of the question.
Before regaining her memories, Anastasia had loved him unconditionally. But now, looking at Sahara's smug face as he unilaterally threw an annulment at her, she got the ick in an instant.
Still... what should I do?
If this were Sahara's route where the annulment happened during their third year, she could have salvaged her life easily. But Anastasia was already twenty-two.
In this world, she had already passed the prime age for marriage.
Just when she thought they were dragging the engagement along indefinitely, she was suddenly cut loose. Cast aside at this stage, what on earth would become of her life?
She thought about it for a moment... and then paused.
Wait, isn't being single actually totally fine?
After all, in her past life, she was just an ordinary, single, thirty-something office worker whose main pleasures were going to the gym and having a drink at night.
She knew exactly how comfortable a single life could be. To the Anastasia before her memories returned, Sahara was everything. But thinking about it logically, it was no big deal if she didn't get married.
Accepting the annulment would change the playing field entirely.
No doubt Sahara wanted to bask in a sense of superiority, picturing her weeping and begging only for him to cold-heartedly cast her aside. But she had no intention of playing along with his little fantasy.
"Very well, I shall accept the annulment. However... since you are tarnishing the reputation of a woman of my age, I trust you will compensate me accordingly?"
"C... Compensate?"
"Yes. Please compensate me for putting a blemish on my otherwise spotless record. As a duke's daughter, I have no need for monetary compensation. Perhaps you could provide a written pledge granting me certain rights or tax concessions instead?"
* * *
Until just moments ago, Sahara von Baronia had been at the absolute peak of his life.
He had secured a path to marry Kasha, who had confessed her love to him. His heart danced with the joy of finally ridding himself of the tiresome Anastasia—right up until the exact moment he declared the annulment.
Anastasia von Nibelheim had been an insufferably nagging woman. Whether it was telling him to have more self-awareness as the next king or lecturing him that certain behaviors were unbefitting of royalty, Sahara had grown utterly sick of her constant nitpicking.
He also despised her skulking in the shadows (naturally, it never crossed his mind that she was laying the groundwork for his own benefit).
And then Kasha had appeared.
Though a commoner, she overflowed with magical talent, and her practical magic grades were second to none.
At first, he had thought her cheeky, but her innocent charm had quickly captivated him. Once he realized that she was the only one who truly understood him, no other woman could compare.
He had wanted to marry her while they were still at the academy, but she had asked him to wait, and he had held back until now.
To vent all his pent-up frustration, he had intended to tell a weeping, begging Anastasia that he already loved another woman named Kasha, painting her face in the colors of despair.
Timing it perfectly when his father, the King, was away, he had set up this party. He had bribed the servants of House Nibelheim to fabricate evidence of Anastasia's infidelity, creating enough physical proof to justify the annulment. Everything was supposed to be perfect.
And yet, look at reality.
Anastasia wasn't weeping or clinging to him; she was completely unfazed. In fact, she was staring at him with cold, contemptuous eyes while laying down her own conditions.
"Of course, as Crown Prince, there are things you can and cannot do on your own authority, so perhaps you could negotiate with His Majesty on my behalf..."
"N-No! You can't do that!"
Naturally, he had not obtained permission for this from his father, King Sild III.
But Sahara was the Crown Prince, the man destined to be the next king. There was no way he couldn't push this through. Besides, Kasha was at the top of her class, capable of wielding five attributes, and a genuine genius. She was already making a name for herself by inventing revolutionary magic tools, starting with a refrigerator. It wouldn't take long for her to become a person of high standing.
If he could force the annulment through and establish it as a fait accompli, everything else would work itself out. Sahara truly believed that.
This is bad... really bad!
With no way of knowing Sahara's inner panic, Anastasia took a sip of the beer in her hand and, ironically, held the exact same sentiment.
This is bad... This tastes awful.
The quality of the beer she had picked up from the table was utterly atrocious. Brown dregs floated on top, and having them constantly get into her mouth was incredibly frustrating.
Furthermore, it was lukewarm and flat. The taste itself was intensely bitter, yet the alcohol content was bizarrely high. It made no sense at all.
For Anastasia, who knew the bliss of drinking ice-cold draft beer straight from a tap in a beer garden, this stuff was absolutely unacceptable.
"I've decided! I have made my decision, Your Highness!"
"W-What?!"
"I am going to make alcohol. Would you mind granting a liquor tax exemption for any alcohol produced by my ducal house?"
Jackpot! Sahara thought.
The Nibelheim ducal house had absolutely zero winemaking or brewing know-how. While the family's vast plains were renowned for breeding excellent steeds, their industrial sector was fundamentally weak.
In a world where several massive breweries already existed, it would be next to impossible for a single noble house starting from scratch to catch up. If so, he could proceed with the annulment while incurring virtually no damage.
* * *
...Or so he thinks.
Anastasia saw right through Sahara's petty calculations.
"...Very well."
Suppressing his inner grin, Sahara put pen to paper while forcing the most solemn grimace he could muster, utterly oblivious to the cold, analytical gaze Anastasia directed at him.
Thanks to her past-life love of alcohol, which had led her to visit numerous breweries and distilleries, she possessed a solid foundation of brewing knowledge. And in this fantasy world, there was magic to assist with manufacturing.
Sahara seemed to believe she was only going to brew beer, but she had no intention of stopping there.
I want to build a still and make shochu, whiskey, vodka, and rum! I want to find rice and make sake, and make tequila from agave too!
At this moment, Sahara had no idea that history would record him as the man who triggered the decline of the Kingdom of Baronia.
He couldn't possibly have imagined that the kingdom's downfall would stem from their inability to collect liquor taxes from Anastasia, who would later be revered as the Goddess of Alcohol. He had vastly underestimated Anastasia's passion for alcohol... and a Japanese person's sheer obsession with food and drink.
Thus, the annulment of Anastasia and Sahara's engagement was successfully agreed upon by both parties. And Anastasia, completely unbothered by the whole affair, set to work on her beer brewing the very next day.
Post a Comment