About My Fiancé, the First Prince

"Marquis. It seems that Ojou-sama has aptitude for the Poison Attribute."

"Hmm, I see. Good work, you may withdraw."

Of course, there was no way that nonsense about a Potato Attribute would fly. Her Poison Attribute was promptly exposed to her father, Marquis Yarkot Nyarlathotep.

On the very day she used magic, an appraiser was summoned and she was made to undergo an aptitude test.

"… Um, Father…?"

"What is it, Koleha?"

Marquis Yarkot smiled gently.

That smile was fitting for the father of a main character in an otome game — handsome, through and through. In "Face☆Meet", a game which cut corners by reusing the villainess in every route, he shouldn't have had a route, or even a standing portrait… Still, even if someone told her he appeared as a hidden DLC love interest, it wouldn't feel out of place.

Koleha steeled herself and voiced her question.

"… Isn't the Poison Attribute seen as ominous, or anything like that?"

"What are you saying? For royalty and nobility, it's a rare attribute worthy of envy. Hold your head high."

"My, is that so?"

She'd worried that she might be thrown out of the house for having the Poison Attribute — but come to think of it, the game-version Koleha also had the Poison Attribute, and yet she was treated normally — no, spoiled to the point of becoming willful.

In other words, the Poison Attribute was not reason enough to be thrown out of the house.

"With Poison Attribute magic, you can prevent poison to any extent. Well, commoners take it poorly, so we'll soften it a bit… Though, there's certainly no such thing as a Potato Attribute."

"Uu, that just slipped out in the moment, desu wa."

"We'll say it's an irregular Water Attribute. The Nyarlathotep house has many Water Attributes, so that won't be a problem… Ah, I should report this to the King."

And so, going forward, Koleha would publicly claim to be Water Attribute.

… Which raises the question: if poison could be prevented, why was Koleha in the game poisoned by a maid? She trusted her… No, she probably never considered that her tools would rebel. That was the kind of character game-Koleha was.

Alternatively, the scenario writer simply forgot that Poison Magic existed.

"Still, I'm impressed you knew that sprouted potatoes are poisonous. I'm a little relieved to see you've been studying properly."

"Fueh!? Y-yes! But of course, Father. It's part of a lady's education."

"In that case, it seems you'll do just fine as the prince's fiancée."

—Hmm? The prince's fiancée… Ah! That's right, in the game I was his fiancée.

As the villainess, Koleha was, of course, the fiancée of the main capture target, Prince Harks Daido.

For that matter, they had already had their first meeting. It was only a few days before her past-life memories returned.

—If only I'd remembered earlier, I could have easily convinced Emma by saying I resolved to change my ways upon my engagement to the prince… Well, it's not too late even now.

"Yes. Upon my engagement to Harks-sama, I realized I must become more proper, desu wa."

"Ah. That's right, Koleha is wasted on that fool prince, but a prince is still a prince. If you take the reins firmly from now, he can still be corrected…"

Her father Yarkot's evaluation of the prince was exceedingly harsh.

Wondering why, Koleha recalled their recent first meeting: the prince's silhouette had been a bit on the plump side. That had its own kind of cuteness, but…

And despite Koleha offering a halting but proper lady's curtsy, the prince had pouted and leaned back arrogantly.

On top of that, putting aside his own attitude, he went so far as to say, "Hmph, how immature. Do you think you can become a future queen like that?" Hey. She's five years old.

I see. He's the arrogant, self-important type of prince, desu wa.

After that, for whatever reason, he prefaced every line with a disdainful "Hmph."

Thinking back, he 'hmph'ed far too much. Maybe his nose was stuffed from eating too much meat… So that's why he's chubby, Koleha concluded in her head.

If you asked whether a brat who was becoming a selfish, domineering type had the makings of a king, there were a few worries. Especially now, when there wasn't any great war going on. (That said, the game had events like the Demon King's revival. Being the arrogant type might make him just the right kind of prince.)

But that kind of prince only makes the eventual serves-you-right all the more satisfying!

"Do as you like, Koleha. Your father will support you no matter what."

"Yes, I'll make him cry for mercy, desu wa!"

"Hahaha. Where did you learn that kind of phrase?"

"Oh-ho-ho-ho! I'm studying, you know!"

"I see, I see. That's splendid. But keep the unladylike part in moderation, alright?"

Of course, she learned it from her past-life memories—but that's that.

Marquis Yarkot's gaze toward his adorable, hard-working daughter was warm and smiling.