In an otome game I'm a villainess!? I can't accept this!

Chapter 23 - celestial maiden

For some reason, Prince Alfeld had suddenly returned home ahead of schedule after talking with me in that corridor.

We were surprised by his sudden action, but on his way back home, he said with a serious expression on his face that he had to return to his country and that he had to say goodbye to me for a while.

I was puzzled as to why he was addressing me in the midst of so many people seeing me off, but still I protected myself, smiled, and said good luck.

Then Prince Alfeld quickly dropped to his knees in front of me, took my right hand and kissed the back of it.

At that moment, a cold air, like absolute zero, seemed to drift from Kaiser and Prince Leon, who were next to me, and from Ghislan, Lady Lateia, and Viktor, who were farther away.

But whether or not Prince Alfeld was aware of everyone's presence, he removed his face from my hands, stared at my face, smiled bewitchingly, said he would definitely come to see me again, and left.

Shortly after that, five people who were emitting what looked like cold air surrounded me and asked me to explain what happened with Prince Alfeld.

I was puzzled as to why they were all approaching me in such an eerie manner, but I thought they would not let me go unless I explained, so I explained what had happened in that corridor.

When they heard my explanation, they all let out a loud sigh and looked at me suspiciously at the same time.

"There's another one..."

The other four nodded in agreement at the same time to Kaiser's mutterings.

However, I was twisting my head in confusion at the state of the five of them.

More months had passed since I met the last capture target, and in the blink of an eye, nine years had passed and I had finally grown up to be 17 years old.

This year, the ceremony to select the maiden of the sky, known as the "Celestial Maiden," is held once every few decades in the temple of the castle.

At the back of the temple, there is a large vial of water in which the names of all the women in the kingdom who will turn seventeen years old this year are written on a piece of paper and placed in the vial at once.

Then, strangely enough, only one piece of paper would rise to the surface of the water, and all the others would sink to the bottom of the vase.

The woman whose name was written on the piece of paper that came up to the surface of the water was chosen to be the "Celestial Maiden" of that year.

I had seen this in the video at the beginning of the game, so I could picture the ceremony that was going on in the temple now without actually seeing it.

While thinking about such things, I was leisurely reading a book in my room.

...Well, I know who's going to be chosen for the Celestial Maiden! I'm not thrilled at all.

So I looked through the book and smiled bitterly as I remembered the state of my father and the others this morning.

Until the time to ascend to the castle, my father and brother were restlessly pacing my room, and my mother was repeatedly discussing with her handmaidens what dress I should wear when I was chosen as "Celestial Maiden".

I was very distressed by such a situation of everyone, as I knew the result.

I had asked them many times not to have that kind of expectation because it might not be me, but they encouraged me to be sure that it would be fine.