Reincarnated As Both The Villainess And Heroine...?

An Unequal Exchange

As we grow older, we change. For the better, or for the worse.

Sometimes, ridiculously so.

Well, I suppose, getting more extreme was still a change, even if they didn't become unrecognizable. You know, that feeling of meeting an old friend after a long time and realizing just how different the both of you were.

Except, in this case, it was watching a wreck of personalities growing more and more absurd, as I was reminded everyday that this world was written as a drama at its core.

Real life, unfortunately, was boring. However, this. This! This was going too far!

There was a limit to just how much those handsome yet spiritually ugly guys could bother me everyday! There was a limit to just how extreme each of their personalities could get! There was a limit to just how much stress they could cause me! Or should I say, there should have been! Clearly there wasn't!

"Your Highness, my skills at brewing tea won't improve overnight, even if you visit me everyday."

"Nonsense. It's amusing to taste the small fruits of my fiancé's labor everyday. Perhaps one day it'll stop tasting awful!"

That grating laughter of his certainly didn't change. He may have grown taller, bulkier, and prettier, but his high pitched voice was still present. Not quite old enough for that yet, I suppose. Certainly old enough to be snarky, though. Oh wait.

"It does feel like Your Majesty is going through the motion of calling my tea horrible everyday, is it not? What if I said Lily had secretly brewed the tea one day in the past few weeks?"

"At the very least, you have mastered the art of lying. Poorly," the prince giggled. "I know what your little maid has been up to. Running your errands everyday. Oh dear, disappearing early in the morning and not even signs of any return. So she would come back in the dead of the night, I assume. Just what exactly did you ask her to do, hm?"

"If you have spies watching my residence, do you really need me to answer?"

"Unfortunately, your maid seem to be more well trained than our spies. You think she's considering to switch careers anytime soon?"

"You would be the first to know, my dear prince," I took a gentle sip from my tea. "From me or otherwise."

Really, Lily's current actions were for the best. For me, and for you as well, Your Highness.

"Curious, really. Where did she come from? There's no such records in the Kingdom's archive about an individual such as her. A foreigner? We couldn't find any trace of her previous life, either. It seemed like she...appeared out of thin air one day."

"I wish I could tell you," that was a lie. "She was a retainer of my mother, and she was one of the few that expressed the desire to remain with me after mother had passed. Perhaps whatever secret she held had long died along with her previous mistress."

"Whatever. Not my position to care, I suppose."

Somehow, his lackadaisical attitude had gotten worse over the years. More chafing, I suppose.

"Are you really not going to improve your tea making skills, Bathory?"

"Odd of you to ask that again. Are you perhaps serious this time, Your Highness?"

He chuckled, "Well, more like a suggestion. After all, the summer festival is coming up."

Summer festival, huh. Not the first time I've attended it, but I suppose this year would be somewhat different.

"It is customary for the royal family to take charge of big events from a young age, and my sister is no exception. This year, she is in charge for your academic year's committee in regards to festive event planning. Oh, I do believe that eastern girl you were awfully fond of...what was her name again? Lin?"