Reincarnated as the mother of an otome game's villainess?!

Chapter 46. Everlong

(From Violett)

Out of all the people I have met in my life, Julius is the one I love the most. I love him from the bottom of my heart, though I am not sure when I started to feel that way. We were born with a few months of difference. I am the older one, of course. Apparently, my mother knew the queen, so we spent a lot of time in our infancy together. I love how manly and brave he grew up to be, despite being afraid of snails and frogs when we were young. I love how smart he is, and I love showing him that I am just as smart as he is, if not more. I love that he is a bit brazen and childish when we are alone. He is the one for me, and I am the one for him. That's why, I would never let anyone take him away from me.

From the very first day that we got into the Academy, the daughters of noble families flock towards him, so I had to make sure they all knew that he was MINE. The majority needed nothing more than a glance to learn their places. A few stubborn ones, I had to break down more thoroughly, but in time they even began to follow me obediently. But one among them would turn out to be especially problematic...

—You! Are you the one who keeps getting too close to my fiance? Who do you think you are? —I said to the girl as I cornered her.

—M-my name is Eva Snyder, my lady! —she replied, obviously not understanding what I had asked.

I chuckled. She was shaking. She gave me the impression of a cute little lamb. She was petite and, in all honesty, looked a bit malnourished, but she still looked pretty enough. Her skin was almost as pale as the snow, her long hair was golden, and the iris of her eyes was of a bright blue. I wouldn't have minded having her as my pet, but I needed to tell her to stay away from what was MINE.

Her surname sounded familiar to me, but I couldn't remember where I had heard it. It wasn't any of the noble families, so she had to be either daughter of a rich merchant, or very talented to get into the Academy. It didn't matter.

—Listen very well, Eva. Stay away from MY fiance, and we won't have any problem. Do you understand?

—Y-yes, my lady!

It's what she said, sounding too scared to be lying. Yet she continued to be seen near MY Julius. The girls that I had already broken heard my opinions on her, and acted on their own. They stole her books, threw ink at her dress, and some even outright intimidated her. Those tactics were beyond me, but I would be lying if I said I didn't get a sense of satisfaction from seeing her squirm.

—Lady Violett, why haven't you squashed that fly —my most loyal attendant said to me. She had been at my side since I had been a baby, so it was rather surprising to see her questioning my decisions. But it was not entirely unrequited.

—In a way, I feel pity for her. No matter how much I hold my strength, I feel like she would break

like glass if I dared to even touch her.

—That shouldn't be a problem for you, my lady. Nothing you do could be considered a crime.

—Heh, you are as cold as always, aren't you, Iridia?

I would come to regret not hearing her advice. Shortly after, a sickness started spreading through the campus. Calliope's curse, the phantom plague. Everyone knew how terrible that disease could become, a massive pandemy of it had struck our nation when I was only five years old. We all had lost loved ones at that time. So it was rather surprising when Eva found a cure for it, revealing to everyone that she could use Divine magic. She was the envoy of Enki, the prophesied savior of those masked freaks of his church, the saintess that would save our world.

The attention of everyone focused on who until then had been another faceless student. The bullying that she was suffering was noticed by those with a strong sense of justice, who jumped to defend her. And that included Julius. He ignored that she had stolen the only memento I had from my mother, the seed of the Ygdrassil, and took it on himself to personally protect her.