I Became the Secret Mastermind in a Romance Fantasy Chapter 3

Before the sun had even risen, in the dim light of dawn.

-Whoosh.

I swung the wooden sword at the center of the training ground. The sword moved as I willed, slicing through the air with a sharp sound.

This was my daily swordsmanship training—never missed a day, always at dawn. Of course, there were tis when I was so busy I couldn't even leave the office, let alone train.

"Phew..."

A white breath escaped my lips. My whole body felt like it was being hit by a wave of muscle pain. I stopped swinging the wooden sword and placed it on the ground.

-Creak.

With a sowhat noisy hinge sound, Allen entered the training ground.

"What’s going on?"

"Lady Este from the Este Count's family is arriving this morning."

"She’s quicker than I expected."

I thought Count Este would try to keep her longer. Seeing that she’s arriving after just three days, it seems he realized there was no point in holding her back.

"Understood. I’ll go after I finish bathing."

"As you wish."

Allen bowed his head to and left the training ground.

‘Is this where the original story starts in earnest?’

I put on the clothes I had left aside and placed the wooden sword on the stand. As I was getting ready to leave, the door to the training ground opened again.

A group of sturdy n wearing leather armor appeared.

They were knights from the Hardenberg family's Black Raven Knights, the household’s private order. They were chatting among themselves as they entered, but as soon as they saw , they bowed respectfully.

"Good morning, Duke!"

"Yeah."

It seems they’re here for their morning training. Since I usually train at dawn, we rarely run into each other, but today we did.

“Well then, take care.”

"Yes, sir!"

I nodded slightly at their spirited reply and left the training ground.

Everything is fine, but their voices are too loud. I appreciate their loyalty, but their shouts are so loud it makes my ears ring.

‘...But it’d be awkward to tell them to tone it down.’

I walked for a while, until I saw a door with maids dressed in uniform standing beside it. Among them, I spotted Laura, my personal maid.

"Good morning, Duke."

"Yeah. Is the water ready?"

"It’s all heated up."

"Good."

I handed my clothes to Laura. Seven maids stood inside the room, ready to assist with my bath.

When I first reincarnated into this world, I thought I’d never get used to having maids assist in bathing, but now it’s beco quite normal. They aren’t naked, so as long as I endure a little embarrassnt, the bath is done in no ti.

After finishing the bath, I dressed in the clothes Laura handed and made my way to the reception room.

The cold, barren corridor greeted .

The hallway of the previous Duke's mansion had been lavishly decorated with expensive paintings and sculptures, displaying a life of luxury.

But once I beca Duke, the once-grand hallway turned into an empty, desolate passage.

Every ti I passed by those paintings or sculptures, I was reminded of the previous Duke—my father—and I couldn’t bear to see them. So, I sold them all. That’s how much I despised him.

Of course, that led to ridiculous rumors circulating for a ti. Bold fools whispered that the Duke’s family was running out of funds.

‘Even now, I can’t understand what gave them the nerve...’

It must have been because I was young then. They thought I was easy to push around. On top of that, suspicion surrounding the forr Duke’s death by poisoning had shaken my position.

Naturally, they paid dearly for it later.

While lost in thought, I soon found myself in front of the reception room door. Allen stood there, watching as if he’d been waiting for .

“Have they arrived?”

“No, but they should be here soon.”

“Alright. I’ll wait inside. Call when Lady Adele arrives.”

“As you wish.”

Allen opened the door, and I stepped inside. I sat down on the sofa in the reception room. I’ve never liked waiting, but she is, after all, going to be my fiancée.

Waiting for her is the least I could do.

***

The House of Hardenberg.

A noble family established long ago by a branch of the imperial family.

Because of this, they wield influence comparable to the imperial family itself. Their private knight order, the Black Raven Knights, is nearly as powerful as the emperor’s Golden Lion Knights.

In short, the Hardenberg family is the true power behind the Arie Empire. And I am to beco the fiancée of the head of that house.

"Sigh..."

At my sigh, Lily, the maid sitting across from , spoke up.

"Don’t worry too much, my lady. The Duke of Hardenberg won’t treat you poorly."

"True enough."

On the surface, we're engaged, so he’ll likely take so care of . The problem is whether this deal I made with him will really help avoid my bad ending.

‘...But it’s not like I had any other choice.’

"Still, cheer up! I’m sure you’ll get along with the Duke of Hardenberg just fine, Lady Adele!"

"Do you think so? I’m glad to hear that."

I looked at the maid in front of with a bittersweet smile. Her atmosphere and face reminded of a cute puppy—energetic and with affectionate, sparkling eyes.

This was Lily, the personal maid Count Este had assigned to . Along with my father, she was one of the few people who truly looked after now that I had beco the villainess, Adele Este, from the novel.

‘...Back when I first grew close to Lily, I thought everything would turn out well.’

At that ti, I was naive enough to think that, just like in the villainess stories I read in my previous life, I could change my reputation as a villainess if I just tried hard enough.

But all my efforts earned were more than ten assassination attempts and five poisoning attempts.

‘What a joke.’

It’s laughable to think that being a villainess could be sothing you fix with effort alone. Despite all my struggles, I couldn’t even set foot in high society anymore.

"We’ve arrived!"

At the coachman’s announcent, I stopped resting my chin in my hand and looked out the window. What I saw was a mansion so large that it made even most museums seem small in comparison. As expected of the Duke’s house.

It was incomparable to the house I had lived in.

As I pondered this, Lily opened the door, and a man ca into view. Ashen hair and gray eyes, with a scar on his face.

"...Huh?"

Abel Hardenberg.

He smiled slightly and extended his hand to . If I wasn’t mistaken, he intended to escort .

But why?

"What are you doing?"

And he spoke formally to . This was the sa man who had once spoken to so condescendingly.

Caught off guard, I hesitated but eventually placed my hand in his. His hand was rough, covered in calluses—a hand shaped by years of training.

"H-Huwaa..."

I heard Lily’s voice beside . When I turned to look, her face was bright red, clearly misunderstanding the situation between Abel and , but there was nothing I could say to her.

"Shall we?"

Abel smiled faintly as he escorted into the mansion. What on earth was he thinking, being so kind all of a sudden?

I couldn’t help but feel uneasy as I looked at his face. Every ti I had encountered such kindness in the past, it never ended well for .

"Is sothing the matter?"

"It’s just that..."

Had he noticed my discomfort? He wiped the smile from his face and spoke to .

"We can discuss the details once we’re in the reception room."

I nodded at his words. In the distance, I could see the maids whispering to one another, their gazes fixed on us. Their faces seed strangely cheerful.

-Buzz...

‘...What is this feeling?’

I tried using magic to listen in on the conversation, but it failed.

"You can’t use magic inside the Duke’s mansion, so be careful," Abel warned.

"I-I see..."

Well, of course. This is the Duke’s residence, after all. It makes sense that there’d be asures in place to prevent magic. As I thought this, we arrived in front of the reception room.

The old butler, Allen, noticed us and opened the door. Once inside, we sat down across from each other with a table between us.

"Lily."

"Yes!"

"Could you step out for a mont?"

"Of course!"

Lily shot a glance, her face brimming with happiness, and discreetly gave a thumbs-up when Abel wasn’t looking.

‘...So innocent.’

If she knew the true nature of my relationship with Abel, she wouldn’t be acting like that. I smiled bitterly and then looked at Abel.

"Allen."

"Yes, my lord."

"Leave us."

"As you wish."

Without another word, Allen left the room. I glanced around for a mont and then turned to Abel.

"What is this about?"

"Hmm?"

"You’re not the type to be this kind."

At my words, Abel gave an amused look.

"Oh? Are you already letting your guard down because we’re engaged?"

For a mont, I held my breath.

Now that I think about it, wasn’t Abel considered one of the more eccentric characters in the original novel? I must have let the fact that we were engaged cloud my judgnt and spoke too carelessly.

Should I rewind ti? But I still hadn’t figured out where the save point was...

"Tch..."

Suddenly, I heard him laugh and lifted my head to look at him.

"Haha. I was just kidding. It’s only natural to have questions when you’re engaged."

"Thank goodness..."

"So, you were asking why I’m being so kind, weren’t you?"

"Yes."

"There’s no grand reason. It’s just common courtesy between fiancés."

...Is that so?

I suppose escorting one’s fiancée is considered basic manners. It’s just that, coming from Abel—the man known as the dark mastermind—it feels different.

"Besides, I can’t stand the prying eyes from outside."

"Outside, you say..."

"No matter how high a duke stands, rumors spread."

He looked directly at as he continued speaking.

"And I hate rumors more than anything. Does that answer your question?"

"...Yes."