I'm so glad you've come!
Brother, where are you going?
I'm going out for a bit.
What?
Today is the day when your engagement candidates are coming, isn't it?
Charles, just make the appropriate excuses for me, won't you?
Are you sure? Important people are here, aren't they?
It's your superlative beauty that is the problem here.
He's my brother, but he's hopeless.
Um, Miss Anne!
I'm the younger brother, Charles.
If you wouldn't mind, will you chat with me?
Yes.
An Observation Log of My Fiancée Who Calls Herself a Villainess
Chapter 4
An Observation Log of a Self-Proclaimed Villainess and Love's Cupid.
Bertia has been working at bringing me and the baron's daughter,
Heronia, closer for roughly a year.
At the same time,
she was also fighting to make progress with my personal aide candidates.
Your Highness, I will become love's cupid!
And yet again, there are words I don't quite understand.
What is it that you're attempting to do this time?
Thank you for asking!
How can Your Highness's union with the heroine be guaranteed?
I've devoted every thought to it!
I don't need that kind of devotion, though.
Heroine
Capture Target
Feelings
And then, a brilliant idea came to me!
The other capture targets merely need to have other wonderful partners!
Another Partner
So wonderful that they don't have time to be drawn to the heroine!
Then, by "cupid" you mean someone who acts to being people together?
Exactly!
I thought I might start by devoting my efforts to Lord Vald and Lady Cynthia.
They're engaged, but they don't know each other very well.
That's the current situation. I'll excuse myself here.
All right! Let's do this!
A good day to you, Lady Anne.
Good day.
Is something wrong?
No, it's nothing.
If you'll excuse me.
Lady Anne...
The Next Day
What's this?
Your Highness, you came, too?
Vald invited me.
Your riding habit suits you very well, too.
Thank you.
Speaking of which, Lady Cynthia, why are you wearing trousers?
What magnificent skills!
B-But how?
Lady Cynthia is supposed to have a weakened constitution
because of the epidemic a few years ago.
Her receiving treatment is in her backstory...
I mean, I've heard rumors of it.
Since I was born, I've never contracted a serious illness.
The epidemic was brought to a quick end
in the capital because of the medicine I made, remember?
Oh!
The game scenario I ended up changing a few years back
You really are quite skilled.
is affecting things now, of all times?
Thank you.
We could learn a few things from your ourselves, right, Vald?
Due to her convalescence, Lady Cynthia had never ridden a horse before,
Indeed!
so Lord Vald was going to gently teach her.
My perfect plan is...
It seems that we have nothing to teach her, so why don't we ride a little longer?
I agree.
I'd like that.
You're really good at this!
Not as good as you, Lord Vald.
I bet you're good at a canter, too.
Shall we give it a try?
Y-Your Highness, I feel like their riding speed is getting faster and faster.
Yes, I agree. If they continue this way...
Then, let's race to the top!
I accept your challenge.
What?
We're going to be left behind.
I'm going to speed up a little.
Prince Cecil! The path that way has been cut off!
This is a shortcut.
What?
What?!
I lost our race, but I had so much fun today.
Will you accompany me again sometime?
Of course! I'll have to do some training before then!
Are you all right, Bertia?
Y-Yes. It's just... my legs are feeling a little weak.
Bertia's reactions were so amusing that I may have gone a little too far.
But, still! This love's cupid mission is a huge success!
It certainly seems to be.
Still, your smile is so lovely.
Oh, it's Lord Charles.
You're such a flatterer.
Oh, I see he's walking with yet another woman I've never seen before.
She's watching him with quite the expression.
The Next Day
Miss Anne?
Hello, Lord Charles.
You're looking a little pale today.
Are you feeling unwell?
What?
If you're worried about something, I'll hear you out.
If you ask me for advice, I'll resolve everything with a whoosh and a bang!
Lord Charles, you've always been like this, trying to cheer me up, haven't you?
But...
this is something I must solve myself.
My father...
He told me that I must decide what I mean
to do about my betrothal to your older brother.
It came in a letter.
I suppose the time has come when I must steel my resolve.
Lord Charles! Why aren't you saying anything?
M-Miss Bertia?
The one who needs resolve is you, Lord Charles!
After all, Lord Charles, you...
Your Highness! Please do something about Miss Bertia!
Has Bertia done something?
She revealed someone's affections without permission!
And to Miss Anne herself!
Having feelings for your older brother's potential fiancée is no laughing matter!
That's why I've tried to forget then as quickly as possible by dating other women!
But no matter what I did, there was no one I felt more strongly about than her.
She's so dear to me... that I hate her in equal measure!
For her to have stolen my heart so completely,
and to know that she will never be mine...
Charles is always so easygoing and detached.
I never imagined he was hiding such passionate, devoted feelings.
But this is a problem.
Miss Anne and Bertia have been standing behind him
and I've completely missed the timing to tell him so.
That is utterly pathetic, Lord Charles!
If you're that besotted, then why don't you try to take her?
If she marries a second son like me,
then the best she can ever be is the wife of a count!
The happiness that could be hers as the wife of a duke would be—
M-Miss Anne?!
Economic stability is necessary,
but I think that having love is the thing that makes women happy!
Besides, your older brother is a playboy through and through.
Are you all right with him stealing Lady Anne from you?
And you, Lady Anne, instead of being a duchess married to an adulterous man...
wouldn't you rather be a countess married to a gentleman who truly loves you?
Wh-What? Y-Yes.
I-Is that true, Miss Anne?
What? I... That is...
Bertia, Charles, one shouldn't press a lady with so many questions.
Forgive me, Miss Anne.
And Charles?
It's true that rank may be important,
but if you secure a position as my, the future king's, personal aide,
I think that should suffice in terms of social status.
No, but... I don't know if I can reach a position like that.
Then you just need to work at it!
The rest is up to your own resolve.
Miss Anne, I have long been consumed with love for you.
I swear to you that I will become a man worthy of proposing to you.
So, please, may I ask you to watch over me while I do?
I am a daughter of the nobility.
I'm not so foolish that I don't understand the value of a political marriage.
However, if it were possible...
a part of me wants to see what a happy marriage full of love might be like.
So... I will also give some thought to my own future.
Will you accept this as an answer?
Of course!
Just hearing that gives me the strength to become the Demon King's manservant!
This "Demon King" wouldn't be me, would it?
This has been a huge success, Your Highness!
It seems so.
Though the manner was quite forced.
Another Later Day
Another later day.
Prince Shawn!
Hello, Miss Bertia!
Hello! Has something nice happened?
Well, you see, a friend gave me some rare sweets.
Apparently, you can't buy them outside the area where they're made!
Why, that's wonderful!
M-Miss Joanna?! You're here, too.
A good day to you, Your Highness.
Um, well...
I have something I have to do! Bye-bye!
Shawn has run away.
Prince Shawn?
How can he act like that toward a woman who might become his fiancée?
Please don't let it trouble you, Lady Bertia.
But...
It doesn't bother me at all.
But what should I do?
I have to come up with some kind of plan to help the two of you get along.
Lord Nelt, you haven't eaten a single thing today, have you?
S-Sorry, Silica.
It's been hot lately, so I haven't had an appetite.
The heat will only make you more exhausted like this!
At the very least, please eat these sweets I've made for you.
That's it!
Kitchen
And we'll call it...
Operation Make a Gift of Handmade Sweets!
Lady Bertia, thank you so much for doing this for me.
Not at all. Prince Shawn likes sweets, so I think this will help you become friends!
And our teacher will be Lady Silica, who is skilled at cooking!
Thank you for asking me here.
What was it that you gave Lord Nelt this morning?
Those were cookies with vegetables in them.
Lord Nelt doesn't particularly like vegetables,
so I researched in the hopes that he would be able to eat more of them.
But that's splendid!
That's the power of love, isn't it?
I-It isn't love or anything like it!
Let's put that aside and get right to baking.
Since this is your first time making sweets, we'll bake some simple cookies.
Still, why is it that Prince Shawn acts that way toward Lady Joanna?
He's always been somewhat distant,
but now, he seems almost afraid of me.
Perhaps I've pressed him too hard.
Pressed him?
Oh, it's nothing.
Could it be because Lady Joanna is so perfect that she's difficult to approach?
Perhaps he thinks you'll be angry with him if he makes a mistake.
I find that the more effort I put into becoming a proper lady,
the more Lord Nelt seems to be afraid of me.
Lord Nelt is your childhood friend, isn't he?
Yes, he is.
Lord Nelt has always had difficulty speaking with people,
so he was often alone.
I was often his conversation partner.
Let's go play over there!
Yeah, let's go!
Let's go!
Let's play together!
Lady Silica?
I-It's nothing!
Now, let's get those hands moving please!
1 Hour Later
Th-These are...
Made by Silica
Made by Bertia
Made by Joanna
Why are only Lady Joanna's like that?
I-It's possible that it's only their appearance that's bad, isn't it?
Yes, that's true!
Taste test!
Taste Test
I've always been able to succeed at things to a certain extent.
Who would have thought that I'd have a tragic lack of skill in making sweets?
I can't refute that.
You mustn't give up, Lady Joanna!
That's right! No one is brilliant from the very beginning!
Let's work hard and keep practicing!
Lady Bertia! Lady Silica!
And so...
it seems that her days of devotion to the craft of sweet making have begun.
Could it be that these are...
Lady Joanna's handmade cookies.
Apparently, she can no longer consume them all herself,
so I received those from Lady Bertia along with the explanation.
Indeed. It seems it's true that she has no aptitude for making sweets.
And after some time had passed...
Prince Shawn!
What?
Um...
These are for you!
Cookies?
I-If at all possible, I'd like for you to try them now.
Now?
I-I don't mind, but...
I see. These cookies are very dry.
I'm so terribly sorry! Imagine giving something like this to you, Your Highness!
Wh-What's wrong, Miss Joanna?
The truth is...
I made these myself.
What?!
Your Highness loves sweets...
so I was hoping to please you with them.
But they just never turn out right.
Forgive me, Prince Shawn. Please forget all about this.
Well, then...
W-Wait!
It's so hot.
Today's heat is unusual for the season.
You don't seem very well, Nelt.
Yes, I've been staying up all night every night.
And I received a letter full of complaints from my father.
Hello, everyone! We've come to visit!
And we've brought some snacks!
Welcome!
Lord Nelt, if you just drop things on the floor, they'll get wrinkled!
And just look at all these things scattered around.
Everyone uses this table,
so please tidy up after yourself a litt—
Oh, enough!
Silica, you scare me and I hate it!
If you detest me so much, then stay away from me!
Who are you to me anyway?
Just because we grew up together, it doesn't mean you can meddle in everything!
It's annoying!
I'm sure you're feeling irritable, but you've gone too far, Nelt.
Lord Nelt, that's enough!
Why can't you see Lady Silica's kindness and love?
Love?
Who is it that always cleans up the snacks that you spill?
Who made those cookies?
Who lends you a handkerchief to make sure your books don't get dirty?
If such devotion isn't love, then what is it?
Y-You have it all wrong! I just have that sort of personality!
I completely understand how Miss Silica must be feeling right now.
A-Anyway, you have it all wrong!
Now, come with me, Lady Bertia!
Lady Silica? Why are you angry?
I'm sorry about Bertia, Nelt.
It's fine.
Now, do you understand the nature of a maiden's heart, Lady Bertia?
Very good.
Besides, I'm in the wrong in this, too.
We aren't children anymore. I've been far too meddlesome.
That isn't—
It's all right.
I think I'll keep my distance from Lord Nelt for a little while.
Student Council Room
The Next Day
I was up all night thinking about Silica.
Speaking of which, I feel like Silica usually makes tea for me to help me sleep.
I haven't seen her once today, including this morning.
Not hearing a voice I always hear feels so strange.
Silica?
No, it's me.
Charles!
Miss Silica always covered you with a blanket like that.
Your Highness is here, too?!
Silica has always helped me, but I never noticed at all.
Indeed. Perhaps you should tell the lady herself just that.
Yes.
Silica!
L-Lord Nelt?
Um, I...
I'm sorry for overstepping my bounds all this time!
I won't inconvenience you any further, Lord Nelt.
Y-You have it all wrong, Silica! I'm the one who's wrong.
What?
I'm sorry for saying those horrible things before.
I hadn't realized just how much you've helped me, Silica.
Lord Nelt...
Um, so...
I thought about the meaning of what Miss Bertia said...
Th-That was all a misunderstanding!
I'm sorry I'm so dense. I'm not good at these things.
I don't know what I should say.
But I'll try my best not to get angry from now on...
So... will you stay beside me forever?
Yes!
I'm so happy for you, Lady Silica!
Now, we must have a lavish congratulatory party at once!
If you get out of control again, won't things up like they did yesterday?
A maiden's heart is a delicate thing. Insensitivity will inspire hatred!
Is that...
They seem quite friendly with each other.
How does it taste?
What's going on?
I thought Operation Make a Gift of Handmade Sweets was a failure.
I spoke with Shawn a little yesterday.
Apparently, her confidence and perfection had always made him feel inferior.
However, as he was consoling her after her failure in baking sweets,
he said he was able to see her as a normal girl.
He also said he felt a desire to protect her spring up within him.
R-Really?
Well, it's what one might call a lucky break,
but the credit goes to you, Bertia.
I won't hold a party...
but it would be all right to congratulate them in secret, wouldn't it?
Bertia's "love's cupid" was something akin to running rampant,
but in the end, one could call it a success.
However, at the time, I wasn't yet aware...
of the tremendous ill will that had begun to grow.
Why? Why doesn't anything turn out right?
Translator: Elanor Sakamoto Timer: Edgar Cruz Editor: Salem Alabanza Quality Control: Alicia Ashby Final Quality Control Michelle Tymon
I've prepared some delicious sweets again today.
Really? I'm so looking forward to it!
Chapter 5 An Observation Log of a Self-Proclaimed Villainess and First Feelings.
"An Observation Log of a Self-Proclaimed Villainess and First Feelings."