I, Laguna Ver Brave, was born into House Brave as their third son.
I was three years old when I realized I was a reincarnated soul. I had been reborn into the world of an otome game I’d played in my previous life.
But reality is a cruel mistress. Despite this being an otome game world, it was a brutal place where three-year-olds were taught the finer points of slaughtering monsters and men alike. Still, I had managed to find some small measure of hope in the midst of it all.
According to the game's plot, the Royal Capital eventually becomes a battlefield engulfed in flames. Not only that, but the Brave Territory is destined for disaster thanks to a catastrophic event known as a Monster Stampede.
My saving grace was my position as the third son. A third son has no noble obligations and is eventually cast out to fend for himself. Because of that, I had a dream: to become an adventurer, traveling the world with nothing but my own strength and training. I wasn't the protagonist, and I wasn't even a background character at the Academy. I was an existence far removed from the story's geographical center. I truly believed I could enjoy this other world to its fullest.
"Master Laguna, we really must see to your appearance."
"…I’m asleep."
As I lay sulking on my bed, Sebas entered the room followed by a line of servants.
"People who are asleep generally don't announce the fact. What a curious case of sleep-talking."
"Ugh! Do I really have to? Can't you just handle things without me?"
"She may have had her engagement annulled, but she is still a Duke’s daughter. We must show her the proper respect."
"Uguuu."
I was unceremoniously hauled out of bed and stuffed into a set of stiff, restrictive formal wear. I’ve always hated these clothes; they’re impossible to move in.
By all rights, I should be out exploring a dungeon right now. How did things go so wrong? It’s hard enough balancing my duties as a lord with attending the Academy. To make matters worse, starting school halfway through the year basically guarantees I’ll be stuck on the 'loner route.'
I never asked for a Duke’s daughter to come here as my bride.
I knew who she was, of course. Her name was Alicia Gran Oldwood. She was a brilliant beauty—slender, silver-haired, and exceptionally well-endowed. She wasn't labeled a villainess because she was a failure or had poor grades; on the contrary, she was a cunning, talented woman. It made sense, really. She’d been given an elite education since childhood to prepare her to be the Prince's consort. In a way, she and I were cut from the same cloth.
The problem was her personality. It was absolute trash.
She was a total elitist. I remembered her screaming insults at the protagonist, things like, "Know your station, commoner!" and "Even if status supposedly doesn't matter within the Academy, you would do well to remember the gap between noble and peasant the moment you step outside!"
She had a staggering variety of bullying lines. I used to wonder how anyone could be so cruel, but I suppose it was inevitable. In this world, prestige and the status of one's house are everything. I have the common sense of my previous life, so I view everyone as equals. Once you're dead, everyone is just a heap of meat, right?
But the nobles here live by tradition and face. For the royal family, marrying a commoner is unthinkable. Even in my past life in Japan, marrying into the Imperial Family required a person who met the public's expectations. Of course, the end of the game reveals a spoiler—the protagonist actually belongs to a noble, long-lost bloodline—which causes everyone to do a complete u-turn. But at the beginning of the story, no one knows that. The Duke’s daughter is, in a sense, a victim of those typical narrative tropes.
"Sebas."
"Yes, Master?"
"She was born into a high-ranking Ducal house and raised specifically for the Crown Prince. What good is a woman like that going to do here in the busy Brave Territory?"
"She is being discarded as an example, I imagine. Her failure to hold the Prince’s heart was likely judged as a gross incompetence on her part. She even went so far as to cause a duel, only to be utterly defeated."
"Hey, are you saying our home is being used as a dumping ground for social outcasts?"
"The mortality rate in the Brave Territory is quite high, after all."
Sebas spoke with a perfectly straight face, even though he was essentially insulting our own home. I really have to wonder whose side my butler is on.
"Master Laguna, please consider the situation carefully."
"Consider what?"
"The Duke is well aware of House Brave’s plight. While the circumstances are unusual, this strengthens our ties to a Ducal house. We can expect considerable financial support."
"Well… I suppose."
"Ever since word spread that the third son was taking over the headship, many who were only loyal to your father have withdrawn their support. This marriage is a godsend. It will allow you more time for your studies. It may be the only path forward for a House Brave that was standing on the precipice of despair."
"You’re the one talking about despair?"
"I am being quite serious. Everyone who survived is working themselves to the bone to ensure our house continues. Come now, Master, you must do your part."
"Ugigi."
When he put it that way, it sounded a bit better, but it didn't change the fact that this was hell. Because, again… her personality is trash.
Even if you excuse her behavior toward the protagonist as a product of her upbringing, she doesn't stop. Even after being exiled to the frontier, she clings to her hatred and repeatedly interferes with the main characters. That was the Alicia of the game: a woman consumed by hatred. Eventually, she makes a deal with a demon and throws away her humanity just to get her revenge. If things stay on track, my house is going to get dragged right into that nightmare.
I knew exactly how Alicia’s story ended. There was nothing but ruin waiting for her.
And there was another problem: I didn't appear in that game at all. Neither did House Brave. That likely meant Alicia killed us all off-screen. This was incredibly bad.
"The Lady will spend a month here before returning to the Academy with you. As a man of House Brave, please see to it that you escort her with dignity."
"R-Right…"
I felt like I was going to collapse under the weight of my own dread. Going to the Academy with a woman whose personality has been warped by scandal—isn't that a form of torture? I only planned to go to the Academy to build connections and suck up to other nobles for the sake of my house’s survival. Now, all the benefits had vanished.
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
"I cannot allow that. I will not permit you to run off to a dungeon to vent your frustrations."
Sebas caught me just as I tried to bolt. He took me to the floor and locked my joints in a single, fluid motion. He truly was a butler of House Brave. The children of our family were raised to be so strong that ordinary adults couldn't handle them; Sebas, having raised those very children, was a monster in his own right.
"I know exactly what you're thinking, Master. I will not allow you to take the Lady into a dungeon either. If an 'accident' were to happen to her, House Brave would truly be finished."
"Yessir…"
How was I supposed to escape this fate? I wanted to flee to a dungeon right this second. It was much easier to face enemy soldiers or monsters than it was to deal with women. Ironically, that was exactly how I’d been raised.
"It is time."
Sebas pulled me to my feet, brushed the dust off my clothes, and led me out.
I was born the third son of a noble house, in a position that had nothing to do with the game's plot. I was supposed to enjoy a free-spirited life in a world of swords and magic.
"How did my life turn into this?!"