In otome games, triggering every flag and seeing every event through leads to a "harem ending"—a finale where the protagonist lives in perfect harmony with every single capture target.
Was such a thing actually possible in reality?
No. Absolutely not.
It wasn't uncommon for nobles to take concubines alongside their primary wives, but that was usually a messy byproduct of political marriages arranged for status rather than love. For a commoner girl to build a reverse harem consisting of men from the royal family, ducal houses, and marquessates—all of whom vastly outranked her—was inconceivable.
I had seen Mariana’s humble behavior in the classroom. Even if her reactions were a bit extreme, that was how a commoner was expected to act.
"What the hell is that woman thinking?" I muttered. "Does she have a death wish?"
Heirs to noble houses usually had their fiancées decided during childhood, much like Edward and Alicia. Once an engagement was settled, the ties between the two houses deepened, and their entire futures were built upon that foundation.
If it were just Edward, it might be one thing, but creating a reverse harem with all the capture targets around him... it wouldn't have been surprising if she were assassinated. The faculty was likely overlooking it because they were still students, but considering an annulment scandal had already occurred, I wouldn't be shocked if she met a mysterious, untimely end after graduation.
In the game, Mariana only survived because she manifested the Saint's Power during her school years, which granted her the social standing required to marry into the royalty.
Then there was this woman, Patricia—someone who didn't exist in my memories of the game. She wasn't some noble's daughter; she was just a commoner.
"I don't care what happens to her, honestly."
I decided to leave her be. Even if she was a fellow reincarnator, I had no intention of helping her. I was already living as Ragna of House Brave, and I loved my family.
In fact, I owed this impostor a debt of gratitude. Because she had appeared, the plot point where Alicia was cruelly compared to Mariana—who eventually became a Saint—had vanished. That was one painful episode I was glad to see the back of.
Once I decided to stay out of it, there was no need to keep tabs on the rest of the "pretty boy" capture targets, with one notable exception.
His name was Gelasis Gran Ignite.
He was the second son of House Ignite, the family that had set the Mage of Magic Insects on us. He had burning, deep crimson hair and dark eyes. In most stories, red hair suggested a hot-headed, aggressive personality, but in this otome game, he was written as the exact opposite.
"But it’s delicious. It's so much better to eat the bento Patricia made for us here than to eat in the dining hall or the dormitory. It’s strange."
Gelasis was the one who said that. Even as he chatted with the others and ate his meal, his expression didn't shift at all. He was a quiet, enigmatic boy, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
If I recalled correctly, he was the child of a concubine. House Ignite already had an eldest son to inherit the title, so Gelasis had been raised with ruthless discipline to serve as nothing more than a backup.
In the "Gelasis Route," the heroine noticed him standing a step away from the group and reached out to him, which kicked off his character events. His family was rotting from the inside, and the story followed a dark, heavy path where the heroine helped him resolve his inner turmoil with the help of the other boys. Eventually, he would learn to smile again.
Because he was a character who almost never smiled, the game only featured a single "smiling" illustration at the very end. A successful route ended with a pure, innocent smile; a failed route resulted in a terrifying, jealousy-driven grin. I’d heard that plenty of players failed his route on purpose just to see that "yandere" expression.
Since House Ignite was targeting me, our paths would likely cross eventually if I kept defending against their attacks. I wasn't sure how the impostor was handling his route, but the scene in the courtyard suggested she had successfully cleared his flags.
If she had her circle of protective "knights" surrounding her, then all the puzzle pieces needed to resolve his family drama were already in place. As long as they crushed everything that came their way, my enemies would probably end up destroying themselves.
I’d keep an eye on him, but for now, I’d leave them to their own devices. My priority was ensuring a peaceful school life for Alicia and preparing for the catastrophe that would inevitably strike at the end of the story.
That was all that mattered.
That said, I couldn't just ignore Mariana. I needed to find a way to get on her good side... but man, what a pain. It would have been so much easier if the plot had stayed on track. I wondered if that impostor really understood the chaos she was causing.
Alicia was no longer on the Villainess Ruin Route, so she wouldn't be the trigger for the disaster, but when reality is distorted, the consequences always manifest somewhere else. The state of the barrier in the Royal Capital and the situation in the Brave Territory were proof of that.
I intended to take responsibility for the monster horde that would eventually threaten the Brave Territory, but I wasn't sure what to do about the rest.
The barrier protecting the Royal Capital was doomed to be destroyed. In the game, it was Alicia who shattered it after being possessed by a demon. That was likely done at someone else's prompting, and if someone other than Alicia could do the deed, then its destruction was a certainty.
When that happened, we would need the Saint's Power. I hoped to deal with it beforehand, but I needed an insurance policy.
"Patricia, your cooking is truly amazing!"
"It really gives you energy, doesn't it? It's like magic."
"I've been cooking for myself since I was a little girl... Ehehe..."
"I want to eat your food every day, Patricia."
"Me too!"
"I'd like to eat it every day as well, so I'll be intruding on your lunch every day, Your Highness."
"You guys... read the room once in a while."
"The air here in the courtyard is so much fresher than in the castle town. It's lovely."
How blissfully unaware they were. I watched "Harem 01" from afar and sighed.