The royal palace ball was dazzlingly glamorous.
Amidst the music and laughter, memories of a previous life suddenly flood back into Yomi's mind.
This is the world of a 'condemnation' style otome novel read in a past life.
And Yomi was—the final boss of that story.
From across the crowd, a single girl was gazing at Yomi.
Lizette Elford.
Honey-colored ringlets and sparkling pink eyes.
Her cheeks are flushed, and she is smiling happily.
Even among the many people, it is a straightforward affection, as if she has only been looking at Yomi from the start.
Yomi's fiancée.
A girl who loved Yomi more than anyone, took pride in that engagement, and boasted about it to everyone.
Using that position as a shield, she had her way, while behind the scenes she intimidated those she disliked, unilaterally crushed rumors unfavorable to Yomi, and distanced those who were a nuisance.
She almost identified her own position with Yomi's.
But the original Yomi didn't care about her at all.
She was nothing more than a toy to pass the time, someone who admired him cutely.
And in the original story—she is killed at the end by the original Yomi's own hand.
The memories of the original story become even clearer.
Cecilia, who had been oppressed by her younger sister Lizette.
First Prince Alexis, who protects her and eventually loves her.
Lizette took it as a humiliation that the sister she looked down upon was protected by the First Prince.
Cecilia gained allies, while conversely, her own harassments stopped working.
Even so, there was one thing she believed in until the end.
—Only Yomi-sama is mine.
Eventually, upon learning that Alexis truly loved Cecilia, Lizette unilaterally thought,
"This way I can be useful to Yomi-sama,"
and came up with the idea of using her sister as the First Prince's weakness.
After blackmailing her, she kidnapped Cecilia and presented her to the original Yomi as a feat.
But that destroyed everything.
Even the original Yomi was drawn to Cecilia.
Lizette, thinking that even her fiancé, her last support, had been stolen by her sister, broke and attacked Cecilia with a dagger in hand.
The original Yomi, who snatched that blade, slashed her throat.
Even as she reaches out a hand from a pool of blood, the original Yomi does not look back.
Watching him care only for Cecilia, Lizette dies realizing she was not loved.
Meanwhile, the original Yomi was later defeated but forgiven, and finally left the story after blessing the marriage of Alexis and Cecilia.
—That is the original story.
The current scene overlaps with the memories of the original.
Lizette, who was looking at Yomi happily until a moment ago, is now bracing her hands on the marble floor.
In front of her, Alexis points a drawn sword at her, protecting the soaking wet Cecilia with one arm. Noel, who was caring for Cecilia by her side, took a step back warily upon seeing Yomi.
—This scene was also in the original.
The scene at the ball where Lizette pushes Cecilia into the fountain and Alexis protects her in front of the crowd for the first time. The first step where Lizette is denied head-on and her life begins to go astray.
Lizette on the floor finds Yomi.
Immediately, her face, which had been distorted in frustration, brightens up.
It was a face completely convinced that help had arrived.