Goodbye, Overtime! This Reincarnated Villainess Is Living for Her New Big Brother Volume 5 (eBook)

Chidori Hama (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025
250 Seiten
J-Novel Heart (Verlag)
978-1-7183-0658-5 (ISBN)

Infos

Between the celebratory banquet and the mountain pilgrimage, Ekaterina and Alexei's summer vacation has been very eventful, and yet it's far from over! The heroine of the game, Flora, and the main love interest and crown prince of the empire, Mikhail, are finally visiting the siblings. Ekaterina has been hard at work and has planned a series of exciting events for them to enjoy during their stay. The first is a welcome banquet, and she has everything planned to perfection: The prince and the heroine, whom she expects have grown closer on the way, will share the first dance. Ekaterina can't wait to watch their love blossom-but then Mikhail requests her as his partner for the first dance. The chaos only continues from there! Are the doom flags Ekaterina has so deftly dodged coming back to haunt her?

Textauszug

Chapter 2: The Welcome Banquet

Flora and I lost ourselves in conversation for a long time after that. Eventually, we both fell asleep in my bed.

As far as I was concerned, this was how any sleepover was supposed to end, but I wasn’t sure the nobles of this world would see things that way. I was relieved when Flora seemed in a good mood when we woke up.

Just like Mina did every morning, she somehow appeared right after I opened my eyes and pulled aside the curtains. Alongside Mina was the maid assigned to Flora. She should have been in the west wing, but here she was with clothes for Flora. She didn’t seem thrown off in the slightest and started brushing Flora’s hair as though her being here had been the plan all along.

After Anna, the former head maid, had been dismissed, there had been some disarray among the maids, but Raisa had clearly brought order back.

“Lady Flora, would you like to have breakfast in my room or the dining room?” I asked.

“I’m fine with either. Let’s eat where you usually eat,” she said, a knowing smile on her face.

I always ate breakfast in the dining room with Alexei, and I had a feeling she could see right through me. I agreed, and the two of us made our way to the dining room to find that Alexei and Mikhail were already there.

“Good morning, Prince Mikhail, brother. What a fine morning.” While I greeted them with a smile, I shot a confused glance at Mikhail. What was he doing here?

“Good morning, Ekaterina and Flora,” Mikhail replied, beaming.

“His Highness wished to train with me this morning, so we’re having breakfast together too,” Alexei explained.

It was very subtle, but I could hear a tinge of reluctance in his voice.

“My... You said you’d train after dinner yesterday, and you also trained this morning?” I said.

“Someone stopped me yesterday—told me exercising after a meal wasn’t wise. I trained in the morning to make up for it. Besides, I thought joining the knights of the renowned Order of Yulnova for training would do my imperial knights some good.”

Is that so? That meant the people in this world also knew that you should avoid strenuous exercise after a meal.

The prince was such a serious boy. The health of the future emperor was of the greatest importance, a fact he was well aware of. He took care of himself while not skipping his training, and he even thought about improving the knights he’d brought with him. He truly was a born leader. He had the state of mind of those who stood above others—in a good way!

I was also impressed to see him so energetic after a long trip. I wanted to say, “That’s youth for you!” but I had a feeling the young boys of my past life hadn’t been like that. Mikhail was remarkable.

My eyes went to Alexei, who was sitting next to Mikhail, and I smiled again. He was on another level altogether. There was no need to compare him to the high school boys of my past.

“Please don’t overdo it,” I said, my tone like that of a worried older sister. “Tonight is the welcome banquet in your and Flora’s honor, after all.”

Mikhail awkwardly but pleasantly told me he’d be fine.

It really was the night of the banquet. How exciting! This would be a smaller affair than the previous banquet we’d held, but I’d planned for it to be more lavish and sophisticated. As one of the three grand ducal houses, we had to welcome the crown prince appropriately, and the entire fortress was bubbling with the desire to make it happen. The servants ebbed and flowed through the corridors. The chefs had started prepping the evening’s food at dawn. Prized bottles of wine and brandy were being taken out of the storehouse as we spoke, while the silverware and party glasses were being wiped spotless.

In the midst of all this agitation, a troop of maids had gathered in my room. They had the most important mission of the day: getting our guest, Flora, ready. There were last-minute adjustments to make to her dress, and I wanted her skin and hair pampered. Flora was plenty beautiful without any of this, but she deserved to have fun getting ready.

Obviously, I ended up being dragged in and went through the entire beauty regimen alongside her.

In the evening, Alexei, exuding all the dignity of a duke in formal dress, and Mikhail, dressed like the glorious prince he was, came to my room.

“They’re ready. Please come in,” Mina said as she let them into the room.

Flora and I were standing side by side, and we curtsied for them.

“Thank you both for coming to escort us,” I said.

A breath escaped Mikhail’s lips.

Flora and I wore empire dresses and short-sleeved boleros over our shoulders. The fitted bodices ended right under our chests, which were framed by our little open jackets. In a way, we might have looked like ancient goddesses.

While our outfits were very similar, the colors contrasted. My skirt and bolero were black, and my bodice was in my trademark color: Celestial Blue. There were opulent roses embroidered in gold thread on my bolero, and my skirt had a second layer of thin lace over it. It resembled the tulle or lace skirts that had been popular in my previous world, and I thought the see-through fabric was a perfect fit for the summer. It gave my outfit a breath of freshness while the dark tones kept it cohesive (and a little sexy). There were also golden-thread roses stitched on the waistband. Small bells and golden leaves attached to thin golden chains hung down from the roses. They moved rhythmically and clanged whenever I took a step. They were fresh yet lavish, just like the rest of my outfit.

The most notable part of my outfit, however, wasn’t the waistband but the long ribbons attached to the short sleeves of my bolero. The thin ribbons, flowing down from the small bows at my sides, were made of light and glossy satin. At the end of each, which reached all the way down to my knees, were more golden rose embroideries. The ribbons kind of reminded me of the ones rhythmic gymnasts used. They swirled as I moved, drawing people’s eyes toward me.

My indigo hair was styled in an up-do with handmade gold roses decorating it. They didn’t look as real as Lev’s blue roses, but they were still dazzling. The fact that they were gold also fit the daughter of a house as noble as Yulnova. My cleavage was more exposed than usual, and a beautiful sapphire necklace was throned above it. To keep with the general theme of my outfit, the sapphire had been embedded in the center of a large gold rose, while plenty of smaller gold roses formed the chain. The beautiful chain looked almost like lace and was a testament to the skills of the artisans who’d made it.

While I was entirely draped in black and gold, Flora’s outfit was mostly white with the exception of her bodice and bolero. They shimmered with the prismatic hues of nacre collected from iridescent pearl oysters, a type of shellfish that produced pearls with an opalescent glow. Even in the dark, Flora’s outfit would glow faintly. Lace was layered over her narrow white skirt to match mine, and her waistband was decorated with rose quartz that matched her hair. Ribbons the same shade as cherry blossoms adorned the lace of her skirt here and there, giving her an adorable look. The ribbons on her bolero, however, were white. Just like mine, they flowed down all the way to her knees.

Flora’s cherry-blossom hair had been braided and decorated with double-flowering gardenia, while a gardenia carved out of a large moonstone hung from her neck. The craftsmanship was so lifelike it was hard to believe it had been carved from a gemstone. It was pure with a hint of mystery, just like Flora. I couldn’t help but think about how well her name—the goddess of spring—suited her. She was beautiful.

“Ekaterina,” Alexei said, walking up to me. “You are magnificent tonight.” He took my hand and kissed the tip of my fingers. “I see my blue rose has transformed into a golden one. I’ve long disliked gold, for in my eyes, it is the symbol of humans’ greed, but I have changed my mind. It has its uses if it can enhance your glory so wonderfully.”

“Oh, brother!” How could he even see the gold through his rose-tinted filter? “Your words are a delight, but doesn’t etiquette dictate that you should address our guest first? Don’t you think Lady Flora looks wonderful?”

“You’re right. I forgot my manners. I fear I could forget anything when faced with your radiant beauty.”

His smooth-talking skills are activated too!

Alexei turned to Flora and smiled. “Do excuse me, Lady Flora. You are beautiful indeed, much like the goddess of spring. In the cold land of Yulnova, spring is ever valued. I’m sure you’ll entrance the people of our duchy, just as the season itself does.”

“Thank you,” Flora said with a polite bow. She seemed a little embarrassed. “I owe everything to Lady Ekaterina’s fine treatment. I’m most thankful for the beautiful clothes and accessories she lent me.”

“They suit you so well, Lady Flora. I’m sure the dress and necklace are glad to be worn by you,” I said with a little laugh.

Then, I looked at Mikhail. He’d been silent for a long time, hadn’t he? He usually always had something to say.

“You’re both beautiful,” he said after a pause.

...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 19.8.2025
• Reihe/Serie: Goodbye, Overtime! This Reincarnated Villainess Is Living for Her New Big Brother
• Illustrationen: Chidori Hama
• Übersetzer: Chidori Hama
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Fantasy
• Schlagworte: female protagonist • Isekai • Light Novel • Magic Academy • Nobility • Otome Game • Shojo
• ISBN-10: 1-7183-0658-X / 171830658X
• ISBN-13: 978-1-7183-0658-5 / 9781718306585