Not the Villainess, but the Maid

Chapter 14: The Mysterious Girl

The first weekend after entering the academy.

After rumors spread throughout the school that I was Amethyst’s fiancé, Ruby found out and said to me.

“Get out.”

“My lady… It’s not that I’m truly engaged, but there were unavoidable circumstances…”

“Get out, I said.”

“Yes.”

It was dangerous to provoke Ruby any further when she was this furious.

If I upset her further, I’d be roasted to ashes, not even leaving behind my bones.

Eventually, I was kicked out of the room, left standing in the hallway with only my clothes on.

‘I’m so resentful…’

I knew Ruby would be angry once she heard the rumors, but I hadn’t imagined it would turn out like this.

The dormitory hallway on the weekend was completely empty, devoid of a single person.

Most students were either resting in their rooms or had gone out.

Having been thrown out without even my wallet, going out wasn’t an option.

‘A walk…? Or should I stay in Dia’s room?’

I had walked enough in the backyard during the week, thanks to Amethyst, to make me feel nauseous, and upon reflection, Dia was Amethyst’s roommate.

Considering why Ruby was angry, going to a place where Amethyst might be was practically suicidal.

‘There’s no one else that comes to mind.’

I once again confirmed how pathetically narrow my social circle was.

To kill time, I decided to wander aimlessly around the academy.

As I walked, I began to notice places that I hadn’t paid attention to while accompanying Ruby.

‘Now that I look, there are nameplates on all of these.’

Many rooms I had previously only glimpsed during class turned out to be clubrooms for students’ extracurricular activities.

In the original game, the club feature was almost nonexistent.

The protagonist could gain bonuses to their stats based on the type of club they joined, but almost all players, unless solely focused on a specific heroine, chose the student council.

The student council, unlike other clubs, moderately boosted all stats, making it an overpowered option.

Though difficult to join, once in, it made the stat-demanding late game a breeze.

Today, most students had disappeared from the academy over the weekend.

Not just the student council, but nearly all the clubrooms were either empty or locked.

Unable to endure my boredom, I eventually wandered outside and began strolling through the backyard.

Why is the saying “time is relative” always true?

Time, which flowed so quickly when I was with Ruby, felt unbearably slow now that I was alone.

Lamenting my situation as a maid unable to stay by her master’s side, I continued walking across the backyard until I found myself near the academy’s wall.

‘What am I doing… Huh?’

Raising my head, I noticed a building I had never seen before.

‘Was this always here?’

It was a building with a particularly old and weathered appearance compared to the other facilities.

Its ivy-covered wooden walls gave off a mysterious atmosphere, adding to its peculiar charm.

Drawn to it as if under a spell, I cautiously approached and grasped the creaky doorknob.

“Excuse me…”

When I opened the door, I was greeted by rows of towering bookshelves packed densely together.

The musty smell of wood mixed with the scent of paper, giving off a calming sensation.

‘…Is there no one here?’

I looked around curiously, scanning my surroundings, when I heard a soft thud, the sound of something falling.

“…!”

Startled, I immediately turned my head toward the source of the noise.

From behind a stack of piled-up books, pale pink eyes peered out.

“…Ah… um…”

A figure shyly peeked out, hesitating as she slowly revealed herself.

Her mysterious purple hair, styled to cover one eye, and her small frame made her resemble an adorable small animal.

Fidgeting with the ends of her hair, she glanced at me and asked timidly.

“Did you… come to look for books?”

Judging by her white sailor uniform, which was the same as mine, she appeared to be a commoner.

Her ribbon color also matched mine, so she must have been a first-year as well.

I looked at her with curious eyes and answered.

“No, I just wandered in by chance.”

It seemed like a reasonably-sized library, yet I wondered why it had been left so neglected.

“Is this a library? I never heard of a place like this.”

“Yes. No one else comes here but me…”

Even in the original game, I didn’t recall any mention of such a location.

Though filled with questions, I was too delighted to meet a commoner girl who treated me normally for once, so I introduced myself first.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Amber.”

“…Amber. That’s a pretty name…”

She quietly repeated my name.

“And you?”

At my question, she fidgeted with her hands and replied.

“…Coral.”

“Coral…?”

Seeing my reaction, Coral tilted her head and added.

“…Coral Hestia. Is that strange…?”

Let me correct myself.

She wasn’t an ordinary commoner girl.

Coral Hestia.

She was one of the heroines in this yuri visual novel, Chronicles of Magical Lily, and the only commoner among the romanceable characters.

Coral’s route was notoriously difficult among players.

If her route merely required meeting specific stat conditions during conversations, like Amethyst’s, it would have been manageable.

But Coral Hestia was a heroine so elusive that encountering her was like catching a shooting star.

True to her nickname as the “Mysterious Girl,” she was always by herself, vanishing without a trace except during classes, leaving few opportunities to interact with her.

Players who were captivated by Coral’s unique aura and recklessly attempted her route often ended up failing to raise her affection by the end, leading to a solo ending.

The main reason for this difficulty lay with the developers who had maliciously set Coral’s appearance rate incredibly low.

Most heroines could easily gain affection points by being visited on weekends, but Coral’s probability of being in her room during weekends was only 9.8%.

Players had to repeatedly save and reload the game, sometimes turning it on and off twenty times, just to maybe meet her—an intentional ploy by the developers to artificially extend gameplay time.

As I recalled my frustrating gaming experience, my face twisted into a complex expression, and Coral spoke softly to me.

“…I never thought anyone else would come here.”

Now that I observed her, her overall vibe suited this library perfectly.

“Coral, do you come here often?”

“Yes. When I’m not in class, I spend most of my time here.”

‘One mystery solved…’

The topic of where Coral disappeared to on weekends was a hot debate among players, sparking intense discussions as they searched for answers.

Now, a question that I and countless players had been curious about was finally answered.

She had been hiding right here, in this old and shabby library.

A place that wasn’t even implemented in the game for players to access.

In any case, it felt like an unexpected discovery.

I had unraveled a long-standing mystery, and it was exciting to have found a secret place.

“Coral, do you mind if I rest here for a while?”

“…Sure. Feel free to come by anytime. No one but me ever comes here.”

I had been worried about how to kill time on a weekend like this, but just reading the books here seemed enough to make the day pass quickly.

While searching for a book to read, I noticed Coral stacking and sorting books.

“What are you doing there?”

“…!”

Startled by my sudden question, Coral calmed herself and continued stacking books as she replied.

“Ah… I’m organizing the books.”

She wasn’t asked to do it, yet she was categorizing all the books in the library by topic on her own.

“That’s impressive dedication.”

“No, it’s just something I like to do.”

Sorting through this many books alone would probably take at least a few months of effort.

She explained that she spent most of her time here organizing the books.

“Coral, I’ll help you.”

“Really? You don’t have to, Amber…”

“It’s fine. I didn’t have anything else to do anyway.”

As I helped her organize the books, I couldn’t help but marvel again at the impressive size of the library.

“By the way, how did you find this place, Coral?”

Judging by its exterior, the library seemed abandoned for years. I was curious about how she had discovered it.

“…A friend told me about it.”

“A friend? Who?”

“…Um.”

Coral hesitated, unable to answer my question directly.

“…Will you promise not to laugh if I tell you?”

“Of course. There’s nothing to laugh about.”

After some hesitation, Coral finally spoke.

“…A ghost friend told me.”

“Oh.”

I had forgotten.

Coral had the ability to see the spirits of the deceased.

It was a unique spiritual ability of hers, different from magic.

Had I not known this beforehand, I might have been quite startled by her admission.

“You must always have plenty of friends wherever you go. You’d never feel lonely.”

“…That’s a first. That’s an interesting reaction.”

Coral smiled faintly and continued.

“Everyone else says it’s creepy when I tell them.”

“…They said that? That’s rude.”

“Most people do. Maybe you’re the unusual one, Amber.”

As we quietly continued organizing the books, I came across one with a particularly intriguing cover.

‘The title’s too faded to make out. Let’s see…’

Even as I tried to decipher the worn-out text, it was hard to read.

‘Something about a novel… war? Reincarnation? What does this say?’

While I was intently examining the book, Coral spoke up.

“Oh, that one’s a novel.”

“A novel?”

I had assumed this library only contained academic texts, so I was surprised to find a novel among the collection.

“It looks interesting. Should I give it a read?”

“Um… I wouldn’t recommend it. It has too many unnecessarily brutal scenes.”

“Really? Then I’ll avoid it. Brutal stuff isn’t really my thing.”

Coral’s advice, coming from someone who loved reading, seemed worth heeding.

I tossed the book I had been holding aside and asked her.

“Coral, do you have any novels you’d recommend?”

“Hmm, what kind of story are you looking for?”

“Something with a bit of adventure, a bit of romance, and a happy ending.”

“…Unfortunately, this library doesn’t have any novels with all three of those elements, Amber.”

What I thought was a cliché storyline apparently wasn’t in this world.

While rummaging for something to read, my eyes landed on a book with a bookmark sticking out that Coral had been reading.

“What about that one?”

“Huh? Which one?”

“The one you’re reading right now. It looks interesting.”

When I showed interest, Coral seemed slightly flustered and tried to hide the book’s cover.

“Ah… this is a bit…”

“Why? What’s it about?”

“…Ro-romance?”

Come to think of it, since this world was originally a fantasy world, all romance genres would essentially be romance fantasy.

“That sounds fun. Could I read it after you’re done?”

“…This is the second volume, though. If you want to read it, starting with the first volume would… be better.”

Looking a bit troubled, Coral rummaged through the books and pulled out the first volume to hand to me.

‘The Crimson Fox and the Blue Peacock. The title seems intriguing.’

The title felt more traditional fantasy than romance fantasy, but it still piqued my curiosity.

-Dang.

The large clock on the library wall chimed, signaling it was 6 PM.

‘It’s already this late?’

I had only been organizing books with Coral, but the time had flown by.

“Coral, I should get going. My lady might start worrying.”

By now, Ruby was probably glaring at the clock with her arms crossed.

“Okay… You’re leaving?”

“Can I borrow this book?”

As I picked up the book and stood up, Coral muttered something.

“Wait, I haven’t explained the book yet…”

“It’s fine. I’ll tell you what I think after reading it. See you later, Coral!”

I left the library with a light step.

Having made a fellow commoner friend, I thought it was a great idea to have come here today.

“My lady, I’m back.”

When I opened the door to the dormitory, I was greeted by Ruby, her expression dark and severe.

“…You look like you had fun, Amber.”

“…”

After that, I spent quite a while sweating bullets as I explained the rumors about being engaged to Amethyst.

Late at night, I lit a small candle and opened the book I had borrowed.

[The Crimson Fox and the Blue Peacock]

‘I’m excited. What’s the story about?’

As I delved into the thrilling opening, I noticed something strange.

‘…Why isn’t there a single male character?’

The only characters were a sharp-tongued noblewoman and her innocent maid.

It was supposed to be a romance, but there was no male lead to be found.

‘Well, it’s only the first volume. Maybe he shows up in the later parts.’

However, even by the final chapter, not a single male character appeared.

The first event was a hug, the second a kiss, and then the third…

The deep emotional scenes between the characters continued, but there wasn’t a man in sight.