Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 40

She tried to calm herself by cupping her face with her hands, but she couldn’t manage her expression.

‘W-What if I look weird…?!’

In her haste to cool down, she fanned herself and paced nervously.

“Sorry for being late.”

“Kyah!”

Alice was startled by Ziegfried’s sudden greeting and let out an unusual scream.

‘This is off to a rocky start….’

Ken, observing from a distance, sighed quietly as he adjusted his sunglasses.

While he knew those two would end up together, seeing Alice so tense made Ken understand why she was clinging to him.

“Hey, Alice. What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine! I just got here too!”

“Your face is red. Are you feeling unwell? Excuse me for a moment.”

As Ziegfried gently placed his hand on her forehead, he was taken aback.

“Wow, Alice! Your forehead is burning hot!”

“Ugh, that’s your fault, you big oaf!”

Embarrassed and unable to help herself, Alice kicked Ziegfried’s leg to hide her shame.

But his stone-like leg barely felt her kick.

Ignoring Alice’s familiar attacks, Ziegfried sighed in relief.

“Well, it’s not an illness… Thank goodness.”

“Ugh.”

Alice was flustered again by his smiling face.

Without another word, she turned away.

“I’ll be right back! I need to go to the bathroom!”

She dashed off towards where Ken was waiting.

“W-Wait! What should I do?! Was I weird just now?!”

“It was super weird.”

“Ahhh! What am I going to do?! I can’t act normally now that I’m so conscious of it!”

After confirming that Alice was running toward him, Ken hid in a back alley of the café and began to strategize.

“I actually have something prepared for this.”

“What is it?”

With a look of anticipation, Alice watched as Ken rummaged through his pockets, as if he had expected this moment.

Alice knew Ken had made a sword for Ziegfried, so it was clear that whatever he had prepared would be something beneficial for her situation.

She felt a wave of hope.

What Ken pulled out was a small vial that contained a potion.

“…What is this?”

“It’s a calming potion. Drink it, and your nerves will relax.”

“Really? If I drink this, will I be able to act like myself?”

“Of course. I guarantee it.”

Feeling confident in his words, Alice carefully accepted the vial and downed its contents in one go.

The taste reminded her of sweet strawberry cream.

It was a flavor she loved.

“W-Wow…! I really feel a sense of calm!”

“It’s made with special ingredients. You should be okay now, right?”

“Yeah! Absolutely! Thank you, Ken! I’m so glad I asked you for help!”

“As long as you don’t get nervous, the date should be just fine, so enjoy yourself.”

“Thank you so much! I’ll definitely repay you for this!”

With a bright smile, Alice turned and headed back toward the fountain.

‘She drank it without hesitation.’

Of course, that potion was a complete lie.

It was Raphne’s special strawberry cream drink.

Ken, who hadn’t leveled up his alchemy skills much yet, couldn’t possibly make a calming potion.

However, in the game, Alice’s character was one to trust others easily and was just as easily deceived.

Thus, the plan aimed for a placebo effect.

Sweet flavors generally ease tension and elevate moods.

So, having drunk her favorite strawberry drink, Alice confidently approached Ziegfried.

“Alright, let’s go, Zieg! I’m super excited for flower-viewing today!”

“Yeah, I’m sure you’ll like it too, Alice.”

Alice took Ziegfried’s hand.

While they occasionally held hands normally, this time, she didn’t let go, walking side by side.

It was as if they were a couple strolling together.

‘This potion Ken gave me is amazing! I can’t believe I’m doing something so embarrassing without a care…!’

Feeling immense gratitude towards the junior who helped her, Alice approached Ziegfried with renewed vigor.

She was naturally gullible.

“What’s going on? Alice, is she… walking with Ziegfried?”

“Ken is just watching from outside.”

“……No way!”

The three women hidden inside the same café as Ken were observing them closely.

As a sudden realization struck, Raphne lowered her sunglasses with a shocked expression.

“…Is Ken really into watching his girl with another guy…?!”

Some people enjoy seeing their girlfriend with another man.

Emily, who didn’t understand such a sexual preference, blushed at the comment and shook her head.

“W-Where would such a person come from?!”

“No! I read it in a novel! There are men out there who get excited about that kind of thing!”

“No way, Ken couldn’t possibly have such a preference….”

“Right! He just said he likes someone he can rely on….”

Mary and Emily exchanged skeptical glances at Raphne’s claim, but she remained firm in her belief.

‘It’s clear now… something was off all along!’

It felt like the puzzle pieces were finally coming together.

After all, no matter how much she tempted Ken in the tower, he never easily succumbed.

If it turned out that his sexual preference was watching another man with his girlfriend, everything would make sense.

That’s why Raphne continued to argue.

“That’s something we might have misheard from afar! …If that’s the case, seeing Alice on a date with another guy…!”

“…….”

“…….”

Following Raphne's comment, the three fell into silence. Emily broke the stillness.

“No, no matter how you look at it, that can’t be right.”

After pondering, it became clear that Raphne was overthinking things.

“R-Really?”

“Yes, that’s clearly a date between Alice and Ziegfried.”

“Then why is Ken sitting over there?! Why is he watching them?! Could it be that he has feelings for her…?”

As Raphne became more flustered, Emily regained her composure and responded.

“Perhaps Alice asked Ken for dating advice yesterday?”

“…Ah, that makes sense.”

With Emily’s calm suggestion, Raphne’s suspicions began to dissipate.

‘Thank goodness….’

If Ken had such preferences, it would have been worrisome for her.

Feeling relieved, Raphne took a sip of her smoothie through the straw.

Then suddenly, Mary spoke up.

“But… what is your relationship with Ken, Raphne?”

Mary's question had been bothering her all along.

Now that they knew it wasn’t a date between Ken and Alice, it was the most pressing question to ask.

Emily tensed as she observed Raphne's reaction, as she was also very curious about the nature of their relationship.

After all, Raphne had appeared out of nowhere during the survival competition, crying out for Ken, and shortly after, she returned to the academy, always staying close to him.

“Um, well….”

Feeling the weight of their gazes, Raphne slightly shrank back and began recounting her experiences.

“Y-You mean you didn’t talk to anyone for a whole year?! Were you all alone the entire time?!”

“…That sounds, well… difficult.”

She shared the story of being trapped in the tower for a year under the curse and how Ken had come to care for her afterward.

Ultimately, she recounted how Ken made a pendant for her, freeing her from the curse.

Upon hearing the last part about the pendant, Mary stroked her raincoat.

‘…Then Raphne also… received salvation from Ken.’

Recalling her own trauma, where she trembled in her room on rainy days, Mary deeply empathized with Raphne’s feelings.

Emily, too, remembered her experience of being trapped in a loop of despair for a week and held Raphne’s hand.

“…That must have been hard, right?”

“W-Wait, what?”

“I didn’t know, and during the survival competition, I thought Raphne was threatening Ken… Ugh.”

“I’m sorry too… for attacking you so suddenly back then.”

“Ugh…?”

Tears welled up in Emily’s eyes, and Mary looked at Raphne with a sad expression.

As the two held her hands together, Raphne’s face turned red, feeling flustered.

‘This feeling is nostalgic….’

It was a warmth she hadn’t felt from anyone besides Ken.

Both of them had received kindness from Ken, and it was a warmth they could share.

“From now on, I’ll help you if anything happens… Oh, would you like some cake?”

“I’ll help too! Ken’s friend is my friend!”

Emily offered her cake, and Mary gently patted Raphne’s head.

‘How kind…!’

Raphne was touched by their reactions.

“…I feel like I can relate to both of you in some way.”

Taking a bite of the cake Emily offered, Raphne beamed brightly, enjoying the sweet kindness of the two.

As the three of them connected and formed a bond, the atmosphere began to warm up.

“Ah, Ken’s coming.”

Raphne spotted Ken getting up from the outdoor table, holding his drink.

“What? W-Wait! Shouldn’t we hide?!”

“Huh? Why not just greet him?”

“No matter how you think about it, it seems suspicious! If we get caught, it’ll be bad!”

Under Emily’s urgent insistence, the three women raised the café menu boards to cover their faces.

‘This should be fine.’

Alice and Ziegfried were strolling along the flower path, hand in hand, exuding a happy atmosphere as they walked together.

Watching the two from the outdoor table, it seemed their date would go smoothly.

‘…Should I have brought Raphne with me?’

Seeing them made me think of Raphne back in the tower.

Honestly, if I told her about Alice’s consultation, she likely wouldn’t find it too strange.

Besides, today was a day when the special flowers that bloomed only at this time of year were in full bloom.

Since Raphne had finally been able to step outside after being trapped in the tower, I wanted to give her at least this opportunity for flower-viewing.

‘Should I go and get her now?’

With that thought in mind, I stood up from my seat.

It was still noon.

Since Raphne had just eaten lunch, she would surely enjoy a simple stroll to see the flowers.

Imagining Raphne smiling while walking through the flower field, a smile crept onto my face.

I entered the café to return my drink.

“…Huh?”

I spotted a familiar silhouette.

With hair colored yellow, red, and blue—like a traffic light—three figures had their faces buried in the menu, quietly sitting there.

It was unmistakably Emily, Raphne, and Mary.

Just as I was staring at them in surprise, the red traffic light slowly raised her head.

She was wearing sunglasses, peering at me as if she was observing Alice.

When our eyes met over the lowered sunglasses, Raphne smiled gently and waved her hand.

“What are you doing…?! Stay still…!”

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Just then, the yellow traffic light hurriedly pulled Raphne’s hand down.

Raphne buried her face back into the menu.

“…What are you all doing?”

As I called out to the three with an audible voice, the two flinched and shuddered.