Title: Concubine in Training

Summary: In which the villainess saw what the protagonist for what she was.

I found myself sitting in front of a blonde girl with sharp red eyes. It was certainly a nerve wracking event. In terms of a difference of status, only Julius was higher. Not that that meant much, given that the girl in front of me was his fiancée.

"Uhm, Ms. Angelica?" I probed nervously.

Her eyes narrowed. What did I do?!

After a momentary pause, she let out a frustrated sigh. "Olivia, I find myself in a difficult position because of you."

"Uhm, what did I do?"

"You caught His Highness's attention."

... Oh...

"I'm certain it's because he merely sees me as an oddity. Whatever interest he holds will certainly fade away," I quickly babbled.

Angelica glared at me for a few moments before she let out another sigh.

"This is the girl His Highness set his sights on?" she bemoaned more to herself.

"Eh?"

"Ah, I suppose you were expecting a jealous wife?"

"... Yes?"

"Oh, I'm jealous, but I more annoyed that His Highness saddled me with the job of elevating you to a respectable position."

"... Not that I'm trying to get in the way of your engagement, but are you saying you would accept me being in a relationship with Julius?"

"Reluctantly."

"Why?"

"... Right, you're a commoner. You wouldn't know. This is all to secure the Holfort bloodline. It is expected that Julius will take on multiple wives."

"... That sounds too complicated for me. Could we maybe not slate me as his concubine?"

Angelica gave a sarcastic, "Hah!" before she resumed her glaring. "You don't get that choice. You earned his affection. Now you have to earn the status."

I whimpered.

"I'm just a commoner. I didn't come here to get married to some noble. I only wanted to learn magic."

"Well you should have thought about that before talking to the prince!"

"I didn't even know he was the crown prince when I met him!"

She goggled at me.

"You can't possibly expect me to believe that you didn't know the identity of the crown prince of the country you live in."

"... But it's the truth," I grumbled.

Angelica stared at me before kneading her brow.

"Saintess, have mercy on me. This will surely be an ordeal."

Title: Playing Dumb Or Simply That Oblivious

Summary: Supposedly commoners were completely beneath Angelica's notice.

"Angelica, I hereby renounce our engagement due to the ceaseless cruelties you have inflicted upon Olivia," I proclaimed during the final end of term banquet.

Angelica gave me a look of shock. She had had the rug pulled out from under her. No doubt, she must have thought she was untouchable due to her status as Duke Redgrave's daughter and my fiancée, but no more. It had been a long time coming, and she would receive her just desserts.

After a few moments of befuddlement, her lips finally began to move.

"Who?"

I was expecting a 'why'. Ah, I see what was happening. How desperate of her. She was trying to feign ignorance.

"Don't try to play us all as the fool, Angelica! You've been tormenting the girl since the day she stepped foot on these grounds! So what was it? An act to show Olivia her place? An inane need to flaunt your status?"

"Tormenting the lower nobles seems like such a tedious task that would only amount to risking an insurrection, especially since everyone would be of lower standing than me, being a ducal daughter and all that."

"Don't be coy woman. You very well know that Olivia is a commoner," I growled. How sly. Utilizing the fact that she never bullied a lower noble to obfuscate the fact that she bullied a commoner. Still dimwitted considering I would air out her misdeeds. She should have known that such deceit would be upturned in this confrontation.

Angelica raised one eyebrow.

"Since when did they allow commoners into the Academy?"

The whole hall went completely silent. All gossiping disappeared. She couldn't possibly be... Ah, she must have meant that in a figurative sense. 'Since when did they allow' must not have been a question so much as an arrogant manner of saying commoners did not belong. Yes, she was dismissing Olivia's right to study at the Academy.

I gave Angelica a look of disgust. "Commoners have been allowed to enroll the moment Olivia was granted a spot here by Royal Decree."

"Huh, I wonder why Mylene didn't inform me of such. You would think she would have asked me to be her guide. I doubt a commoner would have had an easy time transitioning into noble society without one. Navigating through all the politicking would be next to impossible without the proper upbringing," she tutted.

I saw red. "Is that why you bullied Olivia? Because she slighted you despite not knowing the proper etiquette expected of nobles?"

"Is that what you got from this conversation? I was saying that I have no clue who this Olivia is. I was explicitly expressing surprise that I had not even been assigned to guide the girl."

"Cut the pretenses. You can't possibly expect me to believe that you don't know who Olivia is."

Angelica gave me an unamused look before looking directly at Olivia.

"Girl, are you Olivia?"

"Yes," Olivia said nervously before moving closer to me.

"Have we ever met?"

"No," Olivia said quietly.

"There you have it," Angelica said with a small annoyed gesture.

"Clearly you are intimidating her," I snarled.

"In what way? I simply asked if she was the girl in question and whether or not we have met. While I could probably have asked more politely, I am under quite a bit of duress, given the circumstances."

"While you may not have personally done her harm, your followers have."

"And?"

"Your followers are an extension of your will."

"While true to an extent, my followers are their own individuals. They will act according to their beliefs. As such, it is entirely possible that they have acted in a manner unbefitting of a noble of their own volition. I certainly have not approved of any actions against your commoner, given I only learned of her existence minutes ago."

"Oh how grand. Wash your hands of your responsibilities when the consequences come knocking on your doorstep. Do you have no shame?" Jilk cried out.

"Very well, who amongst my followers have slighted the girl?" Angelica asked with an unamused look.

Looking at Olivia, I saw that she was still cowering.

I gently pushed her, "Go on. I'm here for you."

"Julius," my love said softly before gaining a resolute look. She pulled me along as she began picking out girls from the crowd. This went on for some time. About two thirds of the girls had been pointed out.

Angelica took a rather put out look. I had recognized several of the individuals. They had definitely been part of the Redgrave faction. There was no escaping justice now. Angelica would surely have to acknowledge her fault in the matter.

Angelica after a moment to account all the faces finally said, "Julius, she's pointed out nearly all the sociable girls here."

"And?"

"Why are you condemning me when Ms. Olivia's bullying seems to be the product of every noble targeting her?"

"Every? A third weren't pointed out!"

"Because those girls don't leave their rooms. They literally avoided every other girl for all three years. I would know. I spent so much time trying to get them to at least socialize with the boys."

"And why would you do that?"

"Networking. The thing we were meant to be doing at the Academy."

"That still doesn't change the fact that your followers took issue with Olivia."

"It doesn't, but it does mean that you are attributing fault to me when every possible girl took issue with her. I'm the only girl who did not take issue with her, admittedly because I did not know she existed, but that's really more evidence that I did nothing to her."

"Regardless, you still should take accountability for your followers' actions."

"And how could I correct them, given that no one saw fit to inform me of these wrongdoings? By your logic, you should be held accountable for all the misfortunes that have befallen the boys here due to your presence."

"What wrongdoing? I've certainly done nothing wrong!"

"... Care to test that statement?" Angelica asked me with a slight tilt of her head.

A part of my mind hesitated. What could Angelica possibly have up her sleeve? No, she didn't know I would be confronting her today. It had to be a bluff.

Addressing the audience, I said, "Let it be known that none shall be punished for airing their grievances against me and my friends tonight."

I did not expect the thunderous cacophony from the vast number of barons and viscounts.

Title: A Proper Prince

Summary: When Julius is a little more grounded in reality.

I sat under a tree in one of the Academy's plazas. I was supposed to speak at the welcoming ceremony. It was supposed to be a privilege for those who had distinguished themselves prior to entering the Academy. While usually this would go to those who had the highest entrance exam scores, those who had made a name for themselves through adventuring, pirate subjugation, or border conflicts would always be given the honor.

I fulfilled none of these. While no one had distinguished themselves through combat, I believed myself to be lacking in the remaining paths. Academically speaking, Brad bested me. Adventuring wise, we had two individuals that fulfilled that criteria. Greg and a new baron.

Despite three individuals (two of which were my friends) being more deserving, I was granted the privilege. All because I was the crown prince.

How laughable. This honor was nothing more than confirmation of my inadequacy. I was robbing my friends of the recognition they so rightly deserved. Even if they said it did not bother them, it bothered me. My friends were unable to shine because of me. Can't ever let one of the four remaining founding families outshine the royal family after all.

Not that such a discussion should have been brought to the forefront in the first place. After all, a new noble had eclipsed Greg's achievement. But because Leon Fou Bartfort had the misfortune of being born in the same year as us, he would be overlooked completely. His name likely never even came under consideration. And as a result of this, his opportunities to network and establish his new territory likely would be diminished.

I scoffed. So much for the Kingdom that was founded on adventuring.

At the very least, I'll extend a hand to him. A small apology, but it could do much in improving his prospects.

I got up wih my spirit reinvigorated. Time to welcome the...

I felt something bump into me. Looking down, I saw that I had collided with a small girl. Odd, we were quite far from the auditorium. What was she doing here?

"My apologies, Miss. Are you okay?"

She simply gave me a shocked look as though I had said something out of place. I think I heard her mentioning something about unfamiliar dialogue.

Oh dear, had she hit her head when she had fallen?

Kneeling down, I observed her. Looking at her eyes, they seemed coherent, or at least as coherent as could be expected from someone who was visibly confused. The pupils also looked normal.

Her head didn't seem to have an indication of injury. Her hair, while a bit ruffled, didn't seem damp from any blood. Then again, her hair had such volume that such an injury would likely be hidden.

"What are you doing?" the girl shrieked as she slapped me.

It wasn't particularly painful, but I was stunned.

Slowly looking at the girl, I stammered, "You slapped me. Do you not know who I am?"

The girl stood firmly, and boldly declared, "Regardless of who you are, I shall not tolerate such disrespect!"

Disrespect?

Oh! She must have thought I was pressing myself on her!

"My apologies, Miss, it was not my intention to scare you. I was concerned when you weren't responding to my previous apology. I should have told you that I was checking to see if you were hurt."

The girl gobbed at me again. She must have a concussion.

"I apologize for the forwardness, Miss. I'll get you to the infirmary as soon as possible. Please bear with my forwardness for the time being," I said as I scooped up the girl. She was surprisingly heavy.

Was I really that weak?

I grimaced as I heard several of the girls squeal out requests for an invitation to my tea party. I blamed Brad for that. As much as I would defend him, I had to acknowledge that his approach to his invitations was problematic.

Brad was far too flirtatious for his own good. His invitations had likely created rumors that he was available, much to his fiancée's chagrin. This unfortunately made others believe that they could earn my affection if they could simply receive an invitation.

How absurd. Even if by some miracle I were to find myself enamored with one of these ladies, they would have to contend with Angelica's ire. That came with going against the Redgraves, their faction, any power bloc that included them, and any family wishing to curry favor with the Redgraves. That was already ignoring the duties and responsibilities that would be thrown at them for the next two three years in order to even come close to Angelica's upbringing and training.

But I digress. Beyond the annoyances of having to respectfully ignore these girls, I now had the issue of finding a way to appease the noble boys who now to compete with my friends and me. While the tea party was nothing than a chance for us to network with nobles we found notable, it meant something entirely different for the noble boys who were looking for potential engagements.

"Your Highness, I wish to speak to you about your upcoming tea party. Is now a good time for you?"

The plaza became silent with the commanding voice. Looking back, I saw Angelica standing with her two closest friends.

"Of course, Angelica. However, it might be best to do this in private."

"Oh, it's nothing that needs to be private. I simply wanted to ask if you considered inviting Leon Fou Bartfort."

Ah, yes. Leon Fou Bartfort had garnered more fame as of late. He had recently been involved in apprehending the pirate Dudley, a rather infamous individual associated with the Winged Sharks. Due to Leon's actions, four girls had been rescued.

"I had considered inviting him, but we always seem to miss each other," I answered honestly.

It was odd. It was as if the boy was avoiding me. That thought was particularly concerning as it would not do to alienate those who have a habit of garnering accolades. Aside from potentially losing such an individual to hostile factions or countries, it also meant such individuals would not be inclined to work for me.

"Perhaps he is simply preoccupied with his own matters? He must be pressed to search for a marriage partner, given his new status and rural territory."

What was not said was that my mere presence would have gotten in the way of that.

"If it would not be too troublesome, could you deliver the invitation for me? I feel that you would have more success than me."

"Of course, Your Highness."

AN

1) A random assortment of ideas revolving around the characters being a little more in tune with small canon details. Like how Angelica must have known and acccepted that concubines were a thing, Angelica potentially not even seeing commoners, etc.

2) Honestly, a bunch of backlog stuff I had in 2024 that I've lost the will to try to write completely.

3) Concubine in Training is really short mainly because it was more of a one off joke than a proper idea. Obviously it could be expanded, but I don't think the joke is funny enough for me to put in the effort to try to make a proper chapter.

4) Playing Dumb Or Simply That Oblivious is honestly not that hard to believe. As much as fanfic authors and the story likes to state that Angelica is competent, she honestly only shows how incompetent she is for the vast majority of the story. All bark and no bite. It honestly feels bad to see her get so many L's in joth canons.

5) A Proper Prince basically follows the idea of Julius not being a completely spoilt brat. Something you might expect had he not been bound by Otome game expectations.

Review Response

Phlebiac: I'm not sure what you mean by entropy in context of fanfiction. As for a sequel to Nicking the Protagonist, I have ideas called Nicking the Villainess. Problem is that making Angelica fall for Nick despite being saved by Leon is a tad weird to do. Unlikely to be done anytime soon.

Naphtalia501: I think it would be darker if instead of focusing on the five, Leon focuses on Olivia. After all, she's not an NPC. How one approaches that could be incredibly dark.

Dragon Blaze-X: I will disagree on principle only because I feel like it's a decent enough idea that just needs the right writer. I just don't think I'm that writer.

Amidamaru88: Ultimate power move. Jake not only took Julius's throne, his father's love, and his fiancée, he also banged his mom for good measure.