I reincarnated as the hated villainous prince, and thought to live as I pleased in this life, but it turns out I’ve been unconsciously making saintly moves. I’m trying to create an evil kingdom, but for some reason, everyone respects me!

“Ah, that’s right.”

Just as we were about to head to the Elf Kingdom, Lofemia suddenly remembered something and turned around.

“By the way, Esmeralda-sama, what should we do about those soldiers over there? They’ll wake up eventually, and once they do, they might report to their superiors about you.”

“Hmm…”

Indeed, that’s a concern.

Given their behavior in the recent fight, it’s certain these men are soldiers of the Third Division, which has deep ties to Princess Yuricia, an indisputable fact I know from the game in my previous life.

Leaving them be means I’ll draw Princess Yuricia’s attention. That would be troublesome, and the old me would have definitely silenced them, but…

“No, it’s fine. Let them talk about me.”

“Eh…? But, is that alright?”

“Yes, don’t worry about it.”

I said, smirking meaningfully.

But of course, there’s no real intention behind this smile. It’s just a cool smile, like the ones I’ve been wearing until now.

Why did I decide not to silence these men?

Simply because it goes against the villain image I aspire to. I prefer confronting those I dislike head-on rather than skulking in the shadows. It’s more refreshing to shake up Princess Yuricia this way, and I’m done with operating from the shadows like in my previous life.

It might seem unwise at first glance.

It might even seem like a loss.

But still, I’ll follow the path I believe in…

Esmeralda Dia Vefeld of this life is such a man.

“That’s bold…”

Lofemia looked at me with sparkling eyes.

“Then, I won’t tamper with the men’s memories. I could have done that if you wished.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Memory manipulation.

Definitely a cheat ability, but I remember Lofemia being proficient in it in the game from my previous life.

“Ah, but. It’s annoying to let them go like this, so can I play a little trick on them?”

“A trick…?”

“Yes. I want to put them under a suggestion so they fart every ten seconds.”

“…”

I thought it was something serious, but that’s just… ridiculous.

Well, Lofemia was being chased by those men, so I’ll let her decide what to do.

But wait…

“Lofemia. That’s good, but I have another, better trick in mind.”

“Eh…?”

I whispered my idea into the wide-eyed Lofemia’s ear.

“! That’s a great idea!”

“Heh, to enjoy this… you’re quite the villain too.”

“No no, the one who thought of such an idea is the best, Esmeralda-sama.”

We both shared wicked smiles.

According to the game, Yuricia has a complex about her small chest. A careless word about being “flat-chested” from her siblings became a trauma for her.

So now, Yuricia uses chest pads.

She gradually increased the size of the pads, so it seems no one suspects anything yet…

But if we exploit that, we can deal a heavy blow to Yuricia.

Only someone who played the game in their previous life could come up with such a wicked plan.

★ ★ ★

Three hours later.

Princess Yuricia of the First Order received a report from two soldiers who had failed to capture the elf.

“—And so…”

Pffft.

“Prince Esmeralda is…”

Pffffft.

“Potentially holding a grudge against Princess Yuricia…”

Pffffffft.

“Very likely…”

Pffft.

“Wait!”

Unable to bear it any longer, Yuricia stopped the farting soldiers.

“How dare you! In this dignified royal castle, such a—”

Pffft pfft pfft!

The soldiers let out huge farts simultaneously, drowning out Yuricia’s angry shouts.

It was an utterly surreal scene.

In Yuricia’s private chamber in the Vefeld royal castle.

Her room was more luxurious than those of other royals, being the most likely candidate for the next monarch.

Compared to Esmeralda’s, her room was about twice the size, meticulously cleaned.

The chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the sofa Yuricia sat on, even the mug she casually sipped from, were all high-end items of her liking.

And in this sacred place of the First Princess…

Pffft pfft pfft pfft!

Excessively loud farts echoed.

“…Grrr, you guys.”

“No, it’s not our fault! Ever since we let the elf escape, we can’t stop farting…!”

Pffft!

Despite the light sounds, the soldiers’ faces were pale.

The sight of grown men on the verge of tears farting was surreal, to say the least.

“Hmph…”

As far as I’ve heard, some elves can handle tricky brainwashing magic.

I had tasked these soldiers with capturing more elves—probably, they’ve been affected by it.

The farts sound so unreal, it must be “elf revenge.” The content of the revenge is ridiculously trivial, though.

“Princess, may I have a word?”

An elderly butler, standing next to Princess Yuricia, spoke up.

“While the elf brainwashing is concerning, the soldiers mentioned ‘Esmeralda.’ Something troublesome might be happening.”

“Yes… That’s true.”

Prince Esmeralda Dia Vefeld of the Fifth Order.

Sword Emperor Mirua also praised him in a mysterious way; perhaps I should be wary.

No matter how unlikely he is to inherit the throne, he still has the king’s blood. It’s not impossible.

If he were to expose my secret dealings with the elves…

If my true nature, hidden behind my saintly façade, were to be revealed…

It would be irreparable.

I could suppress some bad rumors, but I need to do something about this now.

Yuricia was deep in thought when…

“I am Esmeralda Dia Vefeld, the Fifth Prince.”

Suddenly, one of the soldiers stood up and said that.

“Wha? No, I didn’t mean to say that…!”

Predictably, the soldier was completely panicked.

Was this another elf brainwashing spell?

So, Esmeralda is indeed collaborating with the elves…?

“Heh, I know. I know the secret you’re hiding in your heart, sister. A secret about your chest, heh…”

“What…?!”

Yuricia’s eyes widened in shock.

Impossible.

This confident choice of words… Could Esmeralda really know about my secret dealings…?!

“But I won’t reveal it yet. When this secret becomes public… sister, you won’t be able to stay as you are. It’s that sensitive.”

“…”

“Just tremble and wait for now. Or surrender, if you prefer.”

“Argh…!”

“Well then. I’ll take away their ability to speak now. The rest is up to you, sister. —Goodbye.”

With that, the soldier collapsed.

It was an incredibly rude way to speak to a princess, but Yuricia couldn’t recover her composure immediately.

The Fifth Prince, Esmeralda Dia Vefeld.

That seemingly unmotivated brother now seemed like an untouchable monster.