Extra 1: Grace 《Start》

I never thought that such a day would come.

I’m Grace Roland, looking at the jade-colored paint in my palm.

I will marry my fiance Noah Spencer tomorrow.

Even now I’m still thinking if　I’m only dreaming.

Because I’m a villainess after all —

I have the memory of my past life. I remembered that when I was sick at the age of three and wandered around the edge of life and death.

After that, I managed to recover, but I cried for days.

My previous dream was to become a painter. I loved drawing since I was a kid, and I was really aiming to be a painter. But I was overwhelmed by the talent around me, and I thought that no matter how hard I tried, I had no talent. Before I knew what I was painting for, I already stopped painting.

From then, I started working as a company employee. I had already given up on my dream, but I had a happy life. Meanwhile, I seemed to have died in a sudden accident. Thinking that I couldn’t see my parents and friends anymore, I couldn’t stop crying.

And then I kept crying, crying, crying… I wanted to draw, I thought.

I was apparently reincarnated as a daughter to a Count in a world like medieval Europe. It seemed uncommon for a noble lady to draw, but my parents, who had seen me crying without them knowing why for a long time, had drawing as the only one I wanted, so they let me paint.

It’s strange… I didn’t think I would ever draw again in the past life…but I was calm when I was painting.

Over time, I got used to living as Grace Roland.

My eyes have a strong impression, but I think I am pretty beautiful. Though, I’m tired of my hair still being a vertical roll no matter what I do.

My parents and my brother Cecil spoiled and loved me dearly, and if I had no memory of my past life, I might have been a very selfish daughter. That’s right, like the villainess of a maiden game that I and my friend were quite addicted to in the past life.

It was when I first met my brother Cecil’s fiancee Catherine Spencer that I realized I was really a maiden game villain. Catherine was a perfect daughter, but it was her flowing black hair and jade-colored eyes that I couldn’t take my eyes off. Catherine has a face that looked exactly like Noah Spencer, the capture target of the otome game I was addicted to. When I asked, it seems that Catherine really had a younger brother named Noah.

So I found out that I am Grace Roland who was the villainess who got in the way of Noah and the heroine’s love and was then abandoned by Noah.

Ah, so… this villain face and natural vertical rolls…

Just as my vertical rolls won’t disappear, my engagement cancellation would surely be inevitable.　

With a feeling similar to giving up, I accepted the subsequent engagement with Noah-sama.

The first time I saw Noah’s smooth dark hair and jade-colored eyes, I was convinced that this was the world of that otome game. Noah Spencer had a dislike for women due to his sister Catherine, and by being engaged to the selfish daughter Grace, she further accelerated his dislike.

I didn’t know what to say, but I decided to take up my brother’s awkward situation saving suggestion to show Noah the garden.

Before I met Noah-sama, I was painting flowers in the garden to calm down and forgot to clean it up and left it alone as is.

I was a little happy that Noah-sama found it and said it was a nice picture, so I confessed that it was my painting.

“Grace has a talent for drawing.”

With that said, I inadvertently denied it. I know best that I have no talent for it at all…

“I see, sorry… but you like drawing, no?”

I like… drawing pictures? When I was a kid in my previous life, I remembered that I really loved painting. Yes, that’s it. I just liked painting.

“Yes, I love drawing!”

That made me smile from the bottom of my heart.

Then I talked with Noah-sama about various things. I haven’t been able to talk to anyone about painting so far, so I was happy that Noah-sama listened to me seriously.

After a while, time passed, and Noah-sama said that it was fun, and I knew I had to suppress my growing feelings. Because I’m a villainess, and my engagement will eventually be broken.

But until the game starts… Until the heroine transfers over during our second year in the academy, I want to be with Noah-sama.

By the time we were about to enroll a year later, I was starting to wish for that. The time I spend with Noah-sama was really fun and I really felt attracted to him. I don’t think Noah-sama hates me either. On that day as well, when I received a set of paints, I decided to cherish them for my entire life.

But when I talked about my brother and Catherine-sister-in-law being said to be a famous couple in school, I was told not to be like that so……… I knew Noah-sama didn’t want to be lovers with me as I thought.

Catherine-sister-in-law was not the perfect daughter like I thought, but she was rather pretty tsundere, but my brother still loves her all the same. The two getting along together was something I admire. But I’m the only one who wants to be like that.

I was looking forward to meeting Noah-sama every day at school, but I felt depressed when the day my engagement will be cancelled draws near. Even though Noah-sama didn’t feel the same as me, I still wanted to be with him.

I couldn’t deny it anymore. I liked Noah-sama.