The Legendary Villainess Who Vanished on the Guillotine, in Her Second Life She Wishes for Peace as

Chapter 2: Reunion with an Important Friend

Do you think it’s foolish to be madly in love?

Yes, I’ll say it. Queen Leticia was the ultimate fool with a terribly disappointing mind.

I have memories of my first life.

Vague memories from when I was young. As I grew older and understood that this is my second life, I deeply reflected on my foolish behavior at that time.

No, really… it was the worst, with wasting taxes, connections with bad merchants, and ultimately banishing maids. I was able to do such things without any thought because I hadn’t studied.

Tormented by regret, I made a decision.

I will dedicate this new life to studying. I will become a studious, plain-looking person and live a peaceful life.

I don’t know why I was lucky enough to have another chance at life, but in any case, I just want to avoid being beheaded again.

So here I am, studying hard in the library of the academy. With my wavy, glossy black hair tied in pigtails and glasses on my face, I look plain, which is something I could never imagine in my previous life as the Black Rose Princess.

(This is the right answer. What I’ve studied won’t betray me. I’ll just get a job and spend the rest of my life without getting married while atoning for my first life.)

I won’t let my parents, who were stripped of their noble titles and captured, go through such an ordeal again.

I’ve already refused the engagement with Prince Agustin. My parents looked disappointed, but I don’t want to meet the person who easily killed “her” with cold eyes, and I don’t like him anymore.

I’ll continue to live modestly and unobtrusively in a corner of the world.

As I solidified my determination, I felt someone sit in front of me.

When I looked up, it was Camilo-sama, the eldest son of the Duke Cervantes family, who boasts top popularity in my grade, sitting diagonally in front of me.

He’s a superstar at the Academy, with a fundamentally different status from someone like me, a plain and bespectacled person.

His fiery red hair and young grass-colored eyes shine even in the indoor light.

His slightly loose school uniform, following the fashion, doesn’t look sloppy but rather enhances his charm.

His rugged features make him look slightly older than his 17 years, and he’s also hugely popular among senior female students.

Camilo-sama is the cousin of Prince Agustin, son of the king’s brother, meaning he is a member of the royal family.

In my previous life, he was the only friend I had made after getting married, and we often chatted about everyday topics.

And just before I was executed, he was the only one who tried to help me. I was so happy. Even though I declined because I didn’t want to cause him any trouble, I was actually so happy that I felt like crying.

When I saw him at the entrance ceremony, I really wanted to thank him. I wanted to chat with him about trivial things just like before. But as a plain, glasses-wearing student at the bottom of the Academy, I couldn’t just talk to a hero like him. So now we are complete strangers who haven’t even exchanged greetings.

Camilo-sama has opened his history textbook and started studying. He doesn’t need to study for tomorrow’s magic exam because he always gets top grades.

I envy people who are good at magic. I don’t have any magical talent, so I had no choice but to choose a path where I could make a living through studying.

“…This is no good. I don’t understand any of this.”

Camilo-sama murmurs in resignation, and I raise my face that had been buried in my magic reference book.

When our gazes met, with eyes of a fresh green color, he widened them in surprise, and his cheeks flushed red. Apparently, he had realized that he had been talking to himself.

“Sorry. I must have been making noise.”

“No, not at all.”

I was surprised. I never thought Camilo-sama would struggle with history. I always assumed there was no flaw in a superstar like him.

“What don’t you understand? If it’s something I know, I can explain it to you.”

I made such an offer because he seemed genuinely troubled.

He had stacked history books and reference books on his desk, trying to research something. It might be unpleasant for him to be taught by a plain girl like me, but if he thought so, he could decline.

“Are you sure it’s okay?! I appreciate it.”

I thought so, but Camilo-sama’s eyes sparkled with joy, and he moved to the seat next to me.

“Hey, you know about that Warring States period when this country was divided into five, right? At that time, the Kiria Kingdom stopped trading with this country, but I don’t know why.”

“If that’s the case, it’s because Kiria started trading with the Eastern countries. Rather than having ties with a country that has been devastated by internal conflicts, it is better to have a connection with a country that yields profits——.”

I took out my reference book and explained it carefully. Camilo-sama nodded with a serious expression and listened to my explanation without showing any dislike, occasionally asking questions.

The evening sun shining through the window vividly displayed his red hair. Against the background of his black jacket, the fine dust particles shone and looked strangely beautiful.

Since this was a secluded corner of the library, there was no sign of anyone else, and only the sound of my explanation and Camilo-sama’s agreement and occasional questions disturbed the silence.

After spending some time like that and answering various questions, it was already dark outside the window.

“I see now! I finally understand. You’re good at teaching.”

“The Winter Era is complex and difficult, so I’m glad I could be of help.”

He’s going to become a Dragon Knight in the future. Since studying is necessary, he must have put in a lot of effort.

Even in my first life, I never really talked during my student days, but studying together like this feels nice. It’s kind of fun.

“I’m not really good at studying, you know. Miss Leticia is amazing.”

“You knew my name?”

“I remember the outstanding classmates. You’re always in the top ten of the class, right?”

I always manage to get decent grades on tests.

Yes, decent. If I were to get first place, I would stand out too much, so I purposely make mistakes when I feel like I could get a perfect score.

“I’m sorry about the magic exam tomorrow.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m not good at magic, so… studying for the paper test is the only thing I can do.”

The magic exam has both practical and written components.

Normally, the library would be bustling with students practicing for the practical component, but I had given up on it a long time ago, since no matter how much I practiced, I never got any better.

Being a studious, plain, glasses-wearing person, magic skills aren’t that important, after all.

“Well, in that case, as a gesture of gratitude, would you like me to teach you some magic?”

I was taken aback by the unexpected proposal.

“Oh no, that’s not necessary. We have the exam tomorrow.”

“It’s a win-win situation, don’t you think?”

“Well, yes, but… even if I try my best, it just doesn’t work out. I can’t ask you to spend your time on me.”

“That’s precisely why it’s a win-win situation. I have confidence in my magic skills, and I don’t think trying it out would hurt.”

As I shook my head and turned pale, Camilo-sama’s face broke into a bright smile. His reliable and warm smile left me speechless.

You haven’t changed at all. You’re still kind, caring, and have a fair perspective on things.

“That’s settled then. Let’s go outside right away.”

“W-Wait, Camilo-sama!”

He who had been walking briskly stopped and turned back, saying with a cheerful smile, “So you knew my name.”

Camilo-sama’s teachings were quite easy to understand.

It seems that I had left some magical energy in the extremities of my body when concentrating it. I didn’t know that the cause could be in such a place, so I was completely surprised.

“Alright then, let’s try flying in the sky.”

“Huh?! Isn’t that too sudden?”

“Tomorrow is the flight test, right? It’ll be fine if you don’t rise up from the ground too much.”

Overwhelmed by Camilo-sama’s confidence, I nodded hesitantly.

First, I focused the magical energy firmly in the center of my body, and recited the incantation without making any mistakes. I wanted to succeed no matter what, as a return for what Camilo-sama had taught me.

By the time I finished reciting the incantation, my body was gently floating.

The wind blew, causing my heavy pigtails to sway. I widened my eyes at the sensation of floating for the first time and met Camilo-sama’s gaze through my bottle-bottom glasses.

“Wow…! I-I did it, Camilo-sama! Amazing…!”

“Well done, Miss Leticia! You did great!”

Wow, amazing! I never thought I could actually fly. Compared to an ordinary person, my control and distance still need improvement, but for me, this is more than enough progress.

Magic might be fun after all. I was so elated that I even started thinking about things like that, forgetting about my own lack of skill in magic.

The wind rapidly weakened. The magic had ended, and without support, I was about to fall down in surprise.

“Careful!”

As a sharp voice rang out, something strong caught my waist and held me in its embrace. I hadn’t even fallen down yet, and was now cradled in Camilo-sama’s firm and strong arms.

Camilo-sama is very tall. I’m also slightly taller than average, but there was still a noticeable difference between the top of my head and his chin.

“No, I’m sorry! Thank you so much…!”

“No, it’s alright. You’re not hurt, are you?”

As I hurriedly looked up at Camilo-sama, he awkwardly cut off his words and stopped moving.

What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.

“Leticia, your glasses…”

“My glasses…? Oh, they’re crooked.”

I escape from Camilo-sama’s strong arms to adjust my glasses. Seeing him still in a daze, I clapped my hands together in my mind, suspecting the reason.

(Maybe he’s surprised by my beauty?)

Yeah, that’s probably it. After all, my eyes have a unique, vivid rose color.

These glasses are magical tools that can blur the impression of my eyes. They are my valuable partner for walking in the shadows, and without them, my true face, even known as Black Rose, would be exposed.

“Camilo-sama, thank you very much. I think I’ll get better results tomorrow than usual in the exam.”

“Ah…”

“Well then, I’ll be going. Let’s do our best on the exam.”

I bowed and left.

Well, it can’t be helped if he saw it. Camilo-sama is popular, so he probably has no interest in someone like me.

I’ll do my best on the exam tomorrow!