Chapter 7: Keeping Tabs on the Protagonist

 

 

 

Chapter 7: Keeping Tabs on the Protagonist

 

AS spring ended and summer began, Iris spent her days looking into the present whereabouts of HanaKoro’s protagonist, Camille. In the game, she and Cytisus fell in love without realizing they were brother and sister, but surely this wouldn’t happen if they knew about it beforehand. Take Iris, for example—as handsome as she knew Nigel to be, she couldn’t possibly see him that way. Thus, she decided to make sure Camille and Cytisus were both made aware of their secret sibling as early as possible.

Sorry, but as the villainess, I reject your forbidden incest!

First, Iris did some preliminary research to make sure the information from the game still applied here. Sure enough, Camille’s mother had died when she was young, and she was raised by her aunt and uncle—just like in HanaKoro. Meanwhile, Cytisus’s father had been sending her family financial support while keeping his identity hidden. Iris couldn’t understand why anyone would have a child out of wedlock in the first place, but at least, he was taking responsibility for his illegitimate daughter.

Next, Iris traveled into town to visit the place where Camille worked—a small cosmetics store run by her aunt and uncle. Rumor had it that their camellia seed oil—sold under the name “Camille’s Camellia”—helped reduce the appearance of scars. In HanaKoro, it was imbued with Camille’s holy magic and sped up the healing process. Personally, Iris was always interested in the product itself.

I mean, it’s made by Camille! Who wouldn’t want to try it?!

Iris only had a vague idea of Camille’s life prior to the start of HanaKoro—just the basic gist as explained to her in the game—so she was curious to see what she was up to at this point in time. Although Iris was accompanied by a maid, she made sure to wear her most unassuming dress, and since her green ringlets would attract too much attention, she tucked her hair into a headscarf. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough, surely.

Camille’s family store was rather drab, lined with shelves full of unmarked containers—whatever they happened to have handy, by the looks of it. Apparently, they sold their products by weight, so Iris went to the counter and ordered some of Camille’s Camellia. If it worked like the game claimed, then all she had to do was rub it onto her arm like a lotion, and hopefully, her scars would fade a bit. Yes, Iris had declined Cytisus’s concealment magic, but that didn’t mean her scars didn’t bother her. Surely any young lady in her position would take steps to reduce her flaws.

Camille wasn’t around; during the day, she went to the local church to study and teach the younger children how to read and write, or so Iris was told. As for Iris, she decided to check the place out. As she soon discovered, it was a small, modest building with beautiful white lilacs blooming out front; the overpowering fragrance threatened to make her head spin.

Come to think of it, white lilacs were featured heavily in HanaKoro’s gorgeous opening cinematic, with heart-shaped white petals raining down over the portraits of each love interest. A classy choice for a grimdark otome game, Iris snarked silently. Since white lilacs were a symbol of tragic romance between a commoner and a noble, the game’s theme was basically one big metaphor right from the start.

Camille walked out of the church, her sky-blue hair striking a stark contrast with the white petals that surrounded her on both sides. She looked even younger than she had at the start of HanaKoro. Unlike Cytisus, her bright-blue eyes were much softer; that said, she had the same nose and the same pointy chin. It was all so obvious to Iris—how on earth did Cytisus fail to realize they were related? Or did he fall for her because she looked like him? What a narcissist.

Iris asked her maid to wait for her at the front gates, then called out to Camille. “Pardon me, but could I ask you to show me around this church?”

Iris’s choker bell tinkled as she spoke. Camille looked at it in surprise, then looked at Iris’s left arm—at her scars. Then she looked back at Iris and smiled.

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

A gust of wind kicked up, sending the lilac petals scattering all over the place, including Iris’s headscarf. As she moved to brush them away, Camille suddenly reached out to her.

“A five-petal lilac!”

She beamed; Iris looked at her in confusion.

“Oh, haven’t you heard? A lilac usually has four petals, so if you find a five-petal lilac, you’re supposed to put it in your mouth and swallow it without another word. That way, you and your beloved will be together for all eternity! Can I have this one?”

She wore the giddy expression of a romance-obsessed young girl. Meanwhile, Iris stared at her in horror. Together for ALL ETERNITY?! What, like in the “Thousand-Year Slumber?!” Is this foreshadowing?! No, it can’t be! The game hasn’t even started yet! I REFUSE to let her go down that route!

“W-Well…you’re welcome to the lilac, of course, but…weren’t you supposed to swallow it without another word? Isn’t it a bit too late?”

At this, she slumped her shoulders. “Ugh, you’re completely right! Of all the flowers that bloom here, I’ve never found a five-petal lilac until today, and I was so excited, I started gushing… Well, at least now I know for sure that they exist. I’m sure I’ll find another one someday.” She nodded to herself with a smile.

“You needn’t put so much stock in that old wives’ tale, you know.”

Oops. That came out a little harsh. For whatever reason—probably because Iris was a villainess—anything she said had the tendency to come off as arrogant, even when she was trying her hardest to be nice. Fortunately, Camille didn’t seem bothered.

“Hee hee hee! I guess you’re right!”

Still smiling, she lifted the five-petal lilac to her lips and gave it a little kiss. AAAGH! Are you kidding me?! How can you be so ADORABLE?!

Just like that, she obliterated Iris with her charm.

❀❀❀

FROM there, Camille dutifully walked Iris through the church. She was friendly, energetic, and good with people, possibly from all the customer service work.

As they walked, Camille even taught Iris about the stained glass windows inside the chapel. It was a small church, and these windows were far from extravagant, but the light they cast over the stone floor was gentle and serene. Beneath the rainbow of colors, Camille truly looked the part of a Holy Maiden. No wonder everyone falls in love with her, Iris thought.

“Are you happy with your life?” Iris asked.

She nodded without missing a beat. Quietly, Iris cursed herself for forcing such an unpleasant conversation on this pure, innocent girl.

“I see… Tell me, do you know your father?”

At this, she smiled stiffly. “Well, no…but why do you ask? Is there some sort of rumor going around town?”

“No rumors, no. But I believe I know who your father might be.”

Her eyes grew so wide, they threatened to pop out of their sockets. “Are you saying my father is alive?”

This Iris couldn’t answer. Instead, she asked, “Surely you must have some memento of your mother’s, do you not?”

In the game, Camille carried a little pouch that was once her mother’s. This item proved her true heritage.

“Huh? W-Well, yes…”

Sure enough, she held up the pouch hanging around her neck, its drawstrings pulled taut. In the second half of Cytisus’s route in HanaKoro, she and the player would discover what was inside: an amulet bearing the House of Sade’s eagle crest plus a lock of her father’s navy-blue hair.

That’s the same pouch, all right! Camille and Cytisus must really be siblings!

The pouch stuck in Iris’s memory after all the times Camille was depicted as clutching it. Plus, there was that one scene where Iris threw it in the pond. Poor Nigel searched and searched for it until he was covered in mud, that little saint. Though Iris was relieved to have confirmed her suspicions, she was a bit disappointed to be proven right. Sorry, but this happy-bad ending isn’t going to happen!

“Now I’m sure of it. You have a brother who’s ten years older than you.”

“I do?”

“Yes. A handsome man with dark-blue hair.”

The blood drained from Camille’s complexion. It pained Iris to see it, really. The discovery of a secret sibling would make her realize precisely what sort of complicated man her father was. But now that she knew she had an older brother with blue hair, she was sure to regard any older blue-haired man with a hint of suspicion. This would prevent her from tripping headfirst into any incest routes!

Sorry, but the “Thousand-Year Slumber” would get us all killed. This is the one route I absolutely cannot abide! As the villainess, I reject this happy-bad ending!

“Then that means…my mother was a homewrecker…?”

Camille’s lips trembled, and Iris’s heart ached.

“It’s not important, my dear.”

“But…what if I’m not meant to have this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, what if… What if it’s disrespectful to my father’s wife…?”

“I’m afraid his wife passed away before you were ever born.”

Her jaw dropped. Tears welled in her eyes until they glistened with the light of the stained-glass windows. Truly a beautiful sight.

“Was my birth a sin?”

“That’s not for me to decide, unfortunately.”

“All my life, I thought I was a mistake… My mother always loved me, and my aunt and uncle seem to care for me, but…they all refused to tell me about my father, so I figured I was an illegitimate child…”

She stared at the floor, sniffling. Beneath all that sparkle, she was really just a scared little girl like anyone else. With her mother dead and her father out of the picture, she feared that she was little more than a burden to her relatives. That suspicion had laid roots in her heart, rendering her unable to truly love another person…and unable to accept it in return. She wasn’t just “good with people”—she was desperate to be liked, so she was willing to give anything others asked of her. She wanted to be needed.

Meanwhile, Iris wasn’t quite sure how to respond to this display of vulnerability. She did want to console her…but at the same time, she knew she was better off not getting involved with Camille…but she looked so sad and forlorn… Ugh, what choice do I have?! Iris gave Camille her handkerchief to wipe her tears.

“You’ve done nothing wrong, my dear. Your birth was not a sin. Your mother simply wanted you so badly, she gave up many things in exchange.”

“Thank you, dear sister…”

Iris gave her a funny look. “Er… ‘sister’?”

“Well, I can’t address you by name, right?”

“…Good point. For the time being, you’re better off not learning my name.”

“Then please, let me call you my sister. Okay?”

Her smile was so radiant, she clearly deserved the title of protagonist.

And as it turned out, her camellia seed oil was really nice, too. The game was probably right about it being imbued with holy magic, because slathering it on put Iris in such a good mood. So naturally, Iris went back to that store several more times, each time making sure to visit while Camille was off at church. According to the shopkeepers, the camellia seed oil was the one thing she helped make. With a smile, they told Iris how Camille would always try her absolute best to press all the oil out of the seeds.

Sure enough, Camille was a Holy Maiden in the making.