Bound by the Crown Prince, Drawn to the Servant

A room in the Emerald Palace, the royal castle of the Kingdom of Rosenburg. 　Bathed in the moonlight streaming through the lattice windows, Margaret Franziska looked down with her jade-colored eyes swollen bright red, her red hair—glistening in the moonlight—tossed about as she broke down in tears. Oh, why has it come to this? No matter how much I resist, am I destined to be imprisoned? 　Father, Mother, Brother Ignacio. And… Craig. It’s all my fault that everyone died. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry. To understand why she ended up like this, the story goes back twelve years. ★☆★☆★ 　Twelve years ago. At the small, tree-lined pond in the Franziska family estate. A pond that seemed small to adults, but as vast as a lake to a child. There, a young girl was drowning right at that very moment. Gulp, gulp, gulp! Water poured into her mouth and nose, and she couldn’t breathe properly. “Someone, anyone, help meeeee――, Margaret’s going to die!!” A child was screaming in the distance with a voice that seemed about to tear the air apart, but I couldn’t hear it clearly because water was relentlessly pouring into my ears. —Ah, am I really going to die like this? No matter how desperately I flapped my arms and thrashed about, I couldn’t grab onto anything; my hands just cut through the air. Just as I was about to lose consciousness and my strength was giving out, a large arm suddenly grabbed my waist. “Are you all right, young lady!?” The woman dressed as a maid who had saved me immediately began administering first aid. Then, the pond water I had swallowed gushed out of my mouth and nose with a gurgling sound. “Margaret!! Is Margaret all right, Tatiana!?” A red-haired woman with a voluptuous figure and piercing eyes, dressed in a luxurious gown, rushed over, her face pale with worry. Without a care for the stain on her dress, she embraced me—soaked and tattered from the pond water and vomit. 　W-wait... Mom? She’s warm. When I weakly hugged her back, she smiled with tears in her eyes, looking relieved, and stroked my head affectionately. Such big hands. Why do this woman’s hands feel so big? As my consciousness gradually cleared, I looked around. 　The maid who had saved me was nearby, breathing a sigh of relief. Near the pond, there was also a kind-looking woman with silver hair wearing an expensive dress, and a little girl with silver hair in her arms, both looking at me with concern. Next to them stood a beautiful young boy with silver hair and purple eyes brimming with tears; he looked pale and was trembling all over. 　Silver hair, purple eyes, and that beautiful face. What is it... I feel like I’ve seen this boy somewhere before... Hmm... where was it? I looked down. —Huh? As I looked down, I caught sight of my reflection on the surface of the pond. 　W-what the—!? A little red-haired girl⁉ Is that me? Is this girl, who looks about the same age as the silver-haired boy over there, really me? Unable to believe it, I tried flapping my arms and legs. The moment I moved, the girl on the water’s surface started thrashing around too. I had no choice but to accept that this girl was me. 　Vibrant red hair, jade-green eyes, and a face that looked like she had a strong will. This is just like Margaret, the villainous young lady from *Koi Raba*… Hmm? Come to think of it, what have these people been calling me this whole time…? I’m pretty sure it was Margaret… s-s-s-surely not. Her brain couldn’t keep up with the unbelievable turn of events, and Margaret fainted. 　★☆★☆★ When she woke up next, Margaret was lying in a bed. Margaret’s eyes opened, but she couldn’t speak, and her body wouldn’t move. A red-haired woman—presumably Margaret’s mother—was watching over her from right beside the bed, tears welling in her eyes. However, when she noticed Margaret had woken up, she became agitated and tried to scold her, so the doctor and the maid had to calm her down and take her to another room. In the quiet room, now empty of everyone, Margaret tried to clear her foggy head. My name is Margaret Franziska. I am the eldest daughter of the Franziska family, six years old. 　The woman who was so furious just now is my mother, Letitia Franziska. My father is Sergei Franziska. My father holds the title of marquis, and my grandfather holds the title of duke. I have an older brother, Ignacio, who is five years older than me. It’s strange. This child’s memories are flowing into me just like my own. 　However, Margaret narrowed her eyes as she realized an even stranger fact. This is the world of “Koi Raba,” isn’t it? “Koi Raba” is the abbreviation for the otome game “Fall in Love, Maiden: Alice in Rubberland,” which was all the rage in my past life. Considering the situation I’m in, does this mean I’ve really been reincarnated into the world of an otome game? 　And that means I’ve suddenly been reincarnated into the body of Margaret, the six-year-old villainess from Koi Raba? …No, that’s not quite right. I clearly remember the memories and emotions from when I lived as Margaret. So, to be precise, it would be more accurate to say that six years have passed since I was reincarnated as Margaret, and I regained my memories due to the shock of nearly drowning. 　Wait, if I’ve been reincarnated, does that mean my past self is dead? Why? College was… Ouch. Whenever she tried to recall her past life, she was struck by a severe headache, and Margaret couldn’t bring herself to think about it any further. No way, my head hurts. Let’s put my past life on hold for now and think about this world, “Koi Raba.” 　If I’m Margaret, then that silver-haired boy from earlier has to be Aver. The Third Prince, Aver Rosenburg. Aver is the main love interest in “Koi Raba.” If the protagonist heroine, Alice, chooses the Aver route, the one standing in her way will be Aver’s fiancée, Margaret—that is, me. 　By the way, according to Margaret’s memories, it seems she isn’t actually engaged yet at this point in time—when she’s six years old. The closer Alice gets to Aver, the more Margaret’s jealousy flares up, and her bullying of the heroine heats up. And Margaret’s role is to have her engagement broken off and be publicly condemned right in front of everyone at the school graduation party… but wait a minute… 　I’m pretty sure that at the end of most of the love interests’ routes, there was a line that went something like, “Margaret had her engagement broken off and was imprisoned,” as if it were just an afterthought. I remember it clearly because even in routes where she barely appeared, I felt sorry for her being imprisoned. 　Wait, hold on—does that mean I have an incredibly high chance of being imprisoned…? 　What even is “imprisonment” anyway? What kind of life do I lead, and for how long? Surely it’s not for the rest of my life, is it? When I played the game in my past life, most endings were “imprisonment” ones—no executions or exile. I thought it was such a game that was kind to villainous noble daughters, but what exactly happens in an “imprisonment” ending? Am I locked in a dungeon, barely given any food, and left to starve to death? 　Or is it torture, interrogation, and violence!? Surely not… surely they won’t make me do… unspeakable, lewd things… Margaret felt the blood drain from her body. It’s scary… way too scary. At this point, I have to do whatever it takes to build a friendly relationship with Aver and peacefully break off the engagement—no, I have to steer things in a direction where we don’t get engaged in the first place.