My Next Life as a Villainess Martial Artist, All Routes Lead to Doom. - Chapter 1 - StardustX86 (2024)

Chapter Text

“Katerin-”

Ranma’s head ached terribly, What had happened to her? One moment she was dodging a brace of throwing knives heading for her, Mousse having got in snit again about Shampoo asking her out. She snorted then winced as pain lanced through her skull. She kept her eyes closed trying to rest a moment longer.

Like she really enjoyed a bicycle to the head. Plus the Chinese Amazon only had the hots for her deadform and that was a real turnoff. Why couldn’t the idiotic blind duck leave her alone. She rarely ever got a chance to chat with her real friends. Sa-chan...

Sa-chan!

-:-

Memories raced and she ignored the pain, gritting her teeth and forcing herself to remember.

The knives flashed past her. She turned at the sound of a horn. A truck swerving as a knife gashed a tire causing the behemoth to spin out. Sa-chan, her eyes opened in shock as she froze, Yuka on the other side of the road screaming her name. The truck turned, rolling, now completely out of control.

Speed… needed to be fast enough!

She pushed herself beyond her limit. Her ki had raged in her body like a wildfire. She blurred past the taunting form of Mousse, past a crying Yu-chan, past the now almost stationary truck slowly skidding and rolling in an unstoppable mass. Her senses were heightened beyond belief and time seemed to have slowed. She could feel her reserves being consumed, very soon she would have nothing left. It wouldn’t be enough. She tapped into what lay beyond. Her life began counting down. Minutes, hours, years. They burned away as she moved.

She made it. Only just.

She returned to reality, time sped up, there were only a few seconds, at most, to act.

She shoulder checked Sa-chan from the side, launching her to the sidewalk. Ranma had a moment only to see the look of fear on Sa-chan’s face turn to horror.

“Ranko-chan!”

Ranko smiled. She would die happy, saving one of her only friends in the world.

Her name. Her true name echoed in her ears as the truck collided with her and the world exploded into light.

-:-

“Katerina-sama! Katerina-sama!”

Ranko wished they would stop shouting for this Katerina chick! Couldn’t they see that she didn’t feel well? She had been hit by a damn truck a-

Ranko opened her eyes.

“KATERINA-SAMA! YOU’RE AWAKE!”

Ranko looked around blearily. She appeared to be on a large, four poster bed. It was similar in opulence to the one she had enjoyed at Picolet’s mansion. It was incredibly soft and comfortable. The ceiling, seen through the filmy material that covered the top of the bed, was beautifully sculpted with floral patterns. And to her right… were a hell of a lot of people she had never seen before.

A number of maids in those frilly black and white outfits and a butler wearing a smart suit with an immaculate moustache were kneeling at her bedside. One of the maids… Nabiki? No, she had similar hair but her eyes showed genuine concern and her features were more delicate. And she was so tall! She reached over and laid her hands on Ranko’s shoulders, looking into her eyes with concern.

“Katerina-Sama, are you ok?”, she asked.

Ranko thought she looked almost sick with worry, and was that a hint of fear?

It took her a second to realise that the woman was referring to her! She looked at all the sad faces surrounding her. She raised a hand to her head, feeling the pain radiating from a spot on her forehead and hissed as she touched it. That hurt far more than a bump had any right to. She looked down at her hand, expecting to see blood. No blood but what the hell! Her hand was tiny! She looked down at herself and froze!

Her body was so small! It was like when she had been given the deaging mushrooms, she looked about 8 years old. Her hands were delicate and soft. She lifted them to feel her face. Round and slightly chubby. She was a damn kid again. But she didn’t understand, she had been chatting with Sa-chan about the newest game and then Mousse, the truck and…

She had died, crushed by the vehicle. She was sure of it. There was no way her destroyed body had survived after what she had put it through.

She then realised she had another set of memories, of a pampered upbringing. Of a terrible selfish, spoilt bully of a girl, who treated her servants terribly and schemed endlessly to get her way. She had been meeting someone, walking with them in the garden when she tripped and fell.

After that she had been bombarded by memories. It was her previous life! She had lived and died as Ranko. A girl born in the wrong body and brought up by an abusive bastard of a father. The humiliation and beatings, the cat fist and the engagements. And the curse. The only thing that her waste of space sperm-donor had ever done for her. She had been able to feel right for the first time in her life. Then the never-ending string of chaos that led to her death. She had made some good friends who knew the real her but she had never been able to come out as herself. She had been going to though, and soon. Sa-chan and Yu-chan had promised to support her. Natsu-chan and Go-kun had been in her corner. She had been going to see her mother that weekend and tell her, damn the consequences. She had finally been going to sort out the fiancee mess, though she hadn’t figured out how yet.

And then she had died, saving her best friend from her fucked up life. If she had to go, at least wasn’t the worst way to end.

“Should we get the doctor, she’s just staring into space?”

The voice brought her back to the present.

She was Ranko but she was also Katerina Claes, only daughter of the Claes family. And she was scaring her attendants.

She raised a hand to her head and gave everyone a beaming smile.

“I’m fine! I just have a bit of a headache. Really it’s ok everyone. Thank you for worrying about me.”

Utter silence filled the room. Suddenly everyone was looking at her strangely.

She turned her full attention to the maid who had held her shoulders, a name popping into the forefront of her mind as she gave as sincere a look as she could.

“Really Anne, I’m fine. I think I tripped and fell on a stone. I’m really ok.”

Wow! I sound so refined if a little shrill. I never got to hear myself like this because I was in the wrong body at birth. So this is what a little girl sounds like from the first person. It's so weird and cute. Oh this is so cool! No more cursed hot water. I’ve been reborn as a girl! Hell yes!’, Ranko thought giddily. Euphoria filled her and if anything her smile got brighter.

The servants, including Anne, drew back from her, still shooting her odd looks.

‘Was I really that awful?, Ranko mused.

Her memories would indicate… yes.

‘Well that changes today! No more prissy tantrums and sly schemes. This is my new life and I’m going to make sure I live up to my old one. Wait a minute, is someone talking?”

She blinked and finally noticed that the servants had moved back to allow a young man, also about 8 years old, to approach. He was blonde and had very fine features, shining blue eyes staring at her. He held himself with great confidence which made him seem taller than his years. He had his hand crossed against his immaculate white outfit, resting over his heart. He had obviously been speaking as he was looking inquiringly at her.

‘Crap! Ummm, think of something to say Ranko. Play off the head injury. Keep calm. You still don’t remember enough about this place”

“Oh, I'm really sorry. I kind of blanked out there for a moment. Would you mind repeating that?”

Ranko mentally high-fived herself as the boy simply nodded. She ignored the look of disapproval from Anne. She would apologise later.

“I said I am terribly sorry for causing your injury. You were in my care when it happened and the wound on your forehead that resulted could poorly affect your ability to court another in the future. I, Prince Geordo ask that I might make amends.”

Ranko blinked at such fine, flowery manners. It was almost like listening Kuno, but not quite. Whereas Kuno’s speech was over the top and melodramatic, this boy was smooth and natural in his tone. It was rather pleasant. Like a script from her hidden hobby. Sa-chan would have loved it, Ranko thought wistfully.

“Really it’s not a problem, your highness. Just a bump, see?”

She smiled again. She really wished that the boy would just leave so she could actually find out what was really going on.

She thought some of the people in the room looked vaguely familiar and she was rather anxious to see what she looked like in this new world. She really hoped she could still pull off cute. A world of restrictions had fallen away from her and she was desperate to embrace her femininity without the hellish attentions of the Panda or her Crazy-Sword Lady to try and drag her back to the pit of shame and self-loathing she had dwelt in all these years.

Something did ring a small bell in the back of her mind however. ‘Prince Geordo’ was the name of a love interest in a game she had been playing recently. Her own name, Katerina Claes also sounded very familiar.

Well… it was probably nothing. She would have time to puzzle it out later, if only she could ditch her audience.

Prince Geordo was speaking again.

She really ought to listen to him but her head still felt a little swimmy. It wasn’t everyday the best martial artist of her generation found herself dead and reborn in the body of an eight year old.

Ranko was so distracted that she almost missed what Geordo was saying. However, her finely-tuned fiance senses from her past life seemed to have travelled to this new world with her because she distinctly heard the words ‘look after you for the rest of my life.’

In Ranko’s head this set off every alarm, sending her inner-Rankos into overdrive to mitigate the damage.

Looking into the expectant, calm eyes of the boy in front of her, Ranko did the only thing she said the only thing she could think of, she said the one word that she had never been able to use in her previous life.

“No”

-:-

There was a deadly silence.

The Prince looked taken aback. Anne had thrown her hands over her mouth, aghast at her casual response to his request. From somewhere in the mansion, Ranko was sure, no matter how impossible it seemed, that she heard the thump of a woman fainting.

It seemed that there needed to be some damage control done here, damn where was Nabiki when you needed her? Bitch she might be but for a price she would have easily turned this around. Ranko gave a deep sight, casting her mind back to her hidden pastime. The dialogue used within would be a boon to her in this situation. She gave her full attention to the young prince and gave a demure smile, reaching up to play with her hair idly as she did so.

“Geordo-sama, I apologise for my interruption of your kind words. However, I hope you will understand that I feel that now is not the time to discuss such things. In the absence of my mother and father to make such a commitment would be the height of disrespect. I would be remiss as a daughter to discount their presence. Also, I must admit that I am still feeling tired and am unable to give your words my full attention. Please allow me time to contemplate your offer so that we may speak of it again soon. I hope I have not offended you too greatly.”

The prince’s response was not what she expected. Rather than flying into a rage or running off crying, he nodded sagely and stood back, giving her space.

“It appears that I will be withdrawing for the day. I hope to visit soon and speak with you again when you are well. I will not forget my words Katerina Claes, you are such an interesting girl. I would truly love to know you better.”

Ranko gave the best approximation of a curtsey she could from her seated position.

“I look forward to it Geordo-sama”

‘Safe!’, she screamed internally. “Hell-yeah! You did it Ranko! All that corny romantic dialogue saved your cute little behind.!”

So caught up was she in her own self-congratulation that she missed the calculating smirk on the Prince’s face. And the look of exasperation on Anne’s.

-:-

Ranko looked upon herself in the mirror, a mixture of elation and despair warring within her. Having managed to finally beg a little time to rest she had the room to herself and then ran over to the mirror to inspect her new form.

On the plus side she really was cute! Well…her features were slightly angled in a way which reminded her of Nabiki, she would have to be careful how she smiled to show her sincerity. However, her crystal blue eyes were lovely and despite the small scar on her forehead (she had removed the bandage after her guests were gone) she had a pleasing shape to her face and a nice smile. Her brown hair was well styled and she was dressed in a very nice blue dress. The final accessory was a small choker set with what looked like a real sapphire.

She twirled, allowing her skirt to flare out and giggled as a bubbling sensation of joy welled up in her. She was still a girl and hot water was no longer her enemy. Tears came to her eyes and she thanked whatever Kami had given her this second chance.

(In another world, a small light dancing above a forgotten pond and shrine gave a teeny sneeze. Scared a small frog dived into the pond from its nearby lilypad)

As the happy feeling subsided, Ranko focused on the thing that was bothering her most.

Her body was so… weak.

Sure she knew, intellectually, that she was a child, with a child’s fitness and stamina but before her memories had been unlocked, Katerina Claes had obviously never done a decent workout in her life. Her arms and legs lacked any sort of muscle tone. Living the pampered life had really done her no favours in that regard.

She sighed. That was one thing she would have to change.

Ranko didn’t know where she would be without martial arts, it had been a constant in her past life since she had been able to walk. Not only that but she was very aware of the dangers of being a woman who couldn’t defend herself. After the incident with Mikado Sanzeinin, and living with Happosai for most of the last year, she had nightmares about being at their mercy, unable to stop their unwanted attention. The thoughts of their hands wandering her body had made her feel ill and determined to ensure her true body was just as powerful and well-trained as her deadform.

Katerina was a member of the nobility though, she had other means of defending herself but Ranko refused to let that be her only option. As soon as she could escape this room she would have to begin training in earnest. If she worked hard she could be back to her pre-Tendo level by her teens.

That would be without the crazy training methods of course. She had no desire to train endurance while running from a pack of wolves. Or deflection by dodging hornet’s nests. The less said about c-cats the better. One lifetime of trauma was enough.

She slowly began a series of gentle stretches to help begin to develop her flexibility. She blushed as she remembered why she had developed it. Go-kun’s brother had gotten pregnant, he was desperate to keep his shape and had asked Go-kun to get Ranko’a advice. The gentle workout she had created had been popular not just with its intended (who was extremely grateful, as was their boyfriend), but also with all the other Occult club members. As she slowly worked through her routine, Ranko’s mind became clearer and she began to reflect upon what had happened earlier today.

It was lucky she had managed to avoid the engagement with that young prince. He had seemed nice but it was a little too close to the storyline of the latest game she had been obsessed with. Damn Sa-chan for getting her addicted to Otome games. Unfortunately she could only play at the club but still, she had been hooked. A game where she controlled the love lives of others, where she had absolute freedom to choose. How could she have resisted? Her only complaint would be the lack of lesbian storylines but that was Japan for you. Sa-chan had hinted that there were games that played more to her and Ranko’s personal preferences but that Ranko wasn’t ready for those yet. Apparently a lot were hardcore and when Ranko had agreed that she wasn’t ready for the most difficult games yet, she had gotten her a lot of weird looks from the other club member and Sa-chan facepalming.

It was funny now she thought about it.

Ranko dipped low to stretch out her hamstrings, yelping a little at the ache it caused but continuing doggedly.

In the game there was a character named Prince Geordo too, he was a black-hearted and sadistic character that hid his true feelings behind a dazzling smile. If she remembered he was unhappily engaged to an evil rich girl, kept from interacting with others by her jealousy, bound by a promise to the girl who blamed him for a wound… on… her… forehead.

Ranko froze, let out a squeak at the sudden pain in her legs and fell over. She scrambled to her feet and ran over to the mirror again, staring at the mark on her head.

The villainess of the story, nemesis to the heroine, that same rich girl had had a name too.

“Katerina Claes!”

Her shriek echoed beyond the room startling a passing pair of maids.

-:-

It seemed impossible but it was not the first time she had encountered such phenomena, magic wishing swords, time-travelling mirrors and evil clones sprang to mind. Ranko was seated at the writing desk in her room and was frantically writing everything she remembered about the game. If she was stuck in some sort of otome world she needed to get her thoughts down before they faded.

-:-

Ranko scribbled in a leatherbound book for all she was worth.

Fortune Lover was a game about building relationships romantically with other characters. Ranko had adored the art and character design, Sa-chan had been thrilled and together they had spent as many hours as Ranko could safely get away with working their way through the various storylines together. It had been one of the happiest times of Ranko's life. Like a few games of its kind it was set in a magical academy and revolved around the heroine, a commoner called Maria. She possessed rare magical abilities and this allowed her to come into contact with four potential love interests.

Geordo Stuart was the third prince, Ranko had never really liked him, seeing him as a sly and calculating individual. She had completed his path the third time through the game but had been a bit unsatisfied with how plain the storyline had been.

The next option was Alan Stuart, another prince and twin brother of Geordo. A bit of a tsundere character, Ranko had still appreciated the attention to the musical talent the character possessed, including several rather beautiful musical scores. She had chosen his path the second time.

Next up was Keith Claes, brother to Katerina… well Ranko now she guessed. Ironically, Ranko had not really been interested in playing his path but had persisted when Sa-chan had promised a more nuanced character than just a playboy. She had been right and had smugly accepted Ranko’s murmured apologies as she watched Ranko beat his storyline. He was still her fourth choice though.

Finally was Nicole Ascart, son of the Premier of the country. She had really liked Nicole. He was quiet and really appreciated the heroine not just for her looks but for her mind. Being treated as a dumb jock all her life, Ranko had enjoyed the opportunity to be complimented for something other than her looks. Even if it was only in a game. She had beaten his storyline first.

However no game would be complete without a villain, and the main antagonist was one Ranko had, to be honest, not really enjoyed. She reminded her too much of a mix of her various unwanted fiancees. She bullied the heroine mercilessly for being a commoner and for attracting the attention of her unhappy husband-to-be Prince Geordo. There was one common threat to all of Katerina’s stories no matter which storyline you played where she featured. In the good ending, Katerina ended up stripped of her rank and exiled. In the bad ending, Katerina died.

And she was now Katerina Claes in the eyes of everyone. There were only bad endings for her.

She put down her quill and left her room to findout what she could.

It was the work of a few hours to find out that her fears were correct, all the books and all the people she asked (mostly maids who were the best for gossip) confirmed facts.

She had been reborn on the path to doom. This was the world of Fortune Lover.

Ranko stood before her desk again, smiling in a way that, unknown to her, gave her face a very sinister caste.

“Well… we’ll see about that.”, she giggled, slamming the notebook shut.

She had been Ranko Saotome, She was Katerina Claes. And she didn’t lose.

-:-

It turned out unwittingly dodging the first danger in her path, being engaged to Prince Geordo, had its downside.

Katerina had never known loving parents in her past life, she had always hoped her mother would accept her and she had been disappointed by how obsessed and strange she had appeared upon their first meeting. Genma was an abusive bastard, a person who had made her life a living hell and had inflicted years of psychological damage with his ten year long conversion therapy program called a training trip. If it hadn’t been for her friends, Ranko might have remained lost and in pain for so much longer. Instead she had finally gotten the support needed to try and overcome all the conditioning the Panda had tried to embed in her.

Now Ranko had a doting father and a beautiful imposing mother. Very imposing and loud. She was also, Ranko could feel instinctively as she was simultaneously hugged and yelled at by the woman, very caring underneath her stern exterior. Evidently word of her refusal of the Geordo’s engagement had horrified Millidiana Claes, even as word of her accident had sparked fear in her. Finally, the respect shown by Ranko to her parents in her refusal had, in contrast, made her feel great pride in her daughter.

Ranko endured her mother’s lecture on proprietary until the topic of Geordo calling again later was brought up.

“And of course, you must accept when he returns”, her mother said with authority, “We cannot have the prince suffer such an insult and remain close to the crown.”

Duke Luigi just stood alongside his wife, giving Ranko an enquiring gaze.

She realised this was her moment. If she didn’t act now she would be engaged again with no way out. It would be the first step on her path to doom.

Ranko struck a thoughtful pose and acted like she was contemplating her mother’s words. Inside her head a meeting of her inner-selves was being called to try to come up with a strategy, any strategy to put off such an awful event. Seated around the table, five individuals sat in identical poses to her main body.

-:-

The Matriarch called the meeting to order with a strike of her gavel. Hair pulled up in a severe bun and wearing a sakura-patterned kimono, she looked around at the other Inner-Rankos inquiringly.

“We appear to be having a bit of difficulty”, she spoke gravely. “Our new mother will very likely insist on this engagement, which I am sure you agree is both distasteful in light of our last life and with regards to our sexuality. Any suggestions as to how to dissuade her?”

A hand went up, it was Timid, who began to poke her fingers together nervously. Her hair was worn loose with half of her face hidden by her hair. She wore an outfit identical to that being worn by Ranko in the outside world, as did all the Ranko’s apart from The Matriarch.

“We could run away now, leave the country? I’m sure we could survive long enough with our memories to make it across the border. Then we can live as a hermit and no one will ever hurt us again.”

“Preposterous!” came the reply from across the table. Wearing glasses and hair in a high ponytail, Intellect folded her arms and adjusted her glasses as she scoffed.

“Firstly, we are the daughter of a baron. We would be hunted down and any people who helped us might be imprisoned or accused of kidnapping. Secondly we are without any of the conditioning from our previous life. This drastically decreases our chance for survival. Finally, we cannot assume the flora and fauna will mirror our world. We will not know what's dangerous to eat or what plants and animals to avoid.”

“That sounds reasonable”, said the Matriarch, “I concur with Intellect. Any other ideas?”

“Let's just refuse!” shouted Aggression. Unlike the other Rankos this one was almost a toddler in size. Hammering her tiny fists on the table she growled.”We shouldn't have to marry someone we will never love. Fucking panda made our last life hell enough without having to go through it again!”

“Um!” interjected the last member of the group, Happiness. She looked maybe a year younger than the Matriarch, Timid and Intellect. However she was clearly several years older than Aggression. “I know I am the newest member, replacing Sadness-chan, but maybe we can find a middle ground. Tell Mother that we understand the importance of our family but that being tied down so early could cause resentment in Geordo later on. We’ll try to be his friend and if all is still well by the end of the Magical academy then we will accept the engagement. We can also emphasise that other opportunities may come up and it may be good to keep our options open. That way we can keep all parties happy, at least for a while.”

Intellect’s glasses gleamed

“That would most likely appeal to both Mother and Father,” she enthused, “From what memories we have of our first eight years, Mother clearly wants us to take our role as the heiress of the Claes family more seriously and she has always emphasised the importance of playing the long game in politics and life. She will see us as playing multiple angles and will be persuaded we have a plan. Father will just be happy that we are listening to them and that we are considering the family’s future position.”

“Still think we should just say no but what do I know? Non-committal definitely helped us in our first life”, grumbled Aggression, arms crossed.

“I-I like the idea of avoiding a confrontation”, whispered Timid. “Let's give ourselves time to get strong again”

“Yahoo”, cried Happiness, throwing her hands in the air and giggling.

“It appears that we are mostly in agreement”, said the Matriarch, fondness entering her voice at Happiness’s antics. It was good to see some joy in the council chamber again. Things had become so much better since Ranko had stumbled upon the Occult Club meeting space while searching for somewhere to hide from her fiancees and the Panda.

Silence fell on the chamber as all Ranko’s grew sombre.

“We are going to have to deal with our other feelings at some point, Matriarch,” said Happiness seriously. “Our rebirth and the loss of our dead form mean that Euphoria-chan and I keep bumping into each other which is such a welcome change but we will need to call back Sadness from her holiday soon. We need to feel what we need to feel to move on and enjoy this life”

The Matriarch sighed.

“Agreed, though knowing Sadness though she is probably already on her way. Our last life honed her to a breaking point with her constant fights with Depression. Hopefully, she will be here soon”

She banged the gavel gently, causing the meeting to come to a close.

-:-

Ranko turned her eyes upon her mother, and father in what she hoped looked like a calculating way.

“If I may Mother?”

Millidiana Claes turned her own sharp gaze upon her daughter.

“You have some objection?” she asked, an undertone of warning colouring her words and signalling danger to Ranko’s highly tuned senses.

Ranko drew herself up, using this life’s memories to look as graceful and imposing as she could. It probably looked comical coming from a child but she gave it her best shot.

“Not completely. I just feel that an engagement at this time might not be the best action in the long term.”

“How could you…” her mother began even as a hand from Luigi rested on her shoulder, preventing her from rising and going on a tirade. She looked at her husband and her face softened. “Go on please”, she was clearly forcing her words, “Explain yourself daughter!“

Ranko felt a little thrill at being called daughter but hid her joy. That could come later.

“I mean, Geordo-sama is being very chivalrous but his offer is coming from a place of duty, he is not thinking in the long term at this point. I think he could come to resent me if he finds himself tied to me so young. When we enter the Magic Academy, as you instructed me mother, it is our chance to seek alliances and connections between the houses, build those relationships and possibly even arrange suitable marriages. If Geordo is tied to me then I will be limited in who I can seek alliances with as they will have to concur with the ideals of the crown. It will be the same for him which could breed hatred for us for trapping him and limiting his own ambitions. I will also miss out on opportunities that could be more beneficial to our family in the long run, including other potential marriages. After all Geordo is only the third son, he doesn’t have a lot of sway in ruling the kingdom, whereas other families may hold less distinction but more power.”

Ranko internally thanked Sa-chan for introducing her to another game, Heart’s Alliance.

The lead’s role was to help different families create the best alliances by learning about their political leanings and ideals. In doing so the lead would fall in love themselves with one of the family’s daughters and could form their own connection at the end of the game, disqualifying them from acting as an advisor but finding true happiness.

The words she was parroting to her mother were slightly tweaked by her but were very close to one of the political solutions used to prevent an arranged marriage from disrupting local politics.

‘Sa-chan, wherever you are, thank you…. I miss you. I hope you lived a happy life after I left. That you played lots of games and found the nerdy girl of your dreams.”

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes but she blinked them back and pushed down her feelings for later.

“If things are unchanged by the end of the academy, we can progress with the engagement. However, it seems like there is little point in me attending the academy if I cannot use that time to form alliances. My… magic is not strong and I can’t bring much prestige to the family with those skills but I thought I might at least be able to make friends who can help us. With Geordo engaged to me, my hands will be tied. And if I am only sent as his guard dog, he and others will come to hate me.”

The earth ‘bump’, the pinnacle of Katerina’s magical talent. Ranko had some ideas as to how to help that along but for now she had to admit, she had very little going for her in that department.

“T-that’s all I have to say Mother...Father...”

Ranko held her head high and hoped she had gotten her tone and argument right. She may have some grounding in this kind of talk but it was only from games. She felt overwhelmed and out of place. She only hoped her meagre skills were enough.

-:-

Millidiana Claes was astounded by the words pouring from her daughter’s lips, she had been expecting a shallow and childish response about being too pretty to only have one husband, or that she was going to make the prince beg her for her hand in marriage before capitulating.

Instead her child… her precious, spoiled and at times thoughtless child, was showing a level of care and political savvy that she would expect in someone twice her age. It was like all the lessons she had tried to impart to her daughter had been hidden behind a dam in her mind and all it took was a little bump on the head to shake them loose.

She felt her heart touched by the concern her daughter was giving to their family position, even coming close to tears at the thought of being unable to bring her obvious talents to bear in the academy. It was a feeling she could feel mirrored in the tightened grip of her husband's hand on her shoulder and see in the twinkle in his eyes.

Millidiana Claes made her decision

-:-

Ranko waited, holding her breath and her position. Her mother’s next words could send her on her first steps towards doom and a loveless engagement (again) or be the opening of a route towards Ranko’s own good ending.

Millidiana Claes sighed and gave a loving look at Ranko’s father, receiving a nod in return. She opened her fan and began to gently waft a breeze towards herself as she spoke.

“I… feel that we will have to be delicate in how we phrase our response but… I agree with you Katerina. Maybe closing our options off so early would be less optimal than allowing you to properly engage with your peers.”

She smiled, a warm loving smile

“Well done my daughter. I am pleased to see our lessons have made such an impact on your thinking.”

Ranko felt a swell of pride and happiness that was utterly unfamiliar to her. She realised then that she had a mother who actually cared for her, a father too if Luigi’s own beaming smile was anything to judge by. It was new and Ranko decided she liked it alot. The fact they were actually listening to her, Ranko still didn’t know what to make of that but it made her a little giddy with its implications. She actually had a real family, not just the appearance of one like she had in her past life.

Ranko curtseyed and smiled back at her parents.

“I won’t let you down Mother and Father, I promise to be worthy of the faith you are placing in me.”

-:-

Ranko wandered down the hallway, flanked by Anne and the head maid, Joana, as she made her way back to her room. She had orders from her parents to rest and that is what she was planning to do, her child’s body felt beyond exhausted.

She thought back to her parting words to her parents.

It was probably a lie. She was gay and had no intention of marrying Geordo, so exile or disgrace was most likely in her future.

But, if Ranko was completely honest with herself she held out a small hope for more. To make friends, to fall in love and to live happily. To be the greatest warrior this world had ever known. To control magic rather than have it control her. To become untouchable and to protect others who couldn’t protect themselves.

As she reached the doors to her chambers, Anne reached forward and opened them for her before ushering her charge inside. She turned and bowed to Joan, receiving a bow in return and closed the door.

Ranko tried to keep her eyelids from closing as Anne seated her in front of the vanity, taking a brush and running it through Ranko’s hair. She began to snooze under the ministrations of her maid and so she didn’t hear the gasp of shock from Anne as she dropped the brush.

-:-

The roots of Katerina’s hair were taking on a decidedly different tone, a deep pink. And it was spreading, so slowly as to be almost unnoticeable.

Anne quickly gathered up her young mistress into her arms and carried the dozing young girl to her bed. Placing her gently beneath the covers, she heard a little voice whisper

“Thank you Anne-chan”

She smiled and smoothed Katerina’s hair before remembering what had startled her and drew her hand back.

It was probably harmless but changing hair colour could be the result of magical influence. If Lady Katerina’s magic was changing or in flux, her parents needed to know.

Anne ran from the room, sending in another maid from outside to take her place.

She was hoping for the best but her young mistress’s health was at stake.

Nothing could be allowed to harm her, the one who gave her life purpose. She would not let the Baron down.

-:-

Ranko awoke to find herself surrounded again by strangers who were waving their hands over her and chanting. She tried to jump to her feet and was held back by heavy hands. She looked to her left and saw her father smiling at her calmly, Anne standing at his shoulder.

“Father… what's happening?” she asked, panicking inside. Did they know? Did they suspect that she was not really their daughter… well not completely?

Anne stepped forward to lay a hand on Ranko’s brow, carefully avoiding her bump. Nodding as she noted a lack of temperature, she bowed slightly before stepping back to the Baron’s side.

Luigi Claes spoke, his voice gentle and calm.

“It appears your bump to the head had a slightly greater impact that we first thought Katerina, Anne noticed that your hair was changing colour and called me to see if you needed a further checkup. I agreed and asked a few local magic users to give me their opinions.”

He gestured to the strangers.

“Carlos and Michael assure me that your magic is unharmed, in fact it appears that your little accident may have had an unexpected benefit. It had the side effect of changing your hair colour but I think that is a small price to pay. Congratulations my daughter, you have unlocked a previously unknown element of magic!”

Ranko froze and fear washed through her. It couldn't have followed her here. Please let her be wrong.

“That…that’s great Father. What type of magic is it? And what about my hair?”

Luigi reached forward and pulled forward a strand of Ranko’s hair.

Pink. The familiar tone pulled at her heartstrings, both elation and fear. Her hair. Her beautiful pink hair. How she had loved it. She reached up and gently took the strand.

“It’s beautiful Father. And my magic?”

Stranger A cleared his throat. “We don’t really know how to classify it, it seems to have subsumed your previous earth affinity and fluctuates between the different elements. It’s unpredictable nature leaves a lot unknown to us at this time but we are tentatively calling this the Chaos or Wild element.”

Stranger B looked like he was almost jumping up and down with excitement.

“We look forward to working with you in the future Claes-sama, I promise that we will help you chart and train your magic. It is such an honour to get the opportunity to help you in this manner.”

Katerina gave a ghost of a smile and turned to Anne.

“Anne, could I please get a cup of tea? I feel I need something for my nerves.”

“Straight away Katerina-sama”

Ranko sat in silence until Anne returned with her hot drink and took it gratefully. Once it was in her hand, she tried to still her hands as she prepared herself.

‘Please… please don’t do this to me. I need this to be a mistake. Please, I’m finally what I need to be.”

She ‘accidentally’ fumbled the tea cup.

The tea splashed her and she screamed at the heat, her eyes closed.

“Katerina? Katerina? Oh Goddess are you ok?”

“Katerina-sama?! I’ll get a towel and change of clothes!”

Ranko opened her eyes and pulled a strand of her hair into view. Still pink. She subtly patted herself down. She hadn’t changed. She hadn’t changed!

Tears spilled from her eyes and she began to bawl as her father grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. Anne ran in and quickly helped her change after shooing the strangers from the room. Soon she was dry again and cradled in her father's lap as Anne hovered around Rank cried, sobbing her heart out as she felt all the pain of what she had lost, and the overwhelming feelings of happiness at what she had gained. Ranko cried herself to sleep and dreamed of a room, lit by twinkling points of light, the sound of anime in the background and a warm shoulder pressed against hers. A sweet voice whispered in her ear, chiding her, helping her forwards and accepting her for who she was.

-:-

Sadness stood holding Happiness’s hand, the two of them looking through a scrap book of memories that lay spread out on the council table.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she picked up a polaroid and brought it close so Happiness could look at it too. It was a picture of two girls, one wearing a Furinken uniform and the other a red Chinese kung-fu shirt and black pants.

They were looking through a guide book to Fortune Lover, the brunette pointing excitedly at a picture of Prince Geordo. He was all grown up and the text beneath his character profile was indistinct. The pinkette was listening attentively and smiling softly at the excitement on her companion’s face. They were lying on their front, cushioned by an old fluffy carpet, the room they lay in was lit by fairy lights. Each girl had a hand laying on on the other's, neither noticing their fingers gently intertwined.

Happiness rubbed Sadnesses back as tears impacted the polaroid.

“Goodbye Sayuri-chan, Thank you for everything you gave us. We loved you... We loved you... We loved you...”

End Chapter One.

My Next Life as a Villainess Martial Artist, All Routes Lead to Doom. - Chapter 1 - StardustX86 (2024)
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