The Mob Noble Lady Whose Inner Voice Leaks Everywhere Has No Idea Her Faves Can Hear It All - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: As Soon as I Blew Out the Candles, I Realized I Was a Mob Character Destined to Die at 17

[Liese’s Perspective]

The second she blew out the candles, the memories came rushing back.

(Wait… I’m a mob character who’s going to die of an illness at age seventeen.)

She was sitting in the cozy dining room of her grandparents' estate. On the table sat a wild raspberry cake baked by the chef, thin wisps of smoke curling up from fifteen candles.

“Liese? Dear, what’s wrong?”

Her grandmother’s voice snapped her out of it. Her grandfather was also looking over at her with a worried expression.

“…It’s nothing. Thank you, Grandmother. And Grandfather, too.”

She knew she ought to smile, but her facial muscles remained as stubborn as ever.

Her grandmother offered a gentle, sympathetic smile and served Liese the largest slice. For the past four years, she had done the exact same thing every single year.

◇

That night, Liese lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Memories she had no right possessing overflowed in her mind. A cramped room with white walls. A handheld gaming device gripped tight well into the night. In her past life, she had poured her heart and soul into a specific otome game.

(I remember. I remember every single bit of it.)

Liese sat up abruptly.

(I cleared every character route. A 100% CG gallery completion rate. I read both volumes of the official fanbook—the Main Story and the Side Story guides—until the corners were completely worn round. I even owned the limited-edition bonus booklet! I didn't just have one favorite; I was an all-out fan of the whole cast!)

She knew their favorite foods, their quirks, and the secrets they kept hidden from the world. She could even name the birthdays of the capture targets' family members. It had been her own modest badge of honor in her previous life.

(And I’ve been reincarnated inside that very game world…!)

Liese grabbed her pillow, buried her face in it, and kicked her feet wildly. On the outside, her expression remained totally blank.

Eventually, after finishing her silent frenzy, her legs came to a halt.

She recalled a page in the official fanbook—the family tree. Right at the tip of a small branch for the Marquis Ahrens family, printed in tiny font, was a single note:

—Lieselotte Ahrens (Died of illness at age 17)

There had also been a single line in the main game's epilogue. After the heroine’s story closed and the epilogue text scrolled across the screen, one of the notes read:

—That winter, the second daughter of the Prime Minister’s family passed away from illness.

No character sprite. No voiced lines. Just a line of background text stating a name, an age of death, and a season.

That was her.

(…Of all the characters to end up as, it just had to be that one.)

Still clutching her pillow, Liese slowly rolled onto her back.

Four years ago, Liese had been sent away to stay at this estate. Back at the main mansion, her stepmother had constantly labeled her "the unsmiling child." Her father, older brother, and older sister hadn't been able to shield her completely, so she had always assumed she was just being gotten rid of.

However, the fanbook revealed something else entirely: her father had sent her away to protect her.

(…I get it now. I was loved all along.)

Her mind drifted back to the morning she left the main mansion. Before she boarded the carriage, her father had knelt down in front of her, his face rigid.

—When you turn fifteen, come back home. You must.

She hadn't understood what he meant back then, but she had given a small nod anyway. A promise was a promise. Plus, she needed to prepare for her debut into society. Now that she was fifteen, it was time to return.

(My stepmother is still there, isn't she? I'm not good with her. Even in the fanbook, her whole character was summed up as "puts on a good face for strangers.")

Her heart felt heavy. Liese buried half her face back into her pillow.

(Then again, I'll get to live under the same roof as the characters from my absolute favorite game. Big Brother, Big Sister, and Theo... I'll get to see the family from my favorite game up close every single day!)

That, at least, was something to look forward to.

(I have two years left. I'll watch over all the best scenes, and when I turn seventeen, I'll make a quiet exit. Just like a single line of background text—without being a burden to anyone.)

There was no need to count her as part of the family; that was simply the role she had been given.

Liese closed her eyes. Tomorrow, she would start packing.

◇

Ten days later, a carriage from the main estate arrived to pick her up.

Her grandmother held Liese’s hands in a long embrace at the front gate, while her grandfather silently adjusted her shawl.

Along the post-rain highway, the carriage suddenly ground to a halt.

“Milady, there is someone collapsed on the road.”

At the driver’s call, Liese opened the window. Huddled in the mud was a figure wrapped in a white cloak—someone whose age was impossible to tell, looking like both a child and an old soul all at once.

“We should leave them be. It could be a highwayman's trap.”

“No. Stop the carriage.”

Liese stepped down into the mud, her shoes getting dirty instantly. Ignoring it, she dropped to her knees and held out a canteen.

The figure in white drank the water slowly, their wet shoulders trembling. Liese took off the shawl her grandfather had just straightened for her and gently draped it over their shoulders.

“…What a heavy, weary heart you carry.”

A pair of silver eyes stared intently up at Liese.

“As a token of my thanks, just one thing: May your voice reach the ones you truly wish to hear it.”

With those words, the stranger turned and walked toward the forest. By the time Liese blinked, they were already gone. Not a single footprint remained in the mud.

(What was that about just now? 'May your voice reach them'... What a lovely phrase.)

A traveler's blessing, perhaps? Liese took it as such and climbed back into the carriage with her muddy shoes.

◇

It was dusk when she finally reached the main mansion.

Passing through the gates, a familiar garden opened up before her. Four years ago, Liese had walked through this exact garden alone to board that carriage. She still remembered the parting words her stepmother had spat out as she watched her off:

—Finally, I won't have to look at that creepy child's face anymore. Never so much as a smile, and throwing fevers all the time just like her mother.

Ever since she was little, she was guaranteed to come down with a fever whenever the seasons changed. During winter, once she was bedridden, she couldn't get up for half a month. She had overheard the servants whispering that her biological mother had been frail as well. The second half of her stepmother's words had been the honest truth.

Standing at the entrance was the butler along with several servants lined up in formation.

Off to the side, a group of maids wearing matching gold ribbons on their chests were whispering among themselves. They were the maidservants her stepmother had brought along when she married into the family.

“Is that the unsmiling young lady?”

Liese pretended not to hear. It was a phrase she had heard all too often four years ago.

Just then, an elderly head maid with silver-streaked hair stepped forward. She had been with the household since Liese was tiny.

“Welcome home, Lady Liese. We have prepared your room in the east corner, just as before.”

With a single glance, the head maid silenced the whispering maids and bowed deeply to Liese alone, a hint of tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.

Next, the butler bowed impeccably at the waist.

“I am the butler, Heinz. The Master and the young masters are waiting for you in the dining room.”

(Heinz the butler... In the fanbook, he was just a named background character.)

The dining room she was guided to was far larger than she remembered. Standing at the head of the long table was her father, Georg. Beside him were her older brother Albert, her older sister Johanna, and her younger brother Theo.

Her family, seen for the first time in four years.

(Father... looks a bit thinner than he did in his fanbook illustration.)

Her father’s eyebrows twitched slightly. His gaze darted past Liese’s shoulder to Heinz standing behind her, but Heinz simply stood at attention with a cool, composure-filled face.

Liese pinched her skirt and gave a deep, formal curtsy.

“I am honored by your invitation.”

For a moment, silence blanketed the dining room.

“…We did not invite you.”

It was her brother who broke the silence, his tone stiff.

“This is your home.”

(Big Brother's always so rigid and perfectionist with his words, aren't they? But the official material said he's a total softie toward his family.)

Beside him, Johanna let out a quiet ahem. She pressed a napkin to her mouth and, for some reason, glanced toward the doorway. Theo looked restless, his eyes darting anxiously around the room.

There were two empty seats at the table.

“The Mistress and Lady Emma are attending a tea party today,” Heinz announced softly.

(Thank goodness. After sending me off saying she couldn't stand looking at a creepy kid's face, she's the last person I'd want to run into.)

A sharp clink echoed as the glass in her father’s hand rattled. A deep furrow formed between her brother’s brows. Her sister gripped her napkin tightly, staring fixedly at the vacant chairs.

Maintaining her impassive facade, Liese took her assigned seat.

Everyone seemed terribly restless. They probably just didn't know how to interact with a daughter they hadn't seen in four years—or so Liese assumed.

The soup was served, and awkward small talk began. How was the journey? How were her grandparents doing? Her father’s questions were brief, and Liese’s answers were equally short.

“…You’ve grown taller.”

Johanna offered quietly. Liese merely answered, “Yes.”

(Big Sister's voice is so gorgeous! Nineteen years old, the flower of high society! In the CGs, we only ever got her side profile, but she's completely flawless from the front, too!)

The napkin slipped right out of Johanna’s hand, fluttering down onto her lap. For some reason, the tips of her fingers turned bright red as she reached down to retrieve it.

Theo was the only one who barely spoke a word. Every now and then, he would glance at Liese's face as if trying to verify something.

(Theo's grown so much! Fourteen years old... He looks just a tiny bit younger than his original game CG!)

A bread roll dropped straight out of Theo's hand and plopped onto the table.

Her father pinched the bridge of his nose, and her brother cleared his throat softly. Still clutching her retrieved napkin, her sister was staring up at the ceiling for reasons unknown.

(Is everyone... tired, maybe?)

Liese tilted her head in confusion and brought a spoonful of soup to her mouth.

“Your preparations for your debut will begin tomorrow,” her father said in a low voice.

“I have already summoned the tailor. If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to speak up.”

“Thank you very much. Whatever is already available will be more than sufficient.”

(I'm only going to wear it once anyway. I'll just have them make it out of the cheapest fabric available.)

Her father’s spoon struck the edge of his bowl with a loud clink. Her brother opened his mouth to say something, then immediately shut it. Her sister and Theo exchanged wide-eyed glances at their father's face in unison.

Without another word spoken by anyone, the soup bowls were cleared away.

Before long, the main course arrived. Liese blinked as she looked at the plate set down in front of her brother. Herbed grilled prawns were neatly arranged on the porcelain.

(Oh, prawns right in front of Big Brother... Even though he's allergic! It's mild, but he still breaks out in hives. I should probably mention that to the head chef later.)

A sharp clatter echoed through the room.

The fork had slipped right out of her father's hand.

Her brother froze completely, staring down at his plate. Her sister’s hand stopped dead on her napkin. Theo sat there with his mouth half open.

All four pairs of eyes were pinned straight onto Liese.

Liese’s mouth remained firmly shut.

“…Is something the matter?”

Nobody answered her.

(Did I... fold my napkin wrong or something?)

The glass held in Johanna’s hand began to tremble uncontrollably.

And so our new story begins! I'm excited to start translating this novel and share Liese's journey with you. I hope you'll enjoy following her story as much as I enjoy bringing it to you. Thank you for reading, and see you in the next chapter!