Octavia used to be an ordinary Japanese teen. Well, an ordinary fujoshi, that is. And now she’s living in the world of her favorite boys’ love series between the first prince of a kingdom and a baron’s son with questions about his background.
But as much as Maki, now Octavia, would love to enjoy witnessing Prince Sirius and Sil’s romance with her own eyes, in her new life, it’s aggravating. Because in the novel, Octavia is Sirius’ sister and vows to give up her firstborn child so the kingdom can have an heir. But Maki-Octavia wants to experience love herself! Octavia needs to find a boyfriend first — and fast, having lied about having one. But in a world where heterosexuality is the minority and plenty of eyes are on her, will Octavia manage to find a fake lover, let alone a real one?
Shoujo isekai is currently dominated by villainess (usually villainess in otome game) stories, so at least The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices bucks the trend by having the protagonist be a side character. Plus, while Octavia is unhappy about the idea of having to give birth so her brother can raise a child, Octavia isn’t dissatisfied with her position as princess. It’s not like she’s planning to run off and start some sort of café or something like other reincarnated lady nobles novels and manga. Octavia states she has already accepted the fact she’ll be entered into a political marriage, but she feels Sirius should handle the problem of an heir himself. She doesn’t want to sacrifice all of her happiness so Sirius can easily have his happy ending.
I already mentioned The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices goes against the grain in regards to its setup, but I’d even take it a step further and say the series is a bit of a subversion of the villainess trope. While in most shoujo isekai, the scary-looking or haughty young noblewoman keep inadvertently gaining admiration, Octavia is inadvertently gaining suspicion. Her choice of feathers for her, for instance, are similar to the goddess of hell’s familiars. Not to mention her recent randomly picked bodyguard is Klifford Alderton, a man who gained dark fame during the last war.
Klifford also happens to be an adjutant, a mystic being who swears allegiance to a sovereign, vowing to protect them with supernatural powers. Octavia is surprised by this fact and doubly so when Klifford names her his sovereign. But she goes with it since having a loyal retainer will make her life — including finding a boyfriend — easier even as others question her motives.
One of those people questioning Octavia’s motives is Sirius. Octavia says this world is essentially magicless outside of adjutants, but there is some sort of outside force affecting Sirius. Octavia also adores Alexis, and while the scary boyish warrior seems to dote on her, he either is crossing into yandere territory or has a deeper secret. Throw in the king who warns Octavia Klifford is “poison”, and there are certainly plenty of intrigue here.
The art, I feel, could have used a little more BL inspiration, as while The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices is a shoujo tale, this is supposed to be a BL world. I’m not sure how spicy the books Maki read were, but at the very least, it might have helped ease the disconnect between some of the dark undertones with religious uprisings and such between the more cutesy visual atmosphere. I also couldn’t help but think that Octavia’s education, despite being a princess, must have been rather lackluster. She makes comments like, “My tutors never told me that!” a few times, and it’s like, what did her tutors teach her? Octavia at least mentions skipping out on dance lessons, but even if Octavia was just as diligent in other subjects, you’d think she’d pick up on some details about this world/her kingdom naturally.
But The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices volume 1 is a natural pick-up for any shoujo isekai fan who wants a break from the more common fare. There doesn’t seem to be any reverse harem hijinks in the making, and instead of fighting off accusations she’s bullied a classmate, Octavia may have to fight off accusations she’s usurping the throne. I usually end up favoring one part of the plot I’m most interested in, but all these mysteries, foreshadowing, character backgrounds, and yes, even the romance have my mind filled to the brim with possible theories. I can’t wait to see if any of them are right.