Chapter 38 | How to Not Get Executed as an Otome Game Villainess

The scene shifted to 4:00 PM.

The sinking sun heralded the arrival of dusk.

At the main entrance of the Magic Department's academic building was a short corridor paved with blue-gray stone slabs, which the students affectionately called the Mage's Path. At this moment, the twilight filtered through the columns, carving the ground into a grid of alternating light and shadow.

Then, the clock tower chimed, signaling the end of classes.

And Waldenburg, one of the male leads of the otome game, was standing at the bottom of the steps outside the main entrance of the academic building.

Leaning against the wall with his eyes closed to rest, he stood perfectly straight, his short black hair slightly ruffled by the evening breeze.

He looked as though he were waiting for someone.

The white Swordsmanship Department uniform fit him better than anyone else, and the unadorned longsword at his waist cast a long, thin, dark shadow in the setting sun.

Yes, he had been waiting here for ten minutes, wanting to ask Liliana about something.

Although hard to understand from an ordinary person's perspective, he was no ordinary person to begin with.

His physical training that afternoon had ended earlier than expected. After showering and changing, as he passed by the Magic Department's academic building, his footsteps had stopped on their own when he recalled what he had heard that morning—rumors about Liliana spread by a few of his classmates.

He figured there was no harm in waiting a little, so he stood here.

Before long, students in dark blue uniforms trickled out of the foyer in twos and threes. Some carried textbooks, some held leather cases filled with magical equipment, and others chatted and laughed with their companions as they walked.

Then, they also saw Waldenburg.

He leaned against a column, arms crossed over his chest, his dark gray eyes staring toward the foyer, devoid of expression.

The first girl to notice him slowed her pace, unconsciously clutching her books a little tighter.

Her companion followed her gaze, and the two exchanged a knowing look. Their steps slowed even further, as if they wanted to steal a few more glances but were too embarrassed to actually stop.

“It's Waldenburg...”

“Why is he here? This is the Magic Department's building, right?”

“Is he waiting for someone?”

“Who is he waiting for? He's actually waiting for someone?”

Whispers rippled like wind over water. A few bolder girls intentionally slowed down as they walked past him, even turning their heads slightly in hopes that he might spare them a glance.

But Waldenburg did not look at anyone.

His gaze remained fixed on the foyer, waiting quietly and patiently.

Until another group of people emerged from the foyer.

Fiona's dark red curly hair stood out in the crowd. She was clutching Liliana's arm, chattering away about something.

Liliana walked beside her, a canvas bag slung over her shoulder, her light pink hair slightly messy from the wind, a few stray strands clinging to her cheeks.

Waldenburg's gaze fell upon her.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to step forward.

Straightening up from the column, he walked over with steady steps, as if to greet an acquaintance.

Remember the incident on Saturday morning? Alden had brought two lackeys, intending to play the hero saving the damsel in distress, but unfortunately failed halfway and fled in panic. That event did not pass without consequences; for instance, the broad-shouldered boy—one of the parties involved—happened to be in the same class as Waldenburg.

While sharing interesting stories from the weekend, that boy had poured his heart out about the incident.

Naturally, Waldenburg, being his classmate, heard about it too.

From the boy's account, it seemed that the commoner girl—the one who had made Waldenburg's heart flutter—wasn't entirely unattached, but already had a suitable match? In the retelling, the broad-shouldered boy had painted Alden as Liliana's pursuer, claiming he was just one step away from success.

Hearing this, Waldenburg felt an inexplicable sense of restlessness. Considering she was the first girl in his life to ever pique his interest, he truly could not sit by and do nothing.

And so, he now stood before her.

Although such behavior was also unusual, he was an otome male lead. In this game world, the male leads naturally revolved around the heroine, like the Earth around the Sun.

In any case, back to the scene.

“Excuse me,” Waldenburg said flatly.

Fiona stumbled slightly as she realized he was standing right in front of them.

She had been chatting happily, but her words caught in her throat at the sight of a major heartthrob.

She glanced at Waldenburg, then at Liliana beside her. It was obvious he wasn't here for her, leaving only one possibility.

So Fiona opened her mouth, closed it again, and swallowed.

“...Liliana,” Fiona whispered, her tone carrying an irrepressible mix of excitement and gossip. “What's going on?”

“Eh?” Liliana was equally baffled and looked up.

And then, she saw him.

The boy she saw feeding pigeons in the square; the boy she met while borrowing books; and now, the boy standing here.

These figures overlapped, but she knew nothing of the famous rumors, nor did she care.

Meanwhile, Waldenburg had walked up to them, stopping two paces away. He was more than half a head taller than both girls.

The sunlight cast from behind him, outlining his silhouette in a warm orange glow. His dark gray eyes looked down at Liliana.

“Um, Liliana,” Fiona let go of her arm and took a step back, her voice light enough to sound like a hum, “I just remembered Sarah asked me to bring her a book. I'll head out first!”

“Eh? But—”

“See you tomorrow!”

Fiona winked at Liliana, spun around, and left. She walked briskly, her dark red curls bouncing behind her. After a few steps, she even looked back, unable to hide the grin on her face.

Then, she jogged away and disappeared around the corner of the corridor.

Then, she poked her head back out, not forgetting to call Sarah and her other close classmates over to watch the drama.

“Hey, over here~” Fiona hissed.

As for Liliana, she stood in place, opening her mouth and then closing it again.

She turned her head to look at Waldenburg.

“...Um, do you need something from me?”

Her tone was somewhat confused but not fearful, her light brown eyes widening slightly.

Waldenburg looked at her, remaining silent for two seconds.

The passersby around them had already begun to slow their steps.

A white-clad boy from the Swordsmanship Department standing in front of the Magic Department's academic building, facing a pink-haired commoner girl—this combination was simply too juicy of a topic.

Several passing girls from the Magic Department deliberately took the long way around, walking past them in hopes of eavesdropping.

“Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?” Waldenburg said.

“Right here,” he added bluntly.

Liliana hesitated for a moment, then gave a subtle nod.

She could feel the gazes around her. Eyes darted in from all directions, and a few girls had already stopped nearby, pretending to chat while casting looks of pure envy and jealousy.

“Okay... go ahead.”

Waldenburg lowered his eyes, seemingly choosing his words.

He wasn't particularly good at this sort of thing.

But this time was different.

“I heard about something,” he finally spoke, his voice still low and flat.

Liliana tilted her head.

“What is it?”

Waldenburg's gaze fell upon her face, intensely serious—perhaps a bit too serious.

“Last Saturday, you were at a cafe.”

Liliana's brow twitched.

“Someone went to find you,” Waldenburg continued. “Alden Cross. He brought a few people with him...”

“Ah...” Liliana's expression turned a bit complicated. She hadn't expected this matter to spread so widely, but what did it have to do with him?

Liliana didn't understand for now, though she felt a strange shyness. From a player's perspective, a few dialogue options would probably have popped up by now. After all, Waldenburg was a romanceable character, and he was about to make a forceful, overbearing-CEO-style move.

But Liliana possessed free will.

Waldenburg was still questioning her.

Meanwhile, a certain blonde girl, followed by several young ladies, walked out of the building. Holding her folding fan, she raised an eyebrow and looked over.

...

—Magic Department Academic Building Entrance—

Having just finished a day of classes, my head was absolutely splitting.

“Lady Loris, would you care to join us for dinner?”

The girls crowding around me were trying to curry favor again.

“No.”

It wasn't some grand ball, yet they still felt the need to invite me. Besides, the cafeteria food wasn't even that good. Spare me, please.

Anyway, I walked out of the academic building, just passing by.

I originally just wanted to take a shortcut back to the dormitory.

But the main entrance of the Magic Department's building was packed to the brim. I had no idea what was going on, but it seemed like some juicy gossip had broken out, with a crowd of people stretching their necks to peer inside.

I had zero interest in this, but they were blocking my way out.

After squeezing my way through with great effort, I finally popped my head out.

As I reached the corner of the side corridor, a white figure caught the corner of my eye.

A Swordsmanship Department uniform.

I didn't care at first, but next to that white uniform was a splash of light pink. The scene was incredibly bizarre.

So much so that my footsteps ground to a halt.

Liliana... and a black-haired boy? It had to be one of the male leads.

Liliana was standing under the stone-paved corridor outside the main entrance of the Magic Department's building, with the black-haired boy standing right in front of her.

The boy was considerably taller than her, and the white Swordsmanship Department uniform looked much sharper on him than on anyone else. An unadorned longsword hung from his waist.

He was looking down at Liliana, his lips moving as he spoke.

Liliana's face was gradually flushing red.

I narrowed my eyes.

Oh...

I remember now.

This black-haired guy must be Waldenburg, one of the male leads.

As the Swordsmanship Department's genius with a Level Ten mana capacity, he was a man of few words who never initiated conversations. His archetype in the game was the “cool swordsman”—while the “cool swordsman” archetype in otome games was as cliché as ketchup with fries, there was no denying that everyone fell for it.

“Brother, look, he's so handsome!”

“What's so handsome about him? He's just a poker face.”

“What do you know!”

Similar dialogues had occurred many times back then.

And now, he was standing in front of Liliana, asking a question that made her blush.

Though I couldn't hear them, combining the reactions of the surrounding girls—who looked ready to scream “Oh my god,” “No way,” and “Waldenburg actually”—

along with Liliana's flustered reaction...

I seemed to have figured it out. I pressed a hand to my forehead as the blurry memories from this morning suddenly flashed clearly in my mind like a revolving lantern.

It seemed to be that exact plotline...

The fragments of memory pieced themselves together one by one.

In the normal game, after Alden's “heroic rescue” at the cafe, Liliana developed a slight (though small) impression of him.

Then, Alden struck while the iron was hot, showering her with attention around the academy, making everyone believe Liliana was his target and that he was about to succeed.

Subsequently, Waldenburg, who had already experienced various chance encounters with her, blocked Liliana in front of the Magic Department's academic building.

He asked her if she had a boyfriend.

A very domineering yet perfectly satisfying move.

After that, Alden would pop out of nowhere, grab Liliana's wrist, pull her to his side, and declare she was his in front of Waldenburg. The two male characters would then engage in a jealous dispute.

Waldenburg would watch this, remain silent for a moment, and then deliver a line that counted as an iconic scene in the entire game—

“If that is the case, then let the sword decide.”

Then, the two would duel.

Alden would lose, and Liliana's affection for Waldenburg would skyrocket.

That was roughly how the sequence of events went.

Yes, a classic trope.

Two men fighting over one woman; the loser exits automatically, and the winner wins the heroine's heart. Though logically flawed—since when does winning a duel automatically win a woman's heart?—romance was always more important than logic.

Right at that moment, I saw Alden appear.

Oh, oh! Next should be the beloved scene of fighting over the girl.

I watched Alden take a look, grit his teeth in grief and anger, and walk over from the other end of the corridor with his head lowered.

The top two buttons of his collar were undone, and his hair wasn't meticulously slicked back with pomade like usual; a few loose curls hung down, covering half his forehead.

He didn't grab Liliana's wrist. There was no “she is mine” declaration, no confrontation, and no conflict.

Nothing at all.

He just walked right past.

Like a gust of wind, he left nothing behind.

I stared at his retreating back, blinking blankly.

Then, a sudden jolt ran through me.

Wait.

I remember.

The incident at the cafe earlier had severed the plotline of Alden pursuing Liliana. However, Waldenburg's side of the plot would still progress normally.

Which meant—

Without Alden to disrupt things, there would be no conflict and no claiming of ownership.

What would happen next?

Don't tell me Waldenburg would just succeed after asking his question and start pursuing Liliana directly?

But if that happened, what about the Crown Prince, Leonhart? Dammit! I was counting on Liliana to win him over and rescue me from this agonizing engagement!

If it really turned out like this, then that would be way too—

Just as my brain was spinning at top speed, my palm suddenly began to burn. Crap, this feeling was all too familiar!

No way...

No way!!!

I lowered my head stiffly, staring at my right hand.

The familiar warmth, the familiar burning sensation, the familiar, uncontrollable power surging out from the very marrow of my bones.

【Warning.】

That cold, emotionless voice rang out inside my head.

【Significant plot deviation detected.】

【Important Event—“Confrontation in Front of the Magic Department Academic Building”—trigger conditions incomplete.】

【Key Character “Alden Cross” failed to execute designated action.】

【Searching for alternative executor.】

An alternative executor?

What did that mean?

Who was going to replace him?

My hand had already stopped listening to me. It lifted from my side, slowly and irresistibly rising as if pulled by an invisible thread.

Then, my feet began to move as well.

From the corner of the side corridor, step by step, I walked toward Liliana and Waldenburg.

No, no, no, no, no—

I screamed frantically in my mind, but my body refused to obey.

The World's Will was controlling me, just like the day it made me slap Eliot, and just like the day it made me say those harsh words to Liliana after the mana test!

Crap, is this the consequence of casually altering the plot? I was wrong, Lord Providence!!

Had I known, perhaps I shouldn't have completely severed Alden's presence, because at this very moment, someone was needed to carry out the action Alden had abandoned.

In short, I walked stiffly up to Liliana.

She had been talking with Waldenburg, but when she looked up and saw me, a flicker of surprise crossed her light brown eyes.

“Lady Loris?”

Despairing, I did not answer.

I merely stretched out my hand with an expression of utter resignation and grabbed her firmly. I was completely under someone else's control now.

Liliana's body stiffened.

I pulled her over.

She was entirely filled with confusion and shock.

Then, I heard my own voice.

“She is...”

My voice was cold, carrying that typical condescending arrogance.

“Are you trying to make a move on her?”

The surroundings fell silent.

A silence so absolute it felt as though someone had pressed pause on everyone's breathing.

I saw Waldenburg's expression.

His eyebrows twitched.

Probably the most obvious change in his expression all day.

A crack of emotion finally showed on his poker face.

Those dark gray eyes shifted from Liliana to me, and then back to Liliana—who was currently being pulled by me, practically pressed against my side, her light pink hair brushing my shoulder.

She stared at me in utter bewilderment, her lips slightly parted, having no idea what was happening yet completely at a loss.

Then, Waldenburg's brow twitched again.

As if to say: What?

The mouths of the girls watching the drama dropped into even wider O-shapes.

Someone gasped sharply.

Someone dropped their books to the ground and didn't even bother to pick them up.

The air froze for about three seconds.

In those three seconds, a thousand wild thoughts raced through my mind.

I truly understood.

I understood completely.

I understood down to my very bones.

Originally, Alden was supposed to rush forward, grab Liliana, and say, “She is mine.”

Then, Waldenburg would challenge him to a duel.

But now, Alden was no longer pursuing Liliana, so he wouldn't come to grab her.

So, the World's Will found a substitute.

Me.

I was that substitute.

I was currently holding Liliana's wrist, delivering the line Alden was supposed to say— “She is...”.

What would happen next?

According to the original plot, after Alden said that, he would—

No.

No, no, no, please no!

My first kiss—!!!

I had already begun to recall, my toes curling in embarrassment as the game CGs my sister had forced me to watch flashed through my mind like a revolving lantern.

After Alden said “She is mine,”

Liliana would struggle to push him away.

Then, Alden would try to force a kiss on her, though he would be stopped by Waldenburg, who would grab his collar and fling him aside.

Yes, that was the sequence of events.

A forced kiss—which would fail.

Although it wouldn't connect, that step was indeed part of the plot.

Immediately after, Waldenburg would challenge him to a duel, with the reason being, “If you truly love her, prove it with your sword.” While I had confidence in my magic, if it came to swords, could I really defeat a male lead who was practically a child of destiny, relying only on the amateur skills Shirune had taught me over the past two years?

I was truly in despair.

Crap.

My first kiss... might be saved, but I really didn't want to invite this kind of trouble. Wasn't this blatantly opposing a male lead? Talk about speeding up my own demise!