Chapter 39 | How to Not Get Executed as an Otome Game Villainess

Thankfully, the sudden stiffness faded from my body.

But honestly, there was already no turning back.

Dozens of spectating Magic Department students surrounded me, the tall Waldenburg stood right in front of me, and beside me, Liliana was practically steaming from her head.

In any case, I took a deep breath. Under the current circumstances, my mind was racing at a thousand miles an hour. I could solve this. I had to believe in myself. After all, I could finally move my body again.

Just as I was about to say something like, “Ahahaha, this is all a misunderstanding,” to brush it off and make a quiet exit—damn it, I couldn't move again! It seemed I was forced to play this out!

How tragic!

Left with no choice, I had to hold onto Liliana first, pulling her a little closer to me.

A faint scent of shampoo drifted from her, reminiscent of some flower or fresh grass after rain.

They stood close together, their silhouettes reflected in each other's eyes.

The surrounding crowd began to whisper.

“Oh my god... Lady Loris...”

“What did she just say?”

“Is she serious?”

“No way...”

Waldenburg watched this scene, falling into a very long silence.

Upon his face, which was usually completely devoid of expression, a faint, discernible trace of confusion finally surfaced.

He was probably thinking: What on earth is she doing?

Then, he spoke.

“Miss Aldheim.”

He addressed me by my family name. His voice was still low, but it carried a few degrees more chill than when he was speaking to Liliana.

“You and her... what exactly is your relationship?”

My lips parted as my body began to move on its own again.

Even if it wasn't what I wanted.

“That is unimportant,” my voice said, entirely against my will but dripping with that characteristic, insufferable arrogance. “What matters is—”

Waldenburg's eyelid twitched.

This was the second time his expression had changed today.

He probably felt that the rumors about the Duke's daughter were indeed true.

Quite an absurd conversation, wasn't it? But I wasn't even supposed to be the one appearing here in the first place. If the scene had been two male characters fighting over the heroine Liliana, it would have been much more normal.

Liliana finally snapped out of her daze.

“Um...” her voice was very soft, “Lady Loris, you...”

I quickly loosened my grip.

And then...

“...” Liliana muttered.

Because of various reasons, things had ended up this way.

Don't ask. If you do, the answer is simply that I had no control over my own body.

Waldenburg was somewhat displeased, but it wasn't easy for him to lose his temper. If it had been Alden, the plot would have probably turned violent and immediately transitioned into a duel. However, because of my status, it was a bit difficult for him to act. In that case, perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope?

“Could it be that you, Miss Aldheim, also...?” Waldenburg asked bluntly.

Heavens, there went my glimmer of hope.

“Eh?!?!” Liliana's expression was incredibly animated.

I was about to say Alden's line, “Of course!” to admit it, since that was how the plot was supposed to go. But if I did, there would be no turning back! Damn it, move, you stupid mouth!

“This... what do you think you're doing?”

I used almost all of my strength just to squeeze out this single sentence. I was completely exhausted, but I had managed to change things ever so slightly.

This sentence carried a deep meaning. Could it be interpreted as only I am allowed to bully her? In any case, this was the absolute limit of what I could do. After all, this line had appeared before, and I still hadn't achieved complete freedom of speech.

Waldenburg took another deep breath.

“Miss Aldheim.” His voice was slightly lower than before, carrying a tone I had never heard from him—part warning, part testing. “Let her go. I believe you are simply bullying this commoner girl.”

Phew, the vibe had finally shifted back to normal.

Yes, yes, yes! There was no romantic affection at all, just me bullying Liliana... Ah, wait!

Isn't this just digging my own grave and jumping into the fire?

“And what if I say no?” At that moment, my mouth moved on its own again.

Damn it! This stupid mouth just had to move on its own at a time like this!

“Then I will make you let her go.” Waldenburg's hand rested on the hilt of his sword, his posture exceedingly hostile.

After several twists and turns, this was my true situation: opposing the righteous male leads and acting as the villainess!

But wait, damn it, the heroine is right behind me!

The surrounding crowd gasped.

The strongest first-year of the Swordsmanship Department against one of the strongest first-years of the Magic Department—who wouldn't want to watch such a showdown?

But right now, I was in no mood to care about any of that.

If everything went as expected, something unexpected was about to happen. Naturally, in the original plot, right after Alden finished his provocative line, he immediately did something that made the entire game forum explode.

He raised his hand and then attempted to...

Back then, the players who saw this part felt their hearts skip a beat. Fortunately, he was stopped by Waldenburg in the end, so it didn't actually happen.

But that step was indeed part of the plot.

And at this very moment, no new warning had been issued.

What did this mean?

It meant—

An unresolved, regretful line of dialogue.

Although I looked at Waldenburg with a playful, mocking expression—as if looking down on his threat—in reality, I was sweating bullets, already drafting my last will and testament. If I survived this, I would absolutely never cut any character's plotline again!

Liliana probably thought I was going to let her go.

...

Her eyes were filled with confusion, but why was there also a tiny bit of... something else?

For some reason,

In short, the surrounding area became as silent as the Titanic.

Time seemed to stand still once more.

The sounds of gasps, books dropping, and someone crying out, “Oh my god,” all seemed to have been put on pause.

One second.

Two seconds.

I counted silently in my mind.

By the third second, I realized a problem.

What was it like again?

I couldn't think of it.

Because my brain had already overloaded.

Meanwhile, Waldenburg—the genius of the Swordsmanship Department, the cool swordsman, and one of the male leads—stood two paces away, his hand on his hilt, his dark gray eyes staring at this scene. He looked like a statue.

His lips parted slightly.

But no words came out.

This was probably the first time in his poker-faced life that he had encountered a situation where he simply did not know what expression to make.

After all, if the person standing in front of Liliana were a man—whether it was Alden or anyone else—he could draw his sword, demand answers, and resolve the issue with a duel.

But the one standing in front of Liliana right now was me.

The eldest daughter of the Aldheim family.

A girl.

In the same year.

Draw his sword?

What could he even do if he drew his sword? Cut me down? If he did that, he would be expelled from the academy tomorrow for “assaulting the eldest daughter of a Duke,” elevating the matter to an unthinkable level.

And if he didn't draw his sword?

Then he could only stand there and watch.

An intimate gesture occurred between us.

His expression shifted in such a rich manner for the third time.

If the first two times were merely his eyebrows twitching, this time, even the corner of his mouth twitched.

It curled downward.

It was probably a stress response from having his worldview shattered.

After a few long seconds.

Control over my body was finally restored.

I practically wanted to fall to my knees and thank Lord Providence.

But I couldn't collapse just yet. If there were a way to buy a ticket to leave this world and go to Mars, I would gladly collapse, but there wasn't. I still had to live here, even after causing such a scene.

Liliana stood there, looking extremely flustered and restless.

For instance, I could say, “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!” Or maybe, “I just lost a game of Truth or Dare, I didn't actually mean it that way!” Or I could even pull a classic overbearing CEO move from those TV dramas and say, “Here is five million!”

But none of those would work. I couldn't bring myself to say them!

So, in the end, what slipped out of my mouth was a cold snort that even I couldn't control—fully in character as Loris.

“Hmph.”

I was completely out of options.

The “hmph” was actually an internal scream of sheer agony.

My tight grip had likely left a faint red mark on her wrist.

I'm sorry.

I'm really, truly sorry.

But I couldn't say it aloud, because everyone present—including Liliana, Waldenburg, and the dozens of spectating students—was waiting for my next words.

So, I spoke.

“Don't think this is over,” I declared, channeling the persona of an overbearing young lady.

It was completely nonsensical, wasn't it? But I wasn't even supposed to be the character in this scene! Why was nobody around me pointing out how utterly absurd this dialogue script was?!

My voice trembled slightly beneath its icy exterior, as I did my best to maintain the signature condescending attitude of a villainous noble daughter.

Then I turned around. I could finally make my exit. I wanted nothing more than to bolt immediately, leaving behind a silhouette that looked as if it were bidding farewell to the world forever.

Waldenburg did not stop me. He simply pressed a hand to his forehead, looking either deeply troubled or utterly incapable of comprehending what had just transpired.

Having finally played out this scene, a subsequent voice echoed in my mind. It seemed the World's Will had also belatedly realized there was an issue—

【Warning: Duel segment missing from the plot.】

【The Human God is playing with great interest... Upon observation, the character “Alden Cross” has exited the main stage.】

【The plotline connecting Waldenburg and the heroine Liliana has successfully been initiated. Warning dismissed.】

【Everything is normal.】

Normal my foot!

I was practically on the verge of tears internally, but this time I heard a novel term. What on earth was the “Human God”?

Could it be that the reason I ended up like this was because of some behind-the-scenes force... Well, of course there was a mastermind. It was perfectly normal for a fantasy world of swords and magic to have gods.

The issue was that, currently, everything seemed fine. After all, Alden wouldn't end up with Liliana anyway; his presence was only relevant in the early stages of the game.

And having finished playing out this scene, it was equivalent to having the entire process wrong but the final outcome completely correct. As long as Waldenburg established a connection, it was fine.

Case in point:

Liliana stood there, her face flushed red with embarrassment.

In short, Waldenburg and Liliana had made contact, so the system judged it as successful.

Meanwhile, the surroundings were so quiet it felt as if no one was there.

They simply watched me walk over, and the crowd abruptly parted to make way for me.

Utterly respectful.

My lips twitched, but I still maintained as much dignity as I could. Flipping my blonde hair behind my shoulder, I walked away, leaving the entrance of the Magic Department's academic building behind.

I didn't even dare to imagine what kind of rumors would spread tomorrow. Bullying a commoner girl in public like this—if I were a guy, it would have been social execution, wouldn't it? My actions would probably be seen as trying to obstruct their normal romance!

From bad to worse. Is this just what life is?

I could never have predicted that taking one step out of the academic building would lead to this kind of development!

Thinking pessimistically, if Liliana went to complain to the teachers, wouldn't my behavior count as outright bullying?

Once I had walked far enough away with my complicated feelings,

someone finally broke the silence, whispering.

“Oh my god... Oh my god, oh my god...”

“Did you see that?” another student murmured.

“But...”

“Who cares how many! That's a member of the Aldheim family! Who would dare say a single word against her?”

“It's not a matter of daring or not... it's just, that was so shocking...”

Liliana remained standing in place, her mind in a complete whirl.

In short, I quickened my pace, leaving the place in utter mortification.

I didn't dare look back.

...

—Magic Department Academic Building Entrance—

A massive crowd was eagerly gathering to gossip.

The students of Magic Department First Year Class B were also there, having just finished class. This included Loris's good friend, Misha, who was walking out from the corner of the stairs clutching her books just as the late afternoon sunlight fell upon her face.

Misha watched Loris's back, a strange pang of jealousy blooming in her chest.

She subconsciously narrowed her eyes.

Lady Loris's golden hair framed her face, but there was nothing, and even...

Misha felt a bit lightheaded. What on earth is going on? She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but no matter how many times she blinked or rubbed them, the scene before her remained exactly the same.

Misha...

Her eyes dimmed.

A wave of unspoken emotions washed over her.

No one heard her; everyone's gaze was focused entirely on those two.

...

And there was yet another spectator.

Klaus stood dumbfounded on the second-floor corridor of the academic building, looking down at the dramatic scene. Beside him were several of his friends. They had been discussing what had just happened, and standing upstairs provided an excellent vantage point.