The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

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The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

Chapter 134: Starting Line

After finishing Sonia’s terrifying story, I picked up some food to ease my mental fatigue.

“El. Is it delicious?”

“Hmm? Ah.”

“Lord Lewis. This looks delicious too. Please enjoy.”

“Thank you.”

For some reason, I was flanked by Iris and Fiera, mindlessly eating the food placed before me.

“So, Lord Lewis, if you don’t mind, could you introduce those two over there?”

Iris said this while looking at Shuvina, who was joyfully eating at lightning speed, and Sonia, who was laughing at her.

“Right. The gluttonous elf who’s devouring her food is Shuvina, whom I picked up during my travels. And the one who just made a crazy comment is Sonia Scarlet, whom I met when I visited the Magic Kingdom.”

“Hey, isn’t that a rather careless introduction of me?”

“True, I really want to know what’s so crazy about me.”

It seemed the two were unhappy with my introduction and glared at me with a slightly angry look.

“I see. So, Shuvina and Sonia, right? I’m Iris Pestelose, the second daughter of the House of Pestelose and Lord Lewis’s fiancée. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Thank you for the formal introduction. I’m Shuvina, the elf daughter governing the Eastern District of the Kingdom of God Tree, Otinia. I’ve traveled with Lewis as a fellow adventurer.”

“I’m Sonia Scarlet, a descendant of the first sage Igar Scarlet from the Magic Kingdom Falmel. Lewis helped me a lot during my time in the kingdom, including teaching me magic.”

“I’m Fiera Kirishabein, the third princess of the Beast Kingdom. I have a relationship with Lewis that involves a date.”

Iris and the others paused eating and introduced themselves, but everyone was shocked by Fiera’s introduction, and it was clear that Iris, Shuvina, and Sonia couldn’t hide their surprise.

“Wait, Fiera, you’re royalty from the Beast Kingdom?”

“I had no idea!”

“This is the biggest shock I’ve had in a while.”

The three momentarily froze in shock, but after Iris cleared her throat, she seemed to have more pressing questions than just the fact about being royalty and asked Fiera.

“I was surprised to hear you’re royalty, but more importantly, what do you mean by having gone on a date?”

“Hmm. Just what it sounds like. I went on a date with El. You don’t know what a date is?”

“I do. What I want to know is why you ended up going on a date.”

“Because we promised. As proof, I got a present from El.”

Fiera said this and pulled out a necklace with a golden gem attached to it from her bosom, showing it off to Iris as if to boast.

“That gem looks like… wait!”

After staring at the gem for a moment, Iris confirmed my eyes and then looked to my ears.

“Lord Lewis, those earrings…”

“Hmm? These are the ones Fiera gave me.”

“I see…”

It seemed she noticed the amethyst-studded earrings I had on and it looked like her expression slightly turned regretful.

“Anyway, let’s have lunch. We’re wasting our break time.”

“Right. I think that’s for the best.”

The atmosphere became a bit tense with Iris’s reaction, but Shuvina changed the topic to ease the mood, and Sonia chimed in.

“Sorry, but I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving. Fiera.”

“What is it?”

“About the practical test, don’t go overboard, okay?”

“Why not?”

“I don’t mind if you want to stand out, but being too showy brings more trouble than good. Unless there’s a reason, just show a little above everyone else. And you too, Shuvina.”

“Understood.”

“Got it.”

After telling Fiera and the others that, I stood up and moved away to talk to the girl with pink-blonde hair I saw through the cafeteria window.

~Side Fiera~

Once Lewis left the cafeteria, Fiera watched Iris while eating the food on the table.

(That seemed to have hit hard.)

Iris, looking quite shocked by the fact that Lewis and Fiera were wearing accessories adorned with gems of the same color as their eyes, hung her head in regret, showing no signs of movement.

“Fiera, that might have been a bit too much, don’t you think?”

“What do you mean?”

“The accessories. I wonder if it’s appropriate to do that in front of your fiancée.”

Shuvina looked at Iris while subtly leaning into Fiera’s ear to whisper.

“Shuvina, we’re not just playing house. If you truly want El, you should use every tactic at your disposal. Besides, Iris is still behind.”

“Behind? In what way?”

“Her resolve is lacking. She needs to be ready to follow El no matter what, to fulfill his desires, even if her life is in danger. Without that resolve, we cannot let our feelings lose to hers.”

Fiera’s eyes showed a determination that was unyielding, and Shuvina, feeling it, momentarily lost her words.

“Are you all… no, do you all like Lord Lewis?”

As Shuvina pondered what to do in this situation, Iris, who had been silent until now, weakly asked.

“I love him. I can’t imagine a future without El.”

“I still don’t know. I admire him as a fellow magician and I’m sure I’m drawn to him because of various circumstances, but I can’t say it as clearly as Fiera can.”

“I love him too. I like him enough that I might be willing to throw away the rest of my life if he were to die.”

Fiera was the first to answer, followed by Sonia and then Shuvina as they shared their feelings about Lewis.

“I see… that’s how it is.”

“Iris, do you still like El?”

“Of course! I love Lord Lewis with all my heart. But he doesn’t look at me. He doesn’t even seem to care. If anything, it feels like he looks past me at someone else… I don’t understand Lord Lewis. What should I do…?”

Tears welling in her eyes, Iris poured out her thoughts, and soon, a drop fell from her clenched hand.

“Iris, what do you know about El?”

“Huh?”

“El loves to fight. However, he equally enjoys slacking off. He eats anything, but especially loves sweet things. His dislikes are bitter foods.

He might seem uninterested in people, but he actually enjoys taking care of them. However, he shows no mercy to those who harbor hostility or mean him harm. Plus, he’s actually cowardly. He loves people but has an unconscious fear of connecting with them on some level.

Oh, and surprisingly, he likes cute things. When he’s mentally tired, he loves to touch my ears and tail.

And… his goal is probably to die. The reason he fights is actually because he wants to die. How much do you really know?”

“That is…”

“The Lewis Valentine you know is just surface-level. You don’t understand his true feelings or goals. It’s not that you don’t know El; you’re just not trying to. You’re pushing your own feelings on him and frantically doing things he hates. There’s no way he could be interested or care about you. It’s all of your doing.”

Fiera’s merciless downpour of words left Iris feeling utterly defeated, her eyes showing no more spark.

“Iris, I don’t know how things are between you and Lewis, but I think you shouldn’t give up yet.”

“Sonia…”

Sonia, sitting next to Iris, gently wrapped her hands around Iris’s and smiled warmly like a mother.

“I don’t know much about Lewis either. When I was in the Magic Academy, I was scolded by Fiera and the others too. They told me not to impose my feelings on others, that I was just pretending to understand their feelings.”

Sonia looked at Fiera with nostalgia and met Iris’s gaze to convey her feelings.

“Also, Lewis denied me directly. It was truly heartbreaking, and I felt like I was going to break. But after the royal families’ shenanigans were revealed and things settled, I thought about it alone. And I realized how naive my thinking was, how self-centered my feelings were.

The reason I came to this academy was, of course, to see Lewis, but more than that, I wanted to understand the emotional scars he carries. This time, I want to support the real him, not from a self-centered place.”

That was the true feeling Sonia had harbored, something she had thought about since parting from Lewis.

“So Iris, don’t give up. Start by really knowing who El is.

We’re standing at the same starting line now, while Fiera and Shuvina are accepting the current version of Lewis and moving ahead.

This is reality. Yet, he isn’t next to us just yet. We still have things we can do. That’s what I believe.”

After hearing Sonia’s words, Iris wiped away her flowing tears and looked at Fiera with eyes that showed a newfound determination.

“…I’ll do my best. I’ll work hard to stand strong so I won’t lose to Fiera and the others. Even if I’m no longer his fiancée, my feelings won’t change.”

“Hmm. I’ll accept that. I won’t lose either.”

Fiera took in Iris’s determination and smiled a little with enjoyment.

After that, the four of them continued their girls’ talk, sharing memories of Lewis until lunch break ended.