I Want to Be the Bad Guy (4)
The past year had brought a whirlwind of changes into my life. The original story’s protagonist had enrolled at the academy, I’d become close friends with the original troublemaker, the original extra had told me she would remain my personal maid, and I had made a lifelong promise with the original ally. And most importantly of all, I had revealed the biggest truth to the original story’s villainess.
“She’s going to be my fiancée.”
“…….”
The air in the drawing room grew heavy. Even Amelia stared at me in blank astonishment, as if this time she truly hadn’t seen it coming. It was the most natural reaction in the world. After all, the engagement had only been finalized a few days ago.
“Hello, Amelia?”
Soft cherry-blossom hair tied low at the nape of her neck. Eyes the color of aquamarine. When the silence stretched on too long, my fiancée, Niya Rivertun, offered a careful greeting. Her gentle smile was the same as always, but the hands resting on her lap were stiff as a board, like someone about to walk into a job interview.
“We’ve seen each other a few times at Western, haven’t we? I’ve wanted to sit down and have a proper conversation with you for so long. I never imagined it would be under these circumstances, though……”
The two of them had already crossed paths several times as upperclassman and underclassman. This was hardly their first meeting. Yet Amelia’s gaze carried the wary caution one might show toward a stranger from a distant land. Was there something she disliked? Or was she weighing something carefully in her mind?
The awkward silence lingered until a faint laugh finally slipped from Amelia’s lips.
“……So that’s what it was.”
Contrary to my worries, she broke into a bright, radiant smile.
“You two! If it was such wonderful news, you really should have given me a hint beforehand. I almost made a fool of myself by getting startled like that, didn’t I?”
Her voice was astonishingly kind. The blank expression from moments ago had vanished without a trace. She lifted her teacup with the same warm friendliness she always showed.
“I’ve heard so much about you. My brother never stops singing your praises. He goes on and on about how brilliant you are.”
“When did I ever do that?”
“What? There’s no need to hide it now, is there? It was only the other day that you said the genius mage of the Rivertun ducal house was simply too beautiful.”
She was playing the part of the sly sister-in-law to perfection. Amelia’s acting had grown far more polished than before. Lately, even I sometimes found it difficult to see through her true intentions. Niya couldn’t possibly know what lay beneath, but she seemed to interpret Amelia’s behavior as an attempt to lighten the mood. She looked momentarily surprised, then quickly played along.
“Did Luke really say that?”
“Of course.”
“He’s usually so cold to me. I had no idea.”
“Hehe, my brother is quite the shy one.”
The two young ladies chattered away with bright, tinkling laughter. The frozen atmosphere had melted away in no time. Niya smiled with visible relief, and Amelia responded with her usual natural grace. The only one who couldn’t smile at this peaceful scene was me.
No matter how dense I might be, I had learned one thing clearly over the past year: Amelia did not welcome the idea of me dating anyone. The feelings she harbored toward me were anything but ordinary. Even so, what I had to do was…….
“Amel really is adorable, isn’t she?”
We were on our way back to the carriage after the introductions. That was Niya’s parting impression. I sat beside her, gazing out the window, and let out a dry chuckle.
“……Is she?”
“Yes. She has great style, she’s beautiful, she’s friendly, she’s quick-witted… and she’s even kind. I feel like we’ll get along really well.”
It seemed Niya had taken a genuine liking to Amelia. Well, that made sense. In the eyes of society, Amelia was known as the Saint of the Darcy family. To outsiders, she must appear to be a perfect and lovable young lady. To me, her older brother, the fact felt a little absurd.
“She may look like that, but she has quite the personality. You’ll be shocked once you get close to her. There are times even I’m too scared to poke at her.”
“Hmm, I have a hard time imagining Amel like that.”
“Then your imagination must be lacking.”
Even at my sarcasm, Niya only tilted her head with a look of interest.
“Well, even if Amel got angry, wouldn’t it still be cute? She has this sort of squishy vibe, doesn’t she?”
“Are you calling someone a kitten…?”
And if anyone’s the squishy one here, it’s you. You’re literally half a head shorter than Amelia. I was about to point that out when a sudden realization made me catch my breath. Niya tilted her head at my reaction, looking puzzled.
“What’s wrong, Luke?”
I spoke while rummaging through old memories.
“Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen Amel get angry.”
“Really? Weren’t the two of you always together as children?”
Niya’s mouth fell open in disbelief, but it was true. I had never once witnessed Amelia lose her temper in real life. At most, I had only seen it in a few bad endings within the game.
“She’s the type to bottle everything up instead of getting angry. If she can’t hold it in anymore, she cries. If she can’t even cry, she takes revenge. And if she can’t even do that……” I trailed off. “Well, I’m not sure.”
“The saint’s heart must be quite complicated.”
“That’s why sometimes I wish she would just get angry. At least then I’d know exactly how she’s feeling.”
Even as I confessed my true feelings, I knew the reason deep down. From the very beginning, Amelia had not grown up in an environment where she was allowed to show anger. So instead of getting angry, she had chosen other means to survive. As I found myself recalling her pitiful past, Niya quietly studied my expression.
“Hmm, you really do cherish Amel a lot. I’m getting a little jealous.”
Only then did I snap out of my fleeting thoughts and answer half-heartedly.
“Don’t say things you don’t mean.”
“But I do mean it.”
Niya leaned her head against my shoulder and whispered. Her eyes, full of affection, looked up at me. Realizing what that gaze meant, I glanced toward the driver’s seat separated from our compartment.
“The coachman is right there.”
“So?”
“……”
I said nothing more. I simply lowered my head and brought my lips to hers. Inside the gently rocking carriage, we shared a long, deep kiss. Niya’s mouth tasted of apples. It felt like committing a sin. I didn’t know why. And I didn’t particularly want to find out.
[Scene 44 ‘Take or Be Taken’ Achieved!]
[Someone once said that life is interesting precisely because it never goes the way you expect. But it seems having another woman snatch away your destined connection wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience, was it?]
Several days passed after that. News of the marriage talks between the Darcy and Rivertun families began to spread throughout society. Some called it a joyous occasion for the empire, while others whispered that it was an obvious political match. It seemed the marriages of great noble houses made for excellent gossip among the empire’s citizens.
The rumors had even reached Western Academy, where I was bombarded with questions.
“Luke! Is the rumor true?”
“An engagement with Lady Rivertun? That’s wonderful! The union of the two greatest ducal families!”
“How did you two even meet? Political marriage? Or a love match?”
Caught in a whirlwind of envy and curiosity, I had to deal with countless people. By the time my final lecture ended, I was completely drained and felt like I was falling apart.
“I’m going to die……”
Maintaining even the bare minimum of etiquette in noble society was no easy task. I had retreated to a quiet bench to catch my breath when a man’s voice reached me.
“You okay?”
When I looked up, I saw a rugged-looking man with light brown hair swept back. His name was Lexon Wortley. As the eldest son of a bourgeois family that had built its fortune through brewing, he was a free-spirited fellow. He skillfully pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and muttered.
“Everyone’s calling it a celebration, but you look like you’re on death’s door. What’s going on?”
I let out a small snort of laughter at his words.
“It’s been nothing but a nuisance. The same questions and the same answers all day long. These mages really have zero originality these days.”
“Haha, tomorrow this tiresome Western life will finally be over. Let’s try to enjoy the last day, at least.”
Lexon exhaled a long plume of smoke with obvious relief. The smell was awful. I couldn’t help but squint and follow the smoke upward, gazing at the setting sky.
“The last day, huh……”
Originally, today was supposed to be the final branching point in Witches’ Sabbath. Once the protagonist attended the graduation ceremony, she would receive various endings based on her actions over the past year. The player could then start a new playthrough after viewing the ending.
Of course, that was only how it worked in the original story. Over the past ten years, it had become clear that I was not the protagonist. There was no status window, no special events. Even after passing several graduation ceremonies, nothing unusual had happened. I had encountered the original protagonist a few times over the past year, but she was nothing more than a commoner freshman struggling through a difficult life. The actions of the troublemaker, the extra, the capture targets, and the other characters had all deviated significantly from what I remembered. The stage and cast of Witches’ Sabbath had already been thoroughly broken.
So what would tomorrow bring in this ruined game? Did an ending even exist anymore?
Unable to see what lay ahead, I stared endlessly at the clouds drifting across the sky. The sight was so leisurely and peaceful that it somehow left me feeling drained.
‘……It’s probably too late to go back now.’
More than ten years had passed since I first arrived in the world of Witches’ Sabbath. I had tried everything imaginable during that time, but I had never found a single clue that might lead me home. Perhaps it was time to give up. Maybe it would be wiser to simply live the life I had been given. No—didn’t I actually have a reason to stay here now?
“Luke—!”
Just then, I heard a voice calling my name from afar. Niya, wearing her robe, was walking toward me. Lexon took the hint and stepped back, jerking his chin in her direction.
“Looks like your future bride is calling you.”
“……”
I exchanged a brief glance with Lexon and walked over to Niya. She glanced back at Lexon with an apologetic expression.
“Ah, I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”
“It was nothing important.”
“Hmm, that’s a relief……”
For some reason, Niya looked like she had been searching for me the entire time. She glanced around cautiously and whispered as if sharing a secret.
“Hey, Luke. Do you have time right now?”
“Now?”
“There’s… something I want to show you. If it’s okay, could you come to my room?”
“……?”
Unlike me, Niya lived in the Western Academy dormitory. Though it was called a dormitory, it was practically a luxury hotel suite. That was why I hesitated for a moment before answering.
“If I’m seen hanging around there, people will talk. I’m already conspicuous enough as it is.”
“It’s fine. There aren’t many people around this time of year. Almost all the students on my floor have already moved out.”
Niya’s unusually assertive attitude gave me a meaningful impression.
“Hmm.”
What exactly did she want to show me? At this hour, in her own room, calling only her fiancé? If I followed her, would it turn out to be something like “What I wanted to show you is my Niya-cat”? After considering all the circumstances, my pitiful imagination could only come up with that kind of vulgar scenario.
“……Is it difficult right now?”
But after letting my imagination run wild, I realized it probably wasn’t that kind of development. The reason was simple: Niya’s eyes were sparkling with pure, innocent curiosity. It was the same light often seen in members of the Rivertun family, who were known for their strong thirst for knowledge. I collected myself and gave a short reply.
“I’ll go.”
It seemed my personality wasn’t cold enough to heartlessly refuse my fiancée’s request. Besides, I was the kind of pathetic person who still held out hope for that kind of possibility.
“Really…? Then let’s go quickly, Luke!”
“You don’t have to drag me.”
And so the choice for the final branching point was decided.