I Was Reincarnated as the Villain in an Eroge, but I’ll Live Honestly ~Because the Protagonist Was Useless, I Ended Up Making the Heroines Smile and Somehow Built a Harem~ - 22

Chapter 22: Flora Confronts the Protagonist

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Time rewound slightly. It was when Flora was buying food at the market for Noah.

“Hmm~ what should I buy for Noah-sama… And also…”

Breaking off her words, Flora touched the hair accessory Noah had bought for her and let out a soft chuckle, savoring her happiness.

“Ah, that’s it!”

Flora raised her voice as if she had come up with a brilliant idea.

“If I buy something here that Noah-sama likes, get praised for it, and then someday in the future, me and Noah-sama… Fufu.”

Flora’s fantasy scenario began to unfold.

“Thank you, Flora. I can’t believe you bought such delicious food for me. You’re such a capable maid! How about it… If you don’t mind, would you become my lover? And I want to call you Onee-chan!”

“S-such a thing, Noah-sama… I’m so happy…! Please, by all means, call me Onee-chan. I’ll dote on you forever and ever… Ghehe.”

Flora pressed her cheeks with both hands, wearing a slack, blissful grin. And then, someone poured cold water over Flora as she indulged in her ideal future.

“Flora, I was worried about you!”

“Hyo wah!? U-um, who are you… Huh… No way… Abel-sama?”

“I heard you were working at that trash heap of a mansion, and I couldn’t stop worrying about you.”

Saying that, Abel spread his arms wide, but Flora did not jump into his chest. Abel frowned at Flora’s reaction. Meanwhile, Flora froze as if she had been doused with ice-cold water. The blood drained from her face, turning it pale blue.

“Damn it!? That bastard Noah… Just what the hell did he do to you…!”

“N-no, he didn’t do anything…! Rather, Noah-sama helped me!”

“Hah? Like hell that’s true! You always lose sight of what’s around you, don’t you? That’s why you’re working for someone like Noah, right?”

“N-no, that’s not true! On the contrary, Noah-sama saved me and my family!”

Flora tried to defend Noah, but in front of the current Abel, it only backfired.

“Then he took advantage of that and preyed on your kindness… Damn it!”

Grinding his teeth, Abel muttered under his breath. Because Abel’s voice was echoing loudly, the attention of the people walking through the market began to gather on the two of them. Unable to bear the atmosphere growing tense and quiet, Flora gently spoke to Abel.

“A-ah… Abel-sama? You were worried about me, right? Thank you very much.”

Why does Abel-sama hate Noah-sama this much…? Did something happen in the past…? When the real problem was Noah-sama’s parents, who left him alone in that mansion…

Flora bit her lower lip tightly and looked down.

And calling him trash…

Her heart hurt as if she herself had been wounded. At the same time, her fists clenched tightly.

I can’t forgive Abel-sama…!

When Abel had sexually harassed her before, she had been so scared that all she could do was force out a voice. Now, she was desperately holding herself back from shouting. Swallowing the urge to yell, Flora spoke calmly.

“Abel-sama, I truly wasn’t harmed in any way. Thank you for worrying about me even though I quit. I have work to do as well, so please excuse me now.”

She told him that and immediately tried to leave the spot, but…

“I’ll save you, so don’t go back to that bastard’s mansion!”

Abel grabbed her wrist so hard that Flora grimaced and said, “Ow…”

Not noticing Flora’s expression, Abel continued forcefully.

“Why don’t you understand that I’m worried about you!? What if you get sexually harassed there, or worse?”

“…Noah-sama would never do something like that.”

Flora’s voice trembled as she spoke while looking down.

“…If anything, the one who sexually harassed me was you.”

“Huh? What’d you say? I can’t hear you.”

“…I don’t know what Noah-sama did to you in the past…”

What came to Flora’s mind was Noah’s gentle, smiling face. When a maid caught a cold, he arranged for a doctor and took care of them. It was something completely unheard of.

“But please don’t say things that mock Noah-sama in front of me.”

Even someone like her had been treated with sincerity by Noah. When she had lost sight of everything around her, Noah told her she was kind, and that she could just try again next time. Abel had no idea how much those words had saved her.

“Please stop saying nothing but things that deny Noah-sama.”

Frustration at being unable to strongly talk back to Abel, and sadness at Noah being spoken ill of, tangled her emotions into a mess. At last, tears began to pool at the corners of Flora’s eyes.

“H-hey… There’s no need to cry… Damn, I don’t get it. Besides, there’s no way I’d ever be hurt by Noah, right?”

“W-what are you saying…? I thought you hated him because you were a victim of Noah-sama…”

“No, sure, I hate the guy, but there’s no way I’m so weak that he could do anything to me. Don’t worry, I’d take care of a guy like that in no time—”

“Please don’t speak badly about Noah-sama anymore!”

Flora shouted so loudly that even she herself was startled. The lively market instantly fell silent. Her shoulders trembling, Flora continued speaking.

“At first, I thought I’d endure it… Because I didn’t want to cause trouble for someone important to me…”

Breaking off her words, Flora clenched her lips and glared sharply at Abel.

“But please don’t open your mouth anymore. And please disappear from in front of me immediately!”

“Hah!? What do you mean, disappear!? And that ‘important person’ is me, right… Hey, no way…”

As if unable to believe it, Abel’s eyes widened and he shook his head.

“It’s Noah-sama! The person important to me is Noah Maycraft-sama of the marquis house! Not you!”

As if she didn’t care about the gazes of the people walking through the market, Flora raised her voice.

“Noah-sama is doing his absolute best right now… Someone like you, please don’t get in Noah-sama’s way… And if you still try to interfere with him… Then…”

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her mouth twisted into a frown, but Flora stared straight at Abel.

“I will fight here for Noah-sama!”

Abel looked bewildered by Flora’s words, but it lasted only a moment. His eyebrow twitched. Then his face twisted sharply.

“You… Getting carried away just because someone was nice to you…!”

Step by step, Abel approached her.

I’m absolutely not wrong! I’m sca-scared… But I won’t run!

Though her legs were trembling, Flora did not flee from Abel. And just as Abel reached out his hand toward Flora…

“Hey. Don’t you lay a hand on her.”

Noah appeared, gripping Abel’s hand.

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