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~ - 25

Chapter 25: Noah Meets the Third Heroine, Freya

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“Yeah, this will be fine. There’s no problem at all. You look great, really handsome. With this, the Present family will definitely regret having broken off their engagement with you, Noah-sama!”

The one speaking so confidently was Layla. Right now, Noah had Layla coordinate everything for him, from his outfit to his hairstyle. After this, he had to go to the Present family’s residence to apologize regarding the broken engagement. While looking at his reflection in the mirror, Noah voiced a question to Layla.

“Sure, it looks really stylish, but the clothes I already have should be enough, right? Did we really need to buy new ones?”

“Of course we did! Listen carefully, Noah-sama.”

Layla spoke in a tone like a teacher instructing a student.

“The clothes I prepared for today are what’s currently fashionable in the royal capital. And wearing trendy clothing is proof that you properly study the movements of society. In other words, it’s behavior that only someone with proper education can pull off.”

“………………”

Hearing Layla’s words, Noah was so sincerely impressed that he found himself at a loss for words. In his previous life, he had believed that as long as clothes were wearable, that was good enough. He had never thought about fashion the way Layla described. In noble society, where desire and power swirled endlessly, even showing off could be a means of self-defense.

“I don’t want to see the Noah-sama I adore being looked down on and mocked. Especially today, when you’re the one going to apologize. Wearing new clothes naturally tightens one’s resolve.”

Puffing out her cheeks, Layla spoke like a sulking child.

She must have studied a lot and chosen this outfit carefully for me too.

Imagining the effort she had put in, the tension naturally drained from Noah’s face, and his lips relaxed slightly.

“Thank you, Layla.”

※※※※

Noah and Layla, who was accompanying him, boarded a carriage together and headed for the Present family estate. As he gazed at the scenery passing by outside the carriage, Noah recalled the game Quilover.

What’s about to start is Noah’s apology event… And the one I’m apologizing to is the third heroine… Freya.

Freya Present. The third heroine to appear in Quilover, and Noah’s former fiancée. The engagement had been dissolved due to Noah’s poor conduct. While he was absentmindedly thinking about that, Layla spoke to him.

“Noah-sama, do you remember what we talked about before?”

“It’s fine. I absolutely won’t bring up the dance party in front of Freya.”

At Layla’s worrying nature, Noah couldn’t help but smile wryly. Among nobles, it was customary to hold a grand party to celebrate one’s tenth birthday. Normally, it was a standing buffet-style party, but the Present family had held a dance party instead and Freya had made one major mistake.

And if the story went the same as the original, Freya had completely messed up at that dance party. Because of that failure, Freya lost her confidence. From there, her life took a drastic turn. That was because Noah appeared before the dejected Freya.

Saying things like, “The fact that you tried is amazing,” and “I’m proud of you,” Noah comforted her with shallow words. Regaining her confidence, Freya fell in love with Noah, and the two happily became a couple. On top of that, their compatibility in bed was exceptional, and new life took root in Freya’s womb.

Up to that point, it was fine. Up to that point… It could’ve been a happy ending…

Remembering that time made Noah want to smack his past self for thinking, Maybe Noah is actually a good guy? Is this a hidden route? But all of it had been orchestrated by Noah after his pride was wounded by the broken engagement.

“N-Noah… Um, you see, I’m pregnant! It’s our child! We’re going to be parents! I’m going to be this child’s mother, so I can’t say I lack confidence anymore!”

Didn’t I almost cry too when I saw Freya tearfully telling me that so happily?

The words Noah spoke to Freya—who had regained her confidence and stood at the peak of happiness—marked the beginning of the nightmare.

“Whoa, seriously… What a pain.”

Saying that, Noah casually abandoned Freya. Even so, Freya endured as a mother. And yet, Noah relentlessly targeted her once again. The result…

“If I’m your mom, you’ll end up unhappy, won’t you? I’m sorry… for being such a terrible mother.”

After those words, she raised a knife in front of her peacefully sleeping child, and the screen faded to black. Then, the sound of thud played twice, and the word “End” appeared before returning to the title screen.

I snapped and punched the screen after seeing Noah hit Freya back then too…

Just remembering it made his hand start to sting.

So… What am I supposed to do this time?

Now that he knew Abel’s personality, he couldn’t expect Freya to be saved. But at the same time, leaving her to suffer after losing her confidence also felt wrong.

It’s rich coming from the villain, but she’s a heroine from a game I love. I want to see her smiling…

While he was thinking that, his eyes suddenly met Layla’s.

“Noah-sama, is something troubling you?”

“Yeah… You might think I’m talking nonsense, but I kind of want to help Freya. Well, saying ‘help’ might be arrogant of me, but…”

“Well, based on rumors from town, it seems Freya-sama has been feeling down lately, and her smiles have noticeably decreased. However…”

Noah had braced himself for at least a reaction like That’s strange, but Layla’s response was unexpected. Without denying his words, Layla smiled happily.

“That sounds very like you, Noah-sama.”

Noah blinked in surprise.

“Noah-sama, I believe that worrying is the same as hesitating to move forward.”

Layla spoke gently, narrowing her eyes.

“If that’s the case, then why not move forward? You might regret it. And if you do, let’s find happiness within that regret. It’s all right. I’ll look for it together with you.”

Warmth slowly spread through Noah’s chest at Layla’s smile.

“Thanks. I don’t know if she’ll even listen to me, but if there’s something I can do, I’ll try to help.”

“Please don’t worry about it. Well, Noah-sama is too kind after all. Not only you’re worrying about the person you’re about to apologize to, you also want to help her.”

“Hey, I don’t want a lecture.”

As Noah frowned, Layla let out a happy little laugh.

※※※

After arriving at the Present family estate, Noah was shown to a guest room. Layla accompanied him as well.

Ugh, I’m getting nervous… I really need to use the bathroom.

“Layla, I’m going to use the restroom for a bit.”

“Understood. Shall I have someone guide you?”

“I’ll be fine on my own. It’s not like anything bad is going to happen.”

So he thought at that time.

※※※※

Unfortunately, something bad happened immediately… It was happening right in front of Noah. He had gotten lost in the Present family mansion, and the room he entered at random turned out to be the worst possible choice.

“Hey, today’s the day Noah comes to apologize, right? Wouldn’t something more modest be better?”

It happened the moment Noah entered the room he had been guided to by the maid, Lotte. Right before his eyes, a girl with striking crimson hair was changing her clothes.

This is bad, bad, bad… There’s no way I can apologize after this.

Cold sweat poured down his face nonstop.

-No, if I think about it differently, my reputation is already rock bottom. In that sense, I’ve got nothing left to lose… No, that’s not it!

The girl—Freya—hadn’t noticed Noah behind her. She probably thought it was a servant who had entered. Without turning around, Freya kept talking.

“Even if Papa says that, I’m still against it. No matter how you look at it, it’s rude, isn’t it?”

Deciding to pretend he hadn’t seen anything, Noah quietly tried to close the door, but his timing was just a little too slow.

“Hey, maybe even now we could—huh?”

Suspicious of the silent servant, Freya turned around. Their eyes met. In an instant, the air froze.

“………………”

“………………”

Calm down. Calm down, me. I’ve studied situations like this plenty through eroge and anime!

It seemed he was trying to put that knowledge to use—

You know this, right? Commenting on seeing her change is absolutely forbidden.

“That red underwear really suits you.”

I’m sorry. I couldn’t do it after all.

Right in front of him, Freya’s face turned bright red as her shoulders trembled. She glared at Noah with pure hatred.

“Uh, um…”

“Y-You bastard!”

“I-I’m soooo sorry!”

Noah turned his back and ran. From behind him came a shout of “Get back here!” When he looked back, he saw Freya chasing him, wielding a broom she had snatched from a cleaning maid. 

In the end, the chase was brought to an end when a maid screamed after witnessing the scene.

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