Repeat Vice - The Villainous Noble Doesn't Want to Die, So He Swore to Not Die As One of The Four Heavenly Kings

Chapter 73: Relative

Rofus, dressed in his uniform, threw the doors open and barged into the royal box without any consideration. Behind him was Annegelt, trying to hold him back by tugging on the hem of his uniform.

“Hey, idiot Rofus! This is the royal box! You can’t just barge in! Don’t you understand?!”

“I knocked. It’s not barging in.”

“You came in without waiting for an answer!”

As the two bickered like a comedy duo, the guards—knights and high-ranking gladiators—raised their weapons, alert and ready. The priestess princess watched them with interest, while Asteria stood up in surprise at the unexpected guests.

“You two are always with Raymond… Rofus and Annegelt. Why are you here all of a sudden? We’re currently entertaining a state guest.”

Asteria’s cold gaze and the guards’ weapons pointed at him didn’t seem to faze Rofus, who looked at them with annoyance. Annegelt, on the other hand, quickly apologized.

“I-I’m sorry! We’ll leave right away! Come on, Rofus, can’t you see this is a bad time?”

“Don’t answer for me. The timing is now or never.”

“You’re still saying that?!”

Ignoring Annegelt’s attempts to leave, Rofus remained stubbornly in place, engaging in what looked like a lovers’ quarrel. Asteria’s brow furrowed in frustration. Then, the priestess princess reacted to Rofus’s name.

“Rofus? Hey, you in black. Are you Rofus Ray Lightless?”

“You in black…”

Rofus, called out for his hair color, looked at the priestess princess with suspicion. Recognized by the princess, who should have no connection to him, past or future, he frowned.

“Priestess Princess of the Holy Dragon Kingdom, Titania Avalocand… Your Highness, how do you know my name?”

Without bowing, Rofus asked the foreign princess across the blades of the guards. His insolent attitude drew a hostile gaze from the high-ranking gladiators, though they said nothing. Annegelt, covering her mouth in shock, muttered, “You can speak politely…?”

Titania, unaffected by Rofus’s insolence, laughed cheerfully.

“Well, well, to think we’d meet here. A fortunate coincidence. I must thank our ancestor, the Earth Dragon King.”

Titania laughed alone, while Asteria gave her a puzzled look, and Rofus grew more suspicious, wondering if she was an apostle of the Six Gods.

“I apologize. I heard your name from a merchant I personally know well. He said you dealt with a notorious merchant in the northern snow country a few years ago.”

“…”

Without confirming or denying, Rofus narrowed his eyes, thinking of Gilan.

Titania continued, “That merchant wants to meet you. When he heard I was coming to the kingdom, he insisted I convey his message to you.”

“A merchant from the Holy Dragon Kingdom wants to meet me…?”

“I’ve also been interested in you. I hear you possess the greatest magical power in the kingdom.”

With a shrug, Titania glanced at Asteria.

“My business can wait. It seems you came for another reason. Go ahead, Teria.”

“Titania?! How can you just…!”

“It’s fine, Teria. If they came all the way here, it must be important.”

Titania’s support for Rofus left Asteria glaring at her in disbelief. She glanced at Abel, still fighting in the dome, then turned a resentful look to Rofus.

“Why now? There are plenty of other times…”

“My apologies. Lately, you’ve been spending most of your time at the academy with commoners. This concerns your fiancé—Raymond.”

Interrupting Asteria, Rofus spoke with half-veiled sarcasm. Hearing Raymond’s name, Asteria turned away, looking uncomfortable.

“Fine.”

With a resigned sigh, Asteria walked towards Rofus.

“Sorry, Titania. I need to step out for a bit.”

“Go ahead. There’s plenty of good entertainment here, so I won’t be bored. And Rofus, consider this a favor. We’ll talk later.”

Without responding, Rofus led Asteria out of the royal box.

＊

Outside the combat dome, Rofus was followed by Annegelt, Asteria, and the royal guards.

“How far are we going?”

“It’s a sensitive topic, so we need a place away from other students. This should do.”

Confirming with magic that no one was around, Rofus stopped. He looked at a nearby bench.

“Would you like to sit?”

“No need. I don’t intend to talk for long.”

“As you wish.”

Their conversation prickly, Annegelt felt a cold sweat. She regretted agreeing to accompany Rofus now, not expecting such a tense atmosphere.

Rofus’s polite words were undercut by his attitude, and the guards looked ready to draw their weapons. Annegelt, caught in the middle, vowed to make Rofus treat her to something nice later.

Oblivious to Annegelt’s glare, Rofus cast a barrier spell without chanting. A thin, transparent magical membrane formed a dome around them, preventing anyone outside from hearing or magically intercepting their conversation.

Suddenly, a barrier spell was activated, causing Asteria to visibly tense up.

“…What’s the meaning of this? Is this really necessary? Or are you planning something shady?”

The royal guard behind her also placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, seemingly waiting for her permission.

Despite the cautious atmosphere, Rofus answered calmly.

“I’m just being cautious. You never know who might be eavesdropping. Especially since what I’m about to discuss involves Raymond’s honor.”

Asteria, feeling the weight of Rofus’s cold gaze, averted her eyes.

“…Why did you come instead of Raymond himself?”

“Raymond wouldn’t be able to stay calm about this. Although it’s not ideal for me either, I’m here to confirm your intentions.”

“My intentions…”

Asteria glanced uneasily at the royal guard.

“Ritt, I’m sorry. But could you leave us for a moment?”

“No, I cannot!”

The royal guard, named Ritt, refused hastily, but Asteria spoke to him gently.

“No, this is an order. There’s no need to worry. I’m just having a private conversation with a schoolmate.”

Rofus restrained himself from blurting out a retort.

Ritt groaned in frustration, but as a royal guard, he couldn’t refuse a direct order from a royal. He saluted bitterly and stepped out of the barrier.

With the royal guard gone, Asteria turned to Annegelt next. She clearly didn’t want too many people to know about this, but Rofus was unmoved.

“I’ve asked Annegelt to stay. We wouldn’t want any baseless rumors spreading about us.”

“You and me…? That’s impossible.”

“I agree. However, for some reason, there’s a rumor among some female students that I’m a womanizer. It’s a terrible slander, and I wonder who started it. Isn’t that right, Annegelt?”

Rofus glared at Annegelt, who awkwardly looked away.

“Is that true…?”

Asteria asked with a puzzled expression, and Annegelt reluctantly confirmed.

“It seems there’s such a rumor among some students.”

“…I see. So, you brought her along out of consideration—Rofus, I understand now.”

Asteria gave Rofus a slightly exasperated look, to which he shrugged.

“Now that you understand, let’s get to the main topic. As you might have guessed, it’s about Abel Carrot. Could you tell me what kind of feelings you have towards that commoner, Asteria?”

Asteria looked down, feeling the weight of Rofus’s cold gaze.

＊

During the welcome camp, Asteria was saved by Abel. That was supposed to be their first meeting.

However, when Asteria first saw Abel’s face, she was overwhelmed with a feeling she couldn’t describe. And naturally, Abel’s name slipped from her lips, despite not knowing him.

Why, how?

Asteria pondered, but no answer came.

To find that answer, she sought Abel immediately after her recovery from the camp.

From there, she bombarded him with questions.

Talking with Abel was fun, and for some reason, she felt an unexplainable nostalgia.

Without realizing it, she even asked if they had met somewhere before.

Abel’s troubled yet somewhat sad expression at that moment left a deep impression on her.

Asteria was aware that she was attracted to Abel. She knew she should suppress those feelings because of her engagement to Raymond.

But she couldn’t hold herself back.

She found herself constantly thinking about Abel, dreaming of him when she slept.

Memories of spending time with Abel, which she couldn’t recall, flowed through her mind intermittently.

She had only been saved by him once.

And she had only followed him around unilaterally since then.

Even so, this much was certain.

Even if Princess Titania had encouraged her to “be honest with herself,” this truth was undeniable.

“—I like Abel. I’m attracted to him as a man. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Asteria met Rofus’s cold gaze head-on and answered firmly.

It was almost a defiant statement.

An answer that could undermine the engagement between the royal family and the duke’s house.

It wasn’t something that should be destroyed by personal, fleeting feelings.

Asteria was prepared to accept any criticism, reproach, or blame for her words, but Rofus merely sighed lightly in response.

As Annegelt covered her mouth in shock behind him, Rofus spoke calmly.

“I understand your feelings, Princess Asteria.”

“…Is that all?”

“What else?”

“I mean, I’ve just admitted to betraying Raymond…”

“It’s not my place to judge that. Even as Raymond’s friend, it doesn’t particularly matter to me. I’m not interested in others’ romantic affairs.”

Rofus’s cold words made Annegelt stare in disbelief, thinking, “No, no, no, this is a huge scandal that could turn the kingdom upside down!”

Ignoring Annegelt’s stare, Rofus added.

“However, as a member of the royal family, I’m sure you understand how irresponsible and inappropriate it is to express such feelings. Naturally, you should explain this to Raymond, and to both the royal family and the Duke of Galeon.”

“Yes… you’re right. Rofus, you’re absolutely right.”

Asteria looked down, despondent.

“Please, disregard my comments. Thank you for coming all this way.”

Rofus prepared to dispel the barrier, but Asteria stopped him.

“Rofus. Let me tell Raymond about Abel… Let me be the one to tell him.”

Asteria’s plea made Rofus shrug.

“…Then I’ll tell Raymond that you have something to discuss with him later.”

“Thank you… and I’m sorry. I think I misunderstood you a bit. I’ll properly thank you later.”

“No need. I’ll refrain from asking what misunderstandings you had. And no need for thanks.”

The tension eased slightly with Asteria’s words of gratitude.

Rofus responded with a slight softening of his demeanor and a light jest.

“—!”