Chapter 15
The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide
Chapter 15: The Fiancée Again
Back at the Adventurers’ Guild, we left the task of reporting our completed quest and exchanging the magic stones to Sheila and, while sitting in a nearby chair, I absentmindedly fiddled with Fiera’s tail.
“El. Put more emotion into it.”
“Mm. Sorry.”
Ever since the day we formed a party, Fiera inexplicably called me El. Since it was just a pseudonym anyway, I didn’t mind what she called me and let her do as she pleased.
“El. Do you know that girl from earlier?”
“No, I don’t. Do you really think I have noble acquaintances?”
“I do.”
Maybe it was because she’s a beastman, but Fiera had a sharp intuition. Whenever I lied, she saw right through it.
(Could she know I’m a noble too…? Nah, that’s too far-fetched.)
Deciding to ignore Iris for now, I began grooming Fiera, allowing my mental fatigue to fade away.
After receiving my reward and parting ways with Fiera, I hurried back to the mansion to switch places with my doppelganger.
Just as I finished changing my clothes, Miria knocked on my door and walked in.
“Lord Louis, Lady Iris is here.”
“Haah. Got it.”
Not wanting to meet Iris, I let out a blatant sigh and left the room, guided by Miria to the reception room.
After she opened the door and I entered, I saw Iris standing up from the sofa and curtsying.
“It’s been a while, Lord Louis Valentine.”
“Indeed, it has, Miss Pesterose.”
After exchanging greetings, we sat across from each other on the sofa and took a sip of the tea Miria had prepared.
“So, what brings you here this time?”
“Before that, please just call me Iris.”
“…Understood. Then you can call me Louis as well.”
“Thank you.”
Honestly, I didn’t want to get too close to Iris, but it felt inappropriate to keep addressing my fiancée by her full name and title. So, reluctantly, I agreed.
“Now, as for why I’m here… I came just to see you, Lord Louis.”
“…Huh?”
Seeing my surprise, she smiled happily, saying, “Hehe.”
(Wait. Wait, wait, wait. What’s going on? This has never happened before.)
Despite reliving my life multiple times, I had never experienced Iris closing in on me like this.
Thinking something felt off, I couldn’t do anything about it, so I decided to put those thoughts on hold.
(Regardless of what actions Iris takes, my plans don’t change. I’ll live and die the way I want.)
With my thoughts organized, I took another sip of tea and then asked about her stay.
“How long do you plan to stay?”
“I intend to be here for about a week.”
(A week, huh? That means I can’t go on adventures with Fiera for a week. Well, as long as I leave a doppelganger behind, it should work out.)
I glanced at Iris, who was smiling at me.
(Wait, for some reason, that feels bad. I just have this feeling that it’s going to get found out.)
When we met by chance as adventurers, Iris almost recognized me due to my unusually similar skeletal structure.
(I have a hunch she probably suspects something.)
So, I begrudgingly decided to remain within the mansion for a week and planned to tell Fiera that I wouldn’t be able to meet her for a while.
“You were just thinking about other women, weren’t you? Like… Fiera?”
At that moment, Iris randomly mentioned Fiera as if she could read my mind.
“I don’t know her. Is she one of your friends, Iris?”
I managed to reply with a straight face, but inside, my heart raced with shock and anxiety.
(How does she know?! This is getting scary…)
The moment Fiera’s name was mentioned, it felt like the light in Iris’s blue eyes dimmed for an instant, but I dismissed it as my imagination.
(Seriously, why do I have to be this careful? This never happened before. Ugh, this is exhausting.)
Feeling increasingly uneasy in the situation, I decided to excuse myself, claiming I was tired and returning to my room.
Once back in my room, I changed into some comfortable clothes and flopped onto the bed.
“Ah, I can’t take this anymore. Iris’s behavior is strange, and she’s being overly clingy, which is tiring. I wish she’d just go home already. It’s such a hassle.”
Initially, I planned to avoid meeting Iris until enrolling in the academy, just doing whatever I wanted and living leisurely. I never expected her to come looking for me.
After creating a hot water pillow, I got tired of thinking and, escaping reality, fell asleep.
After finishing dinner with Iris, I slipped out of the mansion that night, heading to the inn where Fiera stayed.
“Fiera, you there?”
“Yeah, I’m opening it now.”
When she opened the door, she was dressed lightly despite the winter, and her smooth white skin and nicely defined limbs caught my eye.
Any normal guy would probably feel tense about it, but I ignored it and stepped into the room, taking a seat on a nearby chair.
“Hey, don’t you ever feel cold?”
“I’m not cold. The Silver Wolf tribe is resistant to the cold.”
“Huh.”
“So, what’s the reason for being here at this hour?”
“Oh, right. I came to tell you I won’t be able to meet for about a week.”
“…What do you mean?”
Normally expressionless, Fiera narrowed her eyes slightly as she asked for an explanation.
“I can’t go into details, but due to certain circumstances, I’ll likely be stuck at home. Sorry about that. For now, while I’m away, can you take the rank-up exam and pass it?”
Having delivered my message, I attempted to leave after finishing up, but Fiera stopped me, making me sit back down.
“Wait. Is it about that noble girl you helped during the day?”
“Nope.”
“You smell like that girl.”
“……”
At first, I denied it, but after she mentioned that I smelled like Iris, I found myself at a loss for words.
She was a beastman from the Silver Wolf tribe, known for their exceptional sense of smell.
If she said I smelled like Iris, I had no more excuses to make.
“…Sigh. It’s true that girl from earlier is involved, but there’s nothing I can do.”
“Are you a noble?”
Fiera asked with a questioning tone, but she likely already knew the answer and was merely confirming.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
As I said that and dispelled my magic, I returned to my usual appearance with silver hair and golden eyes.
“…So that is the real El.”
“Yeah. Also, my name is different. My real name is Louis Valentine.”
“Got it. Now, tell me about your relationship with that girl.”
Even after I mentioned the Valentine family name, Fiera did not seem surprised and brushed it aside.
“Hey, I’m a noble’s son, you know? Your reaction is kinda dull, isn’t it?”
“I kinda had a feeling. You were trying to hide it, but there was a certain elegance in El’s mannerisms. That’s how I figured out you were noble.”
Hearing that from Fiera made me think, “Wait, seriously?”
I had done my best not to display that side of myself, but maybe because she was a beastman and we’d been together for a while, I had given myself away through little habits.
“Tell me quickly.”
“Fine. That girl is… my fiancée.”
Upon hearing my answer, Fiera put her hand on her chin as if contemplating something.
After waiting for a while for her to respond but finding her still motionless became tiring, I decided to head back to the mansion.
“Hey, I’m leaving now.”
“…Understood. For now, I’ll focus on leveling up. So hurry back.”
She said “hurry,” but as long as Iris didn’t leave, I wouldn’t be able to exit the mansion, so I only conveyed my resolve to do my best and left the inn.