The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

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The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

Episode 2: Engaged Partner

Having finished my preparations, I was floating around on a water cushion, bobbing gently.

“Um, Lewis-sama.”

“What?”

Seeing me like this, Miria hesitantly spoke up.

“I think it would be better if you walked properly.”

“Why?”

Perhaps she didn’t expect me to respond; after a brief silence, Miria continued.

“Well, since it’s the first meeting with your fiancée, I think you should present yourself properly.”

Upon hearing those words, I understood.

(Right, I forgot this is supposed to be our first meeting.)

It crossed my mind, but my feelings remained unchanged; it was all just a hassle.

“I don’t really care.”

Growing tired of talking to Miria, I gave off a vibe that said, “Don’t talk to me anymore,” and headed off to meet my fiancée.

Arriving at the reception room, Miria knocked on the door to request entry.

“Come in.”

The voice from inside was my father’s, and as usual, it seemed that both families were gathered.

Normally, I should have gone out to greet them in person with my father and mother from the morning, but I had claimed I was unwell and got to rest.

“Father, Mother. I have arrived.”

“Oh, Lewis. Finally here… huh?”

“Lewis. You should greet everyone… uh…?”

Both my father and mother were dumbstruck as they turned to look at me.

Not only that, but my fiancée and her parents, who I’d met several times before, were also staring at me in shock.

(Of course they would be surprised if I showed up like this.)

I understood the situation but was thoroughly fed up since I’d greeted this family numerous times already.

However, I knew that remaining silent would stall the conversation, so I maneuvered the water cushion over to the empty seat, sat down on the sofa, and turned off the cushion.

“So? I heard my fiancée would be here?”

“Ah, yes. That’s true… wait. Are we really continuing the conversation like this?”

True to my father’s nature, he quickly snapped back and tried to push the conversation forward, but maybe my dramatic entrance was too shocking for him to decide if it was okay to proceed.

“It’s fine. Today’s just a meet-and-greet. It’s nothing to dwell on; let’s move on quickly.”

“Uh, understood.”

Noticing that I wasn’t changing my attitude, my father hesitantly continued the discussion.

“Right then, Lewis. Let’s start with introductions.”

“Understood… It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am the legitimate son of the House of Valentine, Lewis Valentine. I look forward to working with you.”

I greeted them with a smile, then once again, the room fell into silence.

They likely didn’t know how to react to my greeting, given the manner of my entrance.

But of course, they were nobles too. They quickly gathered themselves and returned the greeting.

“Nice to meet you. I am the head of the House of Pestelose, Mile Pestelose.”

“I am Shiris Pestelose, wife of Mile Pestelose. And this child is…”

“Nice to meet you. I am Iris Pestelose, the second daughter of the House of Pestelose.”

After greeting, Iris looked at me and smiled brightly.

Iris Pestelose. The second daughter of the House of Pestelose, with shining golden hair and beautiful azure eyes as clear as the sky. I think her magic affinity is water.

Even at such a young age, her refined features make it unimaginable how beautiful she will become in the future.

(Well, I already know.)

I returned her smile casually and shifted my gaze away.

“By the way, Father. This is your daughter here?”

“Ah, yes. She’s your fiancée.”

“Understood. Well then, Miss Pestelose, I look forward to working with you.”

“Likewise, I look forward to working with you, Lewis Valentine-sama.”

After greeting each other in a straightforward manner, we didn’t exchange any further words and silently waited for this meeting to conclude.

However, I felt a gaze on me from Iris for some reason, but I didn’t care enough to respond.

After the meeting wrapped up, the adults mentioned they had some matters to discuss, so I was told to take a walk with Iris in the garden.

Thus, we ended up in the garden, but I had nothing in particular to say, so I walked quietly through the flower-laden garden.

Our duchy is in the north, making summers cool and winters cold with plenty of snow.

So ordinarily, it’s tough to get flowers to bloom in the garden, yet thanks to the efforts of the gardener and my flower-loving mother, they managed to procure flowers that bloom even in lower temperatures.

However, it’s still difficult to get flowers to bloom in winter, so there are flowers planted in a greenhouse that we can admire during that season.

(I personally think the greenhouse would be a better option even in summer.)

Not particularly interested in flowers, I couldn’t help but think it would be better to focus solely on the greenhouse rather than trying to cultivate flowers in the garden.

“Um, Valentine-sama.”

Lost in my thoughts, I was interrupted by Iris, who had been walking behind me.

I wished she would stay silent, but reluctantly, I put on a smile and turned around.

“Is something the matter, Miss Pestelose?”

I didn’t know why she was talking to me, but chatting with Iris felt like a chore, so I wanted her to get straight to the point and wrap this up.

“Is it that you dislike being engaged to me, Valentine-sama?”

Taken aback by her straight-to-the-point question, I was briefly surprised.

Having experienced life multiple times, I had often remained silent and kept my distance.

During those times, she too kept quiet, so there hadn’t been any real conversation.

Perhaps she took my silence as agreement, as she looked a little forlorn while forcing a smile.

“I suppose it’s understandable. We just met today, and we don’t know anything about each other.”

Feeling as if she shared her true feelings, I thought it was only reasonable to express my own feelings honestly.

“To be frank, I have no interest in this engagement. It’s a political arrangement, and as you said, we don’t know each other well. Plus, we are still children, so it’s possible that we could fall for someone else down the line. Honestly, I have no strong feelings about it.”

Considering our status as nobles, it’s normal for love to take a backseat to political marriage for the sake of the family’s prosperity…

(Iris, once she enters the academy and meets the protagonist, will inevitably fall in love for some reason.)

It wouldn’t be so bad if it just ended as a feeling, but the protagonist exhibits formidable strength and possesses some mysterious charisma that endears him to others. He keeps climbing the ranks, earns titles, and even ends up on the throne at times.

Thus, the class barriers between Iris and the protagonist seem practically non-existent, and their romance is bound to bloom.

(Seriously contemplating an engagement with someone like that is nothing but a waste of time.)

However, Iris hadn’t met the protagonist yet, so she accepts the political marriage.

That’s likely why she wants to cultivate at least a decent relationship if we’re going to get married.

Having expressed my honest feelings, I turned my back on her once more and continued strolling through the garden by myself.