This Novel is not my Novel

"Have you forgotten that I have a fiancée?"

"Having a fiancée does not mean you cannot take a lover, does it?"

"......?"

Of course it did. Or was that acceptable in this world?

I was dumbfounded by a statement that made absolutely no sense according to my common sense.

Then a thought crossed my mind.

Come to think of it, 《NaSE》 was a fantasy novel aimed at male readers.

There had been well over ten characters mentioned as potential love interests.

Granted, they had not all fallen for Reisir at the same time. Whenever one died, a new character would appear.

Though every last one of them had died before they could even develop proper romantic tension, let alone begin a relationship.

But I'm planning to prevent all of their deaths, aren't I?

The original author would not reintroduce every character she had created before the remake.

Having too many characters would not only make the plot unwieldy, but also make it difficult for readers to remember everyone's names and settings, leaving them confused about who was who.

Even so, more than a few potential love interests had already appeared.

Does that mean Reisir, the original protagonist, really is going to have a harem...?

I decided to stop that train of thought.

Reisir's romantic values were none of my concern, much less the most important issue at the moment.

More importantly, I could not let myself react to the villain's words as though I had accepted that this was simply common sense in this world.

"I understand. Helga may have a disagreeable nature, but she does have a pretty face. It is a little unfortunate that she is merely the daughter of a baron... No, perhaps that makes her all the more suitable for a bit of casual amusement."

Just look at this bastard.

I had merely been struck speechless because the nonsense I had heard was far too absurd to process.

Yet he had arbitrarily interpreted my reaction and turned me into the same sort of filth he was.

I did not even want to imagine what he might have said if I had shown the slightest sign of agreement.

"What a thoroughly unpleasant thing to say."

"Pardon?"

"Why do you keep trying to equate yourself with me? Just because you harbor such vile thoughts does not mean you may treat me as though I were the same kind of filth. I wish you would stop. It is genuinely revolting and irritating."

"Vile? Revolting?! How could you say something so cruel...?!"

He had not hesitated to say far worse things to Helga and Dyuf.

The sight of him flying into a rage over a few mere words was beyond ridiculous.

"Does it upset you to hear such things from me?"

"Of course it does!"

"More than it upsets me to be treated as your equal when you are merely the child of a count?"

"What?! Merely a count's family...?!"

"Why are you so angry? If Helga's family is 'merely' a baron's family to someone from a count's family like you, then surely it follows that your family is 'merely' a count's family to someone from a ducal family like me."

"......!"

The confession villain flinched and clamped his mouth shut.

His eyes widened, his face registering utter shock.

He looked terribly confused, as though I had pointed out something he had never once considered.

"You regard a baron's family as so insignificant that it cannot even be compared to a count's. Why, then, do you keep trying to place yourself on equal footing with me, a member of a ducal family? Why do you wag that careless tongue and make a mockery of me regardless of how clearly I express my displeasure? You did it the day we first met, and you have done it again today."

I explained myself slowly and distinctly, my expression remaining stern.

I wanted to make it clear that my anger had nothing to do with Helga and was solely the result of the behavior of the man before me.

At that, the villain's older brother went deathly pale and shouted at him.

"Dremby, you...! Is there more you haven't told me?!"

"W-Well...."

"What in the world did you say to Lord Karvaldr?!"

"N-Nothing of any importance...!"

"And yet those words came from his mouth?"

"All I did was say that I envied him because of his fiancée! I didn't say anything that wasn't true, and we barely exchanged more than a few words in the first place...."

The confession villain pleaded his case with an aggrieved expression, but his older brother showed him no sympathy.

Instead, he glared even more fiercely and twisted his face into an even deeper scowl.

"Lately, I have found myself thinking how unsightly it is to flaunt a title that belongs to my father, not me, and behave so arrogantly. I intended to let the matter pass without comment... but since I did not invoke the difference in rank between our families as you do, you must have found me exceedingly easy to trifle with."

The confession villain himself was the one who had flaunted his father's title and behaved arrogantly.

As though he realized I was mocking him for precisely that behavior, his face flushed crimson.

Judging by the way his expression contorted as badly as his brother's, it was not shame that had reddened his face. He appeared to be burning with the effort of suppressing his mounting fury.

"How dare someone like you lose his temper with me without knowing his place?"

"I am... not...."

"Not what? Your face is brimming with rage. If you wish to challenge me to a duel, you may do so. We can fight personally, or we can appoint champions. Either is acceptable. I will gladly oblige you."

"I have no intention of dueling you, Lord Karvaldr...!"

Of course he did not.

Not only was his defeat all but guaranteed, but even if he could win, fear of retaliation from the ducal family would force him to lose deliberately.

And if he lost, he would have to pay compensation.

Who in their right mind would agree to such a duel?

"Then shall I issue the challenge instead? How convenient. I was just thinking it might be pleasant to have a mine registered in my name."

The mine owned by the Ofraushi family had done more than restore their declining fortunes. It had made them enormously wealthy.

I could not simply seize the entire thing as compensation for a duel.

The family would do everything in its power to protect it, and everyone around us would condemn the attempt.

At best, I might receive a portion of its profits for several years.

Even that was not something I could obtain merely because I wanted it.

It would only be possible if Hard personally intervened, pressured the Ofraushi family, and forced them to sign a contract before the duel.

But there is no chance Hard would do something like that for his youngest son.

I knew that perfectly well.

Even so, I had mentioned the mine in a casual tone to make the villainous brothers feel threatened, driving them to grovel and beg before they could even think of resisting.

It was also meant to instill in them the impression that the mine, though practically everything their family possessed, amounted to no more than a mildly interesting collectible to me.

I wanted them to grasp the sheer gulf between a count's family and a ducal family.

"I apologize, Lord Karvaldr! This is all because I failed to discipline my younger brother properly...."

"I-I'm sorry as well...! I dared... to speak so rudely to Lord Karvaldr without knowing my place...."

Their reaction was remarkably immediate.

Things were going so smoothly that it almost made me uneasy.

"Are you certain you truly understand your place now?"

"Yes...!"

"Then you should be capable of bowing your head to Baron Bitnir and his daughter as well."

"Th-That...."

"Why? Can you not? From my perspective, your family and Helga's are equally insignificant."

"......"

Apparently, apologizing to Helga still offended his pride.

He had already been beaten black and blue by her in front of countless spectators. What difference could a single apology possibly make?

As I watched him in genuine bafflement, the older brother villain nudged Dremby's side with his elbow, urging him to answer.

"I... I will."

"When?"

"Well, that is...."

He had agreed to apologize, but he was clearly still reluctant.

The confession villain trailed off without providing a proper answer.

In the end, his older brother answered in his place.

"Today.... No, we will go to the academy and apologize immediately."

"Then we should be on our way."

Before I could respond to the older brother villain, Valtraus abruptly spoke and rose from his seat.

It was almost as if he had been waiting for this moment.

Well, he has done nothing but sit there this entire time. Of course he must be bored.

And that was not all.

After the conversation that had just taken place, he must have concluded that the remarks about remarriage had merely been a pretext.

I had attempted to use him to place someone I had personally come to dislike in a difficult position.

He probably felt that he had wasted enough time already.

Will he return directly to the main residence, then?

Valtraus had likely sent the carriage he had arrived in to the academy after reaching this place.

But there was no chance he would yield it to me and hire a carriage for himself.

That left me with only two options: ride in the villainous brothers' carriage or hire one of my own.

It will take some time to find a carriage for hire....

The problem was that I had no idea what trouble the villainous brothers might cause if they reached the academy before me.

The confession villain spouting more nonsense under the guise of an apology would be the least of my worries. He might lose his temper halfway through and cause a disturbance.

And just perhaps... the original author might intervene and make the situation even worse.

After considering the matter from every angle as we left the café, I concluded that my best option was to ride in the same carriage as the villainous brothers.

I was about to follow them when....

"Karvaldr, our carriage is this way."

Valtraus abruptly called me to a halt.

His words made it sound as though he expected me to board his carriage, which left me puzzled.

"I intend to return directly to the academy."

"I know."

"Then why...? Do you perhaps wish me to accompany you to the gate transit facility and see you off?"

"Of course not."

"Yes, to be honest, even as I said it, I thought there was no chance that could be right. Then you intend to lend me the carriage while you...."

"No."

Valtraus cut me off before I could finish.

Then he truly was inviting me to ride with him, and our destination was the academy?

Why did Valtraus want to go there? Since he had come this far, did he intend to visit one of the professors who had taught him when he attended the academy?

Or did he want to watch the confession villain apologize to Helga?

I even activated 【Character Analysis】 and considered the matter deeply, but no answer presented itself.

I deactivated the skill and stared intently at Valtraus, silently demanding that he reveal his intentions at once.

Then he said something I had never expected.

"I will take you to the academy."

"Pardon?"

"What?"

"No, I mean... why?"

"......"

"......"

".........I have something to say to you."

Apparently, he intended to reprimand me for attempting to use him.

I had expected him to let the matter pass simply because he hated speaking to the younger brother who had killed his mother.

Clicking my tongue softly, I climbed into the carriage bearing the Austri family crest.