VILLAIN'S HAREM IN OTOME GAME

The central courtyard was completely packed with students, all whispering as an aristocratic circus drama was happening right in the middle of campus.

Aria folded her arms tightly across her chest, her golden eyes gleaming with contempt as she looked at her ex-fiancé.

"I will ask you one last time, Reinhardt," Aria said coldly, her voice echoing clearly for the dozens of onlookers to hear. "What possible business could you have with this girl?"

She was irritated.

Ten minutes ago, the delusional hero had approached her, loudly declaring he had concrete proof to expose Eren’s true nature. And instead of presenting evidence, dragged her straight to the courtyard, cornered a purple-haired girl, and publicly branded her as Eren’s side chick.

Reinhardt gestured toward Violet, his face twisted in self-righteous fury. "I am telling you the absolute truth, Aria! Dozens of students have seen them whispering in corners, buying her costly foods, and holding her hand right in the middle of class!"

A few feet away, Alice stood like a lioness, wrapping violet around her as the girl trembled. The poor, purple-haired cutie looked completely in shock, her purple eyes wide with fear as the surrounding crowd began murmuring among themselves, instantly branding her.

"I-I... I didn’t do anything..." Violet muttered, her voice shaking as she hid her face against Alice’s sleeve.

"Shut your filthy mouth, Reinhardt!" Alice snarled, completely ignoring her saintly appearance. "Drag your pathetic, obsessive insecurities somewhere else and leave Violet out of this!"

Aria pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed in exhaustion. Looking at her pathetic ex-fiancé, she was embarrassed at how she was once obsessed over him.

"What you are doing right now is utterly pathetic, Reinhardt," Aria stated with disgust. "Creating a public spectacle on prestigious academy grounds... have you lost whatever tiny fraction of dignity you had left?"

"Why can’t you see it?!" Reinhardt yelled back, throwing his hands up in frustration. "Eren is the pathetic one! He’s actively dragging this entire academy through the mud with his multi-timing degeneracy with this little bitch! Open your eyes, Aria—"

SLAP—!

The sharp, thunderous sound of the slap echoed like an explosion spell as Reinhardt’s head snapped to the side. The entire crowd gasped in unison, dropping into a dead silence from their judgmental whispers against Violet.

For the first time, the villainess had entirely lost her aristocratic composure. Her eyes were blazing with pure hatred as she looked at him as if he were some shit she had accidentally stepped on.

"Do not dare...utter another word of your filthy nonsense about Eren or Miss Violet with that disgusting mouth of yours."

The Saintess stood completely frozen, her jaw dropping so far down it practically struck oil in the underground as she stared in bewildered disbelief at the blue-haired villainess.

This was the same Aria who had spent years relentlessly harassing and bullying her over Reinhardt.

And now?

She slapped the very same hero to defend Violet.

Even Violet peeked out from behind Alice’s sleeve, her purple eyes blinking in awe at the terrifying noblewoman standing up for her.

Reinhardt held his burning cheek. His brain could not process the current reality. In his mind, he was the righteous protagonist, the glorious hero destined to save Alice from the clutches of Aria and Eren. Not having his pride obliterated in front of everyone.

His face contorted in humiliation. Gritting his teeth, he clenched his fist.

"How dare you...!" he roared, swinging his fist straight toward Aria’s face.

Aria didn’t even flinch. She stood her ground with complete, icy confidence—not because she was suicidal.

CLANG—!

Before Reinhardt’s fist could even come close to her pretty face, a hand clamped around his wrist from behind like a steel chain.

The surrounding crowd gasped, instinctively taking a collective step backward as the dark-haired villain finally appeared with his grand presence.

Eren stood behind the struggling hero, casually holding Reinhardt’s arm in place without effort.

Ignoring the enraged grunts of the guy whose wrist he was crushing, Eren looked straight past him, offering his gorgeous, enraged fiancée a warm, thoroughly relieved smile.

"Are you alright, my lovely Aria?" Eren asked smoothly, his dark blue eyes checking her over.

Aria huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and tossing her blue hair over her shoulder with an adorable, haughty pout. "You’re late, Eren."

"Hey, cut me some slack," Eren chuckled, playing along with her dramatic tone. "I was on the complete opposite side of campus in the workshop. I practically broke sprint records to get here."

"Fuck—let go of me, you bastard!" Reinhardt shouted, his face turning red as he tried and failed to yank his wrist free.

With a bored flick of his arm, he shoved Reinhardt aside.

The former hero stumbled backward over his own feet and collapsed unceremoniously onto the ground while Eren dusted off his hand as if he had just touched radioactive garbage.

Eren then turned to Violet, who was still trembling slightly. He was relieved that Alice had cleverly created a clear, safe perimeter around the purple-haired cutie, ensuring that the surrounding crowd wouldn’t be affected by her curse.

Eren looked at the disgraced hero sitting on the ground.

"Care to explain what kind of unhinged circus you’re running here, Reinhardt? You went out of your way to publicly corner and terrify a little kitten. Have you lost your mind entirely?"

Reinhardt got back to his feet as he pointed an accusing finger at Eren. "Don’t play innocent with me, Volsver! What’s your real relationship with that girl?! Explain why you’re constantly buying her things and walking with her!"

Eren and Aria let out a perfectly synchronized, exhausted sigh.

Of course, Aria already knew Eren’s chaotic harem situation.

But Violet?

She was a sweet, utterly innocent child who was currently suffering from a curse. Aria knew the exact nature of the purple-haired girl’s condition, but exposing her secret in front of a gossiping crowd would ruin the poor girl’s academy life forever, turning her into an instant outcast.

Aria stepped in front of Eren as she looked at Reinhardt with disdain. "Miss Violet is a close personal acquaintance of mine, Reinhardt. I knew her long before you started throwing these unrefined tantrums, and I consider her a dear friend. So if you’re attempting to frame my fiancé’s standard courtesy as something scandalous, you are failing spectacularly."

The blue-haired villainess took another sharp step forward. "If you utter another slanderous lie about my fiancé or Miss Violet, I will personally ensure House Angulus suffers the full diplomatic and economic weight of House Volsver and my own family."

Reinhardt stood there practically boiling in embarrassment.

It was a complete, horrifying nightmare. Everything he had built—his reputation, his social connections, his campus popularity, his rich fiancée, and his crush on Alice—had completely slipped through his fingers, leaving him with nothing.

"It’s all because of you..." Reinhardt growled as he glared at Eren. "You ruined everything! I demand an official, public duel right here, right now!"