Chapter 56: Engagement announcement
Eren peeked around the corner, his eyes narrowing in amusement as he witnessed the spectacular drama happening in the middle of the hallway.
Walking down the corridor with absolute elegance was a striking, dark-blue-haired noble lady in the academy uniform—none other than Aria Reedings, the beauty who had recently negotiated her way into becoming his official fiancée.
And trailing desperately behind her like an annoying, yapping lapdog was a tall, blue-haired young man, practically begging for the very attention he had never once bothered to give her in the past—Reinhardt Angulus.
The proud heir of the Angulus Dukedom, the original second male lead of this game.... let’s call second simp instead.
The surrounding students had all stopped to stare at his desperate antics.
"Aria! Answer me!" Reinhardt demanded loudly. "Why in the heavens did your house suddenly cancel our engagement? What is the meaning of your change?!"
"Perhaps I simply became bored with the arrangement, Lord Reinhardt," she answered smoothly, her tone colder than winter frost, not even looking at him.
The blue-haired simp’s face instantly flushed with anger.
"Bored?! Do not play word games with me! Is this sudden rebellion all because of the nonsense that trash Eren Volsver spewed before his suspension?!"
Reinhardt stepped forward, blocking her path as his voice grew.
"Listen to me, Aria. I was merely caught up in the moment back then. I still possess deep affection for you! I am even entirely willing to overlook your previous malicious mistakes and completely forgive you for bullying Lady Alice if you apologize to her. I know you still harbor deep love for me in your heart, so let us forget this foolish cancellation and go back to how things were!"
Aria looked up, her gaze locking onto Reinhardt with an expression of such unmitigated disgust that she probably wouldn’t have even made it if she were staring at a mud-covered, foul-smelling swamp orc. The man’s premium audacity was staggering.
"Are you suffering from some delusion, Reinhardt? And why in the world should I ever apologize to that commoner girl Alice? If this is for offering me your forgiveness, I suggest you fold it up neatly and deposit it wherever it is most convenient for your anatomy."
Reinhardt’s teeth gritted so hard the sound was practically audible. "How dare you... you arrogant bitch!" he roared out, completely losing his noble composure, and raised his palm high into the air; he prepared to strike right across her flawless face.
Aria stood perfectly deadpan.
But before his hand could move, a hand clamped around his wrist right from behind, halting his momentum instantly in mid-air.
Aria let out an involuntary gasp, not because he tried to slap —truthfully, she wouldn’t have even let out a whimper from a mere slap—but because of the man now standing directly behind Reinhardt.
Eren gripped the wrist, casually leaning his head right over the blue-haired simp’s shoulder, looking closely at the dark-blue-haired beauty standing in front of them. He offered her a charming smile.
"Good afternoon, beautiful," Eren greeted her smoothly, his blue eyes flashing with pure amusement. "It seems you’re having trouble."
The watching crowd of students practically recoiled in unison.
"By the gods... he has actually returned!"
"Why in the heavens is he walking the halls right now? Wasn’t his official suspension order stamped for a full three months?! The capital administration has completely failed us!"
Infuriated by the sudden intrusion, Reinhardt violently freed his wrist and spun around, his face twisted in absolute disgust as he glared at the dark-haired menace. "Eren Volsver?! When did you sneak back into this academy, you pathetic trash?!"
Instead of executing a usual verbal retort or drawing a weapon, Eren simply raised the camera and pressed the trigger.
Flash!
The burst of magical light erupted right in the middle of the hallway, causing the surrounding students to shriek in confusion, and Reinhardt instantly froze, blinking away the white spots in his vision as his brain thoroughly stalled.
As the print rolled out, Eren snatched it and blew on it twice with a satisfied hum. He thrusted into the blue-haired simp’s face.
"My word, Reinhardt," Eren chuckled softly, shaking his head in mock pity. "Look at how exceptionally hideous you appear when you lose your temper. If I were you, I’d hide this away before the ladies mistake you for a stray swamp goblin."
Both Reinhardt and Aria stared at Reinhardt’s picture in absolute, jaw-dropping shock. Looking truly and utterly ugly.
"What sorcery is this...?" Aria muttered under her breath, her usual cold composure cracking for a brief second as she stared at the magical artifact.
Reinhardt’s face turned from flushed red to a dark purple. He batted the picture away as he roared, "Why are you even here, Volsver?! Did you crawl back to this campus just to cause more malicious trouble for Lady Alice?! Have you learned absolutely nothing from your punishment?!"
Eren merely let out a sigh, slipping the device back into his coat pocket. "I have absolutely zero time for that. So, no."
The absolute calmness, the refined vocabulary, and the complete lack of foul language from the notorious trash caused the surrounding crowd to gasp even louder. It was as if they were witnessing a feral mountain beast suddenly sit down to compose high-tier poetry.
Eren then stepped past the simp, closing the distance between himself and the dark-blue-haired lady. He offered her a warm, highly suggestive look.
"Besides... why in the world would a man ever waste his energy for another girl when he already has a breathtaking, exceptionally beautiful fiancée like Miss Aria right here?"
Boom.
The sudden declaration felt like a high-level explosive spell detonating right inside Reinhardt’s skull.
The watching students were now fully locked into the drama; a few spectators in the back had literally pulled out snacks to enjoy the entertainment.
"Bullshit!" Reinhardt screamed, pointing at Eren. "No way! There is absolutely no way a proud, honorable girl like Aria would ever tie to a notorious stalker like you! Aria, tell this absolute lunatic to leave—!"
"It is entirely true, Lord Reinhardt," Aria cuts him off before completing his monologue, her voice loud, clearly for the entire crowd to hear. "The old arrangements are already done. I am officially seeing Eren Volsver now."
The second male lead stood frozen in the middle of the corridor, his mouth hanging wide open as he stared at the newly formed couple with wide, utterly broken eyes.
Eren extended his arm toward the blue-haired lady.
"It seems crowded and loud in this place. Shall we go to my dorm room and have a chat with some tea?"
Aria gladly played right along with his act, elegantly placing her hand in his. "That sounds like a peaceful arrangement, Lord Eren," she replied smoothly, her voice laced with an icy sweetness that sent another visible shiver through the watching crowd.