"Finally, someone with taste," Lady Celine seemed amused by his confession. She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand, "Unfortunately, my heart already belongs to someone else. You will have to find another lady to admire."
Celine Rochefort's infamous "I'm taken" line. In this world everyone believed she was madly in love with the Crown Prince, a one sided love that she was not ready to give up.
But the players knew better. The more they pushed their version of the Crown Prince to reciprocate her feelings, the more she revealed that he was not the one she truly desired.
Some delusional players believed she was breaking the fourth wall, talking about them, the players.
Mathieu couldn't believe he would fall for the same trap and believe that she was talking about him inside the game too.
"I didn't mean it like that," he clarified his confession, "It's more like─"
"This is a library, Young Master. If you wish to worship someone, go to the temple. Maybe they'll appreciate your flattery more than I do," she replied, looking at her book again. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to read in peace."
Mathieu forced a smile, standing up, "Of course. My apologies for bothering you, Lady Rochefort."
One didn't know if she was playing hard to get, flirting, or just plain mocking. But she knew how to get under people's skin.
"A fan toward his idol," Mathieu finished his confession with a mutter as he walked away.
Celine's soft laughter followed him out of the library, "What was it? I couldn't hear you over the sound of your heart beating."
Mathieu almost tripped over his own feet, the curious looks of other students burning holes into his back. He felt his face turn red as he quickened his pace.
The novel's lore didn't do her justice, and the comic made her too cartoonishly evil to be taken seriously. The game, however, portrayed her in all her glory, with her sarcastic wit, cruel humor, and irresistible charm.
Her voice acting, her facial expressions, her body language, everything was designed to make the player fall for her, even if they didn't want to. And it worked, oh boy did it work.
'Feeling it on my own skin is a whole different level,' Mathieu leaned against a wall, catching his breath. He felt like he had just run a marathon, 'She can burn the world for all I care. I'm not getting involved with her.'
If she wasn't pretty, nobody would put up with her attitude. He was sure of it, until he talked to her. He realized he was barely able to keep a conversation going, let alone argue with her.
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The rumors about Mathieu Duremon having confessed to Celine Rochefort and getting rejected spread like wildfire, and Mathieu became the laughingstock of the academy.
The story had been twisted, making him sound more desperate than he actually was. It had made him the center of attention, and not in a good way.
'Don't all transmigrators get all girls to flock to them upon first interaction? Why am I getting bullied instead?! For being nice, no less!'
He could barely enter the cafeteria without hearing snickers or whispers behind his back.
His favorability points with the other students had also dropped. Some of them seemed to enjoy his humiliation.
Adeline, on the other hand, seemed to be the only one who didn't find it funny, or at least she didn't show it.
"Cousin...is it true?" Adeline caught him after one of the classes, looking at him with concern and something else he couldn't read. "Did you really try to confess to her?"
Mathieu was shameless enough to go along with the rumors, "I just wanted to make sure there was no chance between us, so I can move on, I guess. She made it very clear that she hates my guts, so...yeah."
The favorability points were a good indicator of that.
"I see..." Adeline said, her voice low, "We haven't gone horse riding in a while, how about we go this weekend?" she suggested, smiling slightly.
"Sure, why not," he said, returning the smile. Time to move on from the villainess, and focus on the other routes, he decided.
But then he spotted the villainess again. She was ignoring the pink haired girl's existence on the other end of the hallway.
She was more behaved as of lately, he noted, but she still had that aura of menace around her. The way she walked, the way she looked, the way she spoke, it all screamed "don't mess with me."
A group of students, a mix of nobles, were gathered in the hallway, blocking the heroine's path. To his surprise, the villainess waved them off to let the girl pass. The small group dispersed, giving Bianca a free way to leave.
"That was unexpected," Mathieu commented.
Celine's head turned toward him, and their eyes met for a brief moment. She then walked away. Mathieu could have sworn he saw a smirk on her lips.
"So easily impressed, men are," she chuckled, knowing he would hear her.
He snapped out of it, and shook his head. 'Get a grip, man. She's not interested in you. She's just toying with you, like she does with everyone else.'
"Foolish cousin..." Adeline muttered under her breath, before pulling Mathieu by the arm, leading him away. Her hand lingered on his arm as she walked with him, side by side.
She had been doing that a lot lately, touching him more than usual.
Sometimes, he felt like she was holding onto him a bit too tightly, or for a bit too long. He didn't want to make assumptions, but he hoped it was just his imagination.
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In the next few days, Mathieu didn't see the villainess as much. She returned to her dorms to rest, and only came out for classes.
Her brother, Edmund Rochefort, was a different story.
After the heroine challenged Lady Celine for a horse riding competition, he was helping the heroine with the preparation.
The riding competition was held on the academy's grounds, a vast field with fences and obstacles.
The stands were empty except for a few students who had heard about the challenge and wanted to watch it.
Not far away from the stables, the contestants were adjusting their gear and their horses. Adeline was among them, ready to challenge Celine as well.
The crown prince was also there to watch the spectacle, sitting in the first row.
There was one problem though. Celine refused to participate.
"I'm not letting you embarrass our family any further," Edmund said, dragging her away from her seat, "If you really want to impress the crown prince, then prove it with your skills, not your status. You can't expect him to marry you just because you're the Duke's daughter."
Edmund sounded like he was doing it for her sake, and his words made sense to many onlookers.
The crown prince spoke up as well, a rare sight to witness, "Lady Rochefort, your brother is right. If you want to be my partner, you have to prove that you are worthy of me, not just rely on your father's influence."
"Not today, my Prince," Celine showed a pained expression as she tried to resist her brother's pull, "I will challenge the ladies another time, when I'm feeling better."
"Are you truly sick, or are you just making excuses?" Prince Aldric asked, challenging her coldly, "Shall we call the physician to confirm it?"