"Can you move?" Mathieu asked, "We need to get you out of here."
"I will find a way," Lucian's raspy voice came from the ground.
Guards were running to the alarm's source, their heavy boots stomping on the wooden planks. Mathieu quickly ran out of the lower deck and into Karina's cabin before she noticed his absence. He had to play along with her delusions until he found a way out.
He locked the door and turned to her sleeping form on the bed. The favorability points were missing. It should have shown 83 before, but now there was nothing.
He blinked, thinking it was his imagination. But no matter how many times he opened and closed his eyes, the favorability bar remained empty.
'What does this mean?'
He walked closer to her sleeping figure, his knee on the bed, leaning forward. He gently brushed her hair away from her face, his eyes scanning her features.
'No, that's impossible.' Chill like a cold blade ran down his spine. She wasn't breathing. He checked for a pulse, but his fingers felt nothing but cold skin.
"Who...who did this?" he whispered, his voice shaking. He looked around the room, but there was no one else there.
He shook Karina's body, trying to wake her up, but it was no use. She was dead, and the only one who could have done it was─
Himself.
Mathieu stumbled back, his eyes wide with horror. His memories were foggy, his mind refusing to accept what his instincts were telling him.
His hands were clean, no blood on them. But the words Karina spoke before he left echoed in his mind, 'I will kill myself if you leave this room.'
He felt her ghost creep up on him, her hands wrapping around his neck, her voice whispering in his ear. 'I told you not to leave me. Look what you made me do. I'm dead because of you. Now we can be together forever.'
Mathieu screamed, swatting at the air, trying to get away from her.
The door was kicked open, the guards rushing in, their weapons drawn, "Miss Karina! The Duremont attacked us, and—"
They froze when they saw Mathieu's state, his hands pulling at his hair, his face twisted in terror.
"What have you done to miss Karina?!" one of them shouted, his spear pointed at Mathieu.
Mathieu's eyes snapped to him, his pupils dilated, "I...I didn't...she...she..."
The guards didn't wait for an explanation, they charged at him.
Mathieu raised his own swords, parrying the strike. He pushed the guard away and ran toward her window, breaking the glass with his elbow. He climbed out, ignoring the shards cutting his skin. The thin layer of lead was also broken through as he jumped into the sea.
"Get him! Don't let him escape!" the guards shouted, chasing after him.
The cold water enveloping him as he swam away from the ship, his arms and legs moving as fast as they could. Rain started to fall, mixing with the salty water.
He didn't kill Karina, but who would believe him? He was seen leaving her cabin, and returning after she died. He was the prime suspect.
'I didn't kill her. Something else must have happened.' Mathieu refused to accept it, 'She was fine when I left her. Her favorability points even increased. So how...how did this happen?'
His lungs burned as he held his breath, swimming deeper.
'She was crazy possessive in the game, but she didn't die like this... This is not how it was supposed to go,' his thoughts raced, trying to make sense of the situation, 'She should be alive...I was supposed to introduce her to Adeline...they were supposed to become friends. My yuri route...'
He wanted to cry, but no tears came out. He felt numb, empty, lost, like the game where one wrong choice could lead to a bad ending. Except this time, it was real. He couldn't reload a save file. There was no going back.
He wished he never left Karina's room. He wished he stayed with her, even if she was holding him hostage. If he had stayed, maybe she would still be alive.
'Is the plot punishing me for trying to change it? Is this my punishment for trying to save the villainess?'
Karina died in the novel, and he found it unfair for such a powerful woman to be reduced to be a stepping stone for the heroine. So he decided to give her a better life, but it backfired on him.
'It's your fault.' Her voice echoed in his head, making him lose concentration and gulp water. 'You didn't save me. You killed me. You are a villain, and villains don't get happy endings.'
He thought he was fine being a villian. He didn't mind being the bad guy, as long as he got what he wanted. He was ready to embrace it even, but not at the cost of his loved one's lives.
Not like this.
Mathieu broke the surface of the water, taking a deep breath, his vision blurry from the rain.
He was close to the Black Heart, a pirate infested island where no law abiding citizen dared to set foot on.
He was not that nice of a guy to save Lucian.
'He is a second male lead. He will be fine...'
Lucian was only second to the male leads in terms of being overpowered. He had everything, from looks, to brains, to power. Except for the heroine's love, that is.
Lucian's biggest weakness were women. He adored them, he cared for them, and would never hurt them. Breaking hearts didn't count. Women came to him with that knowledge in mind.
Only the heroine could change his ways, according to the novel. Catching him making out with other female students in various parts of the academy would be a norm until the heroine decided to take the matter into her own hands.
'He will appear in the academy after the holiday break. I'm sure his plot armor will protect him and help him find his way out.'
Mathieu reached the docks, pulling himself up with shaking arms. Karina's ghost refusing to leave him alone. She continued to whisper in his ear, blaming him for her death.
╔═══ Author's note ════╗
Rip Mathieu's desire to have a peaceful life. Bro only wanted to save the unwanted villainesses and build a harem with them. 🙏😭
How do you like the progress so far? 😁
╚════════════════╝