I, the Villain, Want to Save Myself, But the Yandere Heroines Disagree - Chapter 17

“Orson…” Sitting in the carriage, Litte’s mood was visibly sad. “Am I really that bad?”

Watching Litte sitting opposite him, sulking all by himself, Orson felt an inexplicable urge to laugh.

You’re the protagonist. You’re seriously asking me if you’re bad?

If you’re bad, then what does that make the rest of the people in this world?

But looking at things now, aside from Orson, who knew about Litte’s protagonist halo, it was true that no one else believed in him.

Even Lucius had only given Litte a chance to prove himself because Orson vouched for him.

“Litte, do you trust me?” Orson asked, his eyes fixed on Litte.

“Of course I trust you, Orson,” Litte replied. Feeling Orson’s gaze upon her, she blushed for some reason, her eyes darting away as she avoided meeting his.

“Then why do I feel like you don’t believe me?” Orson said, noticing his timid movements. Although he wasn’t sure why he was so flustered, he reached out and grabbed Litte’s shoulder to build his confidence.

“Ah?” Litte let out a soft cry of surprise, forced to look up at Orson.

“Litte, I believe in you. I believe you have limitless potential, and I’m certain that your future achievements will surpass mine.”

“I have high expectations for you, so you must trust yourself as well.” As Orson spoke, he made an encouraging fist gesture. “You’re learning so quickly—picking up all kinds of things.”

“But… but…” Litte stammered, her voice tinged with urgency. “Orson, you’ve said it yourself—strength is the most important thing in this world. And my… my magical aptitude… isn’t it really awful?”

“Who told you it’s awful?” Orson said, feigning confusion. “You’re destined to become a grand mage in the future. That crystal orb at the Adventurers’ Guild was just faulty and failed to detect your talent.”

“Really?” Litte asked. “Then why did it work for you but not for me?”

“Maybe because my power was too overwhelming and drained the orb’s remaining magic?” Orson replied nonchalantly.

“In any case, Litte, you need to believe in yourself. I’ll help you every step of the way. With me here, what do you have to worry about?”

“Thank you…”

“No need to thank me. After all, we’re brothers.” Orson smiled warmly.

Litte returned his smile.

“Yes… brothers.”

Over the past two days, Litte’s understanding of what it meant to have a brother had deepened significantly.

—

Back at the estate, Orson resumed his role as Litte’s personal tutor.

The afternoon session was dedicated to sword practice. As the most common weapon in this world, the sword was a skill nobles were required to master—it was a fundamental part of their education.

“Litte, pick up the sword,” Orson said, frowning as he watched Litte struggle to lift the blade with his frail arms.

It was the lightest training sword available, yet his strength was so lacking that he couldn’t even wield it properly.

“Hold the sword steady,” Orson instructed as he stepped forward, placing his hands over Litte’s to help lift the sword.

“Ugh…” Feeling Orson’s hands touch hers, Litte’s cheeks turned red.

“Like this. Raise the sword and point it at your opponent.”

Once Orson let go, Litte’s arm immediately drooped under the weight, and the blade tipped downward again.

In the adjacent mansion, Lucius stood by a second-floor window, watching them.

Seeing Orson repeatedly correct Litte’s posture, Lucius nodded in satisfaction before returning to his desk.

“Sir, Miss Celineina has sent a message asking when the construction can begin,” the butler Albert said as he entered the study.

“Ah.” Lucius paused for a moment before responding, “Leave the matter to Orson. The new district expansion was his idea, so he should be the one to oversee it moving forward.”

“Is that really a good idea?” Albert asked. “Won’t it be perceived as favoritism, making it seem like you’ve already chosen Young Master Orson over Young Master Litte as the heir?”

“Should I hand the responsibility to Litte instead?” Lucius chuckled.

Then he stopped and considered for a moment.

“Albert, you’re right. Since Orson has been mentoring Litte, let them handle it together.”

“As you wish.” Albert nodded and left the room.

As the door closed, Lucius was left alone in the study.

“Orson, Orson… I hope your intentions are genuine,” Lucius muttered as he sighed heavily at his desk.

In noble families, inheritance matters often came with bloody strife.

What served as the strongest familial bond among commoners—family love—was often the weakest link in noble households.

For the sake of securing an inheritance, brothers who shared the same blood would cast away all sense of camaraderie and tear each other apart.

Such things were commonplace in noble families.

However, based on Orson’s behavior towards Litte, it didn’t seem like he was pretending, which gave Lucius a sliver of hope.

Could it be possible that, no matter which of the two brothers inherited his position, the other would wholeheartedly support him?

Because of this hope, Lucius was doing everything in his power to strengthen the bond between his two sons.

If their relationship could grow so strong that no external force could drive them apart, his wish would be fulfilled.

Yes, he didn’t adhere to the traditional noble obsession with bloodline purity. Otherwise, he would have immediately rejected Orson as an heir and passed the title directly to Litte.

But he wasn’t completely open-minded either. He still harbored the hope that Litte could rise to meet the requirements for inheriting the title, at which point he would pass the position on to him.

This internal conflict led him to focus on uniting the two brothers.

—

Half an hour later, Orson glanced at Litte, who sat beside him, panting heavily. He shook his head helplessly.

His body was too frail, completely lacking in muscle. Forget about wielding a sword—he’d struggle to swing even a lightweight dagger for more than a few minutes.

How was he supposed to pass the combat portion of the Imperial Academy entrance exam?

After all, the entrance exam wasn’t just a written test; the combat evaluation was even more significant.

In this world of swords and magic, individual strength was the most important, and society as a whole revered power.

“Maybe, Litte, you’re more suited for magic?” Orson said, looking at him thoughtfully.

In the original story, Litte had excelled in both physical and magical disciplines. However, his current lack of physical aptitude might be due to his undeveloped body and as-yet-unawakened talents.

“Haah…” Litte exhaled, still catching her breath despite having rested for two minutes. “R-Really?”

“Mm. Come back to my room later, and I’ll give you a few beginner-level magic books. Tonight, we’ll try to see if you can cast some basic spells.”

“Don’t worry—I’ll personally guide you. If there’s anything you don’t understand, I’ll help you.”

“Okay!” Hearing that she could learn magic and that Orson would personally teach her, Litte’s eyes shone brightly with excitement.