I, the Villain, Want to Save Myself, But the Yandere Heroines Disagree - Chapter 83

Elsewhere, Litte and Orson walked along the road back to their dorm.

“So, Litte, what were you doing at Olivia’s place today?” Orson asked, breaking the silence between them. It was starting to feel a bit awkward.

“Uh…” Litte hesitated, unsure whether to tell the truth.

After a moment of thought, she decided to come up with an excuse.

“Well, Lianca didn’t come to class today, so I was a bit worried about her. I asked for her dorm address and went to check on her.”

“I see.” Orson nodded, feeling even guiltier.

Of course, Litte was concerned about Lianca, while I almost ended up in an inappropriate situation with my future sister-in-law, who might also become Litte’s sister-in-law.

“Hey, Orson,” Litte suddenly asked, “why were you at Olivia and Lianca’s dorm?”

“Me? Oh…” Orson thought for a moment and decided not to hide it. “Olivia came to me, saying that Lianca hasn’t been in a good mental state lately—partly because of me—and asked if I could help. So I did.”

“Oh.” Litte nodded. “I see.”

“Yeah, that’s all there is to it.”

“Then what exactly did you and Lianca talk about upstairs?” Litte asked abruptly.

“Uh… well…” Orson’s eyes darted around. In truth, most of the conversation consisted of Lianca speaking while Orson barely did anything.

But there was no way he could tell Litte about how Lianca had almost pinned him down!

“I just talked to her about life and dreams, and she suddenly had an epiphany.”

“Really?” Litte clearly didn’t believe him. “Then why was Lianca blushing when she came downstairs? And during lunch, neither of you dared to look at each other. Would talking about life and dreams cause that?”

“Uh…”

“Or is it that, Orson, you and Lianca didn’t just talk about those things upstairs?”

“No, no, Litte, don’t overthink it,” Orson quickly denied, shaking his head. “Nothing happened between me and Lianca.”

After all, as her older brother, and with a fiancé already, getting involved with someone Litte cares about would be absolutely inexcusable.

Litte stared at Orson for a long time before finally looking away.

“Alright, fine, I’ll take your word for it.”

After this exchange, Orson became even more certain that Litte had feelings for Lianca. Otherwise, why would he care so much about her?

But then, why didn’t Litte just tell me or Olivia directly? Why go so far as to secretly follow us?

Maybe it’s just that young people don’t want others to find out about their secret crushes, Orson figured.

He hadn’t expected that even after altering the story’s original trajectory, Litte and Lianca would still find their way to each other. Was this some kind of narrative inevitability?

Turning to Litte, Orson said, “Litte, if you’ve found someone you like, then go for it. Do your best to hold onto your happiness.”

With these words, Orson left, heading to the Student Council to work on preparations for the academy festival.

Litte stood frozen for a moment, Orson’s words echoing in her mind. Gradually, her cheeks turned bright red.

“O-Orson, what kind of nonsense are you saying…” she thought, flustered.

Could it be that Orson already knows I like him?

After all, the sleepwalking excuse was pretty far-fetched.

Then why would Orson encourage me like that? Could it be that he likes me too, but just doesn’t want to admit it?

No, no, no! Even if that’s the case, it would be way too bold to make the first move!

Covering her face with her hands, Litte returned to the dorm. Out of habit, she walked into Orson’s room, flopped onto his bed, and buried her face in his pillow, taking in the familiar scent. Only then did she feel a sense of safety.

For her, just being able to live with Orson was enough…

As this thought crossed her mind, her consciousness grew hazy, and she drifted off to sleep.

—

Elsewhere, Elsa sat in her dorm, looking at Aphro.

“Aphro, I’m so bored. Come shopping with me.”

“Princess Elsa, His Majesty just reminded you a few days ago to focus on your studies at the academy and to handle your Student Council duties properly.”

“Oh, come on, Aphro~” Elsa whined, clinging to Aphro’s arm. “You know as well as I do that no matter how hard I work, I’ll never beat that monster Orson in academics. Since I can’t get first place, who cares about the rest of the rankings?”

“And the Student Council is boring too! I’ve spent the past few days cooped up writing plans with everyone—it’s sooooo dull! Just come shopping with me, please~”

“…” Aphro checked the time before saying, “Princess, don’t forget there’s an internal meeting with President Orson this afternoon.”

“Oh, right.” Elsa finally remembered. “I almost completely forgot about that meeting if you hadn’t mentioned it.”

“Then, Aphro, why don’t you do a reading for me? See what this year’s academy festival will be like.”

“That’s too broad to predict,” Aphro replied, shaking her head.

“Then…” Elsa thought for a moment. “Hmm… How about this: will this year’s festival be better than the previous ones?”

“Alright, let me take a look.” Using the gemstones Elsa handed her, Aphro performed a divination. After a moment, she nodded. “This year’s festival will go very smoothly. If you continue working as you have been, Princess, you’ll play an important role in it.”

“Good enough for me!” Elsa said, her confidence bolstered by Aphro’s prediction.

With renewed energy, she stood up and left the dorm, heading to the Student Council office.

—

That afternoon, the Student Council’s internal meeting proceeded as scheduled.

“As you all know, the academy festival is fast approaching. Today, we’re here to discuss how we should arrange and organize the event and to determine how each department will collaborate,” Orson said, glancing at the others seated around the table.

Everyone began presenting their ideas and proposals.

Finally, Orson summarized and consolidated the discussions.

“Alright, here’s the general plan for the festival. In the morning, we’ll have class-based activities. These will serve as a warm-up and don’t need to be overly professional.”

“Then, in the afternoon, the club activities will take center stage. Each club must host unique events, even the Go-Home Club!”

Hearing this, the head of the Communications Department raised a hand.

“President Orson, isn’t it a bit much to ask the Go-Home Club to participate? Wouldn’t that be…”

“Isn’t the Go-Home Club still a club?”

“But they hardly ever do anything…”

“That’s fine,” Orson said, shaking his head. “You have to believe in people’s potential. Who knows, maybe precisely because they haven’t done anything, their event will turn out to be the best of all.”

“Alright…” The head of the Communications Department nodded.

“In the evening, we’ll build up the festival atmosphere to its peak. We’ll have a musical theater performance in the auditorium and a magic show in the plaza.”

“Finally, we’ll wrap up the festival with a fireworks display in the plaza as the grand finale.”

“This flow of events should work well, don’t you think?” Orson looked around at the group.

“Yes.” Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Good. During this time, I’ll need the Communications Department and the Publicity Department to spread the word about the festival.”

“The Coordination Department and the Office will handle the planning and scheduling of events.”

“Lastly, the Disciplinary Committee and the Residential Life Department need to step up during the festival. Since it’s also an open day, the Disciplinary Committee should increase patrols, and the Residential Life Department must ensure the dormitories are well-managed to prevent theft.”

After assigning the tasks, the meeting was adjourned, and everyone returned to their respective duties.

“Olivia, aren’t you going to get to work?” Orson asked, noticing that Olivia was still lingering in the office.

“You’ve already assigned all the work my team needs to do, haven’t you?” Olivia said, continuing to sit beside Orson.

“Orson,” she began, “can you tell me honestly what happened upstairs with Lianca?”

“Nothing happened,” Orson said, shaking his head. “Lianca thought my appearance was part of a dream. People do all sorts of things in dreams, right?”

“That’s true.” Olivia nodded. “But I’m curious—did Lianca say anything about me?”

“About you?” Orson thought for a moment. “She did say something like, ‘What you said is exactly what my sister told me,’ when I was comforting her.”

Orson didn’t dare mention the part where Lianca had talked about rebelling against her sister. He didn’t want to risk straining their relationship.

Hearing Orson’s words, Olivia nodded.

Just as Orson thought she wouldn’t press further, Olivia suddenly asked, “When Lianca was trying to do that kind of thing to you, did it not cross her mind that you’re my fiancé?”

“Uh, I wouldn’t know…” Orson froze for a moment before shaking his head. “She didn’t say.”

Olivia squinted at him, her expression unreadable. But instead of pushing the matter further, she left the office.

“Well, as much as I’d love to spend more time with you, Orson, I have some things to take care of,” Olivia said regretfully as she stood and walked out.

“Oh, by the way,” Orson called out just as she was about to leave.

“What is it? Trying to make me stay?” Olivia smiled at him.

“No,” Orson replied, shaking his head. “Just remember to drink more hot water.”

“…” Olivia’s smile froze. She turned around and slammed the door shut in frustration.

Watching her reaction, Orson clenched his fist and quietly cheered like a child.

Finally, I managed to annoy that troublesome woman.

—

Meanwhile, back at the dorm, Litte lay on Orson’s bed, having a nightmare.

In her dream, Orson was nothing like the kind and gentle older brother she knew.

On her first day home, she had tried to approach Orson, only to be coldly humiliated by him before he slammed the door in her face.

In the days that followed, no matter how polite she was, Orson kept his distance and avoided her.

Unlike the Orson in reality, who was always smiling warmly, the Orson in the dream wore a perpetual expression of indifference.

Why? Why would Orson suddenly change? In reality, he’s always so kind to me…

But deep down, a voice told her that this cold and distant relationship was what was truly normal for the children of a duke.

In front of their parents, Orson would act close and affectionate, but as soon as they were alone, he would always push her away.

“Litte, don’t you think it’s disgusting for a boy like you to keep following me around?” Dream Orson looked at her with disdain, his tone filled with contempt.

“After all, someone raised in the countryside will always be a countryside bumpkin,” he continued, saying the words that hurt Litte the most.

When Litte opened her eyes again, it was already evening. Orson was sitting at his desk. Hearing movement from the bed, he turned to look at her.

“What’s wrong, Litte?” Orson asked, walking over to the bed. Noticing the sweat on her forehead, he pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped it away. “Did you have a nightmare?”

“Mm.” Litte nodded. “Orson, I’m sorry. I was so tired when I got back that I accidentally went into the wrong room and fell asleep on your bed.”

“It’s alright,” Orson said with a smile, shaking his head. “If you’re still scared, you can sleep here tonight. I’ll keep you company.”

“Then… what about you, Orson?”

“I’ll sleep downstairs or in your room. It’s no big deal,” Orson replied.

“Alright.” Litte nodded and lay back down.

See? It was all just a dream. There’s no way Orson would ever treat me so coldly.

But as she lay there, she suddenly felt a hand wrap tightly around her neck.

“Orson, you…” Her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked up at him.

But Orson’s grip only tightened, and she could no longer make a sound.

The gentle warmth in his eyes had been replaced by a fierce and ruthless glare.

“Litte, I’ve told you before—don’t trust anyone, not even me.”

“Haha, you useless thing. After all the effort I’ve spent training you, you still let down your guard around me.”

“Fine, with you dead, I’ll become the legitimate heir to the dukedom!” Orson said, his tone bordering on madness.

Litte, staring at this version of Orson, unexpectedly began to laugh.

“What… what are you laughing at?!” Orson demanded, his grip loosening slightly, just enough for Litte to speak. “Speak up! If you don’t, don’t blame me for continuing!”

Cough, cough. Litte coughed a few times before rasping, “You… you’re not Orson.”

“What makes you think I’m not Orson?!” Orson snapped, pointing to himself. “Look closely! How am I not Orson?!”

“If Orson wanted to kill me, he’s had tens of thousands of opportunities before this,” Litte said. “And besides, Orson promised me that he has no desire for the position of duke.”

“Oh, so you trust Orson that much, huh?” The so-called “Orson” sneered, his expression changing as he revealed his true self.

It was someone with the exact same appearance as Litte.

The only difference was in the eyes—Litte’s were a bright purple, while this person’s were a deep, bloody red.

“Little Dark… it’s you,” Litte said. “Why are you always trying to drive a wedge between me and Orson?”

“I told you before—Orson is dangerous,” Little Dark said, her tone calm now. “If you die, I die too. I don’t want to die. That’s all there is to it.”

“But, Little Dark, do you think I have the ability to leave Orson now?” Litte asked in return.

“Even so, you should still be on guard against him!”

“Little Dark,” Litte said firmly, her voice resolute. “If someone is willing to treat you as an equal regardless of your past, if someone extends a hand to help you even at their own risk when you’re in trouble…”

“Then, wouldn’t it be worth giving your life for that person?”

“Litte…” Little Dark fell silent. She had come this time to remind Litte not to become too complacent in her peaceful everyday life and to keep her guard up so she might survive any potential danger.

But now, it seemed that Litte valued Orson even more than she valued her.

This version of Litte was, in Little Dark’s eyes, already “beyond saving.”