This Novel is not my Novel

"What is this immodest speech and attitude? Was this your real personality? Was everything you've shown me until now just a pretense?!"

The villain snatched the Ether microphone Helga had offered with a rough hand, and the first thing he said into it was a criticism of her.

He had thought she was a person who perfectly matched his ideal type, from her looks to her personality.

It looked as though he was interrogating her, asking why she had deceived him, now that he realized the image he had seen was an illusion.

'If he was really just shocked and reflexively asking for confirmation, he wouldn't have had the presence of mind to grab the microphone.'

It wasn't that he had no intention of questioning her at all.

But he couldn't stand the vicious insults being hurled at him, and underlying it all was surely the judgment that he had to redirect the target toward Helga.

The proof was that even with his face contorted in anger, one corner of his mouth was raised in a sneer.

"You really did like me, just like the rumors said, didn't you?! That's why you acted like my ideal type to look good for me. But you thought I would never accept the feelings of a mere baron's daughter, so you gave up and are now pulling this stunt, right? Just to protect your pathetic pride!!"

He was the one who had confessed to liking Helga and been rejected, and he was the one who had spread the rumors.

He really had no conscience.

'And what's more, there was even a witness to that confession scene...'

It was so absurd that a hollow laugh escaped me, but I didn't want to step forward and correct him.

Not only was the sheer number of people gathered a burden, but it was obvious that if I did, I'd just be asked whether I was taking Helga's side because I was friends with her.

And even if I told the truth that she and I weren't the least bit close, no one would believe me.

And that went without saying for Reisir, who had a long-standing friendship with Helga.

And most importantly.

Right now, Helga did not need any help.

"I hate this about you! The fact that you have nothing to show for yourself besides your family, yet you live under the delusion that you're popular! I really, really hate it! Why should I have to like someone like you?!"

"Well, that's..."

"Do you perhaps think there's no one born into a better family than you at this Academy? Or surely you don't think you're handsome with a face like that, do you? You don't speak prettily, you aren't kind-hearted, and you aren't smart. You don't have a single good quality! Besides being born into a better family than me, do you have any personal strengths at all?!"

"Wh-What did you say?"

"I hate you! I'm shouting so loudly that I hate you! Why can't you understand and keep saying disgusting things like I like you?! I really, really hate you! If I say I hate you, you should know I hate you! I hate everything about you, including the fact that you can't accept that I hate you and just willfully claim a mental victory!!"

Just before she started her speech, Helga had clearly been feeling embarrassment and a sense of burden.

But now, not even a trace of those emotions could be found on her face.

It seemed the dam holding back her anger and sorrow had burst, and all other feelings were swept away on a wave of resentment.

"The reason I've been putting on a pretense all this time was only because I wanted to be a model for others! A cool and elegant noble lady!! It wasn't to look good for someone like you! I hate you so much that I'm willing to tear down the image I've painstakingly built over the past year with my own hands!! Why can't you understand my true feelings??"

The last sentence was uttered in a tone close to a plea.

It was filled with such heartfelt sincerity that no one could doubt its authenticity.

Perhaps that was why?

"Oh nooo~, I feel so bad for Helgaa...!!"

Skati stomped her feet, reacting as if she couldn't bear how pitiful Helga was.

Her actions were quite conspicuous, so I was worried that attention might shift this way and was wondering if I should subtly step back and pretend not to be part of the group.

Thankfully, Helga continued speaking, drawing all the attention back to herself.

"If I had known about you before enrolling in the Academy, and if I had known your type was a refined and graceful lady! I never would have put on such a pretense!! Because the mere possibility that you might come to like me is utterly humiliating!! That's how terribly I hate you! I just hate you to death—!!!"

"How dare a mere baron's daughter...!"

"I hate this too, how you bring up family at the slightest provocation! Is a baron's daughter not allowed to have her own feelings of like and dislike? I don't hate the Young Master of a Count's family, I just hate you as a person!! Ugh~, I really hate you! I really can't stand the sight of you!! It's so annoying!!"

It was a real talent, continuously pouring out a stream of "I hate you" for so many different reasons.

"All you have going for you is a good-looking face..."

"Aargh──! Don't look!! I wasn't born with a good-looking face to impress someone like you! Why do you, with your ugly face, have such good eyes and make people feel bad?!"

Helga seemed to find even the fact that her opponent liked her appearance creepy and horrifying...

No, it wasn't that she 'seemed' to; it was real, so she let out a sudden scream and covered her face.

While doing so, she didn't hide her displeasure and even used the villain's words to pay him back with a greater insult.

"Pfft..."

"Keke..."

It was only natural that snickers started to leak out from here and there.

The villain, angered by the sound, looked around, but it was useless.

Those who were laughing openly were likely the children of families who didn't need to worry. Those who were afraid of getting caught in the crossfire would be hiding in the crowd and laughing secretly.

'But with this many people... it seems like even if you laugh openly, no one would know who's who.'

The villain's momentum, as he glared around with wide eyes, quickly died down.

It was likely because he had confirmed that even when he glared, there were far more people who laughed blatantly instead of being scared.

In the end, there was only one person in this situation on whom that bastard could vent his anger.

"Helga Vitnir! Do you think your family will be safe after you've insulted me like this?!"

"Again, again! With that harping on about your family, your family name!! That's the only thing you can show for yourself! You even resort to open threats like this! How could I not hate you?!"

"Y-you...!"

"Me, what! Well!! If you have something to say, say it properly—!!"

"S-so... you don't seem to be afraid of your family being ruined?!"

The villain flinched and hunched his shoulders, then immediately straightened them again and raised his voice.

It was likely an action to recover from the shame of realizing he had been overwhelmed by Helga's spirit.

And yet, he was repeating the same pathetic threats, which made him look truly pathetic.

"I'd like to ask you the same thing. Why wouldn't my family be safe, and why would it be ruined?"

"Because you insulted me! My father will not forgive you!!"

"This is truly absurd... Hey! Did I use vulgar profanity, did I expose your shame, did I slander the Ofrausir family? I was just confessing my honest feelings that I hate you!"

"But you did it after gathering a huge crowd!! To make me an object of ridicule!"

"I was only trying to correct the rumor to clear myself of the dishonor of liking you! But then you willfully interfered and revealed your own pathetic self to the whole world, didn't you? And you're blaming me for it! I really hate people who don't think about their own faults and only blame others!!"

Was it because he'd heard the words "I hate you" too many times today?

Or was it because his threats weren't working and he had nothing left to say?

"You... uh... th-this...!!"

The villain couldn't form proper words and just stammered, pointing his finger at Helga.

I didn't understand why he was holding the microphone in his other hand to his mouth if he was going to be like that.

Perhaps Helga thought the same and decided she had to find a use for the microphone, as she brought up a new topic and questioned him.

"Ah, right! It just occurred to me, so I'm asking just in case. That ridiculous rumor that I like you, you didn't spread it, did you?"

"Wh-Why would I do something like that?!"

"You said it yourself just a moment ago, didn't you? That my pretense was your ideal type. And you even commented that my face was good-looking. So you came to like me, but I hate you immensely! So to protect your pathetic pride, you spread a rumor that was the opposite of the truth, that I like you, didn't you?"

"N-no... that's... not... it..."

Perhaps thinking he had to deny it first, the villain uttered words of denial.

But his voice lacked confidence, and his eyes darted back and forth.

He seemed to have instinctively realized that even if he claimed not to like Helga now, no one would believe him.

"What exactly is 'not it'? That you didn't spread the rumor? Or that it wasn't to protect your pride, but that you had some other bad ulterior motive?!"

"What in the world are you talking..."

"Instead of acting like someone who's been hit where it hurts, can you please deny it firmly and clearly?! It's horrible that you like me, and if you spread a fake rumor because of it, that would be so disgusting and creepy! I really hope that's not what happened!!"

Surely everyone had noticed by now.

Not only that the one who spread that rumor was none other than that villainous bastard.

But also the reason why Helga had to go out of her way to make such a large-scale clarification, even turning herself into a spectacle.

"I'll ask one last time, so answer me straight. The rumor—did you spread it?"

The voice that flowed from Helga's lips went through the microphone and echoed through the speaker.

As the person who had been shouting at the top of her lungs suddenly interrogated him in a low, subdued voice, the voices of the crowd who had been muttering and cursing the villain also gradually quieted until, at some point, they fell silent.

Everyone closed their mouths and stared intently at just one person.

With eyes that said, "Hurry up and confess the truth."

Did his mind snap under those burdensome gazes?

Or had he decided to just go all out, since clearing his name was impossible anyway?

"Fine! I spread it! What are you gonna do about it?!"

An utterly shameless remark popped out of the villain's mouth.

It was a dismissive statement, asking what a mere baron's daughter could possibly do.

He seemed to have prematurely concluded that if he acted this way, his opponent would be at a loss for words and just hesitate.

But Helga, on the contrary, showed an attitude as if she had been hoping for this very response.

"What do you mean, what am I gonna do?! I'm going to challenge you to a duel—!!"

She shouted this immediately, pulling a fine white lace glove from her Inventory and throwing it at the villain's face.

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