Please Fall in Love with Me! – A Villainess on Her Second Loop, using 'Seduction' to Avoid Ruin! - Chapter 3.10

“Huh!? A blown kiss!? From Lady Adelaide!?”

“Yes, though it lacked any charm whatsoever. It was more like she was offering up her bad breath with both hands.”

“I-I wish I had seen it! I bet it was absolutely adorable!”

Fiona clenched her teeth in frustration, looking as if she genuinely regretted missing the moment.

“So? Did he just freeze up? He didn’t faint or anything?”

“Of course not. He is a Holy Knight, after all.”

“Ugh, seriously!?”

Fiona pouted in deep dissatisfaction.

“If he had at least fainted, I might’ve been able to accept it. Honestly, I don’t want Lady Adelaide to end up with someone who doesn’t appreciate how adorable she is.”

“…Lady Fiona, you really dislike men, don’t you?”

Fiona didn’t answer. Instead, she narrowed her eyes.

It wasn’t just men she disliked. She disliked people in general—including herself.

Claude, sensing the depth of her sentiment, merely shrugged his shoulders.

“It seems our young lady has taken quite a liking to her.”

“How could I not? There’s no one else like her…”

Just thinking about it made her heart race.

That day—the day she awakened as a Saint—Adelaide had been the first to rush to her side. Despite being a noble lady, she had run at full speed, her hair disheveled, sweat dripping, gasping for breath.

She had thrown herself between Fiona and a man raising his fist, without a trace of hesitation. She had held Fiona tightly and shielded her.

She hadn’t called her “Saint.” She had called her “Lady Fiona.”

She never judged Fiona by what a saint was “supposed to be.” Instead, she had valued Fiona’s feelings, considering what was truly best for her.

She had been angrier than Fiona about what her father had done and had retaliated fiercely on her behalf.

Even when Fiona had broken down in tears, sobbing pathetically—Adelaide had simply embraced her in silence, staying by her side.

“For my education, most would have just hired a tutor. It’s easier, more reliable, and a clear way to make me feel indebted. But Lady Adelaide insisted on teaching me herself. She personally selected my books, explained things to me, demonstrated lessons over and over without a hint of irritation. She even danced with me to help me practice. She gave up her precious time for me. She even stayed up all night making a list of noble families I should remember and people I could rely on.”

There was no end to the list of things Adelaide had done for her.

In just a few days, how much had she already given?

She had sacrificed her own time, pushing herself to the point of exhaustion, dark circles forming under her eyes—all for Fiona’s sake.

Not for “the Saint,” but for her.

“And even after all that, Lady Adelaide still says, ‘It would be arrogant of me to call myself your benefactor.'”

She never demanded Fiona’s trust. On the contrary, she warned her not to take only her words at face value.

“Always listen to others as well. Use your own eyes and ears to find someone you can trust with all your heart,” she had said.

She never tried to curry favor with the Saint.

She never asked for anything in return.

She simply gave—wholeheartedly.

“Tell me, do you know anyone else like that?”

Fiona certainly didn’t.

Every noble lady she had met mocked the uneducated, sneered at the weak, and trampled on them. They fawned over those above them with shameless obviousness.

“I understand how deeply you feel indebted to her,” Claude said. “But blind faith is dangerous. Even Lady Adelaide herself told you that, didn’t she?”

“…Do I seem blindly devoted?”

“You seem dangerously close. Have you considered that she might have her own reasons for doing all this?”

“Of course.”

Fiona smiled sadly.

She couldn’t trust anyone unconditionally.

She had long since lost the purity of heart needed to do so.

Kindness always had a hidden motive. True selfless goodwill did not exist.

“It’s just like love. Lady Adelaide ran straight into danger the moment she heard a scream. She shielded me with her own body and saw me—not just the Saint. Even if she had some ulterior motive, the fact that she put herself in harm’s way, gave up her time, effort, and even money, all without hesitation—that alone makes her feelings real.”

Fiona said this with a bright, unwavering smile.

“So that’s why I refuse to let Lady Adelaide end up with some unworthy man. I don’t want to see her hurt.”

“Well, I suppose I agree—at least halfway. But I think the young lord will be fine.”

At those words, Fiona’s smile faded as she stared at Claude.

“Wait… Claude, don’t tell me—you’re in love with Lady Adelaide?”

Before she could finish, Claude made a face as if the world were ending.

“Wow… Even the stone-faced Claude just made an incredible expression. Do you hate the idea that much?”

“Absolutely impossible!”