Please Fall in Love with Me! – A Villainess on Her Second Loop, using 'Seduction' to Avoid Ruin! - Chapter 3.8

I kept my face buried in my hands as I groaned.

Claude let out a short, amused exhale.

“Ugh! I can tell even without looking—you’re thinking, ‘What an idiot,’ aren’t you?!”

“Yes, I am.”

“You’re too honest!”

I glared at him, but—unsurprisingly—he remained completely unfazed.

“Do you see Lord Siegvard as a ten-year-old child or something?”

“Of course not!”

“Then what exactly was that? Frankly, it’s no surprise he asked, ‘Was there something?’”

“Uuugh…”

I know! I’m already miserable! I’ve fully acknowledged my mistake!

“…Just let me wallow in peace…”

“As you wish. However, if you’re going to mope, please do so in your room. Sitting here looking pitiful is disruptive and, quite frankly, an inconvenience to everyone.”

“…Yes, I understand…”

I won’t trouble anyone—I’ll just quietly sink into despair…

Just as I sluggishly lifted my head, the door swung open again.

I assumed it was the steward returning from seeing Siegvard off, but instead, I was met with the flutter of a dress hem.

Startled, I looked up to find Fiona standing there, gazing down at me in confusion.

“I’m back… Lady Adelaide? Why are you sitting on the floor?”

“Ah… Welcome home, Lady Fiona. This is… um…”

“Oh, right! You had a tea party today, didn’t you? How was it? Did you have fun?”

I hesitated, searching for the right words—only for Claude to betray me immediately.

“She failed spectacularly. She’s about to retreat to her room and wallow in despair.”

I shot a daggered glare at him.

“That’s too much! It wasn’t that bad! The tea party itself was a success, wasn’t it?!”

“Hm? Oh, yes. If your only goal was to host a tea party, then I’d say it was a resounding success.”

A clean, effortless strike—he cut straight through to the heart of the matter.

Stop! My HP is already at zero!

Collapsed in emotional defeat, I stared at the floor.

Fiona tilted her head.

“Huh? So it wasn’t just a regular tea party? Now that I think about it, you did seem unusually determined about it.”

“Ah… Well, actually…”

“Her Ladyship was attempting to win over the man she invited.”

“…What?”

Instantly, Fiona’s expression went blank.

Then—

“Who. Who is this infuriatingly lucky man?”

“…Huh? Lucky…?”

Why lucky?

That wasn’t the part I needed to focus on right now.

I hesitated, lowering my gaze.

What should I say…?

Siegvard was a main romance target. There was a high likelihood that Fiona, as the heroine, would develop feelings for him.

If that happened—she and I would become rivals.

And just like that, my entire strategy to win her over would fall apart.

“…………”

But if it were me, I would never want to befriend someone who lied, hid things, and tried to outmaneuver me.

I would be honest.

Even if we became rivals—well, I’d cross that bridge when I got there.

Taking Claude’s offered hand, I stood up and looked straight into Lady Fiona’s eyes.

“It’s Lord Siegvard Reda Argent… I—I want him to fall in love with me.”

“…Do you like Lord Siegvard, Lady Adelaide?”

My heart thudded in my chest.

I sucked in a breath, staring at Fiona.

Why did that question feel so piercing?

As if I were hearing it for the first time…

“L…ike…?”

Do I like Lord Siegvard?

“Oh? Do you not?”

Fiona tilted her head, looking genuinely puzzled by my reaction.

“I… don’t know.”

The truth was, I really didn’t.

I didn’t even understand love in the first place.

What was the difference between the like I felt for my family or friends and the like that was romantic?

Sure, my heart raced whenever I saw Siegvard.

Whenever those amethyst eyes locked onto mine, my chest felt warm and tight.

His words, his actions—they had an unusual power over me, stirring my emotions in ways I couldn’t control.

But… was that really love? Was it?

I wanted him to fall for me because I needed to marry him. And I needed to marry him because I didn’t want to meet a tragic end. I wanted to escape the fate set for me.

At the same time—he had once sacrificed himself to protect me, leading to a death that was never meant to happen.

I wanted to save him from that. I couldn’t let him die like that again.

But let’s say, hypothetically, I knew for sure that I wouldn’t meet a tragic fate.

Would I still be trying this hard to make him love me?

Would I still be chasing him like this?

No—most likely, just like in the first timeline, I would have kept my distance.

Could I really say that I loved him, then?

No—I couldn’t.

“…Hah…”

A bitter feeling spread through my chest.

I wanted Siegvard to love me.

But… I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to say I loved him in return.