The Yandere Villainess’s Past Life Was That of a Lonely Woman. After Reflecting and Stopping Her Stalking of Her Fiancé, He Somehow Started Approaching Her Instead. - Chapter 6

Perhaps because of his shock, the usual look of hatred he always carried toward me was nowhere to be seen.

Come to think of it, Lycoris had always left a stronger impression as a stalker who appeared everywhere without warning, but she had never actually touched Lucius like this. For better or worse, she had been the “observer type.”

Now that I had regained my past-life memories, I finally understood:

The relationship between villainess Lycoris and her fiancé Lucius was no different from that of an obsessive fan and an idol.

It wasn’t that she wanted to be his lover. No—she simply couldn’t allow him to have one. She wanted to know everything about him. And so, using her parents’ influence, she had forced their engagement.

But such “affection” could only ever seem creepy and oppressive to the one on the receiving end. Like a spider keeping its favorite butterfly trapped in a web, ignoring its freedom and dignity.

So of course Lucius’s eyes, whenever they looked at me, had always held fear and disgust.

Even now, as I looked up at him, his handsome face was unchanged—but dark circles lurked beneath his eyes, and his complexion was poor.

Unable to run, shackled to an engagement arranged by our parents. Forced to live under the constant watch of a fiancée skilled in black magic.

Their betrothal had been decided when they were ten, and from then on Lycoris had smothered him with obsessive feelings year after year.

It was no wonder his spirit was reaching its breaking point.

And that was why I couldn’t bring myself to condemn him too harshly for seeking solace in the heroine.

“Lycoris, you…”

“…I’m sorry, Lucius-kun. I’ve made things hard for you all this time, haven’t I?”

“Eh…?”

His surprised voice made me realize my blunder.

Damn it. I’d gotten so caught up in viewing Lycoris objectively that I had slipped completely back into the way I spoke as a player.

In my past life, he had been just a younger game character, so when chatting with fellow gamers, I’d always referred to him as “Lucius-kun.”

I’d managed to play the role of the villainess reasonably well when confronting the heroine and those girls earlier, but now, suddenly face-to-face with him like this, I’d failed.

Maybe I was more rattled than I thought by this sudden encounter—and our sudden closeness.

As I scrambled for an excuse, Lucius grabbed my shoulders firmly. My whole body froze as if struck by lightning.

Neither I nor Lycoris’s body was used to physical contact. And to be touched by someone this handsome—!

In my past life, I had barely spoken to men outside of family, coworkers, or store clerks. Having a boyfriend had been out of the question. So instead of joy, fear was what rose up strongest in me.

“Hieee!”

“Lycoris… could it be, you’ve gone back to the way you used to be?!”

“…Hah?”

“You just called me Lucius-kun! And your eyes—they’re different now! You’ve become the bright, flower-like girl you once were!”

Clutching me tightly, my bewildered fiancé cried out, his pale face flushed with color.

Bright, flower-like girl? What was he talking about?

In my past life, and even after being reborn as Lycoris, I had always been a gloom-drenched type.

If anything, it was his face that was now glowing like sunlight. If I really were a vengeful spirit, his smile alone might have been enough to exorcise me on the spot.

That was how overjoyed Lucius seemed.

But the reason for that joy was completely invisible to me.

My confusion only deepened with every passing moment.