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The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

Chapter 151: The Protagonist

Time rewound a bit; after Lewis headed to the terrace, Iris was enjoying the dishes and drinks spread out on a nearby table all by herself.

(I’m not against parties, but it’s a little disappointing that I can’t eat more delicious food.)

As Iris pondered this while nibbling on the food, she noticed a group of men approaching her.

“What a beautiful young lady! What are you doing all alone?”

“If you don’t mind, may we join you?”

(Are they from another country? This might get a bit troublesome.)

The men who spoke to Iris had brown skin, different from the Empire’s citizens.

If they were nobles from the Empire, mentioning that she was the second daughter of a marquis and the engagement to Lewis would make them back off. But there are always fools among foreign nobles who don’t care about such things.

However, even if they were fools, mismanaging the situation could lead to international issues, so Iris put on a smile, feeling a bit troubled inside.

“I’m glad you approached me, but I’m sorry. I have an engagement, and he has just stepped away for a moment. He should be back soon, so please don’t worry.”

“Haha, is that so? But there’s no need to wait for an engaged man to leave such a beautiful woman alone.”

“Indeed, why not enjoy with us?”

“I’m sure it’ll be fun, right?”

(They’re persistent. What should I do?)

As Iris struggled with the overly insistent men, one of them reached out to touch her.

“You really are beautiful.”

“Stop it!”

“…”

Iris, who disliked being touched by anyone other than Lewis, instinctively swatted the man’s hand away, and his expression turned unpleasant.

“How audacious! You brushed my hand away?”

“I apologize, but that’s because you acted rudely. I already told you that I have an engagement. It’s wrong of you to reach out so casually to someone like me.”

“You brat!”

The man, losing his cool due to Iris’s rejection, tried to grab her arm forcefully, but just then, a young man appeared between Iris and the men.

“Stop it! She’s clearly uncomfortable!”

With his messy brown hair and light green eyes, this young man was the one who had bumped into Lewis on the announcement day, the one Lewis referred to as the protagonist.

“What’s this, a commoner! Are you trying to get in our way?!”

“It’s wrong to force anything on a woman who’s uncomfortable! No matter if you’re a noble, I won’t allow such wrongness!”

His voice and gaze brimmed with righteousness, enough to even slightly intimidate the emotional men from before.

“Shut up! We’re nobles! You commoners live thanks to us nobles! If you understand that, then get out of our way!”

“No! It doesn’t matter if you’re a noble or a commoner; I’m just acting correctly as a person! I won’t overlook this!”

“You little punk!!”

Finally unable to suppress his anger, the man swung his fist down towards the young man.

The surrounding girls screamed, but the fist never landed on him.

“Stop!”

“D-Duchess Charlotte?!”

The one who grabbed the raised arm was Sharueina, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion. She cast a quick glance at the young man and Iris before glaring at the men with ice-cold eyes.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“W-Well, um…”

“We were just trying to teach this commoner about the difference in status…”

“We never intended to cause any harm…”

One of the men, trying to justify himself, claimed he didn’t do anything wrong, but such excuses would never fly with Sharueina.

“Indeed, it seems that none of you directly tried to inflict violence, but since you didn’t stop it while being present, you’re all equally guilty. It appears this place isn’t suitable for you. I’ll escort you outside the venue. Follow me.”

The men warped their faces in regret, but they must have understood that continuing to make excuses to Sharueina was futile, so they followed her outside.

“Um…”

“Ah! Are you alright?”

“Are you okay?!”

“…Huh?”

Once the men left, Iris turned to the young man who had been behind her, and he seemed startled.

(What is this feeling? Have I felt this somewhere before… this déjà vu?)

The moment he turned around, Iris was struck by a sense of unexplained familiarity, and the words he spoke began to echo with phrases she couldn’t remember.

“Did you get hurt?”

“Are you injured anywhere?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“That’s good to hear.”

(What is going on… ugh!)

The moment the young man smiled, seeming relieved, Iris’s heart began racing for some reason, mixing feelings of happiness and discomfort that made her chest tighten.

“Hah… Hah…”

“Are you alright?!”

“I-I’m… fine.”

As Iris suddenly began to breathe heavily, the young man worriedly stepped closer to support her, but she swatted his hand away.

“Don’t touch me!”

“Ah!”

“I’m sorry, but I’m really fine, so please don’t worry… ugh!!”

Each time Iris saw the young man’s actions, she felt an urge to remember something, but the strange discomfort and headache left her on the verge of collapsing.

“Whoa, are you okay?”

“Hah, hah… Lewis-sama!”

“Calm down. Breathe slowly.”

“Y-yes.”

The one who caught Iris just before she fell was Lewis, who had been observing from a distance. He watched Iris, whose face was pale, and contemplated.

(Hmm. Interesting. Last time I saw a situation like this, she fell in love with the one who saved her, but now she’s rejecting him? No, is she enduring something?)

Observing Iris’s first-ever response with keen interest, Lewis was interrupted by the young man speaking up.

“Who are you? Are you perhaps one of those guys from earlier?”

“…Haha. What if I said I was?”

“I’ll do everything I can to help her! I won’t overlook any wrongdoing!”

(Still full of that sense of justice, huh? It’s nauseating.)

Lewis felt disgusted by the purely righteous gaze from the young man but kept his expression neutral.

“Lewis-sama…”

“Hm? Just rest for a bit.”

As Iris weakly murmured Lewis’s name while leaning on him, he placed a hand over her eyes and cast a sleep spell to put her to rest.

“What did you do to her?!”

“I just put her to sleep for a bit. So stop glaring at me.”

The young man glared at Lewis, suspecting he had done something to Iris, not bothering to conceal his hostility.

“Let her go!”

“Hmm. Unfortunately, I can’t do that.”

“Why not? Don’t tell me you’re up to something!”

“No, she’s my fiancée. If I hand her over to you here, that would definitely lead to nasty rumors.”

“Eh… fiancée?”

“Yes. My fiancée.”

“But just a second ago!”

“I just asked what would happen if I said I was. I never said we were allies.”

“Well… I suppose that’s true. It seems I misunderstood. I apologize.”

Once the young man recognized his mistake, he quickly bowed in apology.

“Apology isn’t necessary. On the contrary, I appreciate you helping her. I’m Lewis Valentine.”

“I-I’m Shudo. Nice to meet you.”

Lewis smiled at Shudo’s words, then turned his back while carrying the unconscious Iris.

“I thank you for today. See you later.”

With that, Lewis conveyed his message and then headed toward Fiera and the others with Iris in tow, rejoining the girls who had been watching from the sidelines.

“Lewis Valentine…”

Left behind, Shudo quietly murmured Lewis’s name while watching his back as he exited the venue.

 

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