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

Side Story: The Meeting of Two; Part 1

A special episode commemorating 3 million views!

I hope you enjoy it!

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This is a story before Lewis was born.

The young man who had just enrolled in the Suzette Imperial Academy was already popular among many female students even before his admission, thanks to his striking silver hair, blue eyes, tall stature, and being the firstborn son of a ducal family.

The name of that young man was Edward Valentine.

He was the heir of the House of Valentine.

“Ahh. I’m tired.”

“Hey, Edward. Skipping class to hang out in the S-class garden again, huh?”

“Yeah, Mile. You got it. I was planning to attend class but I almost got caught by the girls again, so I ran away.”

The one speaking to Edward was Mile Pestelose, the heir of the House of Pestelose, and he had been Edward’s friend since childhood.

“You’ve got it rough. If it’s such a hassle, why not just get engaged already?”

“Well… that’s…”

“I know, I know. You’ve always had a hard time with the opposite sex. Seriously, if I were targeted like you since childhood, I’d be tired and disgusted, too.”

“You’re lucky. You managed to get engaged to someone you liked first.”

“Haha. Looking at you now, I’m constantly reminded of just how fortunate I am.”

Mile said that with a smile as he thought of his fiancée, while Edward let out a deep sigh, his fatigue evident.

“I get that the position of a duchess is appealing, but honestly, being pursued so thoughtlessly is just annoying.”

Since childhood, Edward had been introduced to countless daughters at parties and received numerous marriage proposals due to his future as a duke.

At first, he dealt with it without much concern, but probably because of that, many women misunderstood him, and the number of those who actively pursued him increased over time.

Eventually, he found hair in the cookies he received, and teas served at tea parties were spiked with love potions or aphrodisiacs, escalating their actions with every passing year.

As a result, Edward began to develop a sense of discomfort and aversion toward women, and his thoughts about getting a fiancée became negative.

“Thinking about the future, I know I need to have a fiancée, but honestly, I’m scared of women.”

“Yeah, I get it. The only fortunate thing is that your parents aren’t rushing you.”

“Yeah. But I can feel they’re worried even if they don’t say it.”

Edward’s parents were aware that he had struggled with women since childhood, so they were trying their best to respect his feelings, yet still, they worried about him due to his position as the next duke.

“For now, I’ll be keeping an eye on you so I can be by your side, but when classes differ or you have plans with Silis, it’s tough, so just try to manage on your own during those times.”

“Sorry. I know you want to be with your fiancée too.”

“Don’t worry about it. The time we get to spend together like this will be almost nonexistent after we graduate. Spending time with your fiancée is important, but I value my time with you too. Plus, Silis understands.”

“Thank you. I’m really glad to have you.”

“Haha. Stop that; it makes me feel embarrassed. Anyway, I’ve got my next class, so see you later.”

“Yeah. Be sure to tell Silis I’m grateful, too.”

Mile waved at Edward’s words and quietly left the garden.

A few days later.

As usual, Edward was surrounded by female students, carefully managing not to show his discomfort, while he and Mile dealt with the group together.

“What’s that…?”

Among them, his eyes fell upon a girl walking slightly away with a book in her arms, the sight of her beautiful dark blue hair swaying in the wind oddly captivating him.

The girl glanced at Edward for just a moment, but in her mysteriously golden eyes, it felt like there was an underlying annoyance.

“What’s wrong?”

“Mile. Do you know who she is…?”

“She?”

Following Edward’s gaze, Mile traced it to the girl who was about to leave, and upon seeing her, he began to speak about her.

“Ah, that’s Elize Schwalzo. The daughter of the Schwalzo Baron family. Her written grades are always among the top in her year, but she seems to struggle with practical magic, so she’s in Class A.”

“You sure know a lot.”

“Well, she’s in the same class as Silis and is a friend of hers, plus that appearance of hers makes her rather popular with the boys. But she seems to have a bit of a strong personality, so she still doesn’t have a fiancée and doesn’t have many friends.”

“Oh, I see.”

While listening to Mile’s story, Edward’s gaze continued to chase after Elize, seemingly oblivious to the other girls around him or even Mile.

“Hmm. This is…”

Seeing Edward’s reaction, Mile showed a bit of surprise before grinning mischievously.

“Edward. Can you focus on us for now?”

“Huh? Oh.”

Edward answered in an unusually distracted tone, as if he weren’t really paying attention.

From then on, Edward’s daily life began to change a bit.

While talking with Mile, he naturally found himself asking about Elize, and before he knew it, he was unconsciously searching for her presence.

Mile noticed his friend’s change and found it amusing, so he informed his fiancée, Silis, about the situation so that she could help and make sure that Elize would be within Edward’s line of sight.

“Edward. Are you watching her again today?”

“Huh? Watching what?”

“Elize.”

“Watching? Not that much, really.”

“Haha. You really are unaware, aren’t you?”

Even though Edward didn’t seem to notice it, his childhood friend Mile had figured it all out.

“Edward.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll say it plainly; you’ve been staring at Elize for a long time.”

“N-no, I mean… not that long…”

“Okay, okay. I see you’re unaware of it, so just listen to me for a second.”

“…What is it?”

“You’ve always been on the receiving end of affection, so you might not realize it, but we’re graduating from the academy in a year.”

“Yeah.”

“Once we graduate, more people will be getting married, and as everyone returns to their countries or territories, it’ll be hard to meet without any connections.”

“Ah.”

“In other words, if you keep going like this, you won’t get the chance to meet Elize anymore. What do you think about that?”

“That… sounds kinda bad.”

“Right? You’d feel lonely about it too, wouldn’t you? Am I wrong?”

“Well… maybe…”

Edward considered the future at Mile’s prompting, but just imagining not being able to see Elize anymore or picturing her laughing with someone else made his chest ache painfully.

“Ugh. You’ve struggled so much that it feels like you’ve become blind to your own feelings, so let me tell you, Edward. That feeling you have for Elize is love.”

“Love…?”

“That’s right. Just like the love I feel for Silis, it’s love.”

“I see. So it’s love.”

Edward murmured the word “love” as if tasting it, and in the next moment, he stood up as if he’d made up his mind to head toward Elize, but Mile hurriedly stopped him.

“W-wait. Where are you going?”

“Where? To confess!”

“Wh-what? Confess?!”

“Yeah. Thanks to you, I’ve finally understood my feelings. Now all that’s left is to confess.”

“Whoa, that’s some initiative, but calm down. Confessing that quickly is a bit hasty.”

“Why?”

“Why? Ah, right. I’m the only normal one around you, huh?”

Thinking back on the women who had pursued Edward thus far, Mile remembered that he had never truly received sincere affection and let out a deep sigh.

“Edward. Think about it. You know about Elize thanks to me, but she knows almost nothing about you. If you suddenly confess in that situation, what do you think she’d feel? You know that better than anyone, right?”

“That would be a nuisance and uncomfortable. Sorry. I appreciate your help.”

“I’m glad you understand. So let’s talk about what’s to come. With your skewed romantic knowledge, you’re definitely going to fail.”

“Understood.”

Mile’s admonishment caused Edward to obediently sit back down, looking as if he wanted Mile to continue speaking soon.

(Sigh. I might need to get more cooperation from Silis on this one. Well, it’s for my best friend’s first love, so let’s do my best.)

Mile smiled with a hint of exasperation, but he also felt relieved that Edward finally had a chance to move forward and resolved to do his best for his friend.

A few days after Edward began to realize his feelings for Elize.

On this day, it had been arranged for Edward, Mile, Elize, and Silis to practice magic together in the training field.

“Uh, so, since there are new people today, let’s introduce ourselves lightly first. I’m Mile Pestelose, fiancée of Silis and heir of the Pestelose family. Miss Schwalzo, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Yes. Thank you for having me.”

“I think everyone knows me, so I’ll just say my name. I’m Silis Lange. Nice to meet you!”

“Alright. Next is Edward.”

“Uh. I’m Edward Valentine. Miss Schwalzo, please take good care of me.”

“Yes. Thank you. Lastly, I’m Elize Schwalzo. Pestelose-sama, Valentine-sama, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Elize said this while elegantly curtsying, and Edward found himself captivated, staring at her.

“Is something wrong? Valentine-sama?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“Haha. It seems Edward was mesmerized because Miss Schwalzo is just too beautiful.”

“Hey, Mile!”

“Well, it’s just how he is, so don’t worry about it. More importantly, Miss Schwalzo, since you’re a friend of Silis, would it be alright if we called you by your first name from now on? And please feel free to call us by our first names as well.”

“I don’t mind, but is it alright for you, Valentine-sama?”

“Uh, yes! I’d be happy if you could call me by my first name too.”

“I understand. Then please call me Elize as well.”

As Elize smiled and said so, Edward’s ears turned red, and he hurriedly averted his gaze.

“Haha. This guy is a bit shy, so don’t mind him.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Yes. But his magical skills are the best in the academy, so he’ll be perfect for today’s objective. Miss Elize should be able to score well in the next exam.”

“Thank you. I’m truly sorry for the trouble I’m causing you by having you teach me magic.”

The gathering was meant for practicing magic for the upcoming practical exam, and it was an arrangement set up by Mile and Silis for Edward to teach Elize, who struggled with magic.

“Okay, I’ll observe Silis’s magic, so Miss Elize, please let Edward take a look at you. Edward, I’m counting on you.”

“Uh, got it.”

“Edward-sama, I’m counting on you.”

“Yes! Leave it to me!”

Edward responded with a slightly tense expression, and Mile enjoyed watching his reaction as Silis led him away to a slightly distant spot.

From there, although Edward showed an unusual tension, he began teaching Elize about magic, and gradually the tension between them eased, leading to more conversations.

“Thank you for today.”

“No, it was a good opportunity for me to rethink magic. However, if Miss Elize wouldn’t mind, could I continue to teach you magic in the future?”

“Huh?”

“Ah, no, I’m not forcing you. If you dislike it, you can refuse, and if my teaching style doesn’t suit you, that’s a valid reason to decline as well.”

Edward stammered nervously, fearing he had closed the distance too much too quickly, and he was uncertain about what to do next.

“Hehe. I’m glad you said that. Your teaching style was clear and easy for me to understand, and I’d almost be the one requesting it.”

“Y-then…?”

“Yes. If it’s alright, I’d appreciate it if you could continue teaching me.”

“I-I’ll do my best!”

Although Edward’s voice wavered a bit as Elize smiled, it seemed that his seriousness in wanting to teach her magic was conveyed, and Elize nodded with a smile.

After that, they began practicing magic together whenever they had time, gradually drawing closer as they studied and shared meals, increasing the moments they spent together.

 

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