I, the Villain, Want to Save Myself, But the Yandere Heroines Disagree-Chapter 81 - How Can I Win Against an Actor? (3/3)

“Lianca, how has life at the academy been lately? Are you adjusting well?” At the restaurant, William looked at his two daughters sitting across from him, his face filled with a kind and loving smile.

“Mm, it’s been alright,” Lianca nodded.

She didn’t want to share her recent troubles with her father. After all, she had already confided in Olivia. There was no need to burden another person with her concerns—especially not her father, who had always placed high hopes on her.

“Today’s trial—your performance was excellent, Olivia,” William remarked, turning to Olivia with a look of recognition and approval.

“You maintained composure and poise, even with so many important figures in the audience.”

“Father, it’s all thanks to your guidance,” Olivia replied with a gentle smile.

“Mm, but that young man Orson is really quite impressive,” William suddenly said, bringing up Orson’s name. “Entrusting Lianca to Orson gives me peace of mind.”

“Ah, um... Father.” Hearing this, both Olivia and Lianca, who were seated across from him, immediately tensed up. At that moment, Olivia decided to speak first.

After all, it was her idea to amend the engagement, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for Lianca to address it before her.

But to her surprise, Lianca beat her to it.

“Father, I’ve met Orson privately. I still don’t like him, but since the engagement can’t be canceled, my sister helped me. She suggested transferring the engagement to her instead.” As Lianca spoke, she lowered her head.

“I’m sorry, Father. We’ve already discussed this with Orson. He’s probably talking to Duke Lucius about it right now. This is all because I don’t like Orson. If you’re going to blame someone, blame me.”

After finishing, she glanced at Olivia.

Her sister had done so much for her; at the very least, this time, Lianca felt she should bear the full responsibility for breaking off the engagement.

Perhaps doing so might ease the guilt weighing heavily on her heart, even just a little.

“Is this true?” William asked, looking at both Olivia and Lianca in disbelief.

Despite his surprise, his tone did not carry anger. Instead, it was filled with confusion and incomprehension.

He couldn’t understand why Lianca would dislike someone as outstanding as Orson, nor could he grasp why Olivia would propose such an unusual solution as taking her sister’s place in the engagement.

“What Lianca said is true,” Olivia admitted at that moment, her voice calm. “The engagement has indeed been changed to include my name.”

As she spoke, Olivia took out the revised engagement contract and handed it to William.

William reviewed it several times, confirming its contents, and then let out a resigned sigh.

“I’ve always considered myself a kind and understanding father who doesn’t interfere excessively in your decisions.”

“If this is the conclusion you two sisters, Lianca and Olivia, have reached together, then so be it. I’ll acknowledge it and discuss the matter with Duke Lucius later.”

“Really?” The two sisters, clearly not expecting their father to agree so readily, asked in surprise and delight.

“Yes,” William nodded. “However, I have one condition.”

“What is it? Father, please tell us. As long as it’s something I can do, I’ll do my best to fulfill it.”

“Olivia, your first child with Orson must bear the Essenberg name. After all, you need to provide the Essenberg family with an heir, don’t you?”

“But...” Olivia hesitated upon hearing this request. “That’s not something I can decide on my own...”

“Mm.” William nodded knowingly. “That’s why I’ll discuss it with them. If they don’t agree, then you’ll just have to have more children with Orson and let the later ones take our family name.”

“So, this was Father’s intention all along...” Olivia murmured, nodding in understanding.

In truth, she didn’t mind the idea of having several children with Orson.

“And until you officially marry and give birth to a child for the Essenberg family, I’ll prioritize Lianca as the heir to the duchy,” William continued, turning to Lianca.

“As for you, Lianca, it’s a different matter. If you marry in the future, your husband must join our family instead of the other way around. Otherwise, I won’t approve.”

“Do these terms work for both of you?”

“Yes,” Olivia and Lianca both nodded in agreement.

William agreed because this incident had only further convinced him that Orson absolutely needed to become his son-in-law.

With Orson’s abilities, he was certain to help the Essenberg family continue to thrive.

If what Lianca said was true—that she didn’t like Orson at all—then William was indeed inclined to let Olivia take her place.

After all, a loveless marriage wouldn’t make Orson willingly dedicate himself to supporting the Essenberg family.

With this in mind, William found an excuse to send Lianca away, leaving only himself and Olivia.

Olivia, of course, understood that her father had intentionally kept her behind to say something. So, she stayed where she was, waiting for him to speak.

“Olivia,” William began once Lianca was out of earshot. “You like Orson, don’t you?”

“...” Hearing her father’s words, Olivia froze for a moment, then smiled and nodded. “I can’t hide anything from you, Father.”

Olivia had assumed that William would now begin reprimanding her for deceiving Lianca.

“Since you like Orson, then you must make sure you win his heart,” William said unexpectedly. Instead of blaming her, he began to encourage her. “Right now, you’re only engaged. If you can’t ensure that he truly likes you, it’s still a bit precarious. But if he comes to love you now, your future marriage will progress much more smoothly.”

“Father...” Olivia was slightly puzzled. “May I ask why you’re saying this?”

“Olivia.” William’s gaze softened, filled with a subtle mix of regret and apology. “I want my daughter to hold onto the happiness she truly desires.”

“I didn’t realize your feelings before, but now that you’ve shared them with me, I’ll support you.”

—

Meanwhile, on the other side, Orson and Litte were sitting with Lucius at a barbecue restaurant.

“I didn’t expect you asking about my meeting schedule was for this,” Lucius said with a laugh.

Seeing his old rival Giovanni suffer such a setback had put him in an even better mood than celebrating his own birthday.

Indeed, when Lucius had traveled to Saint Roland City, he had written a letter to Orson and Litte informing them of his schedule and expressing his hope to meet his two children after the meeting.

Seizing the opportunity, Orson had approached Lucius, inquired about the meeting’s start and end times, and arranged for Virgil to wait outside with his people until the meeting concluded.

Afterward, the three of them continued chatting for a while longer.

Seeing that the time was right, Orson brought up the matter of the engagement to Lucius.

“Father, regarding the engagement you arranged with Duke William, it seems Lianca doesn’t like me very much. After discussing it with her and Olivia, we decided to switch the engagement from Lianca to Olivia.”

“Oh.” Lucius nodded after hearing this. “Does the other side know about this? I’ll speak with Duke William about it later.”

“Uh, Father, aren’t you upset?” Orson asked. “After all, this engagement was originally something you and Duke William agreed upon.”

“Why would I be upset?” Lucius replied, puzzled. “The reason I arranged the engagement in the first place is something you already understand, Orson. As long as the marriage isn’t canceled, that’s all that matters. If you can marry someone you like, then all the better.”

“Uh... in that case, thank you, Father.”

After chatting for a while longer, Orson and Litte returned to their dormitory together.

In the dormitory, Orson finished washing up, sat at his desk reading a book, and was just about to climb into bed when there was a knock at the door.

Soon, Litte appeared before him, also dressed in pajamas.

“Uh, Litte, what’s wrong?” Orson looked at Litte, asking with some confusion.

Litte didn’t say anything at first and simply sat down beside Orson.

Then she spoke, “Orson, thank you.”

“It’s nothing, you don’t need to thank me,” Orson said with a smile. “I didn’t do much; Olivia and Manuel were the ones who handled most of it.”

“Actually, the one who truly did the most was you, Brother Orson, wasn’t it?”

Litte’s words revealed the thoughts buried in her heart.

“Oh?” Orson raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Why do you think that, Litte?”

“...” Litte hesitated for a moment, then decided to speak the truth. “Today, I secretly followed you for a while. I saw you talking with that senior named Virgil.”

“Maybe I was just chatting with a friend,” Orson said casually.

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

“Doesn’t seem like it.” Litte shook her head. “Orson, I’m not that naïve.”

“Alright,” Orson nodded, conceding.

In truth, Orson had known all along that Litte had been following him. He had intentionally refrained from acknowledging it, planning to use the evening to openly explain everything to him.

“Then, Litte, do you want to hear what I did in this whole matter?” Orson asked.

“Yes.” Litte nodded.

“But some of these things might not be very honorable. After hearing them, you might think I’m a scheming and underhanded person. Even so, do you still want to know?”

“Yes.”

“Alright.” Hearing this, Orson began to recount everything he had done, step by step.

From the very beginning, he explained how he had intended to use Litte as bait to lure Donny out, which is why Orson hadn’t warned him to be cautious of others.

Everything that followed proceeded according to Orson’s plan, with Tyril and Donny gradually falling into his trap, eventually reaching a point of no return.

Orson even admitted that the matter involving the forbidden magical scroll had been orchestrated by him.

Throughout the explanation, Litte listened quietly, without interrupting.

“Well, that’s everything,” Orson said, looking at Litte. “So? Do you think I’m a terrible person now? Using my own family as bait to set someone up, almost ruining my own brother’s reputation in the process.”

“Not at all.” Litte shook her head. “What you did was right. If you hadn’t done this, Donny and Tyril would have continued to stir trouble in the academy. Even if they didn’t harm me again, they would have targeted other students and still ended up being a problem for you.”

“Besides, you didn’t actually ruin my reputation, did you?” Litte added, looking at Orson with a bright, sunny smile.

“...” Orson fell silent.

As a character who had been the antagonist in the original story, Orson was naturally sharp and calculating. However, when devising the plan to lure Donny into his trap, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of unease.

What if Litte failed to understand his intentions, believing Orson’s actions to be unjust, and this created a rift between them?

After all, Orson still worried about the possibility of inadvertently shaping Litte into the kind of overly idealistic “saintly protagonist” archetype.

But now, it seemed that Litte could truly understand his reasoning, and nothing could have been better than that.

“Thank you for understanding me, Litte,” Orson said, lowering his head slightly and glancing to the side.

“Orson.” Litte spoke again. “Teach me. Teach me those things.”

“What things?” Orson asked, a bit puzzled.

“The strategies you used against Donny.” As Litte spoke, she pointed to her temple.

“I don’t want to always trouble you, Orson, whenever I face difficulties in the future,” Litte said, her tone somewhat low. “This time, I felt so powerless...”

“I don’t want to be a burden to you, Orson.”

“Litte...” Orson looked at his brother, who had now gained a newfound resolve, and a warm, gratified smile appeared on his face.

His little brother had finally grown up.

“Litte, are you sure about this?” Orson asked seriously. “To wear the crown, one must bear its weight. Likewise, if you want to learn these things, you must be prepared to face the darkness.”

“Yes.” Litte nodded firmly. “I’m ready.”

“Alright then. Starting tomorrow, you’ll follow Virgil and observe what he does outside the academy.”

“Understood.”

—

The next afternoon, Orson brought Litte to Virgil’s residence.

“Virgil, I need to ask a favor of you,” Orson said, gesturing to Litte behind him.

“Starting today, I want Litte to act as your assistant. Whenever you handle matters outside, take him along as much as possible.”

“Understood.” Virgil nodded.

Although Virgil maintained his usual gentle smile, Litte couldn’t help but feel a sense of danger emanating from him. Instinctively, she moved closer to hide behind Orson.

“However, before that, Young Master Orson, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you in private.”

“Alright,” Orson replied and stepped into the house.

Despite his ever-present gentle smile, Litte couldn’t shake the feeling of danger emanating from Virgil. Instinctively, she stepped closer to Orson, seeking reassurance.

“But before that, Young Master Orson, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you privately.”

“Alright,” Orson replied, stepping inside.

Without closing the door behind him for some reason, Orson stepped into the room, leaving it slightly ajar.

Litte stood at the entrance, hesitating for a moment before quietly pushing the door open and sneaking in on tiptoe.

She crept up to the door of Virgil’s room, leaned her ear against it, and carefully listened to the conversation inside.

“Young Master Orson,” Virgil said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed as he looked at Orson. “Are you really planning to teach Young Master Litte these things?”

“Yes, I’ve made up my mind, and Litte specifically asked me to,” Orson nodded. “The world has never been a simple place. For someone to grow, they can’t only see the bright side.”

“I understand that you want Young Master Litte to grow quickly so he can protect himself,” Virgil said, his tone unexpectedly tinged with concern. “But, Young Master Orson, are you certain that after witnessing the darkness, Young Master Litte will still be the same Litte he once was?”

“Even if you’ve shown no ambition for the position of duke, can you be absolutely sure that Young Master Litte won’t come to fear or distrust you someday?”

“‘No one tolerates another sleeping peacefully beside their throne,’ Young Master Orson. That’s a lesson you taught me.”

“…” Inside the room, Orson was silent for a moment before replying, “It doesn’t matter. I trust Litte.”

“Young Master Orson!” Virgil’s voice became genuinely anxious. “Why is it that whenever it comes to Young Master Litte, you seem to lose all your sense of judgment? Normally, you’re such a composed person.”

“I’m advising you sincerely: no matter how close you are to Young Master Litte, no matter how much guilt you feel toward him in your heart, you’ve already done enough for him!”

“You don’t need to say any more.” Orson’s tone was resolute. “Virgil, my decision is final. No matter what Litte becomes in the future, as long as he is strong enough—strong enough that he no longer needs me to protect him—I will be satisfied.”

With that, Orson prepared to leave the room.

Outside, Litte, hearing the approaching footsteps, quickly ran downstairs.

Orson walked to the door, opened it, and glanced toward the staircase.

Even though Litte had tried to move quietly, the sounds had not escaped the notice of the two men inside.

Orson turned back and exchanged a fist bump with Virgil.

“In any case, I’m leaving Litte in your hands from now on.”

“Understood.” Virgil nodded.