Chapter 5
The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide
Chapter 5: Yan’s Initial Symptoms
My name is Iris Pestelose. I am the second daughter of the House of Pestelose.
I have an older brother and an older sister, and I was raised as the youngest child.
Maybe because I’m the youngest, I’ve often been called cute by my parents, siblings, and the maids.
In fact, both my mother and father are quite attractive, my brother is handsome and charming, and my sister resembles my mother, being beautiful as well.
My brother has already graduated from the academy and is currently entrusted with some work to assist my father, while my sister is reportedly working hard at her studies at the academy.
Since once I enter the academy, I have to live in the dormitory, I can’t see her much, but she often plays with me during breaks when she comes home.
My sister will get married and leave our home after graduating, so I want to indulge in her company as much as I can while I still can.
Recently, I turned thirteen, but one day, I was summoned by my father and mother to hear an important conversation.
“Iris, we have something important to discuss today.”
“Yes, what is it?”
When both my father and mother are together to talk, I can sense just how significant the conversation is.
“Recently, your fiancé has been decided. The partner is Lewis Valentine from the House of Valentine.”
Lewis Valentine. I was surprised when I heard that name.
The Valentine Duchy is about ten days away from our Pestelose Territory by carriage, and because it is located in the north of the Empire, it snows heavily in winter.
I’ve heard that Lewis, the heir of the House of Valentine, is called a child prodigy even at a young age and has exceptional martial arts and magic talents.
I only saw him once at a party a few years ago, but he had beautifully flowing silver hair and golden eyes that exuded a mysterious aura.
His beauty was so striking that I momentarily mistook him for a girl, but the clothes he wore confirmed his identity as a boy.
However, despite his looks, he apparently has some issues with his personality, being spoiled and indulged in his talents without proper training.
Even so, as the heir of a duke’s house, there were many girls vying for his attention, and I remember that he was treated like a prince by those around him.
(A little anxious, isn’t it…?)
“It’s alright. If you really don’t like this, we’ll do something about it.”
“Ah, after all, the duke and duchess are friends with us. They will understand if we talk.”
Seeing my forlorn face, my parents kindly spoke to me.
However, no matter how friendly the relationship, I understood that breaking off an engagement is not something so simple.
But my parents said I shouldn’t worry.
After discussing it together, we decided to see each other first and then make a decision, and I nodded in agreement.
A few weeks later, we arrived at the duchy for our face-to-face meeting.
Although it was still summer, it felt cooler and more comfortable than Pestelose Territory.
Moreover, the territory was bustling and lively, with the expressions of the residents looking quite bright.
As we traveled along the road in our carriage, a large white mansion came into view.
A beautiful mansion with walls as white as snow. I couldn’t hide my surprise upon seeing it.
“You seem astonished. Well, I was surprised when I saw it for the first time too.”
“Indeed. The white walls are really beautiful. I understand how Iris feels.”
It seemed that my parents were also quite surprised when they first saw this mansion, and they shared their fond memories of that moment.
As I listened to their stories, our carriage soon arrived in front of the mansion and came to a stop.
When we got out of the carriage, the duke and duchess were there to greet us. However, Lewis was not present, and when asked, it turned out he wasn’t feeling well.
But it seemed he wasn’t completely unable to move, as they told us they intended to call for him later.
We were led to a reception room and took our seats on a sofa to exchange greetings.
Duke Valentine had calm silver hair and blue eyes, while the duchess sitting next to him was a beautiful woman with deep navy hair and mystical golden eyes.
Both were very kind, often checking on me and engaging in conversation.
After a while, there was a knock on the door, and it opened.
I thought at last that Lewis had arrived, but we were taken aback.
(U-He’s floating…)
Lewis entered the room, sitting on what appeared to be a water cushion made with magic, looking slightly lazy as he floated in mid-air.
I do excel in water magic myself, but I’m still not capable of such intricate manipulation of magic power.
The duke and duchess seemed equally surprised by this sight.
However, Lewis paid no mind to the surroundings as he sat on the sofa and turned to face the duke.
“So? I heard my fiancée was coming?”
“Y-yes, that’s right… No, wait. Are we continuing this conversation like this?”
That’s completely true. At this utterly unique entrance, not just I, but my parents too were left speechless.
“It’s fine. Today is just the face-to-face meeting. Let’s not dwell on the past, just proceed quickly.”
“U-um. Understood.”
Lewis seemed to want to wrap up the discussion quickly, urging the duke to continue. The duke, regaining his composure, directed Lewis to introduce himself.
“Nice to meet you. I am the heir of the House of Valentine, Lewis Valentine. I look forward to working with you.”
Lewis’s earlier laziness evaporated, and he greeted us with a serious expression.
At that moment, he smiled at me, and my heart raced.
(W-Why am I so flustered?)
My parents were astonished by the sudden shift in atmosphere since his entrance, but quickly composed themselves to return the greeting.
Following their lead, I also greeted him and smiled. Lewis smiled back, causing my heart to skip a beat once more.
However, after that, Lewis didn’t look my way again, and we didn’t get to speak until the final farewell.
Once the face-to-face meeting was over, my parents indicated they had matters to discuss, and we were told to take a look around the garden.
After being led by Lewis to the garden, he didn’t look at me at all and didn’t attempt to engage in conversation.
“Does Lewis dislike our engagement?”
That is the thought that crossed my mind from the atmosphere, so I hesitantly asked him.
This was a political marriage decided by our parents. Although my parents said I could refuse if I disliked it, I knew they wished for us to unite.
“I can understand. After all, we just met today, and we don’t know anything about each other.”
I honestly shared what I was thinking. In reality, it’s quite difficult to be told you’re supposed to marry someone you just met, and it’s natural to feel uneasy about it.
Upon hearing my feelings, Lewis turned serious for a moment and shared his own thoughts.
“To be honest, I have no interest in this engagement. It’s political, and as you said, we don’t know each other well. Besides, we’re still children, and we might end up liking someone else in the future. So my honest feeling is that I’m indifferent.”
Hearing him say he wasn’t interested gave me a slight pang in my heart, but what struck me harder was the part about possibly liking someone else.
(Lewis… liking someone else instead of me…)
Just imagining such a future brought forth a surge of undeniable anger within me.
I didn’t understand what this feeling was, but I continued to follow behind Lewis, who wouldn’t look at me, as we walked through the garden.
In the end, the only real conversation we had was during our time in the garden, and even after returning to my own mansion, I couldn’t forget about him.
When I shared this with my mother, she remarked, “Oh dear, could it be that Iris has fallen in love?”
The moment she said “love,” I found clarity in my feelings.
(I see now. I’ve fallen for Lewis.)
Most likely, when he smiled at me, my heart raced—it must have been love at first sight.
Having understood my feelings, I resolved to take action and returned to my room to write a letter.
(I must work hard to get Lewis to notice me!)
Lewis was a really wonderful and handsome person, yet there was a certain ethereal and precarious air about him that made me feel I needed to be by his side.
If I could be his support, that would be the greatest happiness.
Besides, imagining a future where he liked someone else and cast me aside… just that thought alone…
Anyway, first I need to let him know about me, and to learn more about Lewis as well, so I decided to write and send many letters.
“I’ll definitely win Lewis’s heart!”
Thus, I began my quest to solidify my first love by diligently writing letters to Lewis.