I Am The Game's Villain Chapter 806: Jeanne SS [4]

Jeanne stared for a moment at the beautiful red-haired girl.

Rubina looked young even by the academy’s standards, clearly one of the youngest among those gathered on this floor, and yet she stood there with complete ease, openly mocking someone of David’s standing without the slightest hesitation. Then again, she was the daughter of Duke Scarlett. A girl born into that kind of rank could afford a bold tongue more easily than most.

David glanced at her and let out a dry snort.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"Not particularly," Rubina replied, lifting one shoulder. "But I imagine Aurora is not especially comfortable with a man constantly hovering around her." She raised a brow. "She is engaged, unless you somehow forgot."

David’s expression hardened.

"By Eden, since when do we allow children into this academy?" He said. "Shouldn’t you be elsewhere playing with dolls, Rubina?"

Rubina smiled.

It was a beautiful smile, but it never reached her eyes.

"Rubina, what are you doing?"

Before Aurora needed to step in herself, another voice interrupted the exchange.

A young man had approached from behind, and the moment Jeanne saw him, she recognized him at once.

Eric Scarlett.

Rubina clicked her tongue softly and turned her head toward him.

"Nothing, brother."

The answer was dismissive, almost bored, and with that she gave one last scoff before turning away and leaving the scene as quickly as she had entered.

Eric let out a quiet sigh, clearly accustomed to cleaning up after her. But the moment his gaze shifted and landed on Jeanne, he froze.

Jeanne raised a brow slightly.

There it was again.

This was not the first time she had caught that expression on his face. Every time he looked at her, there was always that same flash of shock, as if he had seen something he could not quite believe. The first time had been even stranger. He had almost frozen in place on the spot, staring at her as though the world had slipped sideways.

Jeanne was no stranger to people staring. Since arriving in this world, plenty had done so, sometimes out of awe, sometimes out of nervousness, sometimes because they simply did not know how to look at a summoned Hero without making it obvious. But Eric’s reaction felt different.

Still, he said nothing.

And a moment later, just as before, he withdrew.

He left almost as quickly as Rubina had.

"As always, Rubina is quite feisty," Jayden said with a faint laugh, smoothing the awkwardness over as much as he could.

From the way he said it, Jeanne gathered this sort of behavior was hardly unusual for the girl. Rubina had apparently entered the academy earlier than expected as a new freshman despite having been sick for quite some time, and judging by the spirit she had just displayed, she had recovered enough energy to make her presence known again.

Soon after, Jayden moved with Carla and Milleia to the larger table beside theirs and sat down there.

Then a booming voice cut across the floor.

"Yo, Jayden!"

Jeanne turned slightly at the sound just as a broad-shouldered, burly young man approached with all the subtlety of a battering ram. His arrival alone seemed to carry more noise than anyone else’s.

Jeanne’s brow creased faintly.

"Tyler," Jayden greeted him with a wave.

He was not alone. Beside him was Lea, his girlfriend. The two of them joined Jayden’s table without ceremony, settling in.

It seemed that by now this was Jayden’s usual group.

Not long after, another pair entered the upper floor.

Alfred.

And beside him walked a green-haired young man Jeanne recognized as Thomas Greenvern, the son of the Royal Guard Commander.

The moment Alfred stepped inside and his gaze landed on Jayden’s table, his expression changed. It was not a big change, but the displeasure was very visible. Jeanne followed his eyes and quickly understood why.

Milleia was seated there.

And the table was full.

So he had come too late once again.

Then Alfred’s gaze shifted and landed on Tyler.

Something in his expression tightened further.

He approached at once.

Thomas, walking beside him, seemed to understand immediately what Alfred wanted. He did not wait to be prompted. Instead, he fixed Tyler with a cold look and spoke first.

"What is a commoner doing on a floor reserved for the highest nobility?"

Tyler turned around mid-bite, a half-eaten piece of lobster still in his mouth.

"M—Me?"

Thomas’s eyes twitched.

Jeanne had to admit, if she did not already know Tyler was a student here, she might have wondered the same thing Thomas did, though for very different reasons.

What the hell was he doing here?

Before the tension could rose further, Jayden immediately stepped in.

"Tyler is with me, Thomas," he said, seriously.

Thomas turned his cold gaze toward him instead.

It did not take Jeanne much effort to see the hostility there.

If anything, Thomas looked at Jayden with even less warmth than he had shown Tyler. Jayden had taken Carla from him, or at the very least that was how Thomas seemed to see it, and ever since Jayden had become the Apostle of Lumen, that resentment had only deepened. To men like Thomas, sacred status piled atop personal grievance was probably unbearable.

At that moment, before he could say anything else, Milleia looked toward Alfred and spoke first.

"Your Highness, tomorrow I will sit beside you," she said with a gentle smile.

Jeanne almost admired how quickly she understood the situation.

Alfred’s face shifted at once. Under Milleia’s smile, some of the visible stiffness left him, and for a moment he looked almost disarmed by the offer.

"You do not need to force yourself, Milleia," Jayden said, though unfortunately for Alfred, he had to add that aloud.

The words were mild, even considerate, but not considerate toward Alfred.

His expression cooled again.

It was almost exhausting to watch.

And yet Jeanne found herself unable to look away.

She glanced at Aurora besides her and she seemed really exasperated by the sight.

Alfred was just about to reply when a sound interrupted him from behind.

Not a voice at first.

A laugh.

Or rather, a soft, amused giggle, light enough to be delicate and yet somehow loud enough to echo into the room. It was astonishing how quickly it drew attention. Conversations faltered, eyes shifted, and for the briefest instant it felt as though the atmosphere itself had changed.

Jeanne turned with the others.

A group of girls had just stepped onto the floor.

At their head walked an exceptionally beautiful young woman with long black hair falling down her back in graceful waves and dark pink eyes that seemed to hold both amusement and disdain equally. She had not raised her voice. She had not made any dramatic entrance. She had merely laughed, and yet it attracted everyone’s gaze.

Trailing behind her was a cluster of girls from different years, freshmen, second-years, even a few third-years, all moving around Layla Tarmias like devoted followers if not fan girls.

Then Layla spoke with a sweet voice.

"There is nothing more unsightly than a man begging for a woman’s attention," she said with airy elegance, as though sharing an idle thought. "Unfortunately, there are quite a few such men around here. My dear, do be careful. Some of them even hold high titles, royalty, apostles, the sort. Frauds, all of them, if you want my honest opinion."

The girls behind her burst into delighted laughter.

Jeanne did not need anyone to point out who those words had been aimed at. The jabs were broad enough to strike several people at once and precise enough that none of them could pretend not to understand. Alfred, David, even Jayden had all been neatly swept into that single mockery. All of them grimacing slightly.

Before anyone at either table could answer, one of the younger girls beside Layla leaned forward eagerly.

"Then Lady Tarmias, how did Lord Edward win your heart?"

Layla’s smile changed at once, softening into something almost luminous.

"My Honey?" She said and her voice immediately turned high pitched. "He saved me when I was at my lowest. And then, to make matters better, he woke me from a nightmare with a most resounding slap."

"A slap?!" The girl repeated, scandalized and thrilled.

"Indeed," Layla nodded with a proud smile. "A memorable one. And after that, I had the good fortune of witnessing my Honey’s greatness from the front row. Even now, he has made quick work of Utopia."

"Utopia?" Another girl asked. "But I heard Sancta Vedelia was the one that won."

Layla let out a tiny sigh.

"Fraudulent news from a nation full of frauds," she said. "My Honey defeated the Utopian King and handed victory to Sancta Vedelia, but those ungrateful fools will never admit it. A jealous little bunch, really. It reminds me of a certain kingdom and a certain king, though perhaps I should not say too much."

Silence followed.

Not just near Jeanne’s table, but at Jayden’s as well.

She was definitely the only woman bold enough to hurl so many insults at powerful kingdoms, including the one she lived in, and at high-ranking figures, even the King himself, yet still walk away unscathed. Her status as both a Duke’s daughter and a Daughter of Raphiel already granted her immense power and near-immunity.

And perhaps right now being engaged to the Guardian of the Holy Tree of Ymir was just another layer of immunity for her.

While everyone was reeling dumbfounded in front of her insults even Aurora grimacing slightly, Jeanne just observed admiringly impressed.

She had seen Layla before. More than enough to understand what sort of woman she was. In influence, in confidence, in the way she carried herself, Layla outclassed everyone around her. She had a way of speaking that made it seem as though every room belonged to her the moment she entered it. She could humiliate people without raising her voice, charm others while insulting them, and always, somehow, get the last word.

And because she was beautiful in a way very different from Aurora’s grace, perhaps, but more vivid, more entertaining, more dangerously magnetic, she had naturally gathered something like a following.

"That’s quite amusing, Layla."

As expected, Carla could not let it pass.

Her voice cut in with open irritation. After all, Jayden had been among those targeted, and Carla was not the sort to let that slide with a smile.

Layla turned her head at last, as though only now acknowledging their existence.

"Hm?" She said, lifting one fine brow. "And what do we have here? A gathering of bores." Her gaze swept over them lightly. "I do not think there is anything interesting enough here to waste my time on. If you would excuse me, Carla."

She started to turn away.

The girls around her giggled again behind their hands, delighting in the dismissal.

It only made Carla’s expression harden further.

"That’s rich coming from you," Carla snapped. "Insulting Jayden when Edward has been running wild in another land."

Layla paused.

Then she looked back over her shoulder, smiling.

"My Honey has defeated Utopia, Carla," she said pleasantly. "Meanwhile Lord Horny Apostle over there has been busy conducting little interviews to recruit random women into his charming collection of lovers."

A snicker escaped Thomas almost immediately, far less controlled than it should have been.

Alfred, too, looked dangerously close to smiling.

The insult landed exactly where it was meant to.

Jayden was indeed feeling awkward about it but he was almost forced because of his status, to produce a lot of Heirs.

Carla’s face darkened. "Defeated Utopia? That’s quite an exaggeration."

"Oh, my." Layla sighed, almost wearily. "Do not be so offended, Carla. And while we are speaking of my Honey, you ought to refer to him more respectfully. He is now the Guardian of the Tree of Ymir, Mother of All. Eden may be the creator, but Ymir is the mother. Must I truly do the arithmetic for you to understand which one stands higher?"

"He sold out his own country," Carla shot back. "There is nothing admirable in that."

"Goodness," Layla said, shaking her head. "He defeated the Utopian King and ended a war. Sancta Vedelia should be grateful to him for generations. Such shallow thinking from you, Carla. How disappointing."

"He betrayed his family," Carla said with a scoff. "And you are speaking of gratitude? You’ve lost your mind, Layla."

For the first time, color touched Layla’s cheeks.

It was almost charming.

"If by that you mean my mind is lost in thoughts of my Honey," she said, one hand resting lightly against her chest, "then yes, you are correct."

A few girls behind her let out delighted sounds of agreement.

But then Layla’s expression changed.

It happened so quickly Jeanne nearly missed the transition. One moment she had looked amused, almost playful. The next, her pink eyes had turned cold as polished glass.

Her gaze landed on Jayden.

"And your Apostle there," she said, her voice suddenly stripped of warmth, "is standing beside the wrong woman if betrayal disgusts you so deeply."

The room quieted again as they waited.

"He abandoned my Honey on the last floor of the Enigma Dungeon," she said, scornfully, "and a woman he loved died there."

At once, the attention of the entire floor swung to Jayden.

Jeanne as well though she was quite lost until now.

Aurora turned toward Jayden now, faintly puzzled. She clearly did not know the whole story, only that Edward had lost someone important that day in the Enigma Dungeon besides Louisa.

There was surprise in many faces. Shock in others. Some looked openly expectant, waiting for him to deny it, to explain it away, to say something.

But Jayden remained silent.

Only awkwardly silent.

That silence said more than any denial could have.

Carla glanced at him, but she recovered quickly and lashed back at Layla.

"Edward killed Jayden’s crippled younger brother!" She retorted. "Does that make everything justified?"

Another chorus of gasps echoed.

At those words, Jayden’s hand tightened into a fist.

Beside him, Milleia’s expression softened into visible sorrow as she looked at him.

Layla, however, did not flinch.

She only smiled, though now there was no sweetness left in it at all.

"An eye for an eye."

Her eyes remained cold on Jayden’s lowered gaze before she turned on her heel, erasing her smile.

"A tooth for a tooth."