I Was Reincarnated as a Villain Prince’s Follower, but I Refuse to Be Ruined—Turns Out the Prince Is Surprisingly Competent - Chapter 3

Jeremy returns to the classroom and starts preparing for his next lesson when some male classmates approach him.

“Hey, Jeremy. You’re still hanging around that second prince, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know how you can stand being one of his lackeys. Does he have some kind of dirt on you?”

The two of them smirk at him mockingly.

Jeremy can certainly understand why they feel that way. Considering Rufus’s current bottom-tier personality, it isn’t surprising they’d think so. Even so, it makes him angry to be told off like this to his face by people who usually just watch from a distance.

“You just don’t have an eye for quality if you can’t see His Highness’s good points.”

The words leave his mouth before he realizes it. To them, however, it probably just sounds like he’s acting tough (which is actually true).

“Ha! Well, good luck with that.”

“Try not to get killed by Senior Reinhard~!”

With those nasty parting words, they head back to their seats.

(They’re right, though. It’s annoying, but they’re right.)

It’s rare to find a “landmine” as obvious as this guy.

(Why did the original Jeremy stay with such a villainous prince for so long?)

The original story didn’t really explain the circumstances. Maybe he just couldn’t say no. Jeremy seemed weak-willed, and even if the Prince had a bad reputation, he was still royalty. If pressured, Jeremy probably felt he had no choice but to agree.

Jeremy thought Rufus might not show up, but he is already at the greenhouse as promised. In fact, he arrived before Jeremy. Rufus is sitting on a marble fountain inside the greenhouse, reading a paperback book. A golden-haired, blue-eyed beauty bathed in the summer sunlight. It’s hard to imagine a more picture-perfect scene.

“You’re late. To be late after picking the time yourself… I’m disappointed.”

“I’m sorry. My class ran long.”

“Which class?”

“Magic Mechanics.”

Rufus frowns slightly but simply nods. “I see.”

“So, what do you think? Regarding my proposal.”

“…I decided it might not be entirely without merit.”

“That’s a relief.”

If Rufus had snapped and told him to stop joking around, Jeremy would have bowed his head and said, “Thanks for everything!” right then and there.

“Then I’d like to ask right away: why are you so obsessed with Chris?”

The scene where Rufus and Chris meet is, of course, in the original story. It happened on Chris’s first day at the academy. Chris decided he couldn’t always rely on Reinhard to protect him and tried to go to school alone, only to be harassed by upperclassmen who knew about his commoner background.

Rufus happened to pass by and helped him on a whim. At that time, Chris—whether he was truly airheaded or just innocent—knew Rufus was the second prince but still flashed a pure smile, grabbed his hand, and said, “Thank you!” in a friendly way.

Given Rufus’s personality, you’d expect him to get angry and say, “How dare a mere noble touch royalty! How filthy!” Instead, like someone experiencing first love, he was struck through the heart and blushed.

Rufus explains the meeting just as it happened in the book.

“—Chris took my hand and thanked me.”

“You didn’t push him away?”

Rufus glances at Jeremy, his expression turning somewhat lonely.

“Even though Chris knew I was the second prince, he treated me naturally. Everyone else treats me like I’m a fragile object or a nuisance. I felt a tightening in my chest.”

“That’s the only reason!?”

“Is there something wrong with that?”

“…N-no. Nothing wrong at all. You’re surprisingly pure, Your Highness.”

“Are you making fun of me?”

“Ah, sorry! That was a slip of the tongue! Anyway, I understand. You have such sincere feelings for Chris. In that case, we definitely need to work on deepening your relationship!”

“You’ve made me talk this much. I hope you have a brilliant plan. If you say something stupid, I won’t be merciful.”

Even his arrogant pose, with his arms and legs crossed, looks like a painting. It’s unfair.

“Let’s start by having tea together.”

“I knew talking to you was a waste of time!”

“I understand why you’re skeptical, but this is the fastest way. Cheap tricks will only make your feelings harder to understand, and that defeats the purpose. First, you have tea together and slowly build a connection. Not through the aggressive methods you’ve used until now.”

“…What about Reinhard? If I invite Chris, that man will follow.”

“We will have Senior Reinhard join us.”

“Are you insane? Knowing him, he will definitely get in the way!”

“I expect he will. But even if he says something, Chris will surely accept your invitation. Chris is kind. Even if Reinhard wants to stop it, Chris won’t let him.”

“If Reinhard tells him no, won’t Chris just obey?”

“Not at all. It’s the opposite. Senior Reinhard is the one who can’t say no. He is completely head-over-heels for Chris.”

“…Can things really go well just by drinking tea…?”

“Think of it as the first step toward success. Surely an intelligent prince like yourself understands that?”

Rufus seems to process Jeremy’s words in his head.

“Hmph. Fine, I’ll try it. But if it doesn’t work, I’m going back to my own way. Understood?”

“Thank you very much!”

(If that happens, I’m cutting ties.)

“Now, let’s do a rehearsal. Please pretend I’m Chris.”

“Hah. Even though you aren’t nearly as adorable as him?”

“…I know that better than anyone. This is just practice, so please just imagine it.”

“Fine. I suppose I can endure it.”

(Can this guy not speak normally without insulting someone?)

Jeremy clears his throat and says energetically, “Senior, thank you for inviting me today!”

“I’m glad you came.”

Rufus flashes a dazzling smile.

“!!”

(The ‘fake’ Rufus in front of Chris is dangerous!)

He no longer looks like a villainous prince; he has the presence of a main character who could easily rival Reinhard.

“That’s the spirit, Your Highness! —Now, let’s see, what should I drink?”

“If it’s tea, I’ll let you have some milk tea made from leaves I ordered from the Royal Garden. A Viscount’s family would never be able to drink this, so make sure you savor every drop—”

“Stop! You’re out!”

“Out…?”

“Disqualified, fail, out of the question! That was terrible. Please don’t say things that sound like you’re showing off. It’s tacky and ruins the mood.”

“How is it showing off? It’s a fact. Those leaves can only be harvested from Royal lands. A mere Viscount’s family couldn’t afford them—no, they wouldn’t even have the chance to get them.”

“If your goal is to brag about the Royal Family, then go ahead. But your goal is to win Chris’s heart, right?”

“…How can you say something so embarrassing with a straight face…?”

Rufus actually looks embarrassed. Since his skin is as fair as a woman’s, it’s easy to see him blush.

“Don’t you want it?”

“…Fine. Just keep going.”

“You should enjoy a conversation as equal students. The type of tea doesn’t matter. Even water is fine. What matters is the conversation. Start with small talk, like ‘What did you do at school today?’ or ‘Have you made any friends since starting here?'”

“That’s so tedious.”

“You can’t win a heart overnight.”

Rufus’s face clearly says, ‘This is a pain.’

“Also, please stop that arrogant posture.”

“Arrogant?”

“Crossing your arms and legs, looking down on people… You have such a handsome face, Your Highness; you’ll attract attention just by acting normal. Imagine I’m Chris and say gently, ‘I’m happy we could have tea together today’—”

“No, that’s wrong.”

“…What’s wrong?”

“Chris is always with that ‘human weapon’ Reinhard. If anything, being a bit arrogant is better…”

“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…!”

Jeremy lets out a massive sigh.

“W-what’s with that sigh!?”

“Your Highness, you don’t understand at all! Listen, it’s all about the ‘gap’! Even if the Senior shows hostility toward others, he shows a meltingly sweet face to Chris! People fall in love and get butterflies because of that contrast!”

Because a person draws a clear line between others and the one they adore, the partner feels special. If an arrogant man just acts arrogant, he’s just a rude guy. There’s no charm in that. No one would want to see him again.

“Did you act arrogant in front of Chris because you thought that was his type?”

“…W-well…”

Rufus’s eyes dart around. It seems Jeremy hit the mark.

“Please, just act like a gentleman in front of Chris.”

“I’m happy I could have tea with you today.”

Rufus gives a soft smile, his cool eyes narrowing affectionately.

“!!”

Jeremy can almost see sparkling lights around Rufus.

(He’s so handsome it’s blinding…!)

Jeremy, overwhelmed by the sheer impact, clutches his chest and catches his breath.

“Are you alright!?”

Rufus rushes over, looking panicked.

“…I-I’m fine. It’s just that you were so wonderful, Your Highness…”

Rufus, who had been worried, shakes his head in disbelief.

“Honestly, you’re a strange one. So, how was that?”

“Ten billion points! If you can keep that up, Chris’s heart is as good as yours!”

“Hmph. It’s surprisingly easy.”

Rufus smirks confidently and starts to cross his arms, then catches himself and puts them back down.

(…But unfortunately, Chris’s heart already belongs to Senior Reinhard. No matter how much you try, it won’t matter.)

As someone who knows the story, Jeremy feels a pang of guilt. However, if Rufus finds out the truth now, he’ll head straight for a “Bad Ending” or execution. If Rufus listens to Jeremy’s advice and fixes his villainous behavior, he might avoid that fate. Surely Rufus will then have a chance to meet someone else wonderful. Jeremy is aiming for a happy ending where no one gets hurt.

“That’s all I can tell you for now. Just remember: looking down on people and being arrogant is not only useless, it’s counterproductive. Be a gentleman.”

“I understand.”

Rufus nods sincerely. Suddenly, Jeremy’s stomach lets out a pathetic growl.

“You haven’t had lunch yet.”

Rufus tosses him some bread. It’s a sandwich from the shop with vegetables and roast beef.

“…You bought this for me?”

“I wasn’t going to give it to you if your advice was useless, but I decided it was worth my time.”

He then starts eating his own sandwich.

“The money…”

“Consider it a tuition fee. It’s my treat.”

“Thank you!”

Jeremy can’t help but feel a little flutter at the unexpected kindness.

(That is the power of the ‘gap’!!)