I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 830: Home Remembrance Between Jeanne and Eric

“I was terrified every single time she showed up,” Eric said with a long sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. “I swear, my heart stopped whenever your mother walked into the house.”

“I know.”

Jeanne smiled knowingly and gave a small nod.

“It was written all over your face every time my mother appeared. You looked like you were preparing for your own execution.”

Eric let out a helpless chuckle before shaking his head.

“I really thought she hated me, though.” His smile faded into something more thoughtful. “I mean… I was the son of the woman my father chose over her. That’s not exactly the best position to be in.”

Jeanne looked ahead for a moment before answering.

“No.” She shook her head gently. “My mother definitely isn’t that kind of woman. Believe me.”

She paused for a second, a faint smile forming on her lips.

“If anything…” she continued with complete sincerity, “she probably thought you weren’t important enough to remember.”

Eric stared at her blankly.

“…Wow.”

He let out an awkward laugh.

“I don’t know whether I’m supposed to laugh or cry after hearing that.”

Jeanne’s smile widened ever so slightly.

“So every time she gave me those freezing stares…” Eric continued, placing a hand over his chest. “She was actually looking at me the same way she’d look at some random pebble lying on the ground?”

A quiet giggle escaped Jeanne before she could stop herself.

“I want to tell you that’s not true…” She glanced toward the sky as if imagining her mother’s expression. “…But knowing my mother, I can’t completely rule it out either.”

Eric groaned in exaggerated defeat.

“My God…”

He sighed before laughing.

“Without meaning any disrespect toward her, Jeanne… I really think your father started living a much happier life after meeting my mom.”

Jeanne didn’t seem offended in the slightest.

“No, it’s alright.”

Her voice softened.

“I know my father was very happy with your mother.”

A nostalgic smile appeared on her face as memories quietly resurfaced.

“I think…” She mumbled, “we actually had a pretty nice family, didn’t we?”

“We did.”

Eric nodded without hesitation.

“Although…” He laughed sheepishly. “I have to admit, adjusting to your incredibly wealthy family wasn’t exactly easy at first.”

Jeanne raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t exaggerate.”

“I’m serious!”

Eric laughed.

“Those social gatherings full of ‘nobles’ if I can call them like that? Every single one felt like we were attending some Hollywood awards ceremony.”

He shuddered remembering.

“I still remember seeing you dressed in those enormous gowns. You looked so weird and uncomfortable in them.”

Jeanne slowly turned her head toward him.

“Do you want to get hit?”

The cold look she gave him made Eric immediately raise both hands in surrender.

“I’m joking! I’m joking!”

Jeanne rolled her eyes before letting out another quiet laugh, unable to stay annoyed for very long.

Eric smiled, relieved he had survived.

“Speaking of social gatherings…” he said after a brief pause. “We were told we’ll have to dress formally for the Academy Entrance Ceremony next week.”

“Oh…”

Jeanne’s expression immediately fell.

She had almost forgotten about that.

There wasn’t much of a dress code for the introduction of the Saintess later this noon. As long as they looked presentable, it would be enough.

The Entrance Ceremony, however, was something entirely different.

It was less of a school event and more of a grand celebration.

Before the Holy Academy officially opened its gates to the new students, a massive ceremony would be held, gathering nobles from every corner of the world. It resembled a royal banquet more than a simple school ceremony.

Considering the number of powerful figures expected to attend, perhaps that wasn’t surprising at all.

“I thought wearing the academy uniform would be enough,” Jeanne muttered.

They had all already received their uniforms.

She still remembered taking it out of its protective cover.

The immaculate white fabric was unlike anything she had ever touched before, trimmed with elegant golden embroidery that shimmered under the light. Even someone with little knowledge of clothing could immediately tell that extraordinary amounts of money had gone into producing it.

She had assumed such a prestigious uniform would naturally be worn during the ceremony.

Apparently not.

“The Entrance Ceremony is separate from the first day of classes, sis,” Eric said. “The ceremony is one day, then the official Entrance Day is the day after. That’s when everyone wears the academy uniform.”

He chuckled.

“So don’t worry. You’ll get to wear your pretty uniform then.”

Jeanne scoffed quietly.

“Pretty, that uniform is probably worth more than small towns.”

She could still remember the luxurious silk-like fabric slipping through her fingers. Everything about it screamed unimaginable wealth.

“Nothing too expensive for Lady Jeanne De Valois,” Eric replied with a teasing smile.

Jeanne simply scoffed, refusing to dignify that comment with a proper response.

Eric laughed before continuing.

“Anyway, we’ve got a whole week to find something suitable. Thankfully, Edenis Raphiel is huge. There should be plenty of boutiques and tailor shops to choose from.”

Then he scratched his cheek thoughtfully.

“Still… we should probably start looking sooner rather than later.”

“Maybe we should’ve ordered something back in Celesta,” Jeanne replied.

Truthfully, she hadn’t given the ceremony much thought until now.

She had assumed arriving in something simple and elegant would be enough. Now it sounded as though everyone would be dressed as if attending a royal celebration.

“Oh, come on.”

Eric bumped her shoulder lightly.

“You’re the Hero of Eden, you know.”

His smile grew brighter.

“Everyone’s going to be looking at you.”

He paused before adding,

“And besides… you’ll finally get to see some of your old friends again.”

He looked at her expectantly.

“Aren’t you at least a little excited?”

Jeanne fell silent.

Just hearing Eric mention her old friends was enough to make her thoughts drift elsewhere.

She had finally received news about some of them.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to meet any of them yet.

Thanks to Aurora, she had at least learned a few names. Sharon, Felix, and Curtis had all apparently been summoned to Edenis Raphiel.

Knowing they were here brought her a quiet sense of relief.

Even so, that was all it was, knowledge.

She hadn’t been given the opportunity to see them.

Like every other kingdom, Edenis Raphiel was extremely protective of its Heroes.

Their safety came above everything else, which meant they were constantly monitored, escorted, and surrounded by guards.

Jeanne knew exactly how that felt.

For months after her summoning, she had barely been allowed to leave without several knights following close behind. At times, the constant protection had felt more like imprisonment than security.

She had nearly suffocated under the lack of freedom.

Only recently had those restrictions begun to loosen.

Now that she had grown considerably stronger and had proven she could defend herself, the kingdom had finally started allowing her a little more independence.

Still…

She wasn’t particularly excited about attending the Holy Academy itself.

What truly stirred something inside her was the thought of seeing familiar faces again.

Whether they had been close friends or simply classmates back on Earth didn’t really matter anymore.

They shared something few people in this world could ever understand.

They had all been torn away from the same home.

They had all become Heroes of Eden.

Just knowing there were others who remembered Earth, people who had lived the same ordinary lives she once had, made the burden of carrying that title feel a little lighter.

It reminded her that she wasn’t alone.

“Will Aurora be there?” Jeanne suddenly asked.

Eric glanced at her.

“You mean today?”

He shook his head.

“I doubt it. She, Alfred and the others arrived much earlier than us. They’ve probably already met the Saintess in private. They have no reasons to be there. Today’s introduction is more for the common public and the whole world”

He smiled reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. You’ll see your best friend soon enough.”

Jeanne shook her head lightly.

“I wasn’t talking really about today.”

Eric blinked.

“You weren’t?”

“I was wondering if Aurora could come with me to choose a dress for the Entrance Ceremony.”

She had actually Aurora’s personal contact but Aurora wasn’t someone using her phone a lot and Jeanne didn’t want to bother her either. She found it actually weird contacting a Princess through her phone to ask her out.

Besides that, Aurora had told her that she would be with her fiance until the Entrance Ceremony, so she didn’t know much how to reach out her. The poor Princess had been a lot busy this past month.

“Oh…”

Realization finally crossed Eric’s face.

“Right.”

He laughed awkwardly.

“Of course. You wouldn’t exactly want me helping with that.”

Jeanne looked at him with an expression so dry it almost made him laugh.

“Why would I want a man helping me choose a gown?”

“R-right…”

Eric scratched his cheek.

“That would be… kind of weird.”

“That’s exactly why Rubina thinks you’re creepy.”

“Hey!” Eric immediately protested. “I-I’m not creepy!”

“You are creepy, big brother.”

The calm voice came from behind them.

Both Jeanne and Eric turned around at the same time.

Rubina had just stepped out onto the deck.

Unlike her usual noble attire, she was dressed casually in a sleeveless one-piece dress that ended just above her knees. The gentle sea breeze made the skirt sway lightly around her legs while her long, curly red hair had been tied into a simple ponytail that danced behind her with every step.

She let out a small yawn before looking at the two of them.

“You two are together again.”

She sighed .

“If I didn’t already know my brother was obsessed with me, I’d honestly think the two of you were dating.”

“We’re not dating,” Eric replied with an exhausted sigh.

Then his eyes finally traveled over what she was wearing.

His expression immediately changed.

“…What kind of dress is that?”

He frowned.

“If Father or Mother saw you dressed like this, they’d be completely shocked.”

Rubina simply smiled.

It wasn’t a cheerful smile.

It was the kind that clearly announced she was already irritated.

“They’d only be shocked if my idiot brother decided to snitch.”

She crossed her arms.

“And just to remind you, big brother…”

She smiled even wider.

“I’m eighteen. I’ll wear whatever I want.”

Eric sighed.

“No, you won’t.”

He folded his own arms.

“You’re still the daughter of a Duke. You have responsibilities, remember?”

Rubina stared at him for a long second.

Then she simply smiled in exasperation, shook her head, and walked right past the two of them without another word.

Eric watched her leave before letting out another heavy sigh.

“I have a feeling I’m going to spend my entire time at the academy keeping an eye on her.”

Jeanne couldn’t help smiling faintly.

“Don’t worry.”

Eric looked at her.

“She’s only upset because you’ve been spending more time with me lately.”

“…What?”

He stared at Jeanne as though she had just spoken another language.

Jeanne nodded.

“She misses her big brother.”

Her smile softened.

“That’s all.”

Eric remained completely speechless.

“She doesn’t like it when you’re overly protective,” Jeanne continued. “But she doesn’t like it when you ignore her either.”

She looked toward Rubina’s retreating figure.

“She’s just bad at saying it.”

Eric blinked several times before letting out a small laugh.

“You’re surprisingly good at noticing things like that.”

Jeanne simply shrugged.

“I’ve had a lot of practice watching people.”

Eric smiled.

“I guess that’s true.”

He stretched his arms before looking toward the dock ahead.

“Anyway…”

He pointed toward the harbor.

“Let’s get going.”

Jeanne nodded.

“Alright.”

Soon enough, they would disembark.

As expected, a group of knights was already waiting to escort them.

After all, Jeanne wasn’t just another student.

She was the Hero of Celesta.

No kingdom would ever allow someone of that importance to walk without protection.