Villainess no Yume

Chapter 24 - No other choice

Now that Rosie, like a tigress hiding in a dense thicket, attempted to corner Ryu, he had no choice but to decide.

'Should I decline her invitation, run away, and just come back later for Yume? Saving her only after they falsified her crimes.'

But his conscience would be disheartened if his classmates, including his newly made friends, went on the expedition, suffered, and worst died because of him.

'Or should I accept Rosie's invitation, join their group, stop my classmates from joining the expedition, and save Yume on time.'

Though this would make Yume feel betrayed. Ryu thought their recently formed connection would be in naught. On the other hand, this might be an excellent opportunity to act as a spy on the treacherous couple's team.

For the time being, not joining this cold north expedition was the priority. This venture would surely take a while. There were only six months left for the upcoming mission for the senior students. It was the last event Ryu could read in the novel and the circumstance where he needed to make sure he would be able to join.

In conclusion, he didn't have the leisure time to go elsewhere.

Rosie folded her fan, preparing to leave.

"Go to the academy's west wing, second floor. There will be a sign that says 'Royal Quarters.' We will be waiting there after lunch."

As she walked away happily, the people around stared at Ryu. It was Blake who was listening and asked.

"What does Lady Rosie mean, Ryu?"

Hearing about the chance of canceling the expedition made his eyes glimmer with hope.

"Is it really possible to cancel our involvement?"

Roy at his side added.

"How can we avoid it?"

Gavin urged.

To sum up, everyone who heard about Rosie's proposal had their ears perked.

Sigh...

Ryu closed his eyes and started weighing the invitation's pros and cons. When the people beside him went silent, he slowly opened one eye. He saw these people attentively, watching for an answer. In addition, their eyes look like a puppy's.

"Alright... I'll ask Lady Rosie to exclude us from the expedition—"

Hooray! The crowd cheered.

"—but don't expect too much."

"Certainly! Our family wouldn't need to hear such distressing news."

"And we'll have enough time to improve ourselves, then next time, we would be the one welcoming for an expedition ourselves."

"Thank you so much, Sir—I mean, Ryu."

Guilt was the emotion formed deep within Ryu's heart.

Ryu thought he didn't deserve these praises since he made this happen in the first place.

"Don't thank me, guys. It's my fault in the first place."

"Yours or not, it doesn't matter. We're friends, right?"

Roy rebuked. Gavin and Blake nodded.

"...Yes."

"Well, people make mistakes. What matters is how you want to fix them. So all is in good hands."

"I see. But what if I declined, and we all must go to the expedition?"

"Ack!—T...Then, we... we will have to go together! Right? Gavin, Blake?"