I’m a Second Male Lead in a Romance Fantasy, but I Don’t Like the Female Lead

“Lastly, as new students, you must be aware that you are members of the Imperial Royal Academy…”

The principal’s speech dragged on endlessly.

Thanks to that, I yawned languidly.

“People are looking at you.”

Hestia, sitting next to me, jabbed my side with her elbow. It’s been 30 minutes since the principal started his excessive talking, but her posture hasn’t crumbled at all. With her back straight and eyes sparkling, she’s the epitome of a model student.

Of course, I tried to maintain that attitude at first. But when the principal repeated for the third time that he had final words of advice, my motivation completely disappeared. It seems that principals being talkative is universal, whether on Earth or in another world.

“Hestia. I think you’re the only one seriously listening to all this.”

“The principal is a great scholar who has left numerous research papers. It’s not often we get the chance to hear him speak.”

Hestia looked at the principal with reverence. I had no idea that this Dumbledore-like verbose person was such a distinguished figure. But that’s that, and boring is boring. This isn’t a venue to present his research results, and he’s just rambling about his life story—is there really a need to pay attention?

And it seems I’m not the only one thinking this. All the surrounding students are nodding off like sick chickens.

“I think we’ll have plenty of opportunities to hear the principal speak in the future. And Hestia, look around. Everyone except us is dozing off.”

“That’s unfortunate. But others’ wrong behavior doesn’t justify us doing the same.”

Hestia spoke as if genuinely disappointed. I looked around as I listened to her words.

“Oh, Lady Deneb is sleeping over there too.”

I spot a hair color so red it’s almost painful to the eyes. Cordelia is fast asleep with her arms crossed and head bowed down. She clearly doesn’t care about the surrounding gazes.

“Pardon? Where?”

“Over there. The red hair in the back. Can you see?”

“Yes… Ah, Lady Cordelia, really.”

Hestia looked around upon hearing my words. When I pointed out the exact location, she sighed deeply after directly witnessing Cordelia’s deep sleep.

I asked Hestia something I had been curious about for a while.

“Are you close with Lady Deneb?”

“Yes. Our territories are close, and there’s also a connection with our family’s business, so I’ve seen her often since childhood. That’s how we became friends.”

The Gracia countdom is a wealthy family successfully running various businesses. It’s not strange for them to have connections with great nobles like the Deneb dukedom.

“Childhood friends?”

“Yes, we’re childhood friends.”

Seeing her bright smile as she thinks of Lady Deneb makes me feel somewhat irritated. The thought that she knows aspects of Hestia that I don’t makes me feel, well, something.

“Ah, I want to be Hestia’s childhood friend too.”

“For your information, I first met Lady Deneb after our engagement.”

“……Sorry.”

I didn’t know this. From Hestia’s perspective, a man who showed no interest in her for a long time suddenly changed and started saying nonsense about wanting to be her childhood friend. If she feels offended thinking I’m mocking her, I can’t argue.

“No, it’s fine.”

“Really?”

“But I do have a question. I’ve been too anxious to ask until now, but I need to know.”

Hestia turned her head and stared intently into my eyes.

“Why are you doing this to me?”

It’s a question too abstract to be called a question. But both she and I know what this question implies. Why are you suddenly being so affectionate?

Why is someone who barely responded to questions, who treated her worse than the servants of the mansion, suddenly approaching her?

I was at a loss for words. What answer should I give? Love at first sight? That my heart suddenly changed? Would she really believe that a fiancé who had been in a cold war for years fell in love at first sight? An answer that my heart suddenly changed would be equally unbelievable. If she asks why it changed without any trigger, what could I answer?

Any answer would be lying to Hestia. And she wouldn’t be convinced by my answer either.

How does Hestia think of me in the first place? What if she doesn’t actually like me approaching her like this, even if she doesn’t express it?

I was unable to move in any direction and just met Hestia’s gaze as she looked at me. Just as she was about to say something, seeing me unable to respond, applause broke out around us.

Startled, I looked forward to see the principal finishing his speech and stepping down. It seems his lengthy speech has just ended.

“We’ll continue this conversation later.”

Hestia stood up. Now that the entrance ceremony is over, we need to go to our classroom.

I couldn’t respond to her words.

It’s terrible in many ways.

Things became awkward quickly with Hestia. No, rather, I feel uncomfortable myself. Thinking about how I might look from her perspective, and what she might actually think of me, makes it hard to tease her lightly as before.

If she’s thinking, “Who the hell is this guy to act like this?”, my heart would shatter.

Because of this, I couldn’t speak a word to her as we went from the entrance ceremony hall to the classroom. I just walked silently slightly behind her.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Hestia and I were in the same class.

Hestia opened the door to the classroom labeled “Class A.” She entered first, and I followed shortly after.

The classroom structure was closer to a university lecture hall than a high school classroom. Hestia looked around the classroom and, seeming to have made eye contact with someone, greeted them happily and headed in that direction.

“Hestia!”

“Lady Cordelia!”

It was Cordelia, who had been soundly asleep until recently. I thought she might still be sleeping there, but she moves quickly.

Hestia exchanged greetings with Cordelia and sat beside her. I also watched the situation and sat next to Hestia.

She glanced at me briefly and then began to converse with Cordelia. Rather than a conversation, it was closer to her pouring out nagging about Cordelia sleeping during the entrance ceremony.

While talking with Cordelia, Hestia occasionally glanced at me as if I were on her mind. She’s not ignoring me completely, but she doesn’t seem to want to speak to me first either.

“Did you two fight?”

“Pardon?”

Perhaps reading the awkward air between us, Cordelia asked Hestia if we had fought.

But she asks this question where both parties involved can hear. She has an excessively naive aspect. She’s not a child left by the riverside, but without someone to care for her, who knows when she might be buried by Lily again.

“No, we haven’t fought.”

“That’s right, Lady Deneb. I’ve never fought with Hestia.”

“I see. I thought you fought because neither of you was talking.”

Cordelia smiled at us. I also feel like laughing out of disbelief. How carefree is this lady’s mind? Does she really believe that if we had actually fought, we would honestly answer, “Yes, we fought”?

“Why would we fight?”

“Yes, engaged couples should get along well. Not that I should be the one saying this.”

At Cordelia’s self-deprecating words, Hestia’s smiling eyes twitch with spasms. The advice from someone who had been broken up with carried that much power. Her expression management crumbled.

“Oh, really! Lady Cordelia, are you doing this on purpose?”

“What?”

“Never mind! You, come with me for a moment. Quickly.”

Hestia jumped up, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me into the corridor. I followed her blankly, unable to keep up with the sudden change in the situation.

“Really, are you really not going to tell me?”

As soon as we reached the corridor, Hestia questioned me. Under her direct gaze, my mouth finally opened.

“I’m sorry. Someday, someday I will definitely tell you. Right now, I’m a bit scared. But the fact that I like you now is real. This I can say for certain.”

I can’t reveal the whole truth to her here. If I confess that I’m actually from another world and woke up to find myself in this body, in the worst case, it would end with me in a mental institution.

I just spoke as I wanted. It’s true that I can’t tell now, it’s true that I’ll tell someday, and it’s true that I like Hestia now. It’s a mess of an answer that only emphasizes my position, but it’s the best I can do right now.

“Ah……”

Hestia was so surprised she could only gape. Was my answer unsatisfactory? Visions of a loveless marriage flash through my mind. How would I endure it?

“Y-y-you like me?”

“Yes, I like you.”

“Why…?”

“Your face is pretty. It’s cute how you approach everything with seriousness. It’s admirable how you can bow your head for a friend. I like how you get embarrassed when teased.”

“Stop! Stop! Stop it!”

Hestia shouted. Her face is bright red. It looks like it might burst if poked.

“Do you really, truly like me?”

“…You didn’t know?”

“Because you never said it once!”

Come to think of it, I’ve told her she’s pretty and that I don’t know other women, but I’ve never directly told her that I like her. Even so, did she really not know?

“I like you.”

“Hiss!”

Hestia made a strange sound.

“Sorry, thinking about it, I’ve never told you directly. Should I tell you every day from now on?”

“Please stop! It’s embarrassing. The class seems about to start, so let’s go back to the classroom.”

“Does Hestia like me too?”

“I said stop!”

She turned around with a reddened face and headed to the classroom. I followed right beside her. Much closer than when we were coming up to the classroom earlier.

“Mikhail.”

“What, Hestia?”

“You’ll really tell me someday, right?”

“I promise.”

“Then that’s fine.”

Hestia turned around with a bright smile.

“Once again, I look forward to our time together, Mikhail.”

Hestia was anxious.

Whenever she met with her fiancé, Mikhail, who had changed so much recently, she always felt inner anxiety. Of course, she never showed it outwardly, but her anxiety didn’t disappear.

And yet, she found it ridiculous that she secretly enjoyed meeting Mikhail. Had she already forgotten how this man had treated her for that long time?

Hestia adapted surprisingly quickly to his friendly tone, jokes, and occasional teasing. After moving into the dormitory, she adjusted to his changed demeanor in just three days.

During those three days, the two conversed frequently. Except for Cordelia, Hestia had very few people she could call friends, and Mikhail had no friends other than Hestia. Naturally, they met often during their free time.

Hestia trembled with anxiety even while talking with Mikhail. Even during their conversations, she feared that at any moment he might look at her with those emotionless eyes again. She was afraid that his current demeanor might be a forced façade with some ulterior motive.

Nevertheless, Hestia meticulously hid these emotions. What if Mikhail detected her fear and anxiety, and he reverted to his original self?

When Hestia first proposed the ‘Understanding Marriage’ course to him, she wanted to build a new relationship with Mikhail. But what is this? It feels as if she’s the only one yearning for his affection. Hestia recalled his glib face.

Come to think of it, he poured out all sorts of sweet words to her, but never directly said he liked her.

She jumped up from her seat and made a decision. Today, she would definitely ask him.

It’s best to lance a boil quickly. If you leave it out of fear of pain, you’ll face greater pain later.

And then the entrance ceremony. He teased her as usual. Then he suddenly dropped words that made her heart sink.

“Ah, I want to be Hestia’s childhood friend too.”

Her engagement to Mikhail was from over 10 years ago. What is this man? Is he mocking me? She felt anger and sadness welling up in her chest.

She asked him, filled with indescribable emotions:

“Why are you doing this to me?”

He couldn’t provide any answer.