I’m Really Not Trying to Be Chased by the Heroine as the Villainous Playboy! – Chapter 323

Chapter 29: Progress, But Not Much

In the early morning, at a corner of the teaching building’s corridor.

The brown-haired girl quietly gazed out the window at the distant black-haired boy, lost in thought as the morning breeze drifted by.

Since then, Leanna hadn’t made a move in days.

She hadn’t expected that just as she understood him, he also understood her, knowing her other side as a witch.

It was an unexpected twist, but it didn’t affect her plans to win Roy over.

What truly baffled Leanna was that despite laying out plenty of benefits, she still couldn’t sway Roy.

To become stronger, the False King’s blood required remnants of some mythical creature. Plus, due to the cultists’ covetousness, successive generations of False King blood had been desperately seeking power for self-protection—Roy should have been no exception.

However, Leanna wasn’t too disheartened. Rather, the boy’s rejection sparked even more interest in her.

If before she merely wanted to harness the power of the False King’s blood, now she had developed an ambition to win the boy himself.

Easy subordinates held no value.

Everyone had their own price; it was just that she hadn’t found his yet.

A dangerous glimmer flickered in Leanna’s eyes, like a snake lurking in the darkness, flicking its tongue and poised to strike.

But from the perspective of the purple-haired girl leaning by the window, it was a different scene altogether.

The girl gazed longingly at the boy, deep in contemplation.

Eureka!

The president is in love!

When Kreya first heard rumors of Leanna flirting with Roy, she didn’t believe it.

Come on, their president had survived in a sea of corpses and blood—surely, she had some serious issues in her head! How could she possibly have such normal human interests?

But after witnessing Leanna dining with Roy that day and seeing her current demeanor, Kreya was convinced.

Leanna always acted for profit. However, Kreya felt that Roy didn’t possess any particular interests that Leanna could exploit; their few interactions seemed to be nothing but ordinary social exchanges between the genders.

Wow, never thought our president had a girly side!

Sighing at the realization, Kreya felt a tinge of regret that this rare first love for the president didn’t seem to be going smoothly.

Of course, with Leanna’s looks and charm, a mere smile could send a bunch of suitors racing around the school. The catch was, Roy wasn’t lacking in conditions himself, and he already had someone. Even though the president was cunning and strategic, having never experienced romance, it would still be somewhat challenging to win Roy over.

With this in mind, Kreya gently reassured, “President, don’t feel disheartened! If you miss this one, there will be better ones!”

Leanna didn’t even lift her head, responding, “That won’t do. He’s a necessity for me.”

“Uh, well…” Kreya scratched her cheek, surprised at Leanna’s stubbornness.

After all, it was her first love.

“But it seems the current progress isn’t going so smoothly, right?”

“Are you saying that since I was rejected twice in a row, there’s no hope?”

Kreya awkwardly chuckled: “Hehehe…”

“Well, that’s not necessarily true.” Leanna murmured, the corners of her rosy lips slightly curling up.

Though both encounters had gone poorly, it wasn’t without progress.

She had confirmed that Roy was wary of her but not hostile; he was cautious but not an enemy.

As long as she presented the right incentives, she still had a chance of winning him over. The only issue was that her understanding of Roy wasn’t quite enough yet.

External information and a mere first impression had their limits, so next…

“President, if you truly want to pursue him, shouldn’t you get to know him better?”

Leanna glanced at her sidekick, momentarily taken aback. She hadn’t expected Kreya, with her skewed logic and worrisome intelligence, to think along the same lines.

Intrigued, Leanna asked, “What do you think I should do to get to know him? I’ve already gathered quite a bit of info on him.”

For the first time, Kreya puffed up with pride at her boss’s request for advice.

“No, no, you’re mistaken, President! To pursue a guy, you can’t trust external rumors; you need to dig it from those close to him!”

Though the goal wasn’t exactly aligned, this approach coincided with Leanna’s thoughts.

Indeed, others’ evaluations couldn’t be fully trusted, especially for a figure like Roy; too much information made it harder to discern the truth.

Only through those closest to him could she learn about his truest self.

Leanna raised her gaze anew, peering into the distance.

This time, she didn’t look at the black-haired boy but at the golden-haired figure next to him.

———————

The witch had quieted down.

But Roy’s mood was quite nuanced.

【Warning! Progress detected at the reverse fate node! Every choice you make will alter destiny, choose wisely! Keep it up!】

【Current reverse fate node: Imperial Serpent】

【Imperial Serpent – Reverse Fate Progress】: 2%

Ignoring the droning, sleep-inducing lecture from the teacher, Roy sighed quietly at the panel’s subtle progress.

There was progress, but not much.

Although Leanna hadn’t made a move lately, the threat from the reverse fate node hadn’t been lifted.

Of course, after their last encounter, Roy likely confirmed that she wasn’t after something like his kidney, considering they had no grievances against each other. If she truly wanted to make a move, there hadn’t been a need for all that chatter inviting him to join.

However, her throwing out the Certificate of Kingship as bait was definitely an attempt to use his False King’s blood for something.

If it were the academy head or someone like Janthea, Roy wouldn’t mind giving it a shot.

But Leanna was not a good partner to collaborate with.

Karl, Rob, Janthea, the head of the academy, and even Douglas—those he had engaged with previously were appealing not solely due to aligned interests but also due to their solid credibility and character, not to mention the ties he’d developed with them.

As for Charlotte, Nia, Alice, they were entirely trustworthy.

In contrast, Leanna could unflinchingly sacrifice any piece when necessary.

He barely knew her.

Setting aside whether she might backstab him, Roy was certain that if things got dire, she would definitely discard him as a pawn.

Unless absolutely necessary, Roy didn’t want to make an enemy of this type of person, nor did he want to team up with them.

However, his prior refusal to join the meeting had led to some progress at the reverse fate node, which meant his choices were correct.

As long as he continued to refuse and maintained a “live and let live” attitude, it should be fine.

But little did Roy expect that the river would come rushing in so suddenly.

After the school bell rang, as usual, the boy headed to the classroom across the teaching building to pick up his maid for home.

However, he received some bad news from Nia.

“You’re late! Alice left with the Student Council!”