"Chloe, stop!"
My voice echoed sharply inside the shattered glass room.
The dense green killing aura surrounding Chloe paused for a moment. The magic dagger in her right hand, just ten centimeters away from Crown Prince Leo's throat, froze mid-air.
Leo stood frozen, his face pale as linen. His prince arrogance was completely gone, replaced by absolute shock. Meanwhile, Adrian reflexively took two steps back, holding his wand with sweat dripping from his forehead.
"L-Lady... Rosel...?"
Chloe tilted her head slowly. Her movements were rigid, like a broken wooden doll. Her emerald-green eyes, previously consumed by dark malice, blinked softly as she looked at me.
"Why... are you stopping me?" Chloe whispered innocently, though the dagger in her hand still trembled with suppressed rage. "These two... tried to take you away from me. They locked you up... I just wanted to clean up the trash bothering you, Lady Rosel..."
*CRAZY! SHE WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO SLAUGHTER THEM!*
I swallowed hard. If Chloe killed the Crown Prince and Grand Magician here, the novel's plot wouldn't just derail—it would turn into a bloodbath ending with both of us on the gallows!
*Use your brain, Rosel! How do you calm down an raging yandere girl?!*
The system screen flashed rapidly in my field of vision, filled with panicked yet excited comments from readers.
[User_YuriSimp]: "ROSEL, HUG CHLOE NOW! THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO TAME A YANDERE!"
[User_OlympicShip]: "HUG! HUG! HUG! IF YOU DON'T HUG HER, LEO IS MINCEMEAT!"
[User_OrangeCat]: "Pat her head and say 'Good girl', guaranteed to tame her instantly!"
[User_LocalObserver]: "Leo's life depends on Rosel's flirting skills, hilarious!"
*Hug?! But I'm a guy! How can I just hug a gir—ah, screw it! My body is a girl right now anyway!*
Without another thought for my dignity, I lunged forward through the sharp wind magic.
*Grasp!*
I pulled Chloe's small body into my arms, holding her tightly against my chest. Her surprised face buried into my neck and shoulder, right where the rose scent from my body was strongest.
The magic dagger in Chloe's hand dropped to the marble floor with a sharp *clang*.
"R-Rosel...?" Leo muttered in disbelief, his eyes wide as he watched my reckless action.
I ignored Leo. My right arm wrapped around Chloe's waist, while my left hand gently stroked her soft pastel-pink hair.
"That's enough, Chloe," I whispered right near her ear in the softest voice I could muster. "Don't do this. I'm okay. You saved me, good girl."
*Thump.*
Instantly, the murderous aura around us evaporated like morning dew in the sunlight.
Chloe's tense, trembling body gradually relaxed in my embrace. The dark glow in her eyes faded, returning to pure, clear emerald. Her smooth cheeks flushed deep red all the way to her ears.
[Reading Chloe von Valois's Thoughts...]
*‘L-Lady Rosel... is hugging me? She stroked my hair... She called me a good girl... Ah, her hug is so warm... My head hurts from feeling too happy...’*
*Ping!*
[Chloe's Obsession Level Temporarily Pacified!]
[Main Character Chloe's Affinity: 95% (Status: God-Tier Simp)]
Before I could breathe a sigh of relief, Chloe's body went completely limp. She fainted from magic exhaustion due to overusing high-level destructive spells, collapsing fully into my arms.
I held her small frame, panting heavily.
"Phew... Safe," I muttered weakly, feeling like my soul had almost left my body.
A few minutes later, academy guards summoned by Adrian finally arrived. The Ancient Greenhouse was sealed off.
The incident was declared a "mysterious intruder attack thwarted by quick-thinking students" to preserve the royal family's reputation and prevent public panic.
I sat on a garden bench in front of the academy infirmary, gazing at the night sky turning into dawn. Chloe was resting inside in stable condition.
*Tap. Tap.*
Footsteps approached. Crown Prince Leo stood nearby, his arm wrapped in a thin bandage.
"Rosel," Leo called out. This time there was no arrogant smirk on his face, but a complex, sharp look. "About what happened earlier..."
"If you want to thank me for saving your neck, save it," I cut him off flatly without looking back.
"It's not that," Leo stepped closer, staring at me directly.
[Reading Leo von Grandia's Thoughts...]
*‘I understand now... All this time, Rosel acted cold toward me because she wanted to protect me from hidden dangers! She even hugged that dangerous girl just to prevent a massacre that would ruin my reputation! What a profound sacrifice of love... I must not disappoint her again!’*
*ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! HOW IS HIS LOGIC STILL TWISTED LIKE THAT?!*
I stared at Leo with wide eyes, completely speechless. This prince's logic was beyond saving by any medical science!
"Rosel," Leo said with a solemn promise and burning determination. "Starting today, I will fight for you properly. I won't let you bear this burden alone anymore!"
Without waiting for my reply, Leo turned and walked off dramatically, leaving me frozen like a stone statue.
[User_OrangeCat]: "ROFL HOW DID LEO INTERPRET IT LIKE THAT?! HILARIOUS!"
[User_LocalObserver]: "The Prince's level of misunderstanding has reached galaxy level!"
[User_YuriSimp]: "Rosel just wanted to save her own skin, but he called it a sacrifice of love!"
[User_OlympicShip]: "One obsessive yandere, one overly narcissistic prince, one research-obsessed magician... Welcome to the next chapter of Rosel's life!"
I leaned my head back against the bench, watching the system screen update the story status.
[System Notification!]
[Act One: 'The Beginning of Plot Errors' - COMPLETE.]
[Unlocking Act Two: 'Crazy Harem Rivalry and World Secrets'!]
"God..." I whimpered quietly, closing my eyes tightly. "When can I just live peacefully as a pretty girl who slacks off in her room...?"
And so, my new life as a villainess surrounded by crazy people officially began, with the plot drifting further and further from its original destiny.