The Childhood Friend of the Villainess in a Romance Fantasy

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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“…Then, if I order you to do so, are you saying you’d obey that command?”

Amelia spoke these words and then let out a sharp breath.

Her face turned pale as she brought her trembling hands up to cover her mouth.

It seemed she thought she had said something she shouldn’t have.

Hmm.

I could understand her feelings. After all, she had essentially imposed a hierarchical relationship on a friend just to win an argument.

And as for me, the “friend” who had to listen to those words, three thoughts crossed my mind.

First, does she dislike me carrying Adele on my horse that much?

I was wary of Amelia and Adele developing a certain kind of relationship, but I didn’t think they had reached that point yet.

It hadn’t been long enough, and they hadn’t met frequently enough for that to happen.

If anything, I felt I had built a closer rapport with Adele. After all, it was me, not Amelia, who crossed swords with Adele back then, wasn’t it?

…Could it be that Amelia was jealous? That thought crossed my mind.

But I quickly brushed that thought away.

That was just optimism enhanced by my feelings getting in the way. Of course, Amelia and I had been friends for a long time, so it wouldn’t be strange if she felt some jealousy about me making a new friend—just as I felt jealous about her relationship with Adele.

But if I let myself think that way, I might not be able to respond properly if I were caught off guard. In combat, one must always prepare for the worst-case scenario.

The second thought was a resigned one: “Well, if that’s how it is, so be it.”

If Amelia usually tried to leverage her status as a grand duke’s daughter to force me into doing something, I might have felt a hint of rebellion.

But giving Adele a ride wasn’t exactly an “everyday” task; it was closer to a duty. Our daily routine mostly revolved around tasks in this mansion, especially in Amelia’s room. Beyond that, most of our time was spent in our roles—Amelia as the employer, and me as her escort.

And if I thought about it calmly, Amelia’s decision wasn’t particularly unreasonable.

No matter how much Adele had learned swordsmanship, she wasn’t better than me, and she didn’t know how to ride a horse. In a dangerous situation, it would actually be easier for me if Amelia and Adele were on the same horse. Amelia, in her current flustered state, probably hadn’t considered that far.

Normally, Amelia was very sharp, but right now—

—Yes, the third thought I had was related to Amelia’s current condition.

Although I couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason, Amelia’s perspective seemed narrowed at the moment. That’s likely why she said what she did. If she had been her usual, rational self, she wouldn’t have said that.

And Amelia had realized it herself right after saying it.

In other words, this meant Amelia now felt emotionally indebted to me.

While it didn’t bother me much, seeing Amelia pale and covering her mouth gave me a clear idea of what I should say next.

“…Understood. I will follow your command.”

When I responded in a somewhat meekly response,

“Ah…”

Amelia made that small sound, her expression remaining pale.

She squirmed, seeming unsure of what to do.

“Well, um, what I meant to say was…”

“I think your reasoning makes sense, Lady Grattanmount. It would indeed be easier for me to protect both you and your guest if you stayed together. Especially considering the place we’re heading to is quite far from the city.”

As I continued speaking politely and moved closer to her, Amelia looked up at me with wide eyes.

Usually, I didn’t feel much of a height difference between Amelia and me. Amelia always carried herself confidently, acting in a manner befitting her status as the grand duke’s daughter.

In contrast, I always felt a bit awkward. Whether it was dancing at a ball or mingling with other nobles afterward, I could never quite shake the discomfort. Despite growing up as a noble, I still hadn’t fully adapted, whereas Amelia, who had come from the same world as me, had become an exemplary noble.

Amelia only showed such emotional vulnerability when we were alone.

And the only person who could make Amelia this flustered—for now—was still me.

I knew very well that what I was doing was mean.

But—

As I stepped away from the window and approached Amelia, my shadow fell over her.

Amelia looked up at me with wavering eyes.

“So, would you mind informing me of the schedule after today’s lesson with Lady Adele? After teaching her to ride, what will—”

However, my words were interrupted.

Amelia reached out and grabbed me.

Her grip wasn’t particularly strong. It was as if she was being cautious, as though she knew she shouldn’t do this. Carefully, she grasped my arm—or rather, just my sleeve.

With the tips of her fingers.

Yet, I could feel her trembling through the fabric.

Amelia seemed scared.

“…Sorry.”

Amelia spoke softly.

“I’m sorry.”

“…”

“I think… I just said something ridiculous without thinking.”

Hearing her say that melted my heart, like snow melting in the spring sun.

“So, please, okay? Don’t be like that…”

“…”

Amelia looked up at me. With her other arm—the one not holding me—she hugged herself tightly, as if trying to shield against the cold.

“I… I’m a little scared.”

I see.

She’s afraid of me becoming someone else. She’s afraid of our relationship, which we’ve built over time, breaking apart.

It must mean that the time we’ve spent together is precious to her.

If that’s the case, then even if the day comes when we must part ways—

“…Yeah.”

I responded to Amelia.

“I’m sorry for replying like that earlier. It wasn’t something to get so upset about.”

“No, I’m the one who brought it up first…”

Seeing Amelia bow her head deeply, my fingers twitched.

I wanted to hug her.

I wanted to hold her tightly and tell her that I didn’t mean what I said, that she was the most important person in the world to me, that even if she abandoned me, I could never abandon her.

But I couldn’t. That would shatter the long-standing bond we’ve worked so hard to build.

“But still, I think what you said makes more sense.”

When I said that, Amelia raised her head.

“After all, outwardly, I’m your escort. And protecting you is something I truly mean. I have no intention of being just idly filling the role.”

Amelia widened her eyes, looking up at me with a slightly surprised expression.

With a faint smile on my lips, I continued.

“I might not be the most capable among the people of Delkis, but if a moment ever comes where I’m needed, I’ll do everything in my power to fulfill my role. It’s not for money or anything like that. I do it because I want to. We’re… friends. And I just want to protect you. I hope you understand that.”

“…Okay.”

Amelia nodded.

Though it felt like I had taken a step back, I had gained much in return. The warm emotion I felt at that moment was the greatest reward I had earned that day.

And because of our conversation, Amelia probably wouldn’t be too focused on the fact that Adele would be riding behind her.

…Yeah, even I thought it was a pretty mean thing to say.

“If we delay any longer, the sun might set. Shouldn’t we start getting ready now?”

When I said that, since Amelia had been quietly looking up at me, she blinked a few times before suddenly snapping out of it.

“Oh, right! We had an appointment, didn’t we?!”

And we’d been arguing over that appointment.

“Alright then, let’s just have her ride behind me today? That’s what we agreed on, right?”

Amelia repeated as if confirming with me once again.

“Yeah, let’s do that. But first, let’s change quickly. Otherwise, we’ll really run out of time. Adele’s probably already waiting.”

With that, we hurried to change and headed to Adele’s house.

*

“Uh… are you two alright?”

Adele, standing in front of her house, looked at the two of us with a slightly bewildered expression.

We had pushed our horses pretty hard to get there, so Amelia was breathing a bit heavily. I was perfectly fine, but Adele seemed to think it would be rude to ask only one of us about it, given that the two of us had arrived together on horseback.

Still, it was fortunate that Adele seemed to trust our appointment, as she was already dressed in her riding attire. …Now that I think about it, I should’ve asked Adele earlier if she even had riding clothes.

Well, considering how things played out in the novel, it was a given that she’d have riding attire. I guess I should count myself lucky for realizing it in time.

“Phew…”

Amelia let out a deep breath to steady herself before turning to Adele and speaking.

“Shall we head out?”

“…Yes, thank you so much.”

…

For some reason, Amelia looked like a prince on a white horse.

Though, of course, she’s a woman.

And not blonde.

Well, there’s no rule saying a prince must have blonde hair… but that’s not the point here.

Having already made such a fuss with Amelia earlier, I couldn’t exactly nitpick now.

Jealousy simmered deep in my chest, but I calmed myself by recalling our earlier conversation.

…Maybe I should ride my wolf on the way back?

That way, that would give me an excuse to have Adele ride behind or in front of me.

…Thinking like this, I felt like a terrible person.

Watching Adele climb onto the horse with Amelia’s help, I couldn’t help but let out a small, bitter laugh to myself.