The Childhood Friend of the Villainess in a Romance Fantasy

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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The inside of the mansion seemed to be much better maintained than the exterior. In the novel, Adele’s personality was described as meticulous several times, so it wasn’t surprising. While maintaining the outer walls of a building required professional work, keeping the interior clean was achievable through diligent cleaning.

In truth, the house didn’t seem to have many decorations. The materials used for the interior were of high quality, but ornaments like flowerpots or porcelain were only present to barely uphold the dignity of a noble household.

“Here is your tea.”

Seeing the state of the house made me feel a little guilty about being served tea. After all, tea leaves were expensive in Alwen Kingdom, where the northern climate made it impossible to grow tea trees.

But since the tea had already been brewed, Amelia and I quietly decided to drink it.

The tea’s aroma was a little faint.

“Lady of the House of Delkis!”

“…You could just call me by my name.”

“I could never address someone from the House of Delkis so casually!”

In Harvey’s case… No, even Harvey was never called by name. In the novel, he was always referred to as ‘Lord Delkis’.

Perhaps his reserved personality made it feel natural to be addressed in such a formal manner, and so it stayed that way until the end.

Adele’s sparkling gaze was overwhelming.

If it were just Adele and me alone, I might not have felt so burdened. It’s not that I wouldn’t feel uneasy, but with Amelia—who genuinely wanted to meet Adele—sitting next to me, Adele’s intense focus on me was discomforting.

Not to mention, Amelia had been glancing back and forth between Adele and me for a while now.

“Ahem, I apologize. I got too excited.”

Even if she was trying to appear calm now, it was too late. Just moments ago, she had fully displayed the girlish enthusiasm of someone meeting her favorite idol, and no amount of pretense could change that impression.

“It’s just… to hear such praise from someone of the House of Delkis, whom I’ve only heard of in stories since childhood…”

But is there even any proof that I’m truly from the House of Delkis?

Well, it was a little late to be thinking that now, but neither Amelia nor I had provided any concrete evidence that we were genuinely members of those families. While it might seem unlikely for anyone to boldly impersonate a baronial family, let alone a grand ducal house, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

For someone so meticulous and diligent, Adele was oddly careless.

“Um, well…”

At this point, Adele must have begun to realize that she’d gotten overly excited because her face gradually turned red.

As she alternated her gaze between Amelia and me, she suddenly seemed to notice something strange.

“Um, I apologize if this is rude to ask, but…”

Adele cautiously looked in my direction and spoke.

“It’s just… when I heard stories about the Delkis family, I expected, um, that you would be… taller…”

Her hesitation to find the right words yet still managing to say everything she wanted to—that was very much in line with her role as the heroine.

“I am unusually short, even among the people of Delkis. All my family members are more than a head taller than me.”

“I see!”

Adele responded with a smile after hearing my answer.

“But surely, your swordsmanship skills must be exceptional? You’re guarding Lady Amelia of the Grand Ducal House of Grattanmount, after all.”

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, but unfortunately, my swordsmanship skills were the lowest even in Delkis. While most Delkis people could generate pure sword aura just by swinging their swords, I never succeeded.

Before I could respond, Amelia spoke first.

“She does possess a special talent.”

“I knew it!”

Adele replied enthusiastically to Amelia’s statement.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I got carried away again. I suppose it’s because I’ve met someone from a family I admire so much…”

“I understand,” Amelia responded, her tone somewhat stiff.

“It’s only natural to feel happy when someone you admire compliments you.”

“Hehe…”

Adele scratched her cheek and laughed awkwardly. Despite her clumsy demeanor, it was hard to feel any ill will toward her. As expected of the heroine(?).

With graceful movements befitting the eldest daughter of a grand ducal family, Amelia took a sip of her tea and naturally started a conversation with Adele.

“Since we’ve had the chance to meet like this, I hope we can continue to connect in the future. Especially since the two of you seem to have overlapping interests.”

We share nothing in common.

The only reason I trained in swordsmanship was to avoid being an embarrassment while serving as Amelia’s escort. I needed at least enough skill to justify holding this position.

But since Amelia was trying to create a link, there was no need to dampen the mood, so I stayed silent.

“And—ah, that’s right.”

Amelia suddenly seemed to remember something as she turned to me.

“Elsie, do you have the invitation with you?”

“Ah, yes.”

I pulled out the invitation I had prepared in advance from my pocket.

It was the invitation for tomorrow’s ball, or rather, the “Welcome Ceremony.”

Since royalty would be attending, the invitees were carefully selected among the high nobility. However, if only truly high-ranking nobles were invited, the ball would feel empty. Balls hosted by distinguished individuals were traditionally expected to be grand and well-attended.

But that didn’t mean they could just invite anyone and everyone.

That’s why invitations often included a few spares. High-ranking nobles, to avoid disgracing their family names, would naturally pass these spare invitations to trusted individuals among their subordinates. As a result, even the additional attendees were filtered and respectable.

We, too, received a few of those spare invitations. Even after inviting key vassals who accompanied us, there were still a few left.

The invitation I carried was one of them.

“An invitation?”

I handed the invitation in my hand to Adele, who tilted her head in confusion.

Adele, puzzled, accepted it and then abruptly shot to her feet, visibly startled.

“W-W-Wait, is this an invitation to a ball hosted by the royal family!?”

She examined the invitation’s envelope from all angles without even opening it, as if breaking the seal itself was an act too reverent.

“At the end of every winter, the regional lords dispatch trusted representatives to the royal capital. These are usually close relatives or family members. Until recently, my uncle handled this role for our family, but this time, as the eldest daughter, I’ve come instead. This invitation is for the Welcome Ceremony that the royal family hosts to greet such representatives.”

I had wondered why this ceremony wasn’t held in the long days of summer, but for Northerners, summer was “summer.” To me, who had experienced the sweltering summers of South Korea, the weather here was akin to a cool autumn, but for Northerners, it was considered “hot.” The journey during summer would be arduous, and traveling while the ice was still solid made for firmer roads.

If the event were delayed any further, the roads would turn to muddy messes, and staying longer would mean enduring the heat. So this timing was considered ideal by Northern standards.

“T-This precious invitation… why give it to me…?”

Adele held the invitation in trembling hands as Amelia shrugged and gave her a soft smile.

“Because I thought we could become good friends.”

That response was, to some extent, an unfiltered expression of Amelia’s true feelings.

*

“In the original story, wasn’t this sent as a prank?”

“Adele’s father has as many enemies as he has integrity.”

At my comment, Amelia confirmed it with a nod.

In romance fantasy web novels, the heroine’s surroundings were often rife with trouble. Even without Amelia, Adele had many adversaries, as described in the story.

Of course, my knowledge of the storyline was limited to what Amelia had explained by saying “In the original, it was like this….”

Nobles without wealth were often ridiculed.

The Carlins family, Adele’s knightly household, was the quintessential example of a poor noble family.

To make matters worse, Adele’s father, the head of the family, was unyielding in his principles. During peacetime, knights often dealt with “dirty work,” but Adele’s father refused to engage in such things.

Naturally, there were those who disliked his stubborn stance.

Adele herself had speculated that her father must have sullied his hands somehow to keep the family afloat,
but in reality, Adele’s father was simply upholding his duties honorably—doing work that most nobles wouldn’t dare dirty their hands with.

He merely concealed his hardships, enduring them quietly, so as not to worry his daughter.

“Still, it’s a relief we weren’t too late. Even though Adele will have to rush to prepare, thanks to us delivering the invitation first, she has a little extra time. Plus, she won’t be humiliated at the ball. Aren’t you curious? To see the expressions on the faces of those who despise the Carlins family?”

Now that she mentioned it, I was curious.

In the ‘original story’, those people who served as Amelia’s right-hand and left-hand… I wondered what they looked like.