The Childhood Friend of the Villainess in a Romance Fantasy

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Ah, what do I do?

Amelia is so beautiful.

Well, that was to be expected. In villainess novels, the villainess often has a design just as striking as the heroine’s—or, in terms of individuality, even more uniquely designed. After all, the story revolves around the villainess, so it only makes sense.

Not to say that Adele isn’t pretty either, but still, Adele isn’t someone who’s constantly by my side, is she?

We might grow closer in the future—Adele seemed deeply impressed by the fact that I was from the Delkis family and was utterly shocked when she received the invitation. It would actually be more inconvenient for us if we didn’t become friendly.

However, regardless of that, the one who will always be beside me, casually visiting my room, helping me with makeup, or lending me dresses—that will be Amelia. If I were to develop any feelings, it would naturally be for her.

I think I read somewhere on a wiki that childhood friends often don’t develop romantic feelings for each other because they’ve seen too much of each other over the years.

But perhaps because Amelia, at least to me, feels like a character in a novel, I can’t recall a time when she showed anything that could be described as unbecoming or unruly in front of me during all those years.

That doesn’t mean I think she’s acting or being insincere. Amelia just exudes elegance in her every move, unlike me.

When Amelia leans on me like this, her sweet fragrance lingers in the air, I sometimes wonder if I might have a chance… After all, in the novel, Amelia liked women. Sure, she liked men as well, but in the end, she ended up with Adele, another woman.

So, I can’t say I haven’t entertained the fantasy of “what if it were me?”

“… ”

Amelia leaned on me without saying a word. She simply entrusted her body to me and silently walked by my side, trusting me completely.

…And that’s exactly why I can’t act on those fantasies.

Amelia trusts me.

As a childhood friend.

Moreover, in the novel, Amelia only came to realize she could like women only after she got involved with Adele. It wasn’t something she was aware of from the beginning, nor did she consciously seduce the heroine.

It just sort of happened.

Which means, if I were to approach her romantically before she realized such things about herself, she might just see me as strange—or worse, as someone dangerous.

After all, I’m physically stronger than Amelia.

On top of that… there’s something I haven’t told Amelia yet.

Amelia seems to think that, like her past life, I was a woman in my past life. But the truth is, I’ve held onto my male identity from my previous life.

Sure, I’ve grown accustomed to and adapted to this female body, but at my core, my preferences—my sense of who I’m attracted to—remain the same as when I was a man.

If I were to accidentally reveal that part of myself…

Wouldn’t it tarnish the “childhood friend” relationship I’ve built with Amelia all this time?

“… ”

So, yeah, this is the best I can do for now.

After all, the feelings I have are mostly because “Amelia is beautiful”… Surely, they’ll fade over time.

I can only hope they do.

*

That evening, the next day.

“How do I look?”

Amelia spun around once in front of me in her blue dress. The wide skirt flared slightly with the motion, revealing a glimpse of her ankle. Her matching blue shoes gleamed prettily beneath the hem.

The dress Amelia wore was somewhat conservative in design. In this world, there weren’t any dresses that exposed the shoulders yet. Although, like most fantasy settings in web novels, this world didn’t perfectly mirror the Middle Ages, it still retained a conservative stance on sexuality.

I suppose this was to keep the relationships between characters tidy. In reality, I’ve heard that medieval attitudes toward sexuality were hypocritically strict on the surface but rotten underneath—but that’s not something to dwell on in this world.

I said “yet” because eventually, a time would come when shoulder-revealing dresses became fashionable.

It was Adele who would popularize them.

True to her roots as a knight, Adele didn’t back down from a duel even if someone tore an important part of her dress. She wasn’t the type to give up her rights over something so trivial.

But that story is for another time. For now, I focused on the scene unfolding before me—

“You look absolutely stunning.”

I told her honestly.

She truly did. While her usual attire suited her well, there was something special about seeing her in such fancy clothes. With her natural beauty, anything she wore suited her perfectly.

Perhaps my sincerity was evident, as Amelia covered her mouth and let out a soft laugh.

Despite having lived in modern society like me, everything about her demeanor perfectly matched that of a noblewoman from one of the kingdom’s grand houses.

Maybe I spent too much time running wild in the forest.

“You look great too.”

The dress I wore was a reddish one. It was a dress Amelia had picked out to match my eye color. Its design looked slightly more modern than Amelia’s, with a slimmer silhouette. The skirt was narrower, and the dress clung to my figure, emphasizing my waist, hips, and thighs before flaring out at the bottom.

It even stood out more than Amelia’s dress, despite her being from a higher-ranking family.

Although it felt a bit excessive, since Amelia had personally chosen it, I couldn’t complain. She knew far more about noble society than I did, so I trusted that she had selected something within acceptable bounds.

The real problem lay elsewhere.

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to escort you?”

“It’s fine. It’s not common for a woman to escort another woman, but if it’s as a ‘guard,’ people usually don’t think much of it. Besides, I don’t have a fiancé.”

That was true.

Typically, one attended balls or banquets with a partner of the opposite sex.

Going alone to a ballroom was bound to spark rumors. Usually, the partner was a fiancé or husband, but in their absence, it was customary to bring a male family member.

In the original story, Amelia attended with Harvey, so there were no issues…

For a family as influential as the Grand Ducal House of Grattanmount, they could have found an older male relative to accompany her if necessary.

…Well, Amelia surely knew better than me, so I decided not to nitpick.

“What about Adele?”

“She’ll probably come alone.”

Lower-ranking noble houses rarely had branch families. With some of their third or fourth children potentially falling to commoner status, it wasn’t surprising that a declining knight family like hers wouldn’t have anyone available to escort her other than her father.

Even if she reused one of her late mother’s dresses, she couldn’t conjure a companion out of thin air.

But Adele was always dignified.

She wasn’t someone who gave up on what she wanted over minor obstacles.

Especially with the invitation she held—one meant for a Grand Duke’s daughter.

As long as we vouched for her, there wouldn’t be a major issue.

“All we have to do is bring her along. Adding a man to the mix would just make things awkward, don’t you think?”

That was Amelia’s plan.

It sounded reasonable enough when she explained it, but…

Would it really work out that smoothly?

“It’ll be fine. Trust me,” Amelia declared, thumping her fist lightly against her chest.

“Alright, I’ll trust you.”

At my reply, Amelia nodded confidently.

*

During the evening of the ball.

“The eldest daughter of Grand Duke Grattanmount, Lady Amelia, and the eldest daughter of Baron Delkis, Lady Elsie, are entering!”

The guard by the door announced loudly.

We stepped into the grand castle, so unlike the stone fortresses of the north. It reminded me of the splendor of the Renaissance-era Versailles Palace.

All eyes in the room turned to us, their gazes like a flurry of quills pricking our direction.

“… ”

Even though Amelia likely expected this, the overwhelming attention seemed to make her nervous. The hand resting lightly on mine tensed slightly.

I gave her hand a small, reassuring squeeze.

But before I could even glance at Amelia’s face—my eyes accidentally met someone else’s from across the hall.

At the high table, next to the King and Queen, sat Prince Allen, the Crown Prince of this kingdom.

He wasn’t the issue. Upon noticing us, he simply averted his gaze casually to the side.

The problem was with the man sitting next to him—his elder brother, Prince Evan.

Or rather, the future Crown Emperor of Saxon Empire.

Although he was here as a guest, he was still the son of the king and queen, and his seat was naturally right beside Allen’s.

From that elaborate chair, Prince Evan’s gaze bore directly into mine.

At that moment, I knew things wouldn’t unfold as smoothly as Amelia had planned.