The Childhood Friend of the Villainess in a Romance Fantasy

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Elsie was stubborn.

Though she seems to be somewhat aware of this, she probably doesn’t fully recognize it herself.

For example, Elsie still hadn’t given up on Korean food.

If we calculated our age, it had already been 17 years since we arrived in this world. Yet, Elsie still hadn’t abandoned the tastes she’d grown up with.

I, on the other hand, had adapted to the food of this country long ago and even came to regard its flavors as a second home. But Elsie? She still clung to her preferences, often experimenting with her recipes and even achieving decent results from time to time.

Even after all her teachers had given up on instructing her and left, Elsie continued to hone her swordsmanship in her own unique way. Whether her methods were efficient or not was another matter, but thanks to her exceptional talent, she managed to develop a style that was, at the very least, “practical.”

And as I’d seen just a moment ago, even her choice of addressing her brother was a testament to her stubbornness.

She must have picked up that form of address a long time ago. She likely picked it up from hearing her brothers use the term “hyung” before she even knew what “oppa” meant, and she’s used it ever since.. The fact that she continued to use it unwaveringly to this day was evidence of just how headstrong Elsie was.

Yet, even someone as stubborn as Elsie ultimately yields to me.

I wasn’t just referring to the trivial argument we’d had this morning.

Elsie staying by my side, guarding me after leaving her hometown,

And she follows me without complaint, no matter what decisions I make—

It’s all because she’s granting my requests.

“…Why are you staring at me like that?”

“No reason.”

When I stared at her intently, Elsie averted her gaze awkwardly.

Despite her stubbornness, Elsie was surprisingly shy. She avoided making direct eye contact with men and disliked physical contact. This was especially true with handsome men—like the Crown Prince, for instance.

Most people would mistake this for the quiet demeanor typical of a guard, but in front of me, she was so honest and talkative.

…Which is why I was a little worried.

Was she, with her shyness, an easy prey for men? Would she fall for someone who manage to break through her shyness?

The Crown Prince, the King’s eldest son, and even the Archmage of the tower weren’t bad people at their core. They wouldn’t be protagonists if they were.

But if Elsie fell for someone like that so easily,

Would she show those men the same kindness and goodwill she had shown me all this time?

“So, what do you think of Sir Harvey?”

“…About Hyung?”

“Yeah. Like, I don’t really know, but how close were you two personally? Any special memories between just the two of you?”

When I asked her this, Elsie looked at me with a slightly puzzled expression.

Did I seem like I was interested in Harvey?

Well, even if that were the case, it didn’t really matter. As long as Harvey himself didn’t misunderstand, it wasn’t a problem. I had no plans to marry anyone for now.

More than that, I just wanted Elsie to stay by my side a little longer.

And for that reason, and I’m sorry to Elsie, but—someone had to be a barrier between her and the men.

In truth, my memories of Harvey from our childhood weren’t very clear. While he was handsome and an important character in the original story, he rarely spoke when we were alone, leaving me with few personal interactions to recall.

I knew it wasn’t because he had negative feelings toward me but simply because he was shy. The problem was that this left me with very little concrete information about him.

How much Harvey cared for Elsie would determine whether he would be an asset to me. So, I needed to gauge just how close the two of them were.

“Hmm….”

Even as she made a reluctant face, Elsie earnestly pondered my question.

“Well, he did care for me a lot when we were kids. You wouldn’t believe it, but I was the weakest one in my family back then. I was also the smallest. Once, my father dropped me, and I ended up with a huge bump on my head.”

“….”

It wasn’t a very relatable story.

Wouldn’t dropping a child from an adult’s height be a big deal? And the Delkis Castle was made entirely of stone. Isn’t it stranger that she didn’t die?

“When I first picked up a sword, he worried I might accidentally cut my own neck with it. And when I tried to step outside the castle—and not beyond the walls but literally just outside the building—he freaked out and tried to carry me everywhere.”

Despite her expression that seemed to suggest it was all a hassle, Elsie’s voice carried a hint of fondness as she recounted the stories.

Some were things I’d heard before, and others were new to me.

Even though we’d spent so much time together, Elsie still had countless memories from her childhood with her family.

That’s probably why they could care so deeply for each other.

“…So, that day’s incident ended with Hyung getting a smack on the head from Mother….”

Grumbling to herself about the pranks and mischief her brother had played on her, Elsie suddenly realized how engrossed she’d been in her own storytelling. She scratched her cheek with her index finger in embarrassment.

“But why are you asking about these things?”

“That’s because I need to know about these stories so I won’t be caught off guard when talking to your brother.”

“Are you trying to gossip about Hyung and me?”

“Well, who knows?”

When I pretended to deliberate with that response, Elsie’s eyes sharpened immediately.

“What? Are you trying to get close to Hyung or something?”

“And if I am, is that a bad thing?”

“….”

The look she gave me was as if she was jealous.

Was she worried I might steal her brother away?

She always acted so indifferent, yet in moments like these, she seemed like nothing more than a soft, girlish little kid.

“So, about that—could you tell me a little more? You can even stay in this room tonight.”

“…Alright.”

Elsie nodded.

Seeing her like that, I felt a deep, inexplicable joy swell in my heart.

*

Thus, using yet another excuse, I managed to keep Elsie in my room.

After all, it was just the room next door, and there was even a connecting door between the two.

If I asked, Elsie would leave the door open for me.

Even so, I wanted to keep her close.

…Maybe it’s because I knew, no matter how much I struggled, the day of our parting was inevitably approaching.

Even if Elsie were to marry my younger brother and I were to remain in Grattanmount, there would hardly be any moments left for just the two of us.

It wasn’t suspicious for girls of a similar age to spend nights together in the same room, but it would be strange, perhaps even improper, for two married women to do the same.

That’s why, for now, just a little longer—

I wanted to keep the one person in my life who understood me like no one else by my side.

Elsie’s thin eyelids closed over her ruby-like eyes. Her face, as she softly exhaled in her sleep, appeared so peaceful.

It made me want to draw closer and gaze at her.

If I were caught harboring such feelings toward a friend of the same gender, how would she react? Would she find it repulsive?

I knew these thoughts of mine were unusual, even wrong, but I couldn’t help myself.

The reason I’d argued so fiercely to prevent Adele from riding behind Elsie was for this very reason.

And when Elsie eventually stepped back, I had felt relieved.

Because I didn’t have to lose my friend to someone else.

Perhaps Elsie’s lack of connections was my fault.

Her excessive shyness around men might also have stemmed from spending so much time at my side. At an age where she should have already debuted in society at the balls, her unfamiliarity with those customs might have been due to my influence.

…Even at the balls she attended, she only danced with me and the other girls.

“….”

I moved a little closer to Elsie.

She seemed to be sleeping deeply and didn’t stir.

She wouldn’t even notice if someone came and stole a kiss from her.

At that thought, I let out a silent chuckle.

For a guard, she had such an innocent face. Perhaps she was even more innocent than I was.

…Well, considering the child inside her was much younger than me, it made sense.

Even as the years passed, the body housing her remained that of a teenager, so it was natural her mind wouldn’t mature as much.

The thin fabric of her nightgown clung to her figure under the pull of gravity, revealing the contours of her body as she lay on her side.

Her silhouette was captivating, even from the perspective of another woman.

The memory of my hand resting on that slim waist was still vivid—

…

…….

………Let’s just go to sleep.

I must be more tired than I thought after the long trip.