The Childhood Friend of the Villainess in a Romance Fantasy

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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However, even after entering the classroom, the Crown Prince couldn’t speak to me.

“Lady Delkis.”

The moment I stepped into the classroom, as if he had been waiting for me, the Archmage of the tower spoke to me first.

“Archmage.”

“Did you rest well last night?”

“…Mm, thanks to you.”

I responded with a rather reluctant expression to the Archmage of the tower, who addressed me with a sociable smile on his face. He appeared slightly caught off guard.

“I wanted to apologize for abruptly approaching you the other day.”

“…Is that so?”

Just as I started to wonder why he was acting this way, it occurred to me—could this be some kind of charm strategy?

Ah, no, wait. Since he’s a man, would it be a “handsome man’s charm strategy”? Although the term ‘beauty’ is often used for women, its meaning doesn’t exclude men. So, would it be appropriate to use ‘beauty’ here?

Why was he brushing his hair behind his ear? It just makes me want to trim it even more. Could it be that he was subtly showing off his silky hair?

Wasn’t the medieval era an age of machismo? Where knights would keep fighting even if one arm got severed, claiming, “I’ve always fought with one arm!” as they picked up their sword with the other? Would men with long, flowing hair have been popular back then?

And do women think about men’s hair differently than men do?

“Indeed, having a relaxed conversation first would have been better. Even in swordsmanship training, understanding your opponent’s personality is crucial for proper instruction.”

Was he bringing up swordsmanship because he noticed I always carried a sword?

“…Are you interested in swordsmanship?”

Unsure how to steer the conversation, I picked a random word from the Archmage’s remarks. His eyes lit up.

“Then that would be great, too. There’s no rule saying a mage can’t learn swordsmanship—”

“Archmage.”

But our conversation didn’t last long this time, either.

“Lady Elsie is already an instructor of two students. Isn’t that right, Lady Carlins?”

“Pardon? Oh, yes!”

Though Amelia abruptly pulled Adele into the conversation, she quickly responded. Well, it was true, after all.

“You wouldn’t want to intrude on a gathering of three ladies, would you, Archmage?”

Frankly, wouldn’t any man want to join? It feels a bit odd to say this about myself, but I have a pretty face, a good figure, and I’m tall. Not to mention, Amelia and Adele are so stunning that words aren’t even necessary.

A few men watching from afar were actually looking at the Archmage of the tower with envy.

Unless one possessed a remarkable status and appearance, it would be unthinkable to muster the courage to speak to Amelia, the Grand Duke’s daughter. Yet the Archmage of the tower, despite his lack of noble status, seemed to have both qualities.

It was the same reason Adele faced jealousy from other women in the original story and the novels I’d read.

“…”

But being tempted and acting on it are two completely different matters. Across eras, societal norms tend to encourage hiding one’s desires while indulging them privately. Considering that this society somewhat adheres to a “medieval” ethos, even a man having tea with three women could spark unsavory rumors.

Perhaps the Archmage wouldn’t care about such things—

“No, no matter what, I’m not so insensitive as to disrupt the ladies’ time.”

—Well, at least he seemed mindful of appearances, which was a relief.

Of course, this didn’t stop the surrounding noble ladies from gazing at him with sparkling eyes.

I could somewhat empathize with the Crown Prince, who was watching the Archmage of the tower with a displeased expression from a distance.

…But why does he have that expression again? Isn’t he handsome and high-ranking himself?

I couldn’t understand him, even as another man.

Perhaps it’s because my appearance is quite different, making it hard for me to relate to their world.

I’d like to try living a life where I could understand them a bit more though.

*

Class proceeded as usual.

…Or so I assumed. Unfortunately, I didn’t understand magic well enough to determine whether the lesson was ordinary. Adele’s sparkling eyes, filled with a sense of accomplishment, and Amelia’s cautious glances at the Archmage of the tower while diligently paying attention to the lesson, gave me only a vague idea.

For me, at least, the lesson felt long and tedious. Once it was finally over, the Crown Prince turned toward me, seemingly having found the right moment to speak—

“Lady Delkis.”

But someone called me softly, and the Crown Prince missed his chance once again.

Ordinarily, the Crown Prince would have interrupted and spoken anyway. However, ever since he spoke carelessly with Adele previously, he seemed more cautious, wearing an impatient expression as he waited.

Or perhaps he had something to say that was unsuitable with others around.

What on earth was so important? Was war about to break out between the Empire and the Kingdom tomorrow?

Turning toward the source of the voice, I saw Diane looking at me with a sociable smile.

“Lady Hoover.”

“I apologize for speaking to you so suddenly. There’s just one thing I’d like to ask.”

I glanced briefly at Amelia. She seemed curious about what Diane was about to say, although her expression was somewhat reluctant. Still, she didn’t interrupt.

Well, the words of the Archmage of the tower and the Crown Prince were too predictable. And even after hearing them, I had no intention of entertaining their proposals.

But Diane’s words were harder to predict. Unlike the purpose-driven Archmage of the tower or the Crown Prince, whose personality I was at least familiar with, Diane wasn’t someone I was truly close to. We hadn’t spent enough time together to really know each other. Moreover, in the novel, she played the role of someone who diligently schemed. It made her an unpredictable character.

“I heard this morning that Lady Delkis is giving swordsmanship lessons to other ladies.”

“…That’s true, but it’s not such an impressive lesson.”

I could already guess what she might say next, so I preemptively downplayed it.

If she had overheard my conversation with Adele at the ball, it wouldn’t have been hard to deduce that Adele was the one I was teaching swordsmanship.

And since Diane detested losing to Adele—

“In that case, could I possibly join the lessons as well?”

—Of course, she would say that.

This exact scene appeared in the novel.

Having been trained by a Sword Master, Diane was confident her skills surpassed Adele’s, and she challenged her to a duel.

At that time, Adele, still at an early stage in her training, lost the duel.

In the original story, this defeat led Adele to train under the Crown Prince. In the version of the novel I had read, she trained under Harvey-Hyung. Although, in the original, Amelia had interfered with Adele training under my brother.

Hmm—

What should I do?

Glancing at Amelia again, I noticed her subtly shaking her head.

She didn’t want me to accept.

Perhaps she was concerned about the potential conflict between Adele and Diane. Diane might completely crush Adele’s confidence.

Indeed, Adele was looking at me with a nervous expression.

But—

But still.

Even if Diane’s skills were superior, could she surpass mine?

In the novel, Diane never reached the level of a Swordmaster. Among the “ladies,” she was one of the most skilled, but by the end of the story, Adele, who had learned to wield aura, surpassed her. No matter how hard Diane tried, she wouldn’t be able to defeat me.

“Alright.”

When I gave my answer, Amelia’s face turned pale with shock, and Adele’s face turned a shade of blue.

But so what?

After all, there was someone else besides me who could help with training.

Adele was just grateful for the chance to train… but could Diane keep smiling once she knew my true plan?

*

It felt like the number of people who wanted to talk to me was steadily increasing.

And they all seemed to have extremely personal reasons.

If it wasn’t personal, they would have approached me directly in the first place.

What started as just the Archmage of the tower and the Crown Prince had grown to include Amelia and Adele, bringing the total to four people.

Amelia, for instance, looked like she wanted to say something as soon as we stepped out of the Tower of Magic—

“Elsie!”

But then she clamped her mouth shut when she saw the towering man waiting for us outside the Tower of Magic.

Naturally, there was only one person in this city large enough for me to describe as “towering.”

It was Harvey-Hyung.

“Hyung?”

I looked at him in surprise, and he grinned as he dramatically dropped the sack he was carrying onto the ground with a thud.

…Did that sack just move?

Surely not…?