Chapter Sixty-Nine: A Stay Among Friends
I didn’t even want to move to open the iron gate. Instead, I just jumped over the wall and kept running toward the neighboring place. As I approached the entrance of Villa No. 2, I suddenly recalled some events from last night, and my pace gradually slowed down.
…Should I really go looking for her?
If Victoria really is that person, will she misunderstand something…?
Someone as smart as her would definitely pick up on my reaction from last night and be aware that I guessed she likes women… If that’s the case, me going to find her now would be like tempting her!
Thinking of this made me stop in my tracks, staring at the iron gate right in front of me. Suddenly, I felt a bit hesitant.
…What if she really thinks that? What should I do…?
I had absolutely no idea how to face her… I don’t want Victoria to dislike me.
Because I really like her. I like her reliable nature, I like her unyielding spirit. I want to talk to her often; I want us to be great friends. But… yuri sounds nice in novels, but in reality… I’ve never considered such things at all.
How long have I been in this world?
Almost a year… nearing a year, I suppose.
When I first woke up in Woodward Forest, I didn’t understand anything at all, and what greeted me was a terrifying battle. I survived by sheer luck, then ended up in a little village, living a comfortable life for a while.
During that time, I was genuinely happy, without any pressures. I almost thought life should be like that until the endless Abyss destroyed everything.
So, I hate it, I hate those monsters that are just like me.
Since then, some emotions have been buried deep within. I desperately wanted to k*ll the monsters that came from the Abyss, the more the better… For this reason, I left Shanter Castle, leaving my mother behind, and came to the Royal City with Carlos.
Then that guy ditched me… What a pain! Just thinking about him makes me mad.
I was looking forward to learning things here, but now I feel a bit disappointed… The order classes probably won’t start until the second half of the year. At the renowned library of the Royal Academy, I couldn’t find much information about the Abyss at all. Looking back, only Teresa’s class helped me in any way… Not really funny at all.
Now, a new Abyss has finally appeared. Although it’s not far from the Royal City, Margaret is doing everything she can to prevent me from going there. I—
Forget it.
I was just lost in thought, neglecting what I thought wasn’t very important—perhaps subconsciously I didn’t care at all, but the truth is I do have a female body now, and I’m still not of age.
Though the “manly” part has never changed.
I could never like men. Just the thought makes my skin crawl… but what if it’s a woman? What should I do?
Can I accept that…
My mind instinctively pictures hugging Victoria closely, eyes closed, with a kiss… then…
“Ahhh—”
I gently stomp my foot and cover my small face.
A bit embarrassing. But somehow… not that unpleasant…?
Well, if it really turned out like that…
My cheeks flushed slightly as my imagination started running wild. I started picturing what it would be like lying next to Victoria, and then… if we did this and that… we… um…
A sudden splash of cold water doused the strange emotions that had just surfaced, leaving me feeling uncomfortable.
No way.
I can’t accept that…
What do I do? Should I just go back…?
I turned back to glance at my little house with its flickering candlelight, stared for a moment, and immediately shook my head like a rattle.
No way!
But I’m scared…
If I don’t look for Victoria, who should I look for… Sarah? Sophia? I don’t even know where they live…
“Are you coming in, or not?”
“Eek!”
A clear female voice suddenly came from above, startling me so much that I almost jumped up. I quickly looked up.
Victoria, dressed in a red gown, floated gracefully in the air, her golden hair dancing without wind. In one hand, she held a wide-mouthed fragrance cup, while the other pressed down on her skirt as she stared down at me with an indifferent expression from just above the villa’s wall.
I felt a sudden rush of anxiety.
“What are you doing here?”
Oh no… I got too lost in thought and completely didn’t notice her. When did she get there? Did she see my earlier reaction…? I hope I didn’t do anything embarrassing!
I really hope not…
“That’s a question I should be asking you. What are you doing here?”
I rolled my eyes. “I-I couldn’t sleep… just out for a walk.”
“A walk? You’ve been here for nearly twenty minutes.” With a merciless tone, Victoria exposed me, “You were pacing back and forth at the villa’s door, and occasionally stopped to fidget. You looked pretty silly, like you were worried about something. If you want to say something to me, just come in. I don’t like seeing you fret over small things; it annoys me.”
“Uh…”
So she really did see. And she said I was fidgeting… Did I actually just twist my waist? I had no idea why I did that! So embarrassing…
I needed to pretend I didn’t care and gloss over it.
“Victoria,” I said, pouting and glaring at her.
“What?”
“You have to stop scolding me from now on.”
After saying this, I was fully ready for her to throw some sass back at me, but to my surprise, Victoria simply nodded decisively.
“Okay.”
She turned and floated toward the courtyard.
“Stop standing there and come in.”
“…Oh.”
With a soft creak, the iron gate was opened just a crack by the maid.
I took one last look back at my house, hesitated for a moment, and then walked inside.
The courtyard of Villa No. 2 hadn’t changed much since my last visit; only the lawn seemed greener and more lush, looking vibrant yet a bit chaotic. Clearly, Victoria hadn’t put much effort into having it well maintained.
At this moment, she was lying on a rocking chair in the round pavilion, sipping wine while gazing at the moon. Her fiery red gown spread out beneath her like a rose fully bloomed in midsummer.
I hesitated and walked over, sitting across from her. I grabbed a thumb-sized yellow fruit from the platter in front of me, popped it in my mouth, and chewed quickly.
“Um… bleh!”
I made a sour face and spat the contents onto the ground.
“Bleh, bleh… so disgusting.”
What is this?! It’s both sour and bitter…
Victoria took a small sip of her wine and looked at me with faintly amused eyes.
“That’s a Li fruit. It can be eaten or used to make wine, but you have to peel it first.”
“… Why didn’t you say that earlier?” I complained somewhat.
“You didn’t ask.” She twirled the wine glass in her hand, her cheeks flushed alluringly. Raising her glass, she said, “Rum, care for some?”
The faint scent of alcohol wafted into my nose, and I frowned slightly.
“Why are you drinking again…”
At the same time, I reached back for the fruit platter and picked up another piece, obediently starting to peel it.
Seeing that I had no intention of drinking, Victoria stopped coaxing me. She lazily leaned back in the rocking chair, half-closing her eyes and said, “So, what do you want?”
I immediately averted my eyes from her and stared at the fruit in my hand: “Nothing, I was just bored…”
How do I talk to her? It feels so hard to start… It’s such a simple thing to say…
…Maybe I should just sit for a while and leave?
“You mentioned you couldn’t sleep?” Victoria asked.
“Uh-huh…” I answered somewhat distractedly.
“You’re going to bed this early?”
“I was tired, okay?”
After peeling the fruit, I brought it to my nose to sniff, tossed it into my mouth, and bit down.
The sweet-and-sour juice burst open in my mouth, and I couldn’t help but squint, a smile just forming at the corners of my lips when suddenly it froze.
So sour!!!
“Bleh, bleh—”
I was so overwhelmed by the sourness that tears nearly came out, and drool streaked down my chin to the ground. I couldn’t help but shudder, then furiously lifted my head.
“Victoria! What is this!”
She must be messing with me! Ugh, so annoying!
“It’s Li fruit. It’s usually used in cooking or for cocktails, like this.” Victoria said playfully.
She picked up one of the Li fruits, used her nail to poke a little hole in the skin, held it over her wine glass, and squeezed so that transparent juice dripped into the drink, blending with the liquid. She then lifted her glass, gently swirled it while looking at me with interest.
This made me even angrier: “You said I could eat it!”
“Some people eat it directly.”
“How can you eat something so sour?!”
It’s even sourer than a lemon, to the point my teeth felt sensitive.
“I thought you could eat anything.”
“You eat anything! You try one and see!”
“I won’t.”
“Why not?!”
“Too sour.”
“……”
I shot Victoria a furious glare and turned away, not wanting to deal with her anymore.
So annoying… argh, so irritating!
Angry, I started glaring at the round pavilion’s pillars. After a while, I suddenly caught a strong whiff of alcohol. I whipped my head around to see Victoria’s face just inches away.
She leaned in slightly, golden eyes fixed on me without blinking, her breath, mingling with the alcohol, wafted over my face.
“Smells like alcohol!”
I frowned and pushed her away.
The smell of booze was overpowering… This woman must be half-drunk! How much has she even had?!
Glancing over at the rum bottle on the table, I realized it was almost empty…
I snatched the bottle and hugged it tightly to my chest: “You’re not allowed to drink anymore.”
Victoria, now seated comfortably again, sipped the last drop from her cup, the crimson hue of her lips curving mischievously.
“Sure. But first, tell me why you came over tonight.”
“Uh…”
I hesitated for a moment, feeling a bit shy, and closed my eyes: “It’s just…”
“Just?”
“Just, um… I had a nightmare.”
Oh… I said it.
“Hmm. And?”
“I… I’m scared.”
Since I had already said it, I decided to take the plunge. No matter what, I’d never go back, sleeping alone in that empty big house…
“Tonight, can I… sleep here with you?”
I tried to act as natural as possible, like it was just a normal sleepover among friends… Silvya, this isn’t a big deal. It’s perfectly natural. The more anxious you are, the more Victoria might sense something off. She could twist it into something messy.
But I did feel a bit tense, my fingers fidgeting under the table.
Victoria gazed at me blankly for a moment.
“Sure.”
She set her empty cup on the table and slowly nodded at me, a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“But I don’t have a guest room.”
