I Possessed the Villain’s Childhood Friend – Chapter 61

“Congratulations!”

“Finally, the problem you’ve been troubled by has vanished.”

“Madam, you’ve worked hard.”

Everyone is laughing.

It felt like a festival atmosphere.

But I wasn’t a part of it.

While everyone laughed, enjoyed themselves, and felt happy.

I couldn’t mix in with them.

Why are you ignoring me?

I worked hard too.

I wanted to talk about what happened today.

I wanted to brag about how everyone praised me.

But no one is looking at me.

“Oh, I see.”

Only then could I accept it.

No one cares about me.

I’m alone here.

I’m as good as nonexistent.

I could finally nod at the truth I had been avoiding all this time.

“… Ugh.”

Tears are falling.

Surely there were countless people around.

But among them, there was no one to comfort me.

No one to even look at me.

★

“I’m sorry. I ran away and came here.”

When I returned to the Arcadia mansion from Velion.

I was welcomed by Noelle and Reina.

“… Reina?”

Reina was maintaining her usual cold expression.

Noelle turned her gaze away, as if it were awkward.

“I’ll be relying on you for a while.”

“What, what do you mean?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already spoken to His Grace Duke Akses and the Duchess, and they’ve given their permission.”

“Permission?”

“Yeah. They said I could stay as long as I want.”

I lowered my head slightly, feeling a bit dizzy.

What are my parents thinking?

From the looks of it, Reina seemed to have come here alone.

I know I can’t just kick her out, but shouldn’t I immediately contact the Rozelia Duke House to arrange for her to return?

“Do you dislike me staying here?”

Reina said, looking somewhat dejected.

“That’s not it.”

There’s no way I’d dislike it.

Just being with you makes me happy.

But this isn’t just a matter of preference.

“Does Duke Ricard know?”

“Well, shall we talk about that inside? It’s hot out here.”

But Reina, who said that, didn’t look hot at all.

“…Alright.”

However, I had nothing else to say.

“After all, Akses House’s black tea is delicious.”

It was a long-awaited visit to the Reception Room.

More precisely, it had been a while since I entered the Reception Room alone with Reina.

“I’d like you to explain the situation a bit.”

Why is Reina casually drinking black tea here as if nothing is wrong?

Thinking about her situation, it should never have happened.

“It’s as I said before. I ran away and came to Akses Duke House.”

But Reina’s expression didn’t budge.

Her confident posture nearly made me gasp in admiration.

“So, does Duke Ricard know?”

I redirected the conversation, throwing back the question Reina hadn’t answered earlier.

“I arrived at Arcadia yesterday around noon, so he should know. Though he might not know where I am.”

“And how did you get to Arcadia?”

“Noelle arranged a carriage to bring me.”

Is Noelle also an accomplice?

“Are all the questions related to your run away done?”

“… Lastly, why did you specifically come to Arcadia?”

For now, the fact that she ran away couldn’t be helped.

But why is the destination Akses Duchy’s Arcadia?

No matter how I thought about it, it was the worst possible move.

Considering her status as the Crown Prince’s fiancée, she should have gone to the official Orkeon.

Reina’s runaway news would surely become a hot topic in high society.

And the fact that she ended up in Arcadia after running away.

Though things have calmed down now, the rumors that rose after she and I started to get along could easily spread again.

“Well, it was the closest place.”

“That’s a rather careless reason.”

“It’s the truth. It’s four hours from Heros to Orkeon, but only an hour and a half to Arcadia. That’s definitely not a short difference.”

“That’s true, but you know that’s an unreasonable reason, right?”

“Of course.”

Why is Reina acting so confidently?

I should be the one reacting normally.

“But I can’t say more than this.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry. But it’s a promise, so there’s nothing I can do.”

“…A promise?”

A promise, huh?

“It sounds like you ran away specifically because of that.”

“That’s not it. I’ve been thinking of leaving home for about a week.”

“Can I ask what made you think that way?”

Reina quietly picked up her teacup and shook her head.

“It doesn’t matter, but I’ll tell you later.”

In the end, I learned hardly anything from today’s conversation with Reina.

★

“Hmm.”

The bed in the guest room assigned at Akses Duke House was incredibly soft.

I felt sorry for coming in unexpectedly, but it wasn’t particularly awkward.

Until a few years ago, I used to visit every week, and most of the Akses family members were familiar faces.

“What on earth is Crown Prince Leon thinking?”

But this situation isn’t what I wanted.

At first, I intended to go to Orkeon, of course.

To that end, I had sent a letter to the Crown Prince using the magical mail box I had received for the first time since the last two years.

The reply I got was.

“I’m too busy right now to come meet you. So it would be best to go to Akses Duke House. I’ll contact Duke Ados in advance.”

I didn’t particularly mind if the Crown Prince didn’t come to meet me.

I just needed a place to stay.

However, Crown Prince Leon continued to send letters as if I absolutely had to go to Akses Duke House.

“It’s a secret that I was the one who suggested that Lady Reina go to Akses Duke House. Please keep it from everyone, especially Aike.”

In the end, I couldn’t go against his wishes and came to Akses Duke House.

To be frank, I found it troublesome.

This fact could easily lead to a scandal in high society.

But more than that, knowing that I would have to live in close quarters with Aike for a while was the biggest problem.

Since that day when I realized my feelings, I had sworn to myself.

To completely bury this feeling during the vacation.

I’d end my first love here.

Fortunately, now that I’ve returned home, my daily life has been so busy that I couldn’t think about anything else.

So I had been relieved in my heart that I could easily forget.

“Keep that in mind, Reina.”

Until my father said those words.

When I first heard them, I didn’t think much of it.

At first, I thought it was very like him, and I wanted to chuckle.

If it were a few years ago, I would have nodded along without any protest to that decision.

And then I would have ended up alone again, resenting everything around me.

But now I know.

To not lose something precious, I can’t just stay still.

I learned that from no one else but Aike.

So I decided to run away.

I believed that if I acted, my father would change his mind.

But who would have thought I would end up at Akses Duke House?

From now on, I would have to see Aike’s face at least three times a day.

By the time I realized something was wrong, it was already too late.

Sigh.

I couldn’t help but sigh.

“… There’s no way he wouldn’t have noticed anything strange, right?”

As soon as I saw Aike’s face when he returned from going out earlier, my heart raced.

Even though I knew I shouldn’t, a part of me harbored a glimmer of hope.

I had to suppress my feelings as we talked.

Even for a fleeting moment, if I let down my guard, I felt like I’d spill all my emotions.

“Really, this is troublesome.”

When I touched my face gently, I could feel it was distinctly warm.

If I looked in the mirror now, I would probably see a flushed face.

If only I could spill everything out and feel relieved.

If only I could confess that I like you.

If only we could continue as friends after that.

Then I too could let go of these feelings.

My heart ached.

I began to somewhat understand the saying that love is like poison.

Just thinking of you, seeing your face after a long time, just conversing brought me joy.

And as time passed, the happiness I felt gradually turned back into heartache.

It became so painful I wanted to cry.

Yet now, again—

“… Aike.”

There I was, mumbling.

Even though I know better than anyone that this isn’t right.

★

After dinner, I took a little look around.

My father and mother finished eating in their usual spots.

“Thanks for the meal.”

And to my mother’s left was Reina.

“It’s truly been a long time since we shared a meal together, Lady Reina.”

“Yes. I’m also happy I can finally talk with the Duchess again.”

And my mother spoke casually with no thought.

“You can stay as long as you want, Lady Reina. I’ve already told everyone in advance.”

“Thank you, Duke Ados. I’ll do my best not to be a nuisance.”

My father casually allows her to stay as if it were the most natural thing.

Is this really okay?

No, it’s definitely strange.

“From what I’ve heard, I’ve kept it a secret from that guy Ricard. But this secret can only last maybe two weeks. I hope the issue can be resolved within that time.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Duke Ados.”

From what I gathered, it seems Reina will be staying here for a maximum of two weeks.

Something feels off.

It seems I’m the only one who thinks that.

“Father, is this really okay?”

“What do you mean?”

After dinner, I went to my father’s office to ask.

“It’s about Lady Reina.”

“Oh, that story, huh?”

My father’s gaze didn’t meet mine.

He only stared at the documents on his desk.

As if there was no need to answer.

“I’ll handle that myself. You don’t need to concern yourself with it.”

“But—”

“Speaking of which, Aike, why do you call her Lady Reina now?”

“Uh?”

“I’ve already gathered that she knows everything. There’s no need for formalities in front of us.”

… So she did tell everything.

I suspected that from earlier when she felt comfortable calling me by my name in front of Noelle.

“Anyway, it’s not an issue for you to worry about. Everything will be just fine, so go about your usual routine.”

“That can’t be true. If this leads to issues with the Rozelia Duke House…”

Before I could express that the faction relations might fall apart because of this.

“I’ve told you, Aike. There won’t be any problems.”

My father cut me off firmly.

“If it were any other family, you would be right. However, since Rozelia is involved, such worries aren’t necessary.”

“Excuse me? What does that mean?”

“I believe you understand that you and Lukan haven’t ever gone to Heros to see Lady Reina when you were younger.”

My father asked if I ever wondered why that was.

Indeed, I hadn’t.

Except for the Martial Arts Tournament, I had never been to Heros.

Reina had unilaterally come to our family mansion.

But I thought we visited each other in a rotational manner at set intervals.

“I believe you now understand what this means.”

However, what he said implied that Rozelia was below Akses.

“Rozelia needs to change. I believe that process starts with Lady Reina.”

I couldn’t comprehend my father’s words.