I Became the Villain’s Childhood Friend Chapter 29

 

I was dumbfounded and blinked my eyes blankly. I was used to the dark, so the light entering my eyes hurt.

 

Rian, who leisurely came next to me, asked me.

 

“You want me to open it?”

 

“…How are you going to open it, though?”

 

As soon as I finished my question, Rian kicked the door with his foot.

 

There was a noise as loud as thunder, yet the door was still intact.

 

My ears were deafened by the loud noise, so I blinked and looked at Rian, and I saw that his face was burning red.

 

“…”

 

There was only silence.

 

Rian must have been angry at the silence and started kicking the door even more violently than before.

 

But he only made a loud noise and the door didn’t budge.

 

“…Are you finished?”

 

Paul, who had been watching us from behind for a while, asked cautiously. This time he came towards the door as if he was thinking of opening it.

 

Unlike Rian, Paul attacked the locked doorknob. Paul, who had been fiddling with the doorknob for a while, soon narrowed his eyes.

 

“It’s strange. Normally, it should open like this, but…”

 

Paul, who was pounding on the door, narrowed his eyes.

 

“It feels like it only looks like a door but it’s attached to a wall, not a real door. Miss, how on earth did you get out of here?”

 

“Let’s destroy it first.”

 

It seemed like Rian was thinking of kicking down the door again.

 

“W-Wait!”

 

I stopped him without realizing it. Then Rian turned to me and made a puzzled face.

 

What if Rian, the son of a duke, breaks down the door and the woman gets scared and runs away?

 

Besides… I’m not even sure that the woman is in there. The time outside had changed like this, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the woman wasn’t there.

 

I clenched my fists.

 

“You know, did… anything interesting happen today?”

 

“What kind of bullshit are you talking about again?”

 

When I saw Rian’s expression as if he didn’t understand my question, I thought it was me who was crazy.

 

I suppressed the urge to cry and changed the subject.

 

“…How did you know I was here?”

 

“Since you won’t be able to take a carriage to another area until 9 in the morning, I used an ignorant method to search all the places you might be. I don’t think you would have thought of running away that early morning and staying in the capital.”

 

“Did you have to go that far?”

 

It was Rian who answered my question.

 

“I followed you just in case… If you had run away somewhere else, I would have let you go. But you’re coming to Melstreet? Are you in your right mind now?!”

 

Rian, who joined the conversation between me and Paul, cried. He screamed loudly.

 

“A girl comes here alone at dawn without fear!”

 

“I was planning to go to Tibern! And I didn’t know that Melstreet was a dangerous place!”

 

I thought Rian would be upset if I told him I came even though I knew about it, so I unconsciously answered that I didn’t know.

 

“You’ve lost your wits, haven’t you?”

 

I’m already scared to death, so why are you even raising your voice?

 

“Then why are you so angry!”

 

When I heard Rian’s shout, I was filled with sadness without even realizing it. To be precise, it was sadness and fear. I didn’t think I was scared, but it seems I was.

 

Then Rian, who had been screaming, paused for a moment.

 

Rian suddenly grabbed my face with his hand and started turning it around to check my face.

 

“Hey… are you crying?”

 

It was a very perplexed voice.

 

“Miss?”

 

Geez, I tried to never cry in my life.

 

Rian’s face as he looked at me was now filled with bewilderment.

 

I pulled away from his face and wiped his eyes with my sleeve.

 

Then Paul took out a handkerchief from his pocket, lowered my hand, which was frantically wiping my face with my sleeve, and wiped it for me.

 

“Miss, did something happen inside?”

 

Concern was evident on his face as he looked at me.

 

But if I told all this the truth, would Paul really believe me?

 

I’m glad I don’t get treated like a crazy person.

 

Even I think I’m out of my mind.

 

Perhaps it was my delusion to think that I had entered a book.

 

Honestly, it doesn’t make sense, does it?

 

I answered quietly, clenching my fists.

 

“It’s because I’m scared as I was alone.”

 

“…Really?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Even though I nodded to indicate that I was fine, the expressions on Rian and Paul’s faces when they looked at me showed no sign of improvement.

 

***

 

[To the anonymous sponsor

 

Your letters and donations were well received.

 

However, even if we look at the Bible and ancient records, there are no cases like yours.

 

As the sponsor knows well, the soul can’t be completely separated from the body.

 

I apologize for not being able to help you.

 

I pray that the sponsor’s problem will be resolved as soon as possible.

 

P.S. I will use your donation gratefully.]

 

I sighed inwardly and put the letter I received into the box.

 

The box was already full of letters.

 

Everything doesn’t work. That can’t happen. I replied that I had confused it with a dream.

 

Since they’re all people who worship God, I think they’re trying to be gentle while asking if I was crazy.

 

I looked down at the box and eventually threw all the letters in the box into the fireplace.

 

The blazing fire quickly engulfed the letter.

 

Why have I tried so hard to avoid Danae’s ending?

 

I felt bitter.

 

At that time, someone knocked on the door.

 

“Come in!”

 

At my shout, I saw Sylvester and Edin enter the room, hiding something behind their backs.

 

However, anyone with eyes would know that what was hidden behind their backs was a bouquet of flowers. Because it wasn’t a bouquet big enough to be hidden.

 

Sylvester, who looked like he was about to burst into laughter at any moment, managed to hold back his laughter and came towards me and suddenly held out a bouquet of flowers.

 

“Sister, congratulations on being accepted!”

 

I awkwardly accepted the bouquet that Sylvester gave me.

 

“…Did you two prepare it together?”

 

“No, mine is separate.”

 

The bouquet Edin presented was similar to the one Sylvester gave, but there were expensive jewels embedded in the flowers.

 

“Congratulations on passing, Danae.”

 

Edin smiled beautifully and gave me a bouquet of flowers.

 

Sylvester, who was smiling while looking at Edin, whispered to me.

 

“Actually, Brother Edin said that Sister wouldn’t pass and that he didn’t have to prepare. But you did, so he hurriedly prepared. Of course, I prepared in advance!”

 

“Sylvester!”

 

As soon as Sylvester finished speaking, Edin called his name.

 

Well, I didn’t even pretend to hear Sylvester.

 

“…Thanks.”

 

However, I couldn’t congratulate myself comfortably.

 

Edin, who was quietly examining me, asked with a look of concern on his face.

 

“Danae, is something wrong?”

 

…Wouldn’t it be okay to tell Edin?

 

Of all my brothers, he was the most honorable, so he would definitely understand my feelings.

 

When I couldn’t answer what he said, Sylvester, who was standing next to Edin and me, quickly noticed and spoke first.

 

“I’ll go out first. You two can talk slowly.”

 

As soon as the door closed behind Sylvester, who quickly left the room, I turned my head to look at Edin and opened his mouth.

 

“Brother, I…”

 

“You can’t.”

 

But as soon as I finished speaking, Edin shook his head.

 

“I haven’t even said anything yet, though.”

 

“Aren’t you saying you don’t want to go to the Academy?”

 

What is this? Is he a ghost?

 

Edin let out a small sigh and spoke as if to comfort me.

 

“Why are you giving up before you even try?”

 

“It’s not that… it’s because I feel like I’ll suffocate to death if I go there.”

 

“…”

 

“I’d rather just quietly get married.”

 

I don’t plan on getting married yet, but it’s better than dying.

 

If I entered the Academy like this, I might really die at Reynold’s hands.

 

Wouldn’t it be better to avoid admission by getting married? I’ve never heard of a married noble’s daughter entering the Academy.

 

Even though I was the daughter of a duke, I thought I wouldn’t be sold to a strange family.

 

Edin thought about something for a moment and let out a small sigh. Then he led me and sat me down on a chair.

 

Did what I said move his heart a little? I waited quietly for his words.

 

Edin asked me cautiously.

 

“What are you so afraid of?”

 

I was reflected in his blue eyes. The reflection in his eyes showed me that I was scared.

 

“Are you worried about your half blood? Are you afraid that others will point their fingers at you?”

 

If I said that, would Edin listen to me, I wonder. I hesitated for a moment, but then decided to quit.

 

If it were Edin, he would definitely tell me to go further and move up to a position where I wouldn’t be ignored. Just like himself, who’s trying hard not to lose his position as successor to Rian.

 

I looked at Edin’s calm face and opened my mouth clearly.

 

“I hate magic, and I especially hate magic tools.”

 

Since I couldn’t tell the real reason why I couldn’t enter the Academy, I had to come up with another excuse.

 

But Edin didn’t seem to be listening to me.

 

“Next year, Sylvester will also enter the Academy. If you have him, won’t you be able to become attached to the Academy?”

 

“…”

 

“Just hold on until then.”

 

I squeezed the hand on his knee.

 

Why does the story keep going like the original story?

 

I mean, I… thought that if I changed, it would create a butterfly effect and eventually a huge wave would come and swallow everything up.

 

At first, I thought I could avoid my relationship with Reynold, and if that wasn’t possible, I thought I could at least avoid entering the Academy.

 

But even though I changed, nothing fundamentally changed.

 

If this continues, I might really die.

 

Edin held my shoulder and carefully opened his mouth.

 

“…I don’t want to get you married now. Try doing something more valuable than just getting married. Maybe something that you don’t know about in the Academy will find you?”

 

I burst out laughing at his words.

 

“Getting married and entering the Academy are all my business, so I don’t understand why you decide what’s valuable to me.”

 

“…”

 

“Don’t pretend to give me a choice.”

 

All of this was contradictory.

 

Of course, I admit that the reason Dad and Edin told me to enter the Academy was because they were thinking of me. But I have consistently rejected that since long ago. Becoming friends with Reynold and entering the Academy.

 

They said all of this was for me, yet no one actually listened to me.