I’m Not Doing This With A Friend Chapter 118

 

“…What?”

 

Blinking rapidly in surprise, I asked. I wondered if I’d misheard, but judging by the bright red color of his face, it didn’t seem so.

 

‘Mmm. That came out tougher than I thought.’

 

It wasn’t hard to accept or resist. That’s good for me if he’s willing to engage like this.

 

But I’m worried…

 

‘I wonder if Carson will be able to withstand my kisses?’

 

After all, I had a hard enough time just looking at him face-to-face.

 

So I was going to slowly escalate the kissing until he got used to it.

 

Of course, this would be a quick fix if he cast a control spell. 

 

But I wanted to avoid using magic as much as possible since I was working hard to increase the level of our intimacy.

 

If I kissed you here, you’d probably collapse.

 

Then we won’t make it to the banquet.

 

Alas, for the sake of Fjord’s brother, who had so kindly extended the invitation, I would have to save the kiss for later.

 

I curled my lips into a smirk and said gruffly, “If you can do it without the control magic, sure.”

 

Expecting him to show weakness and say he couldn’t do it, Carson nodded weakly.

 

“I’ll try. No, I can do it.”

 

…Uh-oh. I wasn’t expecting that answer.

 

“You think you can do it when you can’t even look me in the face?”

 

“I can.”

 

He looked me in the eye, clearly unable to make eye contact. I wondered if his earlier shyness was an act, or if he’d finally gotten used to my face.

 

Either way, I was pleased.

 

“…Okay.”

 

Slowly, I closed my eyes. I could feel him moving closer to me.

 

Closer and closer…

 

When he was close enough that I could clearly feel his breath, I swallowed hard.

 

The thought of finally kissing Carson made me nervous.

 

I wondered how long it had been. His lips felt warm and soft.

 

‘Okay, so far so good.’

 

The problem was, it wasn’t on my lips, but on my cheek. I opened my eyes’ fleetingly.

 

Hey, that’s not right…!

 

No, I mean, technically it was a kiss, but still!

 

When I opened my eyes, Carson was fussing and burying his face in his hands.

 

“Ugh, I kissed Leen Cheek without magic…!”

 

The skin peeking through the gaps between my ears and my hands was the color of a tomato.

 

It was just a kiss on the cheek.

 

It was cute, but…

 

My disappointment and disbelief were palpable.

 

It was beyond ridiculous, I felt dumbfounded.

 

Didn’t we go all the way?

 

Shouldn’t we have at least touched lips?

 

It was a blur. There was so much more to be done.

 

‘I am weak in desire. I’m impatient.’

 

I’ve endured four years. How much longer do I have to endure here?

 

My plan to make out without the control magic was not going to work.

 

“Caon, can you put your hand down for a second while I tell you something?”

 

“Huh? Uh, mmm…”

 

From now on, I was going to make it a point to always keep a control spell on him.

 

As I looked him in the face, I forgot all about what I was going to say.

 

The glazed-over eyes, and the tear-stained lashes, made it clear at once how embarrassed he was.

 

The wobbly eyelids looked like they were about to be eaten. His eyebrows were drawn together pitifully and his face flushed to the point of burning.

 

‘…And I’m supposed to settle for a kiss on the cheek after seeing this?’

 

“I can’t do that,” I said.

 

An intense urge took over my head. My body moved of its own accord.

 

It moved to Carson’s defenselessly exposed face.

 

And then, my lips pressed against his. I nibbled on his tightly closed lips, and he reacted quickly, as if by reflex.

 

I seized the opportunity and dug in.

 

‘Ah, there we go.’

 

That’s as far as I’m going to go. To covet a man who has lost his mind was worse than an animal.

 

…That was good.

 

I wistfully brushed the roof of his mouth and pulled away.

 

When our lips parted, Carson’s body slumped as if he’d been waiting for it.

 

It seemed as though I would have to attend the banquet for the succession ceremony alone.

 

🍃

 

The servant standing at the entrance to the banquet hall checked the invitation.

 

“Verified, Lady.”

 

He was about to shout my name inside the banquet hall, but I quickly raised my hand to stop him.

 

No need to barge in and announce my tardiness.

 

‘Yes, it was. I had arrived very late to the succession banquet.’

 

Carson’s magic had made me late…

 

He fainted, and I had to rush a carriage to get here I should have been patient. 

 

‘No, how could I be patient after seeing that?’

 

Who told him to make such a lovely face?

 

‘It wasn’t my fault.’

 

I rationalized as I walked into the ballroom.

 

The first thing I saw was Fjord surrounded by people. I thought I’d managed to sneak in, but his gaze landed on me like a ghost.

 

‘Oh no, I’ve been spotted.’

 

He quickly pushed his way through the crowd and stormed over to me.

 

“Are you seriously out of your mind? We just started the banquet, and you are late.”

 

I decided to brazenly walk away.

 

“Oho. I can’t thank my friend for coming to celebrate so diligently.”

 

Fjord laughed in disbelief and said, “You’ve gotten a lot better since I last saw you. I haven’t seen you in so long since graduation.”

 

“We didn’t see each other for a month at a time during the academy vacations.”

 

“I see. Perhaps the rigors of training with the Knights have slowed time?”

 

“Then do you regret abandoning the Marquisate and joining the Imperial Knights?”

“A little?”

 

Fjord looked happy as he said it.  He was glad to have found something he liked to do.

 

“But why are you alone? Didn’t you come with Carson?”

 

“Caon fainted because of me.”

 

Fjord shook his head with a knowing look.

 

“Is that why you’re late?”

 

“Late for what?”

 

“You were going to teleport here, but Carson fainted, so you rushed here by carriage?”

 

He summarized the situation as if he had seen it unfold before his eyes.

 

“How did you know?”

 

“I see you guys every day or so, anyway, Hans and Jane are here, so come greet them.”

 

“I haven’t even gotten to greet your brother yet?”

 

Fjord stared off into the distance and smirked.

 

“As you can see, he’s a little busy right now.”

 

I followed Fjord’s gaze to where he pointed, and found Lou engaged in a lively conversation.

 

With people who were obviously high-ranking nobles.

 

“I almost caused Lou some trouble.”

 

“No, I don’t think he cares about that, he’s been dying to see you.”

 

I was about to ask why he wanted to see me, but instead, he spoke first.

 

“Well, go ahead and talk to the others, and I’ll take a quick bathroom break while you’re away.”

 

With that, Fjord left the room and walked away.

 

Left alone, I looked around the room for Hans and Jane.

 

Then I happened to lock eyes with Lou. It seems Lou wasn’t lying when he said he wanted to see me. His eyes widened slightly when he spotted me.

 

Lou excused himself from the nobleman he was talking to and made his way over to me.

 

When he was at a reasonable distance, I bowed slightly.

 

“Lord Lou, congratulations on becoming the Master of House Ananas.”

 

“You’re late, Miss Leen.”

 

“…Do you really have to be so blunt?”

 

A faint smile appeared on Lou’s face.

 

“I didn’t mean to blame you. I guess I was secretly waiting for Miss Leen.”

 

‘No, why would Lou be waiting for me?’

 

I tilt my head in question, and he smiles, this time meaningfully.

 

“You’ve helped me in many ways, haven’t you? You’ve pointed out my misguided teaching methods. You also helped me reconcile with my brother, Miss Leen.”

 

“I see…” I replied hesitantly. 

 

The look in his eyes was a little overwhelming. I thought I recognized that look from somewhere.

 

Yeah, kind of like the way Kun’s mother and Carson’s mother used to look at me…

 

I was about to get a clue as to the meaning of his gaze.

 

“By the way, Miss Leen, is that my gift in your hand?”

 

“Ah. I’m afraid it’s past the gift-giving time, but congratulations again, Lord Lou.”

 

I shoved my thoughts into a corner and handed him the gift.

 

It was an envelope with a letter inside.

 

“Thank you.”

 

He took the envelope and stared at it, as if guessing what was inside.

 

Curiosity was in his eyes.

 

“What do you think, do you have any idea what it is?”

 

“It’s from Miss Leen, so it’s not easy to guess. Personally, I hope it’s a heartfelt note.”

 

“Please don’t.”

 

“I know it’s not polite, but do you mind if I open it now?”

 

I smirked and answered, “No?”

 

“…You’re adamant.”

 

“I’m asking you not to open it now for Lou’s sake.”

 

“What in the world is in here…”

 

“A picture of the fjord.”

 

His eyes widened for a moment.

 

“They were taken regularly during his senior year. They’re just club group photos, but you can see Fjord’s growth.”

 

“Can I have this… priceless thing?”

 

One corner of his mouth quirked up.

 

I knew she’d like it. It was the stuff of legend in Fjolo, Leli, and Carlo-Club.

 

It was rumored to exist, but no one had ever seen it, except for me and the rest of the Fjolo-Club.

 

Well, the pictures weren’t wasted. Once taken, the picture was magically stored in the crystal ball and could be retrieved at any time.

 

“Glad you liked it.”

 

It was then. A servant hurried to Lou’s side to report something.

 

“Marquis. An uninvited nobleman has requested to be admitted to the banquet hall.”

 

Lou’s brow furrowed.

 

“It’s only right that we don’t let anyone in without an invitation.”

 

“Well… I can’t just throw him out.”

 

“Which family is it?”

 

“The Duke of Begonia.”

 

Thud—

 

My heart sank. Thoughts went white in my head.

 

“That’s odd. I would have sent an invitation to the Duke of Begonia.”

 

“He says he lost it.”

 

“…Take him inside.”

 

The servant bowed his head and stamped his foot to indicate that Begonia was allowed to enter.

 

All I could do was watch the conversation as it unfolded.

 

My heart, which had been still, began to beat frantically.

 

‘…Run, I have to get away from here.’