I Became The Male Lead’s Female Friend Chapter 118

 

‘I’ll protect you no matter what.’

 

With those words, what lady could refuse him?

 

At least not me. I don’t know if I was mesmerized by his charming words or his face, which lent credence to his words, because before I knew it, I was holding his hand.

 

The next thing I knew, Lord River and I were walking through the woods.

 

And holding hands at that.

 

‘Huh…’

 

I had to suck in a breath as I realized that I had been holding his hand the whole time.

 

Of course, even if Lord River hadn’t taken my hand first, I would have been the first one in the woods to cling to him. It wasn’t the same trick as before, just sheer panic.

 

At first, I thought he was just extending his hand as an escort, but he was still holding my hand tightly.

 

Having a hand that was big enough to cover my hand was reassuring. However, it was natural to be nervous since he was the other person.

 

It was the first time we had ever held hands for so long alone, or even walked hand in hand like normal lovers.

 

But somehow, it seemed natural to Lord River. He was holding my hand and dragging it along as if this had happened many times before.

 

I thought, ‘Am I the only one nervous? Why is he so used to it?’

 

I shook my head, even wondering, ‘Have he held women’s hands a lot?’

 

In the original, and from what I’ve seen so far, he’s a gentleman, but he’s not a womanizer. Rather, he’s clumsy.

 

And yet he held my hand so firmly, I wondered if it was because he was so used to our touch.

 

‘I guess so.’

 

As I thought that, another squeaky laugh escaped my lips. At the same time, I like the tickling sensation in the corner of my chest.

 

Secretly, I hoped it would last a long time.

 

But the excitement was short-lived.

 

“There’s a stream nearby,” said Lord River, and soon there it was.

 

“Oh, it’s quite…”

 

I marveled at the scenery as it was revealed.

 

Come to think of it, he had said that the stream was quite nice before we got here.

 

Truth be told, I was a little surprised because I didn’t expect much until I got here.

I thought it would be just a stream running through the woods, not a moonlit midnight lakeside like in novels.

 

Of course, the landscape itself was just like the streams that were common in the capital. 

 

However, the northern streams were a little different.

 

The air was so cold that the gurgling water had a hint of ice in it. A thin layer of frost lay on top of the large and small boulders that bordered the stream, and the sparsely planted, thin trees were draped with slender branches.

 

At first glance, it was dreary and eerie, but something was soothing and calming about it.

 

‘It would be even better if it snowed.’

 

According to Rudrick, a northern local, this was the warmest time of year in the north.

 

It’s hard to see how this winter-like weather in the capital could be the warmest of the year, but it often snows in the north even in summer, so it would be nice to see some snow on the ground.

 

‘Not to mention cold.’

 

Lord River, with all that splashing water on his head, looked amazing.

 

I was just about to wash my face when he told me about the stream, and I was sure I’d get frostbite from all that floating frost.

 

Still, just in case, I cautiously dipped my finger into the water and couldn’t help but jump up in surprise.

 

“Ahh”

 

It’s so cold!

 

Did he bring me here for a quick wash, or did he really just want to show me the scenery?

 

As I looked at him with a dumbfounded gaze, Lord River smiled wryly.

 

“Are you still cold after all?”

 

“After all?”

 

I raised my voice and then quickly shut it, trying to control my expression as I glanced over at him.

 

“Yeah, well… a lot, I mean, it’s cold.”

 

“Haha, I thought it was fine, so I suggested it, but I guess I wasn’t thinking carefully enough.”

 

I was bewildered that I hadn’t thought of the difference between my finely developed skin and his, a former warrior of the battlefield, but I didn’t say anything.

 

Sometimes that’s when his true colors would show through.

 

‘It was good and bad at the same time. ‘

 

Of course, it was a lot better than a fling.

 

A million times better. But it was also a little disappointing.

 

Still, I thought of it as a date and went along with it. Especially when it comes to the stream, various things are expected.

 

For example, splashing in the water of the stream, or falling in and getting wet all over.

 

Although I couldn’t drown myself because we were on the march, but I was thinking of splashing around for fun…

 

‘If I sprinkle the water on him, a thousand years of love might cool down.’

 

But I had come this far, and there was no point in returning home. I took a deep breath and shrugged.

 

“It’s okay, I kind of wanted to go for a walk, and since we’re here anyway, why don’t we get some fresh air?”

 

“Sounds good.”

 

Lord River and I chatted as we admired the scenery by the stream.

 

We’ve only been here a day, but there’s a lot to talk about.

 

I told him how I’ve gotten used to the carriage now, how the magic crystal Sir River gave a great deal of help, and how I could now tie a nice knot.

 

“Really, you must have practiced a lot.”

 

“Hoho, yes, Sir River taught me well.”

 

In truth, I considered pretending to be even worse, but I stopped myself. I’d had enough of this, and I didn’t want him to think I was an idiot if I faked being bad.

 

After all, it takes a certain amount of pushing and pulling to learn to play thumb. I just smiled nonchalantly and said, ‘I’m fine.’

 

“Honestly, when Rudrick interrupted us, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to learn…”

 

“Haha, I’ve never seen that side of Lord Bouser before either.”

 

“Ugh, I thought he’d grown up, but he hasn’t, he’s been acting like a brat lately, even towards you, hasn’t it been offensive?”

 

“What? Yes. Well…”

 

I just said it out of the blue, but Lord River’s reaction was strange. He was silent for a moment, as if contemplating my words, and then he answered with an odd smile.

 

“Actually, I think I might know why Lord Bouser is like that.”

 

“You do?”

 

“Because it’s true that he’s a coward.”

 

Lord River looked at me and chuckled slightly.

 

“I’m not going to tell you.”

 

Before I could ask, ‘What?‘ I quickly realized that I was the person he meant to keep from knowing.

 

‘Are you trying to keep me in check?’

 

Lord River, I thought you were just a meek puppy, but there’s this foxy side to you.

 

But when I saw him smirking at me as he said, disdainfully, ‘I’m not good enough,’ I couldn’t help but feel the corners of my mouth twitch as I realized that I could understand the feelings of those who were infatuated with him.

 

I raised my hand to cover my mouth, pretending to be embarrassed.

 

“It’s too bad you’re keeping it to yourself. Aren’t you two actually closer than me?”

 

“Well, we’re comrades in arms, so naturally we’ve gotten to know each other.”

 

“Really? This means I’m supposed to be jealous of Rudrick, right?”

 

“What? Haha.”

 

Lord River chuckled bemusedly at my playful remark. His dimple-filled laugh was noticeably brighter than before, and I couldn’t help but giggle.

 

Eventually, I joined him in laughter, and then said softly.

 

“I want to know as much about Lord River as Rudrick does. Do you think you have much to tell me?”

 

“Of course, I’ll tell you everything.”

 

“Okay, then there’s one thing I want to ask you right now…”

 

I lowered my voice and asked, “Why did you approach me?”

 

🌸

 

It’s a bit of a stretch, but what I really meant to ask him was this.

 

‘Are you certain you approached me on purpose in the first place?’

 

In fact, I had already decided on the answer to this question.

 

I remember it clearly to this day, though I pretended not to. I remembered Jeron’s warning before I left for the North.

 

‘Beware of Goldman.’

 

No matter how much I wanted to like him, it was true that his family name, especially his father, the Duke of Goldman, was a stumbling block.

 

So I had done a little research before I left for the North. To make sure no one was watching my back.

 

I figured it would be quicker than trying to follow the Duke of Goldman, and I was right.

 

I found evidence of someone snooping around.

 

And the information he found about me was pretty extensive. Starting with what I like to eat, the boutiques I frequent, the parties I attend, the nobles I’m friends with, and so on.

 

Everything from the smallest details to my relationships.

 

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel offended. I started to turn the tables on the person who was constantly snooping on me, and eventually, I caught on.

 

Not only that, but I realized that the one who was watching my back was Goldman.

 

I thought, ‘Yeah. There’s no way things can happen that fast.’

 

The first time was a coincidence, the second time was fate, and the third time was destiny.

 

When I didn’t know anything, I really believed that it might be true. But once I started to see things, my doubts grew.

 

I started to wonder how much of it was coincidence and how much was fate. I thought it was just the first time at the party, and maybe the next, and the following, that it was intentional.

 

But suspicion alone could not tell me anything, and I would have to pry into Lord River’s mind to find out.

 

But snooping behind someone I had a crush on wasn’t exactly the best thing to do, so I was once again left to ponder, and it wasn’t long before I decided.

 

‘Let’s confront him.’

 

At this point, I might as well ask him outright.

 

Somehow, I had a hunch that it was most likely Duke Goldman who was behind this. The Lord River I knew, the original version of him, was no such person.

 

So why does the man before me now look so grim?

 

“How did you know?”