I Will Become the Villain’s Childhood Friend - Chapter 18

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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18

“…Miss! Miss Rieze!”

I opened my eyes with a start and gasped for breath. My breathing was labored as if I had been pulled from the depths of the ocean onto dry land.

Under the unfamiliar ceiling and canopy fabric, Milly peeked her face out.

“Are you alright? It seems you had a nightmare.”

Milly wiped around my eyes with a handkerchief. It seemed she was wiping away tears that had flowed down the corners of my eyes.

“A nightmare? No, it wasn’t a nightmare…”

Someone had gripped my hand tightly and asked me for something.

Who was it? It was definitely someone I knew. Their hand was warm, and their voice was gentle and familiar. And hearing that request made my heart ache and brought tears to my eyes.

This dream… I’ve had it several times before.

A blurry figure that had been smiling sadly in the fog tried to surface but then disappeared. The more I tried to grasp it, the more the dream memories slipped through my fingers like grains of sand.

When I sat up and perched on the edge of the bed, Milly handed me a glass of water. After slowly swallowing the water, the dream’s contents were completely washed away.

“…I can’t remember.”

“You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

Milly asked while touching my forehead.

“Yeah. Milly, it felt like an important dream, but I can’t remember it. What should I do?”

“What can you do? Dreams are usually like that. I’ll prepare wash water and breakfast for you.”

Even after Milly left, I sat there blankly, reflecting on the faint afterimage that remained.

Even though it’s definitely a dream I’ve had several times, I forget it quickly each time. Could it be a dream that Rieze’s body is having? If so, there’s no way I could know the person who appeared in that dream…

While I was pondering deeply, Milly came in pushing a trolley and set up my meal.

Setting aside last night’s mirage that was useless to analyze, I started my busy day.

After getting dressed and taking lessons from my tutor, the clock hands pointed to noon. After lunch, I practiced piano.

Now that my afternoon hours were completely empty, this was a class I had started last week to cultivate some refinement. After coloring in all ten grapes that the teacher had drawn for me to practice ten times as homework, I laid my forehead down on the keyboard.

‘This is really boring…’

A loud noise resonated from the randomly pressed keys.

“Sigh.”

Ten days had passed since things went wrong with Kail.

The experience of encountering my favorite character had given me intense joy. Now that the connection with him was gone, I felt empty and listless, as if I were on a plane going home after an overseas trip.

My determination to do anything to save Darius remained unchanged. It was just disheartening that I had to plan something other than reforming Kail.

Had bickering and fussing with that little brat been enjoyable in its own way? Even though it was a brief relationship, belated disappointment kept rearing its head.

Even in my previous life, I hadn’t really played around squealing and roughhousing with friends except when I was very young…

‘I lived such a lonely life.’

As I was lamenting and closing the piano lid, I heard a knock on the door.

“Yes, please come in.”

The person who opened the door and appeared was Count Brante.

“Dad.”

“Rieze. I’m thinking of starting preparations for your birthday party from today. We should start sending out invitations soon. I’ve selected some suitable peers among the young ladies of noble families in the capital to invite.”

Oh. Come to think of it, my birthday is coming up soon. I had completely forgotten.

Since Count Brante already had a bundle of invitations in his hand, I grabbed my head and let out a groan.

“Dad. About the party. Could we cancel it?”

“What? Why?”

Count Brante asked in bewilderment, like someone struck by lightning.

The birthday party was just one of my schemes to become friends with Kail. If he wasn’t coming, it was meaningless.

But if I said ‘I had a falling out with the friend I was planning to invite,’ it would tear apart the Count’s heart as he supported my friendships, so I came up with a different excuse.

“It’s just… I’ve been feeling low on energy lately and have no appetite. For this birthday, I want to quietly cut cake with just family. I’m sorry for changing my mind.”

Count Brante’s pupils, which had been downcast and gloomy, expanded greatly.

“…Your memory has returned?!”

“Pardon?”

“Rieze, your memory has come back!”

The Count gripped both my shoulders as I sat on the piano chair and exclaimed. His trembling hands conveyed his agitation.

Count Brante had shown a strange reaction before when the topic of birthday parties came up.

“No, my memory still hasn’t…”

His widely opened eyelids blinked and returned to normal. The Count, having regained his composure, shook his head lightly.

“…Hmm. I see. It’s alright, it’s alright. You’re not sick anywhere, are you?”

“…No.”

“Right. So you want to cancel the birthday party?”

“I’m sorry when you must have been looking forward to it.”

“It’s your birthday, so what would I be looking forward to? Don’t worry about it, and tell me if there’s a gift you’d like.”

The Count, who had erased his complicated expression and drawn a gentle arc with his lips, patted my back.

Based on his reactions so far, if I said I didn’t want anything either, he’d be even more disappointed. I might as well accept a gift.

‘Hmm. But there’s nothing I particularly want.’

In my previous life, I could have filled an A4 sheet densely with a list of things I wanted.

Now, living affluently as a noble young lady, I lacked nothing materially. It was only recently that I had bought various things on Sable Street.

Ah! I thought of one thing!

“Then I’d like to raise a foal.”

This was what I thought of after carefully considering what I had wanted most after real estate in my previous life.

A personal car!

Since I was living in a K-romance fantasy world, to have mobility I needed to learn horseback riding, not driving. Getting a horse instead of a car.

Racing across fields would probably relieve stress and feel amazing. It would be even better if I could bond with a horse I raised myself.

I had also wanted to try raising a pet, so it would be killing two birds with one stone. However, I was concerned about the considerable cost.

“If it’s expensive, that’s fine. There are already many horses in the stable.”

I quickly added that the horses the Count’s family already owned would be sufficient.

“No, no. I was thinking of buying you one when you learned to ride later, but if it’s a foal, it would be fine to start raising it now. We could start horseback riding lessons soon too.”

Count Brante readily agreed. Happy to have something to give, his pointed mustache perked up toward the sky with a smile.

“Wow! Thank you, Dad. I want to learn horseback riding!”

My restless mood improved slightly at the prospect of raising a companion horse and learning to ride. Piano really didn’t seem to suit my aptitude.

After the Count left satisfied, I felt I should resolve the lingering curiosity.

Going up to my room, I pulled Milly over to sit facing me. To interrogate her, who would know more about this household and ‘Rieze’ than I did.

“Why are you doing this, Miss?”

“Milly. I talked with Dad about my birthday party today.”

“Yes.”

“Dad’s reaction seemed strange somehow. Could you tell me what kind of birthdays I had before I lost my memory?”

Milly’s pupils trembled finely upon hearing my words. It was a similar reaction to when Count Brante first heard about the birthday party before.

“You know, don’t you, Milly.”

“Well, I’m not sure…”

“Please tell me honestly. I don’t want to do something tactless because I have no memory.”

When I squeezed the hand of Milly, who was hesitating with her head down, she squeezed her eyes shut and opened her mouth.

“…Two days after your birthday is Madam’s death anniversary.”

At Milly’s answer, I hurriedly picked up the calendar from the desk. After confirming ‘my birthday’ written on May 31st and turning the page, there was a small blue circle on the second day of June.

“Miss, after Madam passed away, you hated celebrating your birthday. You wouldn’t let anyone even mention ‘congratulations,’ and for the past three years, the entire Count’s Mansion quietly passed the day in a mourning atmosphere without even a cake.”

Ah. So that’s why. Now I understood Count Brante’s unnatural reaction.

‘Rieze must have really loved her mother.’

From the story that they were close bookworm mother and daughter, I had guessed that the two were intimate. But to skip her own birthday and miss her mother to that extent.

Could the person who appeared in the dream I had this morning have been Rieze’s mother?

“Milly. I have a request.”

“Please tell me, Miss.”

“Could you write down everything you know about the original me? My growth process, things I liked and disliked, everything from one to ten in detail.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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