I Will Become the Villain’s Childhood Friend - Chapter 21

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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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21

“I’ve written what you requested, Miss!”

In Milly’s hands as she waited for me in the room was a thick bundle of papers with “Miss Rieze Report” written on the cover.

“Wow, you really worked hard on this. Thank you for all your effort!”

I didn’t expect her to write it so thoroughly.

As I accepted it with gratitude, Milly wiped her teary eyes with the back of her hand.

“Miss, it must be confusing and difficult not having your memories back… I’ll take even better care of you from now on!”

“You’re already doing wonderfully.”

“We all wrote this together, so please make sure to read it later!”

Milly handed me another paper rolled up like a scroll and hurried away shyly. Curious, I unrolled it to find a rolling paper that the servants had passed around and written on together.

‘Even something like this… How touching.’

Wondering how to repay this kindness, I decided to give Milly a generous bonus this month. Financial therapy is the best, after all.

The “Miss Rieze Report” she had written over several days was packed with various information about Rieze’s growth process, family relationships, friendships, likes and dislikes, hobbies and talents.

It also recorded in detail all the major events during the five years Milly had served as Rieze’s personal maid.

‘Miss used to write in her diary occasionally before bedtime.’

While the report itself was helpful, learning that Rieze kept a diary was the greatest discovery of all.

I immediately searched the room and found Rieze’s hidden diary. When I grabbed the small groove at the drawer bottom and lifted it, a diary with a light brown cover appeared from beneath the false bottom.

‘It’s okay to read this, right Rieze?’

Now that I’m continuing your life, I need to understand what experiences and thoughts you lived with.

With a pounding heart, I opened the first page of the diary. Honestly, the dopamine rush from this incredibly entertaining content of someone else’s secret diary was also kicking in.

The diary began from about three years ago.

‘X month X day, nothing I eat tastes good and nothing I learn interests me. Even reading the new volume of my favorite series wasn’t fun. I waited half a year for the next volume to come out. Maybe it’s because I have no one to talk about books with… Still, I was happy when I saw the iris that Mother and I planted last year bloom.’

I had imagined the rambling, quirky diary of an elementary school student, but I was secretly surprised by the neat, logical writing. Her writing skills were exceptional, probably because she was an avid reader.

‘X month X day, Father invited the Rastin Baron Family to our house. Worried about me being holed up in the study all the time, he told me to get along well with their daughter. But after exchanging a few words with me, Kien Rastin said “What kind of boring kid is this?” and left. Even those few words were just about the latest fashion trends and boys she didn’t know. She’s completely different from me, so how am I supposed to become friends with her?’

I started reading casually, but as I turned the pages, I became absorbed in her emotions.

‘Today Brother was endlessly nagging, so I got annoyed and talked back, leading to a big fight. That guy was already arrogant, but since entering the military academy as top student, he seems even more insufferable. I wish the second-place student would work harder and knock him down a peg.’

There was content I could relate to. The second place was definitely Darius, right?

‘Today is Mother’s memorial day. It’s been three years since Mother left, but I still miss her unbearably. Father and Brother seem to have adapted to life without Mother and are doing well. When we visited Mother’s grave today, they both seemed calm – how can they be like that?’

‘Even though I sometimes hate Father and Brother, I think I should treat them well while they’re here so I won’t have regrets. They’re precious family. I hope they both stay healthy and happy for a long, long time.’

When I read the last line of the diary that stopped at a date from early this year, my eyes had unknowingly become moist.

Rieze, you spent three difficult years longing for your mother.

Now I finally understood why she had so strongly refused to celebrate her birthday.

The Rieze I learned about from others’ reactions after possessing her body was just a quiet bookworm.

But after reading her diary, a more delicate, thoughtful, and emotionally rich girl was clearly drawn.

Rieze, merely an extra in “Golden Covenant,” was a proper human being in this world. She found joy in small things like flowers blooming in the garden and enjoyed simple pleasures like stargazing on summer nights.

‘It’s obvious, but this child was also the protagonist of her own life.’

I felt sorry for the real Rieze, who had left due to fever at just eleven years old.

After processing the aftereffects of reflecting on Rieze’s life, memories of the last day I met Kail came flooding back.

What thoughts and feelings does Kail have right now?

Setting aside right and wrong, I realized what my mistake was in dealing with Kail.

With the single-minded goal of becoming friends quickly, I charged ahead recklessly without any intention of matching his pace. I kept visiting him and trying to manipulate him in the direction I wanted.

‘Talking about “rules for handling Kail” and such…’

And underlying that was contempt for him being a character from a novel and just a child. I didn’t respect him as a complete human being.

So I was arrogant, thinking I could control and correct him. Having dealt with one troublemaker through babysitting in my previous life, I tried to act like a teacher. How arrogant and self-centered I was.

‘I should have looked deeper into Kail’s circumstances. I think I was wrong to just pester him about going out to play.’

Only now did regret wash over me that I should have focused on Kail as a multifaceted person.

“Even after living 25 years, human relationships are still difficult…”

Next time we meet, I should apologize for what I did wrong. Even if becoming friends again is already impossible, I hope any wounds I caused will heal, even a little.

Finally, I unfolded the rolling paper. Reading each line of encouragement and support from the Count’s servants made my heart swell with emotion.

‘Miss, you’ve changed surprisingly much since losing your memory, but I like both the previous Miss and the current Miss. You seemed to lose energy again lately, which worries me. If there’s anything I can do to help, please tell me anything!’

Reading Milly’s message at the end made me feel both grateful and sorry. Probably Simon, Count Brante, and the other servants all felt that I had completely changed.

Even so, everyone took care of me thoughtfully without showing it much. To live up to those expectations, I felt I couldn’t stay dejected forever.

Since I too have gained a new life and family, I should live my life faithfully as Rieze version 2.0.

‘If I can’t restore my relationship with Kail, I’ll have to find another way to protect Darius. And I’ll forge my own life proactively.’

After engraving the last page of the diary in my heart several times, I closed it with determination.

From now on, I should grow closer to this Brante Family, just as Rieze’s last wish desired.

***

That night, after thoroughly reading Milly’s report and Rieze’s diary and shedding tears, I had that mirage-like dream I’d experienced several times before.

The mysterious figure in the dream was still shrouded in fog with an unclear form, but now I could intuitively know who it was.

“Thank you. I’m really leaving now, to Mother’s side.”

A quiet voice flowed through the warm hands we held together.

“Please become me and live happily with our remaining family.”

After drawing a smile and leaving her final request, she scattered into the sky like smoke.

At that moment, I woke up with my eyes wide open. In the dim morning sunlight, I felt tears that had inevitably flowed down my cheeks.

Soon Rieze’s eleven years of memories began pouring into my mind. Like photos being neatly inserted into a photo album, scenes from childhood were stored one by one.

Among the warm and peaceful daily life, the time spent reading books and talking with Mother in the study was especially tender and precious. The long yearning and pain for Mother felt vivid as if it were my own sensation.

As the storm of rushing memories subsided, I gradually calmed down. After wiping my hot, wet cheeks and taking a deep breath, I deeply felt why she had remained in this world and visited my dreams until now.

Father and Brother, the family she would leave behind. It was because of her worry and love for them.

“Rieze…”

She couldn’t disappear because those two people weighed on her mind. But now she finally entrusted everything to me and departed freely to Mother’s side.

‘My last wish was to see my favorite character. Rieze hoped that Father and Brother wouldn’t suffer because of her departure to Mother’s side.’

Perhaps having my soul possess Rieze’s body was God’s exquisite arrangement.

Looking at my face reflected in the full-length mirror, I smiled faintly. Now that I had complete memories, this body no longer felt like someone else’s.

‘Now I’ll become you and continue this precious and valuable life.’

The eyes in the mirror shone like spring buds deepened after rain.

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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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