I Will Become the Villain’s Childhood Friend - Chapter 40

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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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40

 

“Look!”

 

I grabbed Kail’s hair and tried to forcibly lift him up.

 

“Let go!”

 

“No! I need to see how bad it is!”

 

When I wrapped my arms around his head and held him tight, Kail soon gave up resisting and raised his face.

 

The red, swollen skin and hives were typical allergic reactions.

 

Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any serious symptoms like blocked airways or fever.

 

“It’ll go down after a while…”

 

Kail rubbed his neck and hands where the hives had spread, then pushed me away sulkily.

 

So that’s why he was hiding here?

 

To keep anyone from seeing him until the allergic symptoms subsided?

 

While I was relieved it wasn’t the worst-case scenario of a suicide attempt, I was also exasperated.

 

“You fool! If you had allergies, you should have said so! Then the Countess would have understood why you refused the peaches!”

 

I was so angry I kept hitting his chest, and Kail buried his head down again.

 

“…Keep this about me a secret. I’m keeping your secrets too.”

 

“Why? Why hide something like that? Anyone can have allergies.”

 

Though it would have been difficult to reveal in front of the Countess since he was intimidated!

 

I let out a big sigh and plopped down beside Kail.

 

The rocks on the outside acted as a windbreak, and the cliff served as a roof, so barely any rain got in. The rainfall had also become quite light.

 

As the tension completely left me, all the strength drained from my body.

 

“…How did you know I was here?”

 

Kail grumbled in a tiny voice that was barely audible.

 

“At first I followed what looked like footprints, but later I had a hunch you’d be hiding near this cliff. You like digging tunnels like a hamster.”

 

“…”

 

I took off my damp cloak, wrung out the moisture, and set it aside.

 

My body was shivering as the water evaporated and took away my body heat.

 

“Ugh. Do you know how hard it was getting here, getting soaked and all?”

 

I went through so much trouble, so I deserve to show off a little!

 

“…I would have come back on my own later if you’d left me alone.”

 

Ugh, how annoying.

 

“Of course you would. Right now everyone’s worried and looking for you. Darius was especially pale.”

 

Kail let out a self-deprecating snort. He didn’t seem to believe me.

 

“The rain’s gotten lighter, so let’s rest a bit and then go back.”

 

“…”

 

Kail, who hadn’t budged at all, finally raised his head after a while, and only then did he notice the state of my hands and suddenly ask.

 

“Why do you look like such a mess?”

 

At Kail’s scolding, I turned my palms over and spread them out.

 

My palms, scraped on the stone floor, were red and raw.

 

With my cloak off, my tattered skirt hem and scraped knees were also visible.

 

Now that I was aware of it, it suddenly stung.

 

“I hurt my hands and knees when I fell, and I tore my skirt hem and tied pieces to tree branches along the way so I wouldn’t get lost coming back.”

 

“…”

 

Kail’s mouth fell open as if he couldn’t believe it.

 

“I told you it was hard getting here!”

 

“Why would you go that far…”

 

Kail stared at me intently with widened eyes, as if he really couldn’t understand.

 

“A child ran away in this storm – who wouldn’t worry!”

 

Really frustrating.

 

But seeing Kail’s current state, I wondered if I had overreacted.

 

I had complained to Father and Brother about overprotecting me, and I too had overinterpreted Kail’s running away.

 

Kail’s expression became complicated as he moved his lips, then rubbed his face with dry hands.

 

Then he let out a deep sigh and got up.

 

“…Let’s go.”

 

“Already? Are you okay? You said you wanted to go in after you felt better.”

 

“It’s been about two hours since I ate. It’ll mostly subside on the way back.”

 

Looking up at Kail’s face as he spoke, the redness had definitely decreased compared to earlier and the swelling had improved a lot.

 

Just moments ago he showed no signs of budging, so what’s this about.

 

It was getting dark soon, so it was good timing to return.

 

As I got up to follow him, I felt a sharp pain in my right ankle.

 

‘Ah. When did I sprain my ankle…’

 

While lamenting inwardly, I didn’t show that I was hurt on the outside.

 

It was important to return quickly without delay now.

 

I’d already shown off enough about being injured.

 

I hurriedly followed Kail who was leading the way with his cloak on.

 

“Do you know the way back?”

 

“Unlike someone, I’m not directionally challenged.”

 

The sky was still gray, but the rain was just a light drizzle.

 

Walking two steps behind Kail, the ankle pain was no joke.

 

Cold sweat ran down my spine.

 

‘Should I stay here and ask Kail to bring people?’

 

While I was agonizing, Kail looked back at me lagging behind.

 

“Your leg hurts.”

 

“…No?”

 

I reflexively denied it.

 

“That’s an obvious lie. You got angry at me for hiding my pain.”

 

Kail, with a serious expression, strode back toward me.

 

That’s a bit different from this situation though.

 

But I couldn’t walk any further, so I’d have to admit it.

 

I opened my mouth to ask him to bring people, when suddenly Kail turned his back and knelt on one knee in front of me.

 

“Get on my back.”

 

“What?”

 

“I said get on.”

 

I was shocked looking down at his small shoulders and back.

 

“What are you talking about! How can you carry me!”

 

Kail glanced back and got worked up, his pride apparently hurt.

 

“I can carry you.”

 

“You’re smaller than… I’m heavier than you.”

 

I quickly changed my words, worried he’d have a fit at being called small.

 

There should be knights or brothers searching nearby…”

 

“Stop talking and get on!”

 

Overwhelmed by Kail’s shouting, I placed my hands on his shoulders.

 

“You asked me to get on. I don’t know anything if you hurt your back.”

 

“Hurry up and put your legs up.”

 

At his urging, I had no choice but to climb onto his back.

 

I thought Kail might topple forward from the unexpected weight.

 

However, surprisingly, Kail stood up carrying me stably. He didn’t sway or tremble.

 

I was ready to get down immediately if he struggled, but Kail walked on silently without even disturbing his breathing.

 

‘All that daily training paid off… By the way, his body temperature is really high. It’s warm.’

 

Actually, I had gotten soaked in the rain earlier, and as the moisture dried, I felt terribly cold. I might have even had hypothermia.

 

I brought my hands that had been gripping Kail’s shoulders forward and wrapped them around his neck.

 

I felt Kail flinch in surprise.

 

He briefly stopped walking, then resumed at his original pace.

 

When I remembered thinking this child might disappear, a hot lump rose in my throat.

 

“Kail, don’t ever eat peaches again.”

 

“….”

 

“Let’s just come clean about your allergy too. It’s dangerous to keep hiding it and eating them like that.”

 

I could feel his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down through our touching skin.

 

A quiet voice flowed from lips that had pressed together and parted several times in distress.

 

“…Everyone in the family loves peaches, but it’s strange that only I have this constitution. And Mother would be disappointed.”

 

His voice trembled finely as he continued. It hurt so much to hear.

 

“Kail, you need to speak up properly. Aren’t you the one who’s disappointed?”

 

“….”

 

“You’re the one who’s disappointed, hurt, and struggling!”

 

“….”

 

“It’s so frustrating! Why does she treat you like that!”

 

Tears burst forth. Why am I so heartbroken?

 

Kail’s face, turned away, was colored with bewilderment.

 

“Why are you crying?”

 

“I don’t know! I’m angry and frustrated, so tears are coming out – what am I supposed to do!”

 

I raised my hand and roughly wiped around my eyes.

 

Kail, who had been glancing behind us, cleared his throat.

 

“Over something so trivial.”

 

He adjusted his hold on me once and resumed his stopped steps.

 

Through the flashbacks in the original 【Golden Covenant】, I already knew the reality that Kail faced discrimination and mistreatment from the Duke and Duchess.

 

But seeing it as a vivid reality right beside me made my anger unbearably explosive.

 

While I sniffled and tried to calm my anger, the rain had gradually stopped.

 

The thinned raindrops were filtered by the densely packed fir tree leaves covering the sky, no longer able to wet our heads.

 

Kail walked steadily through the undergrowth and let out a small chuckle when he spotted my clothing caught on a tree trunk.

 

Then he began speaking matter-of-factly.

 

“You know, when I played hide-and-seek with you in the Glass Greenhouse before, that was almost the first time I’d ever been inside there.”

 

“…Really?”

 

I had suspected from Kail’s reaction back then, but I didn’t think it was actually true.

 

“After I snuck in as a child and got scolded by Mother, I never went near it again.”

 

Wow. A child could naturally be curious and peek around, but even if she treasured that place as her own hideaway, wasn’t this too much?

 

The Countess occasionally used the Glass Greenhouse when entertaining guests or hosting tea parties.

 

When she saw me going in and out of that Glass Greenhouse countless times, how must Kail have felt?

 

While I was choosing words to comfort him, Kail brought up an even more heartbreaking story.

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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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