I Will Become the Villain’s Childhood Friend - Chapter 71

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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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71

“I’m tired, I’m hungry….”

This was already the twentieth dress.

I barely managed to say this to the Madame of Remilda Boutique who was tying ribbons behind my back.

“Please bear with it a little longer. Oh my. As I suspected, light purple suits you well.”

The madam nodded with satisfaction as she turned me around and looked me up and down.

When the curtain was pulled back, Milly and Kien stood up simultaneously.

“Oh, this one’s pretty!”

“The color is perfect for you, Miss!”

The two of them cheered like newlyweds who had come along for a dress tour every time the curtain was drawn.

Though they made sour faces at some dresses, saying they didn’t suit me at all.

“So with this one, that makes five dresses, right?!”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Thank you, you’ve worked hard!”

I went back behind the curtain and loosened the uncomfortable clothes that were constricting my body.

Finally, I had decided on the designs for all five outing dresses, today’s quota.

“Should I make them according to the measurements we took a few days ago?”

The madam approached and asked while helping me undress.

“Yes. Oh. Would it be possible to increase the waist by 1 inch?”

I whispered quietly, worried that Milly or Kien might hear and scold me.

“Of course. After all, there’s always delicious food at banquets and parties.”

The madam professionally and quietly accepted my request.

“…! Thank you!”

I smiled brightly at her for understanding my intention.

I was happy to have secured an extra inch of space.

‘Well, it’s not like I’m planning to eat that much. If the clothes are too tight, I might get indigestion.’

After finishing my rationalization and paying, I left the boutique.

I had ordered some dresses with Milly and Kien for the social season that would continue until fall.

For the Debutante Ball, picnics, outings, garden parties, evening dresses, and so on – there were so many clothes needed for different purposes.

My stomach clock rumbled an alarm.

“Let’s go home now. Or go eat.”

I grabbed both Milly and Kien’s arms and pleaded.

“Let’s look at necklaces and earrings today too. The popular ones will already be sold out.”

“The hat, bag, glove, and shoe merchants are scheduled to come to the mansion next week.”

“Then what’s left is perfume, parasols, cosmetics, and also….”

Hearing the two of them recite their checklist made me scream.

“Why is there so much?!”

There’s no end! Even wedding preparations would be better than this!

“You should have prepared in advance! If you had done it step by step from winter, it wouldn’t be this rushed!”

Kien, who had already finished most of her preparations, smacked the back of my hand.

“That’s right, Miss! You should have listened to me when I suggested we start slowly last month!”

Milly also glared at me and scolded.

…Those two get along so well. They’re perfectly in sync when it comes to nagging me.

They weren’t wrong though. I thought a month would be plenty, but that was a big mistake.

When the Countess Diern offered to help with my debutante preparations at the beginning of this year, I declined to the end, saying I was grateful enough that she would serve as my chaperone.

I should have started then.

When Father and Brother started urging me, it was already too late. It took quite a while just to find and bring a relative’s wife to help.

Kien had suggested we quickly order dresses for relatively less important occasions first, so I’d been dragged out for four days now, and Milly had joined in.

I was grateful, but seeing them more enthusiastically picking out this and that than me, it seemed like they were having more fun.

In my previous life, I envied the young noblewomen in K-romance novels for dancing, playing, and eating.

Playing princess is enough for a day or two….

“Ugh. This is annoying…. I’d rather just quit and make lots of money….”

I lamented while looking at Sable Street, bustling with late-preparing debutantes.

Kien threatened me over my complaints that I made two or three times a day lately.

“I’ve said this several times, but if you want to do business, expanding your network is essential.”

We had produced prototypes of several board games and decided on factories and companies.

It was time to make decisions about distribution, promotion, and sales, but Kien suggested we temporarily suspend business for this year and focus on social activities.

I agreed because it made sense, but the endless ballroom dance practice and shopping weren’t exactly pleasant.

What can I do! You can’t live doing only what you want to do.

“Alright. Next is the jewelry store, right? Let’s finish quickly!”

I shouted with the mindset of getting it over with quickly.

I was so busy that even three bodies wouldn’t be enough, so fortunately there was no time for distracting thoughts.

Such as worries about Darius and Adel, and also Kail….

The days had grown longer, as the sky remained bright past six in the evening.

A verdant energy spread over the previously frozen ground.

It was a signal that winter, which had been settled in, was giving way to the next season.

***

At the northern end of Erkhalt Kingdom, in the training ground of Diern Castle.

The friction sound of clashing swords cut through the night air.

It was the noise from a sparring match between Selpieus, the lord of this estate, and his second son Kaileus.

The father and son, who looked exactly alike, clashed fiercely.

Kaileus struggled to block the swords that pressed him like vipers from all directions. Fast and intense strikes poured down.

It was when Kaileus found an opening and thrust his sword for a counterattack.

Selpieus twisted his body like swimming and deflected the blade. Immediately after, he lowered his stance and deeply penetrated toward Kaileus’s torso.

The moment the cold blade grazed Kaileus’s ear and touched his nape, both men’s movements stopped abruptly.

Selpieus, who had maintained an expressionless face throughout the sparring, slowly withdrew his sword.

“…Thank you for your guidance and instruction.”

Kaileus, who had likewise sheathed his sword, bowed deeply before his father.

Blood trickled from his ear and neck, which had straight cuts.

It was about a year ago that Kaileus first achieved victory over Henrite.

From then on, he began receiving direct education from Selpieus.

The time that the lord of the ducal castle, who governed a vast estate, gave to his son was only one hour per week.

Of course, there were no kind lessons or demonstrations during that time. They simply crossed swords in silence.

On the day Kaileus first sparred with his father, he knelt again before the overwhelming power of the strongest.

‘This is the skill of Father, who holds the title of the strongest….’

Kaileus, who experienced the supreme level, felt both awe and pride.

‘Now I understand why Father told me to surpass Henrite and come to him.’

Building fundamentals was essential to face him with real swords rather than wooden ones, and with skills that couldn’t even defeat Henrite, he wouldn’t be able to receive his sword for even a single minute.

After that, Kaileus honed his swordsmanship alone except for Tuesday evenings when he sparred with Selpieus.

Now no one in the knights, including Henrite, could match him.

However, he had hit a dead end on how to become stronger to satisfy his father.

One day, as it was approaching a year since the father and son had sparred weekly, Selpieus spoke to Kaileus with his back turned.

“I have nothing more to teach you.”

“…! Why?! I am still lacking…!”

Kaileus cried out desperately, but Selpieus didn’t move.

After maintaining a long silence, Selpieus opened his mouth.

“As things are now, you will make no progress. I have neither the leisure nor the obligation to spoon-feed you detailed instructions.”

“….”

At his firm declaration, Kaileus helplessly hung his head.

Indeed, it seemed like he had stagnated and become stagnant water over the past few months.

Kaileus bit the inside of his mouth until it bled and cried out before Selpieus.

“Then what must I do to grow further…!”

It felt hopeless. But as he said, he couldn’t very well cling to the busy man and beg him to teach swordsmanship step by step.

“Go to Pelrn.”

At Selpieus’s brief command, Kaileus’s upper body shot up.

“Pardon…?”

“I said go to Pelrn.”

“….”

Kaileus soon understood his intention.

Pelrn. The Capital’s Manor where Darius and Mother resided—being told to go there meant.

‘He means for me to defeat Darius and return.’

Kaileus’s eyes hardened with determination. He prostrated himself at his father’s feet.

“…I shall obey your command.”

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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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