I Couldn’t Stop my Childhood Friend from Turning Into a Villain

Why would he leave his own house and become a knight in ours? It was an incomprehensible stream of thought.

“I want to be with Lucy when I grow up.”

We could still be together even if it wasn’t this way.

Honestly, the way I felt right now, I felt that I was going to be friends with Liel for the rest of my life, as long as he didn’t turn evil and try to kill me.

“I’m surprised you’re so extreme.”

“Really?”

Liel was still nonchalant.

“But can you do that? Won’t the Duke object?”

“Why? He has no reason to object.”

M, maybe.

Come to think of it, maybe he would. There were already Knights in the Duke’s household, and there were enough of them.

Normally, Imperial law limited the number of private soldiers each noble could have.

But since Liel was a member of the Ducal House, it would be difficult for House Marsen to create any more knights.

However, creating a knighthood in our close-knit family would be helpful in many ways, including empowering Dioleta when she becomes a duchess.

It was a bit of a cop-out, to be honest, but there were quite a few families I knew who had connections to multiple knighthoods in this way.

“Liel, you’re using your head, aren’t you?!”

This way, when Liel graduates from the academy and returns to the ducal residence, he won’t be under the scrutiny of the duchess.

Clever.

I heartily applaud Liel’s brilliant plan.

“I’m sure unnie will be delighted, she’ll be so proud of you.”

“……? Lucy, I think you’re misunderstanding something.”

“Huh? What?”

“I’m not using your family to please noona.”

He said with a puzzled look on his face.

The way I said it made his sincere intentions sound very cowardly.

“I know. I don’t think you’re using my family either.”

I patted him on the shoulder to reassure him not to worry. Still, Liel’s face showed no sign of relaxing.

He even threw the bread he’d been holding down onto the desk. Bread crumbs scattered haphazardly around.

Playing with food will get you punished, you punk.

“I told you I only wanted to do it because I wanted to be with you.”

“Huh? Yeah. I know that.”

He said it earlier.

I blinked, picked up the bread lying in a heap on the desk, and brought it back to his mouth. He opened his mouth with a sullen expression and took a bite.

Gulp—

Liel swallowed the bread in his mouth.

“I’m going to ……stick by your side until I die.”

I could see the sincerity in his eyes.

Why was he so extreme earlier?

It was an intensity that frightened me to hear.

(T/N: Lucy, it’s because you’re dense ಥ_ಥ)

*** 

Contrary to my worries, Liel didn’t follow his instructor this vacation.

Not only that, but he took a break from training and came home with me.

For the first time since he enrolled, he was given a break.

“Grandma!”

As soon as I got back to the mansion, the first thing I did was run to my grandmother’s office.

“Lucy, are you home?”

“Yes, Grandma, and he’s here with me today!”

“Really? The one who caused my grandchild so much trouble came on his own initiative?”

Grandma’s voice was full of mischief. Although she didn’t say it, I could tell that she was very worried about Liel.

Until then, Liel hadn’t come out of behind the wall.

“…….”

I walked up to him and tugged at his hand as if to tell him to come out. Then, as if he didn’t want to come out, he strained his body and said.

“……Marquis, are you mad?”

Liel’s voice trembled slightly, as if he had been fooled by the old woman’s prank.

“Liel, if you want to ease my anger, don’t you think the first thing you should do is change that stiff title and assure me that you are safe?”

Before I could respond, my grandmother spoke up and scolded Liel.

At first I thought she was just joking, but this time she sounded really emotional.

Was she really angry?

I clamped my mouth shut and looked between Grandma and Liel.

“G, Grandma…….”

Liel leaned forward. He quickly changed her title. Grandma looked at him with a stern look.

‘I thought she was joking, but is she really angry……? After all, her arms are still bending inward*…….. If I had known, I would have been secretly worried…….’

(T/N: *To side with someone who is close to oneself or favor something that is related to oneself to one’s own advantage)

I swallowed hard and regretted my behavior in the past, worrying about Liel more than necessary.

“I haven’t seen you in so long I almost forgot your face. It’s been almost two years, come here.”

She gestured for him to come closer. I suddenly realized that the wrinkles on her hands were darker and thicker than before.

“I’m sorry…….”

Liel lengthened his words.

Liel, who had been so brazen with me, was scared to death of being scolded by my grandmother.

I don’t know why, but I’m pretty sure I was stunned.

“If you’re sorry, could you please give this old lady a hug?”

Grandma opened her arms as if to invite him to come closer. Her stern expression was gone, replaced by an affectionate smile.

“…….”

Liel glanced at me. I nodded instead of answering. Then Liel slowly approached my grandmother and bent down to her height.

His movements were unnatural, as if he was uncomfortable hugging an adult.

I watched them embrace, and then I stamped my foot and bounced up and down.

“Grandma, I’m next!”

I want a hug too!

I threw my hands up in the air, and Grandma laughed out loud.

Vacation had only just begun, but this one felt so much happier than the last one.

***

This winter was particularly snowy. As I was staggering along, my hat fell on the snow.

I picked up my hat and shook off the snow. I exhaled, and a white puff of breath scattered in the air.

It was the middle of winter, and it was cold.

The shawl around my shoulders was no match for the chill.

If I had known it would be like this, I would have worn a scarf and earmuffs.

“Is it cold?”

Liel, walking ahead of me, asked, seemingly unaffected by the cold.

His footprints were deeply rutted on the path.

So I picked out his footprints and stepped into them. That way, my feet didn’t fall into the snow as I walked on the snow-covered ground.

“No, I am okay.”

I’d only said five syllables, but my breath was coming in ragged gasps, so I wiped with the back of my hand my nose, wondering if it was runny.

“Just a few steps further.”

Even as he said that, he didn’t move to my side, just covering my hand with his large one, sharing his warmth.

“Shouldn’t you have brought some flowers? It’s winter, I should have brought some artificial flowers.”

Not long after the start of the vacation, Liel suddenly announced that he wanted to visit the house where he lived with his mother before coming to the ducal residence.

To be honest, I was a little surprised.

He hadn’t looked for any trace of his mother, or to be more precise, he hadn’t thought to bring up any memories of her.

So when he mentioned his mother for the first time in a long time, I couldn’t help but ask if I could go with him.

Of course, I was ready to give up if he said no.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to mind my company. He actually thanked me for the offer.

Thank goodness. I didn’t barge in tactlessly.

“Forget it, she* doesn’t like flowers.”

(T/N: *This part is tricky, since Liel said: “됐어. 꽃 싫어하잖아.” there is no pronoun used, I just put a ‘she’ on my own here to complete the sentence. Liel didn’t say if it’s him (Liel) or his mother who doesn’t like flowers)

Who? His mother?*

(T/N: *Making Lucy ask something like this in her head.)

(PS: That’s why translating Korean can be confusing for me, who’s not native nor proficient yet ಥ_ಥ)

“We’re here.”

Before I could ask, Liel announced their arrival.

I lifted my gaze from the floor, searching for footprints, and looked straight ahead.

A small mansion that looked like it could have fallen down at any moment was buried in the snow.

Any more snow and the roof would collapse under the weight.

“This is the last place my mother and I lived.”

He said, reaching for the doorknob.

I wondered if the door would ever open.

Quack—

At the same time, I heard the sound of thin wooden planks breaking. To be precise, it was the sound of the doorknob breaking.

I looked up at Liel with a questioning look on my face. On the other hand, the person who pulled the doorknob off didn’t look surprised at all.

He looked so nonchalant that you’d think I was the one who broke the door.

“C, can we do this?”

“No one lives here, so it’s okay.”

No, more than that, this is a place of memories, where he and his mother used to live together.

“It’s really okay, we’re only coming today and never coming back.”

“…….”

What the hell had happened to him?

After returning from his extermination mission, he would sometimes get lost in thought without warning. When I asked him what was wrong, he would just laugh at me. Therefore, I had to ask once or twice then give up.

Only today did I realize why he was acting so strange.

Maybe he had been thinking about whether he should come here or not.

My selfishness led me to draw conclusions about the thoughts in his head.

In truth, Liel’s mood was too subdued to ask him for details, so I had no choice but to speculate.