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

Knock knock—

Just as I was about to manage my expression and look back at Liel, there was a knock on the door.

Naturally, my and Liel’s eyes went to the door.

“Young Master Marsen, do you have a second?”

A knock came from Her Majesty the Empress. I glanced at Liel immediately when I heard the familiar voice.

“Go ahead and open the door.

I had planned to see the Empress anyway, but the opportunity came sooner than I expected.

Liel opened the door and there stood the Empress, holding Princess Chloe’s hand.

The Empress looked at Liel with concern.

“You must return before it is too late. I’ll let you know when Marquis Seywint wakes up.”

Her Majesty seemed to be concerned about Liel’s studies, as she had not yet heard that I had already awakened.

As I was wondering when I should make my presence felt, my eyes locked with the Princess, who was slumped over with a sullen expression on her face.

Soon, as if on cue, her face lit up.

“Lucy!”

Her voice couldn’t have been brighter as she called out to me. I smiled in return.

Soon she let go of the Empress’ hand and ran toward me. Her short strides looked so cute as she moved diligently.

After catching me off guard for a moment, she put her arm around me on the bed.

“Lucy, are you all right now?”

Upon closer inspection, I realized that the Princess’ wide eyes were red and bloodshot. I wiped away the redness, and she closed and opened her eyes.

“Of course, I’m fine.”

I said, placing my hands on my hips in a deliberately more exaggerated gesture to ease her worries.

I didn’t forget to shrug my shoulders.

“I’m actually pretty strong.”

Actually, this was the first time I’d realized how strong I was, though of course I’d been very lucky to have gotten away with this much damage.

“Is everything okay with the Princess?”

I looked her over, just in case. I blamed it on the urgency of the situation, but I still felt bad about throwing her out there.

Luckily, she didn’t look as badly injured as Liel had said.

“Thanks to you, she’s alive and well.”

It wasn’t the Princess who answered my questions, but the Empress herself. She was looking down at me in wonder as she approached.

“I thought you were dead and gone…….”

There was a deep sense of relief in her voice. I nodded, listening to her mutterings.

I thought I was going to die too.

“God help you, I’m so glad you’re alive and well.”

I almost shook my head no. By my standards, it was Liel, not God, who saved me.

But I didn’t want to spoil the mood, so I didn’t bother to deny her words.

Instead, I glanced at Liel, who stood still by the door, watching me and the Empress.

When our eyes met, Liel smiled coyly.

“By the way, Chloe. What did I tell you to say first thing when the Marquis of Seywint wakes up?”

Suddenly, Her Majesty laid a hand on the princess’ head as she clutched the quilt. I turned my attention back to the two of them.

“Yes! Lucy, thank you for saving me……. Thank you, uh…… thank you…….”

Her voice was full of confidence as she thanked me, but she stuttered at the end.

She wanted to thank me as much as she could by her own standards, but she wasn’t sure how much respect was appropriate.

“And…… and!”

Before I could respond in mute, the Princess spoke up.

“From now on, you don’t have to come play with me.”

My eyes widened at the unexpected words and the Empress looked down at her.

Apparently unaware of the attention, the Princess continued.

“From now on, I will play less and study more, so that I can become a great Empress in the future!”

Play……. Study…….

No, let’s assume that she can be up to studying. But is the word “play” the right word to come out of a 5-year-old child’s mouth?

She even said ‘thank you’ very sloppily…….

“Well……. The Princess has enough on her plate already.”

As I nodded my head, the princess also nodded hers. She nodded so hard that I worried if she might feel dizzy.

“No! There isn’t enough.”

The princess’ face couldn’t have been more serious.

Her back was to the room’s light, which made her face look even more shadowed.

“I see, I understand your intention.”

There was no point in denying it, so I nodded.

“Then I’ll support you, and we’ll be great adults together!”

I wasn’t an adult yet either, so I thought it would be better to look forward to our future together rather than just cheer me on.

I pumped my fists in the air, and the Princess laughed with her mouth wide open.

Then she started slapping her own cheeks with an “ahhhh” face.

A forced blush appeared on her flawless cheeks.

“W, why are your cheeks—”

Just as I was about to stop her, a soft voice interrupted me.

“That’s why, when I grow up, won’t you marry me?”

Princess, didn’t you propose to Liel a month ago……?

Of course, she was rejected by Liel, who took a child’s words too seriously.

Still, I couldn’t understand the Princess suddenly proposing to me.

What’s more, she was even more nervous than when she asked Liel to marry her, which made me think she was serious.

But putting all that aside, I found the confession of a five-year-old child to be adorable.

The Princess smiled sweetly at me, as if she saw the warmth in my eyes, and then spoke more loudly than before.

“L, Lucy, you gave your life to save me, so how could I not fall in love with you?”

Ah, so this is it.

I finally understood why the Princess had asked me to marry her. My smile deepened as I realized why.

“Marriage…… mmm…….”

I crossed my arms like a true adult and pretended to seriously consider the child’s confession.

In reality, I was just trying to figure out what to say that wouldn’t ruin her childhood memories.

“Then—”

I was about to open my mouth after I had already organized my words in my head.

“With all due respect, Your Highness.”

But before I could, Liel burst through the door.

He looked at me, his smile wiped from his face, and his expression blank, as if he were reporting a grave matter.

You’re interrupting me a lot today……?

“That’s not possible under Imperial law.”

What is wrong with you?

What’s wrong with you that you keep saying things that crush a child’s hopes?

“T, the laws…….”

Her Majesty muttered in a desperate voice, as if she had hit a wall of reality.

“Oh, no, Princess……! He…….”

Liel was right again, and I couldn’t think of any other excuse. I glared at Liel with the utmost irritation and whispered in a low voice.

“Why are you talking nonsense again……!”

I kept my voice as low as I could, but there was no way Her Majesty couldn’t hear me.

A cold sweat rolled down my back.

“What nonsense? I’m just stating the facts.”

You think you can say whatever you want with facts?

I grabbed Liel’s arm in a panic, afraid he’d say more, and yanked him toward me.

As soon as Liel’s body tilted, I clamped my hand over his mouth and looked at the Princess.

“Y, Your Majesty, I’m sorry, he, she, no, Liel, no, Young Master Marsen didn’t mean any harm, it’s just, uh…….”

What to say? I should say that he’s never played with a child before.

I racked my brain for the right words. Meanwhile, the Princess’ face was contorting as if she were about to cry.

This is a big deal. If she cries here, Her Majesty will be very angry.

“What are you sorry for? You’re telling the truth, just like Young Master Marsen said.”

“What?”

For a moment I thought I had misheard.

“Chloe, you may not realize this because you haven’t taken any law classes yet, but according to Young Master Marsen, you and the Marquis of Seywint cannot marry under Imperial law.”

“Heuk—”

As if the words of Her Majesty the Empress, who had suddenly started the lesson, were firewood, tears formed in the Princess’ eyes. I looked back and forth between the Empress and Princess Chloe, unable to hide my bewilderment.

“And to ask a marquis, who is at least ten years older than you, who is still only five years old, to promise you her future, is quite unbecoming of a marquis.”

At this point, I had one doubt.

“Marquis Seywint. You can say no to what you can’t do. It will help Chloe’s development.”

Are my values weird……?

My grip on Liel loosened in disbelief. Naturally, he pulled away from me, but he still didn’t know what was wrong.

I felt like I was the only one who was weirded out by Her Majesty’s words.

“Chloe, do you understand?”

Her Majesty the Empress, who had been scolding Princess Chloe in a stern tone, asked her in a sweet voice at the end, as if she had had enough.

“Yes, yes……. Heuk, hmph……. Ugh!”

I forced myself to answer, but the princess burst into tears again.

Yes, I already knew this would happen from many experiences.

She clung to my bed, trying to hold on for dear life. I reached out and patted her on the back.

I honestly thought she deserved to cry.

“C’mon, Chloe, why are you crying?”

Neither Liel nor the Empress really seemed to know why she was crying.