I Became The Male Lead’s Female Friend

Chapter 8 : I Became The Male Lead’s Female Friend Translated by NiksEdited by KBJ 

Because Duke Bouser is famous for forcing knights into ‘absolute obedience’. 

 

It was obvious that it would have been applied to his children’s education as well.

 

What would a child usually think of after repetitive experiences of being neglected since childhood?

 

‘My opinions don’t matter.’

 

That would be the case.

 

And Rudrick wasn’t very different from the general situation.

 

No, maybe it’s even worse. He was so used to being ignored that sincerely thought that it was normal to not show one’s dissatisfaction. 

 

If I tell Rudrick that, “You can say good things are good if you like it and you can say if there are things you don’t like”, will he immediately understand and accept?

 

‘No.’

 

Rather, I’d like to say that, but he thinks I’m a strange person, and he sticks with the way he lived until now. Because old habits don’t change right away.

 

If there is anything I can do in that situation, it is to be considerate to Rudrick.

 

I think that I’m more quick-witted than Rudrick, and I’ve observed him so far, so I know what things he likes and not.

 

 So I say things like,

 

‘I’m a little full. Shall we stop eating dessert now?’

 

Or,

 

‘I don’t want to play mind games today. How about Jenga?’

 

‘Mushroom soup… or Cream soup what would be better? Would you like to eat it together?’

 

‘If you go this way, there is a training center. Are you going to the west?’

 

He would naturally turn things around by just nodding along. 

 

Whenever I thought I was right and asked him for an answer, Rudrick would shyly say “Y-yes…” and follow me with delightful eyes. 

 

Maybe it’s because Rudrick is pretty cute, or it’s because it’s fun to see Rudrick gradually opening up to me.

 

Compared to our first meeting, I thought it would be hard to befriend him, but I became more actively concerned in looking after Rudrick.

 

Soon after, I knew more about his likes and dislikes than Rudrick himself. 

 

I also figured out how to spot the signs when he dislikes something.

 

I could see it right now……

 

‘If there’s something you really don’t like, you bite your lips’

 

Like when he was looking at ‘peas’.

 

There was a dinner with Duchess Bouser that day.

 

My father, who was busy every day, hasn’t had much opportunity to meet the Duchess of Bouser.

 

However, when he heard that the Duchess of Bouser made a dinner appointment with my mother, he intentionally took time out for the meal.

 

I already knew the Duchess from the beginning, and I wondered if I talked too much about Rudrick all day long.

 

And when Father first met Rudrick, he tried to say the same thing as me.

 

Daught-agh!

 

After all, we still have the same reaction upon seeing Rudrick for the first time.

 

My father, who almost said “daughter” when he saw Rudrick, was able to avoid the mistake thanks to my mother sneakily pinching side.

 

I quickly figured out what my father was going to say, so I anxiously looked at Rudrick.

 

I wondered if Rudrick was going to be embarrassed and cry like he did before.

 

But when I looked back at Rudrick, there was an expression on his face that I didn’t expect. 

 

‘Didn’t you hear that?’

 

Rudrick had been staring straight at my father.

 

To be exact, he was looking at my father’s face.

 

Standing next to the Duchess and staring at my father’s face, Rudrick looked more curious than scared.

 

When I saw this, I tilted my head in confusion, because while my father generally had a better impression than most nobles, the butler didn’t seem much less gentle. 

 

Still, Rudrick seemed to shy away from the butler, but not from my father. 

 

‘What’s the difference between the two?’

 

Even though I couldn’t think of the reason why that was the case, it didn’t take long for me to hear the answer. 

 

Because before we entered the restaurant, Rudrick secretly whispered in my ear.

 

“He looks a lot like Dahlia!”

 

“Ahhh!” I answered, seeing his admiration for the similarity with my father.

 

‘Oh my! You cutie.’

 

The reason why Rudrick was especially fond of my father.

 

It’s because my father and I looked alike.

 

Objectively, my appearance resembled my father more than my mother’s. My only complaint was that I looked more like my handsome father, than my elegant and beautiful mother.

 

Nevertheless, seeing Rudrick, who can’t hide his flushed cheeks looking at my father’s resemblance, makes me smile without realizing it. I tried to manage my expression, grabbed him by the shoulder and whispered kindly.

 

“Shall we go in?”

 

First of all, our parents who entered the restaurant had already been seated, and we were sitting in the spare seats.

 

Somehow I ended up sitting next to Rudrick, and I was a little embarrassed because I thought that Rudrick and the Duchess would sit together.

 

However, seeing the adults smiling at us sitting side by side, I could tell their intentions.

 

‘You’ve set this up in advance.’

 

Obviously, my mother would have suggested it first, but in reality my father looked at me most cutely, so I was confused as to who suggested it first.

 

In fact, I didn’t care where I sat, so I waited for the food. However, Rudrick was sweating, looking to the side as if the gaze of our parents was burdensome.

 

Before I could eat the food, I was afraid that Rudrick would feel sick, so I quickly spoke.

 

“Mother, how did you get to know the Duchess, when Mother was from another kingdom?”

 

In fact, I wasn’t curious about it, and it was a story that I brought up to get a moderate topic, but it was my father who responded unexpectedly.

 

When I brought up the story, my father, who stiffened up, soon tried to distract me by saying, “The food seems to be coming out late.”

 

Mother quickly noticed my father looking pale like a ghost.

 

My mother, who was exchanging significant glances with the Duchess sitting next to me, soon covered her mouth and laughed. Her face looked like she was going to die of joy, which made me a little nervous.

 

‘You’re not making fun of me are you?’

 

But it was not me, but my father.

 

“Because your father asked me to.”

 

“What? Why?”

 

“’I want to be with you.’, is what he said to me.”

 

“What?!”

 

What? Really?

 

I opened my eyes wide in shock at the words I heard.

 

I knew that my father liked my mother first, but I never imagined that my father would have done something like this.

 

My father, who is known for being gentle and polite, my shy father who blushes and doesn’t know what to do when mother touches him a little?

 

I thought that the father I knew would have been suffering alone without telling my mother how he felt.

 

Feeling a sudden curiosity about another side of my father, I looked at my mother with my glimmering eyes.

 

“Why? He was in a hurry because Mother was so pretty? Were you afraid someone was going to steal her?”

 

“Ah! Dahlia.”

 

“Oh my God that is also true.”

 

My father’s face turned red when I tried to tease him half-heartedly, and my mother smiled joyfully.

 

It was the Duchess of Bouser, who was smiling softly that answered my question in the noisy seat.

 

“That’s true. Your mother came to the Empire to marry the imperial family.”

 

It was roughly what the Duchess said.

 

My mother’s homeland sent her to have a political marriage for a solid alliance with the Empire.

 

It was my mother, the youngest princess, who visited the Imperial Palace with her envoy.

 

In fact, it was said that if there is no problem, my mother was going to be engaged there. However, in the end a problem arose.

 

It was because Father had Mother in his heart.

 

“When your father became my escort, I wondered if there was anyone like this. He was the least capable of being a vice commander.”

 

It is said that my father, who was the vice-commander of the Imperial Knights at the time, was in charge of escorting mother, a Royal Family from another country.

 

I already knew that Father, who had nothing to do with martial arts, became a knight instead of receiving education as Averine’s successor, but I never knew that he was mother’s escort.

 

Anyway, my father, who was in charge of the mother’s escort, fell in love with Mother at first sight, and went through some irregularities.

 

However, he eventually acknowledged his feelings and suffered from another conflict. 

 

That was, ‘How do I do it?’

 

Anyway, the Empire only had to marry the royal family or aristocrat in a position suitable to the princess for the alliance with the empire, and the status of father, the eldest son of a Duke, had nothing to kneel for.

 

However, the problem was that my father was a pure man.

 

‘What’s the point if it’s just a political marriage?’

 

My father wanted my mother to feel the same way as him. He wanted it to be done with love, not with an obligation to marry.

 

Later, I heard from the butler that it was my father’s long-cherished dream to live close to someone he loved.

 

It’s not that I don’t understand my father’s dream because his parents, the previous Duke and Duchess of Averine, did not get along very well.

 Read only at Travis Translations