The Childhood Friend of the Villainess in a Romance Fantasy

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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I had never imagined why Elsie Delkis, a character in the original work, became the person she was.

In hindsight, it seemed natural. Characters with a “Northern” background were typically depicted as stoic but had a pure side to them, which had become a kind of cliché.

I thought Elsie was just another example of that.

In the novel, when the term ‘barbarian’ was used, I just thought of them as barbarians, and when it was said that they were being repelled, I assumed it was just a fight between people.

But the reality was different from what I had imagine.

Who were the outsiders most commonly encountered by the northerners? Of course, it would be merchants—the ones who visit regularly.

And there were also the people of the Grand Duke’s family.

However, unless one was leaving the North themselves, they would hardly ever meet anyone else.

Moreover, those who visited this place regularly didn’t come out of a desire to be here. They came purely out of obligation, fulfilling duties that brought them to such a remote area.

Very few of those who came here truly connected with the people of this land.

Even among people of similar ages, this was the case. How much more so for a young child like Elsie.

…For Elsie Delkis, who grew up witnessing countless horrifying sights from a young age, it wouldn’t be strange for her to remain calm with a composed expression, unaffected by most things.

At the same time, it wouldn’t be surprising if she harbored an extremely unstable emotional state. After all, she had been fighting against those terrifying things since childhood.

“……”

The faint sound of splashing reached my ears.

Thanks to the warm water provided by the Delkis family, the blood on my body washed away easily. Truthfully, there wasn’t much to make a fuss about. Compared to Elsie, who had practically been drenched in blood, or the prince who had driven a blade into a barbarian’s neck, the amount on me was nothing.

“Ugh.”

Recalling the scene, I let out an involuntary groan.

Actually, it wasn’t me who should be making such sounds.

I… hadn’t been of any help.

I had just crouched there, frozen, my gaze fixed blankly on the scene before me. Even my maid—Amy, who knew nothing—had shielded me.

I knew that even if I had rushed in, I wouldn’t have been of any help. I likely would have only gotten in the way.

But if that was the case…

Wouldn’t it have been better if I hadn’t stayed here at all? If I had just followed Father’s instructions, greeted the prince, been satisfied with the awkward expression he made when he looked at me, and returned home before the long night began—wouldn’t that have been for the best?

In the original work, it was only mentioned that the crown prince had gained combat experience at a young age. The specifics of where and how he had gained that experience weren’t elaborated on.

…In fact, the “where and how” probably hadn’t even been decided in the author’s mind. At the time of Part 1, the developments for Part 2 likely hadn’t even been planned.

The fact that Prince Evan had gained combat experience in Delkis—was that something that could happen? Was it just left to the imagination because it wasn’t described in the novel?

I tried to recall the depictions of Delkis from the original story.

In Part 1, the Crown Prince didn’t end up with the heroine. He gave up on her, and at the very end of Part 1, the person who stood closest to the heroine was the head of the Magic Tower.

As the vague expression “closest” implies, they didn’t fully become a couple. It was a somewhat criticized development, as it was clearly a plot extension to milk more out of the story.

And this head of the Magic Tower claimed,, “Investigating the strange phenomena in the polar regions will reveal very important truths,” leading them to Delkis, the northernmost territory in the Alwen Kingdom.

However, the timeline of Part 1 began ten years from now, and Part 2 took place two years after the start of Part 1.

Twelve years from now.

Perhaps because the author probably wanted to focus on romance, it was mentioned that by then, most of the northern region had been settled and was almost peaceful.

In that time, only a handful of barbarians remained—at least, the ones who looked human enough to be seen as people. The fact that the rest were settled means that the people of Delkis had been wielding their swords diligently for those twelve years.

Of course, based on Part 2’s story, the barbarians were merely affected by a deeper fundamental phenomenon—

But that wasn’t my problem to solve. That was the Tower Master’s job.

…Would it be possible to solve the problem quickly if I learned more about the Magic Tower’s leader now…?

……

“Haa…”

I ran my hand over my face. Perhaps because I had been sitting in the warm bath for too long, my thoughts felt sluggish. A slight dizziness prompted me to realize it was time to get up.

I carefully rose, making sure not to lose my balance.

*

After thoroughly cleaning myself and dressing, I stepped outside.

I couldn’t enter Elsie’s room where I had been staying.

“My apologies,Your Highness. There’s blood everywhere… and, well, there are just too many things that might be a bit unpleasant to show. I’m really sorry, but I’ll guide you to a room where there are no such things until everything is cleaned up.”

From the bloodstains visible even in the hallway, it was clear that battles had taken place throughout the building.

However, it didn’t mean the entire castle had been completely overrun by barbarians, knights, and warriors. Naturally, less fighting had occurred in areas with fewer people.

“We haven’t secured the entire castle yet. Considering how they got in, it wouldn’t be surprising if they were hiding in some empty room.”

It seemed that the room they had prepared for me to wash up in wasn’t actually a proper bathroom. It was just a temporary arrangement.

The same applied to the room they intended to guide me to next.

“Where is Lady Elsie?”

I stopped walking and asked the question, prompting the Delkis hunter leading the way to turn back and look at me.

He seemed a bit confused as he glanced at me, so I spoke again.

“I need to talk to Lady Elsie. Please take me to where she is.”

“The young lady is still washing up. If you wait for her, I’ll bring her to you once she’s ready.”

“…It’s urgent.”

Truthfully, it probably didn’t seem all that urgent for two seven-year-old children to have a conversation. He wouldn’t know that both I and Elsie had souls much older than our outward appearances.

“Understood. However, if that’s the case, you’ll end up waiting outside the room where the young lady is bathing.”

“That’s fine. It’s what I want.”

At my firm response, the hunter nodded.

He led me to a place in front of a room that looked similar to the one I had used to wash up.

From beyond the door, I could hear faint splashing sounds of water. There was also the sound of water cascading down, as if being poured from above.

And I stood there, trembling a little in the cold, waiting outside the door.

Although I had bathed in warm water, it was still winter outside—a winter they called the “true winter.”

In Delkis, where the snow never melted, winter was truly a life-threatening season.

Feeling the chill of my still-damp hair cooling rapidly, I moved closer to a torch mounted on the wall to seek its warmth.

“Are you really sure this is all right?”

The hunter, who seemed to be standing by in case of any emergencies, asked me, and I nodded.

The fire’s warmth helped a little.

After waiting for several minutes, Elsie finally stepped out of the room.

Like me, she was already dressed and had tied up her wet hair, squeezing as much water out of it as possible.

Breathing out as if feeling refreshed, Elsie blinked in surprise when she saw me already there, waiting.

“Lady Elsie.”

When I called her name, which looked a little pale, she responded quietly.

“Your Highness.”

I hesitated. Would it be okay to bring up what had just happened to a child who had gone through such a terrible ordeal?

Although she was much older than her seven years, she was still very much a child, no more than a middle-schooler.

…Thinking about it like that only made me feel even more guilty.

Wasn’t it a young child much younger than me who had fought with a sword and protected me through all that?

Perhaps I really shouldn’t have stayed.

“…May I speak with you for a moment?”

When I asked, Elsie nodded.

“All right, then let’s go to a nearby room first—”

As she said this, I unconsciously reached out. We hadn’t had much physical contact before, but it wasn’t because I had intentionally avoided it. We just weren’t close enough to warrant such gestures.

So, this action wasn’t deliberate on my part. It simply happened instinctively. Maybe it was because Elsie looked even paler than usual, or maybe it was my guilt manifesting in my behavior.

But the next moment, I was startled and quickly withdrew the hand I had placed on her shoulder.

It was cold.

“Elsie, your body…”

“Oh, sorry. It’s because I just finished washing,”

Elsie answered, and for a moment, I stood there in shock.

“…You washed up, and you’re this cold?”

If she had gone in and out of warm water, there should have been some warmth left in her body.

“Well, the water was cold.”

When I saw Elsie tilt her head in confusion, my mouth dropped open.

She had washed with cold water?

In this weather?