The Childhood Friend of the Villainess in a Romance Fantasy

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Since earlier, Amelia had been giving me a peculiar look.

The novel I was reading was a free one, and since it was free, the author couldn’t include paid illustrations. Naturally, there were no author icons or anything like that either.

So, the only appearance I knew was the AI-drawn cover, and I only knew Amelia’s actions solely described through the novel’s text.

Ah, but even without having read the novel, from the way she crossed her arms and squinted at me, it was clear enough she didn’t view me favorably.

And right now, the Amelia in front of me wasn’t exactly the same version of Amelia introduced from the original novel—she was only seven, after all. We were the same age, but her eyes were far below mine, not because she was small, but because I was tall.

“…Did I do something wrong?”

The reason I asked this was because nothing came to mind that I might have done to offend Amelia.

Whether she had inherited her father’s personality or it was due to the mind of a woman in her late twenties inside, I didn’t know, but she wasn’t particularly startled when the wolf pack emerged from behind me.

In fact, she looked as though she had expected it.

What could be the reason for Amelia’s unfazed reaction?

If I assumed Amelia was someone reincarnated from modern Korea, like in the novel I read, then a few hypotheses were possible.

First, maybe in the “original novel” Amelia read, there was a character named Elsie Delkis.

I wasn’t referring to the novel I read, but rather the “original romance fantasy” that existed in the setting of the villainess novel.

If there had been a character named Elsie Delkis in that story, but she didn’t need to appear in the villainess novel, it wouldn’t be strange for Amelia to know about my existence.

Although it’s odd for me to say this, Elsie Delkis was a fairly distinctive character.

I mean, a female character in a fantasy novel who inherits the blood the giants and leads a wolf pack? And the story doesn’t use that setup?

Then what’s the point of creating such a detailed character?

So, I concluded that the likelihood of this theory was quite low.

More plausible was the idea that she had been thoroughly educated from a young age by her father, the Grand Duke of Grattanmount.

“….”

Whether I had something she didn’t like, I wasn’t sure, but Amelia didn’t respond to my question.

We were in my room.

No matter how intriguing my powers were, a Grand Duke wouldn’t come all the way here just to see me summon a pack of wolves. There must be some political discussions to be had among the adults, probably about securing food supplies for the coming year.

And my father had entrusted this Grand Duke’s daughter to me.

Our ages were close, and we were both girls.

It was fascinating to meet the protagonist from the original story, but honestly, I wasn’t sure what to do at this point.

I couldn’t just go, “Hi, you’re Korean, right? So am I.” Besides, the novel I read and the one she read were different stories. In the world I lived in, the ‘original’ she read didn’t exist, and in her world, the ‘villainess novel’ I read didn’t exist either. So there was no guarantee that the Korea I knew was the same as the Korea she knew.

“Lady Delkis?”

Lost in thought, Amelia finally spoke and called me.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I answered as politely as possible.

I was wearing a proper dress now. Meeting unexpectedly during a patrol was one thing, but I couldn’t wear rags inside the castle, even if those rags were warmer.

She should understand—though, if she were a modern Korean, she might find such customs odd. Then again, if her idea of ‘Korea’ was a place like the Daehan Empire in a historical novel, who knows.

“So, your druid powers awakened this year?”

“Yes, they did.”

I replied as courteously as I could.

Hearing my answer, Amelia wiggled her finger thoughtfully and looked up at me. If an adult woman did this, it would have felt different, but it seemed oddly out of place for a chubby little seven-year-old to wiggle her tiny fingers like that.

Would it look better if I did it? Not that I’d actually try.

“Your bangs.”

“Pardon?”

“How long have you had your hair like that?”

“….”

I instinctively touched my hair. My bangs were swept to the side, fully exposing my forehead.

To be honest, it wasn’t a hairstyle I’d have worn as a man. A man with this style… might look a bit silly, right? Unless he was exceptionally handsome, I guess. I’d never been exceptionally handsome.

In this world, women typically grew their hair long. It was a medieval fantasy world, after all. Female knights might be an exception, but even in the Delkis family, most women had long hair.

As it grew, my bangs often pricked my eyes. I thought it would look strange to cut just the bangs short, so I just kept brushing them to the side.

“I don’t remember exactly. It’s just been like this ever since I started growing my hair long.”

“From the beginning? Always?”

“Yes.”

I answered, slightly puzzled at Amelia’s confirming tone, and she tilted her head thoughtfully.

Seeing a child do that was kind of cute. Thankfully, she didn’t whine or fuss, perhaps because she was an adult inside.

“Do you plan to keep your hair like that?”

“Probably, unless something special comes up.”

“Mm….”

When I responded, Amelia furrowed her brows and looked up at me thoughtfully.

“Well, that’s fine. It doesn’t look bad on you.”

Would she have told me to change it if it didn’t?

While I tilted my head in confusion, Amelia stood up and said to me,

“Very well, then. Can you show me around the castle?”

“The castle?”

“I’ve heard a lot about the Barony of Delkis. That it’s a place of strong and courageous people. And that this castle serves as a frontline defense against the Northern Barbarians. As a member of the Grand Ducal House, I’ll observe this place with my own eyes, since it’s such a crucial stronghold.”

Interesting.

Of course, if one knows the future of their reincarnated character, it’s natural to investigate to avoid ruin.

We still had nearly ten years until the main story began, so maybe she was gathering knowledge during that time. Seeing things directly is quite different from reading about them.

Come to think of it, Amelia did seem familiar with Harvey Delkis in the original.

In the novel, my older brother was reserved and stoic, though I don’t know what changed him over the years. He was different now.

Harvey was the brother who played with me the most. Not that I wanted to play, honestly. My actual age was older than his, so I often found his childlike games irritating.

But ignoring him was difficult. After all, I was still a child, too.

“I would be honored to show you around.”

Amelia and my brother wouldn’t have any future connection, but wouldn’t it be nice if I could help him act less standoffish, unlike in the main story?

Reading the novel, I would have thought of him as a character I would never warm up to, but living as family had changed my view over the years.

—

“….”

“….”

When Amelia met my brother, he clammed up. This was the same brother who would always rush over, calling me “sister!”

“I am Amelia Grattanmount, daughter of the Grand Duke.”

“…I am Harvey Delkis.”

And silence again.

My brother wore a solemn expression.

But I clearly saw his eyes tremble slightly whenever they glanced at me.

…

What? Could it be he just couldn’t talk in front of girls?

Meanwhile, even though she hadn’t received a proper response, Amelia’s eyes sparkled.

She had that “Oh my, how dashing!” look.

I looked from Amelia to my brother again.

…Is he handsome? Could he actually be incredibly good-looking, and I just didn’t realize because he’s family?

Well, being one of the leads in a romance fantasy would mean he would have to be handsome. But more than that, isn’t he a bit too tall? Even by adult standards, he was towering. For seven-year-old Amelia, his head was practically in the clouds.

Then again, Amelia had just met the male lead from her favorite novel. It must be a thrilling moment for her.

…

But would Amelia ever realize that the “silent” male lead was simply just too shy to talk in front of girls?