The Childhood Friend of the Villainess in a Romance Fantasy

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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“I’ve been thinking.”

As I walked toward Prince Evan’s location, Amelia explained why she had said such a thing in front of Father.

“Breaking a promise isn’t a good solution. And deliberately losing in the second duel doesn’t seem like a great idea either. Instead, how about taking a ‘postponement’ approach?”

“Postponement?”

“Literally. Keep postponing the duel indefinitely. If you delay it for years, Prince Evan might eventually forget about it, don’t you think? And that wouldn’t mean you’ve broken your promise—it would simply be something both sides forget about and let fade away. This sort of thing is surprisingly common among nobles.”

Was that so?

But it did seem to make some sense.

I couldn’t unilaterally break a promise with a prince. Besides, I was the one who had proposed the idea of a best-of-three duels. It was also my assertion that “dueling would help us understand each other better.”

“But how?”

Amelia’s suggestion sounded plausible, but it wasn’t as if I hadn’t thought about it before. The real problem was that I had no idea how to make it work.

That’s why I even considered asking Gray to bite my arm.

The term “Giant” described a race whose sheer size was immense. Judging by the recorded heights of pureblood giants, it was hard to fathom what possessed the first person to think of associating with them. Regardless, giants of that era intermarried with humans, leaving descendants who kept their lineage alive, even though pureblood giants had vanished. Those descendants were now the Delkis people.

Even now, the term “Giant” was still in limited use. While the Delkis people weren’t pure giants, their bodies still bore proof of their giant lineage.

Tall stature, a muscular build that accounted for a significant portion of body weight, an extraordinary ability to adapt to harsh environments, absolute resistance to magic, and a near-complete lack of aptitude for it.

That giant blood flowed in me as well, even though I wasn’t particularly tall.

My mother was two meters tall. Though I would never match her stature, I inherited the strength and durability of the giants.. Ironically, I seemed to have inherited all the giant traits except for the “giant” part.

As a result, I rarely got hurt.

Even when Father dropped me from a high place, I only ended up with a small bump on my head, which healed in no time.

Though my growth had slowed with age, I retained enough giant blood that I could survive wolves biting my head without sustaining any serious injuries. I could even roll over stone floors without so much as a scratch.

Of course, if a wolf truly bit me with the intent to kill, I’d be injured. But unless a wolf was genuinely trying to kill me, it was hard to hurt me.

That’s why I was skeptical about Amelia’s suggestion. It was a promise with a prince, after all. Postponing it would require an unavoidable reason, but I had no idea how to fabricate one.

“For that, I have an idea.”

But Amelia answered immediately.

Her tone and expression weren’t particularly confident, but her demeanor carried a certain determination.

“Despite how I look, I do carry a bit of royal blood. There’s no need to worry too much.”

I wasn’t worried—I was just asking for a method.

Still, the way Amelia spoke with an air of “Just trust me” left me feeling a bit curious.

*

“I am Amelia Grattanmount, eldest daughter of the Grand Ducal House of Grattanmount. It is an honor to meet His Highness, Prince Evan of the illustrious Alwen Kingdom, blessed by the grace of God.”

Amelia curtsied gracefully, lightly lifting her skirt with both hands. Her every movement exuded elegance.

For reference, “The illustrious Alwen Kingdom, blessed by the grace of God,” was the official name of the Alwen Kingdom. While it was customary to use the entire title, almost no one bothered to recite the full name in everyday life.

Similarly, titles like “Grand Duke” or “Prince” were often accompanied by various prefixes, but no one routinely recited them all except during major events like formal banquets, weddings, or funerals.

“I am Prince Evan. It’s a pleasure to meet the famous eldest daughter of the Grand Ducal House of Grattanmount.”

“It would be an honor if you ever visited the Grand Duchy.”

“…I understand. I hope to visit someday.”

Hmm.

Watching a ten-year-old and a seven-year-old converse like this made it feel oddly like they were playing house.

But when I considered the weight behind their words, it became amusing in a different way.

The two exchanged casual pleasantries for a while. Their conversation wasn’t particularly noteworthy. “How is your father?” “He is well, thank you.” “How is His Majesty the King?” “He is in good health,” and so on.

Eventually, we sat down around a table naturally. Although maids and knights stood near the entrance, the two didn’t seem to notice, which I found somewhat impressive. I also marveled at their aristocratic ability to stretch trivial pleasantries for the entire duration of a cup of tea.

As their first cups of tea neared empty, the prince cast a sidelong glance at me and spoke.

“So… I understand why the Lady of the Grand Ducal House of Grattanmount is here, but why is the Lady of Delkis present?”

“I asked Elsie to introduce me to Your Highness because she is a dear friend. I heard that the two of you have already crossed swords in a duel. Since dueling is not just a test of skill but also a way to understand each other’s character, I thought Elsie would be the most suitable person to introduce me.”

“That… makes sense.”

The prince glanced at me slightly, looking troubled.

It was understandable. The first duel barely qualified as a duel at all.

Not to mention, the prince had ended up in tears after losing. The misunderstandings that followed my careless words had snowballed to this point.

“And… I also heard that Elsie has requested an additional duel with Your Highness.”

“That is true.”

The prince’s gaze flitted toward me for a moment, but as soon as our eyes met, he quickly looked away. A faint blush had spread across his cheeks.

…At the time, I thought he was just embarrassed. But thinking about it now, it must have been because it was the first time in his life that he’d been confessed to by a girl. The realization made me want to tear my hair out, roll on the floor, and scream that it wasn’t like that. But if I did, it wouldn’t just be me who’d face embarrassment—it’d bring trouble to my entire family.

So, for now, I simply kept my mouth shut and decided to trust Amelia.

“Although it’s not my place to interfere in the relationship between the two of you…”

Amelia shifted her gaze around as though to match the atmosphere. Her cheeks were slightly flushed as well.

That must be an act, right? If Amelia genuinely had such a girlish sensibility, she would have asked me something like, “Do you truly love him?” when I told her my story. But Amelia had prioritized assessing the situation instead.

From the perspective of someone like her, who had memories of a past life, it was the natural thing to do. After all, only I knew that she would end up with the heroine in the future. It made sense for her to avoid letting someone who could potentially destroy her escape her expectations. A single misstep could ruin her plans and leave her unable to avoid the downfall that awaited her.

“What is it?” The prince addressed Amelia, who seemed a little reluctant.

“Well, it’s just… I’m wondering if it’s truly alright for me to interfere…”

“It’s fine. Speak your mind.”

When Amelia deliberately trailed off to draw his attention, the prince responded, sounding slightly exasperated.

“In that case, I will risk being presumptuous and speak.”

Amelia took a small breath before speaking with a slightly nervous expression.

“How about postponing the second duel for a few years?”

“…What?”

The prince looked startled.

I was no different. If it were that easy to delay it by simply saying so, I would have done it on my own long ago.

Fortunately, Amelia didn’t seem to think she could postpone it with just words alone.

“Your Highness is still in the early stages of swordsmanship, are you not?”

“…”

At Amelia’s blunt remark, the prince froze for a moment, his mouth slightly agape.

“…That’s… true.”

He managed to stammer out a response.

…Was this part of the original story?

“Lady Elsie, on the other hand, hasn’t even reached that the early stages yet.”

“…What?”

The prince looked even more bewildered as he asked.

“That’s correct. Unlike Your Highness, who has at least reached the initial stages, Elsie lacks any particular talent for swordsmanship.”

Uh… Amelia?

Are you sure this approach is going to convince him?

The prince’s face turned so red it looked like it might explode.