The Childhood Friend of the Villainess in a Romance Fantasy

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

“But the Prince has talent.”

Amelia continued to speak without batting an eye, even after observing the Prince’s expression.

No matter how young he was—only ten years old—it didn’t change the fact that he was still a prince. Well, I also didn’t feel particularly tense around him, even considering his status. But Amelia seemed genuinely unfazed.

If anything, she seemed more nervous riding in the carriage earlier.

“Talent?”

“Yes. While Your Highness has not yet mastered aura, the Alwen royal family—and by extension, the Saxon imperial family—are renowned for their mastery to wield golden aura. And as I understand it, aura is not something that is easily acquired. My knowledge of swordsmanship is limited to what I’ve heard in passing, but as far as I know, no one at the age of ten has ever enveloped their sword with aura.”

“That’s… true.”

As Amelia’s explanation went on, the Prince’s face, which had turned bright red in embarrassment, began to gradually calm down.

Her words were convincing—so much so that even I, listening from the side, found myself nodding in agreement.

Although the Crown Prince’s role wasn’t as central as the heroine’s in the original story, he was still one of the most renowned swordsmen. Well, male leads in romance fantasy stories typically excel at swordsmanship. The difference lies in whether they’re at the level of a Sword Master or simply exceptionally skilled.

On the rare occasion a male lead isn’t skilled with the sword, they’re usually adept in magic—or absurdly wealthy. If they’re not swordsmen, they’re extraordinary magicians or fabulously wealthy—like the youngest master of a magic tower or the heir to a merchant guild empire.

Sometimes, they’re extraordinary assassins or famous holy knights— though these archetypes didn’t appear in the novel upon which this world is based.

In the novel I read, the original male leads were the Crown Prince, a Northern knight, a master wizard from the magic tower , and the next head of the merchant guild.

Incidentally, the “Northern knight” role belonged to Harvey. Perhaps the author had grown tired of the Grand Duke of the North trope, as they opted for the ambiguous position of the son of a baron—not even a Northern baron himself.

“If Your Highness has the ability to master aura, then until that ability fully blossoms, you can’t truly claim to have realized your full potential. Wouldn’t it be better to take some time to develop your powers before facing another duel?”

“….”

The Prince lowered his gaze briefly, seemingly lost in thought. He glanced up at Amelia’s face, then flicked his eyes toward me before turning his gaze to the ceiling. Each movement was childlike in its innocence.

Well, he was a child, after all.

“If I master aura, will I be able to defeat the people in this household?”

“…If Your Highness attains the skill to wield aura in your sword, you’ll certainly be able to spar on equal footing. And perhaps, you’ll also be able to have a more honest conversation with Lady Elsie.”

At first glance, it sounded like she was agreeing. In reality, though, her answer didn’t guarantee anything.

In the original story, it was said that no one could surpass Harvey’s swordsmanship. That likely included the Crown Prince. Although I had never seen the two spar directly, it seemed a safe assumption.

“I see…”

Evan, the Prince, seemed to mull over her words.

Amelia and I remained silent, quietly observing him. Saying anything unnecessary could risk undoing the progress she’d made in persuading him.

At one point, Amelia even shot me a brief glance as if to warn me to stay quiet.

“…There’s… something I want to ask.”

After a long pause, the Prince finally spoke again.

“Is it possible for someone’s skills to emerge over time? Like, could someone who falls behind as a child later catch up or even surpass others?”

His tone wasn’t that of a prince but that of an innocent child.

“Of course.”

Amelia responded with confidence.

“Just like how height differences in childhood can reverse when you grow up, someone who seemed clever as a child might later find they’ve already hit their peak. Such things happen all the time.”

The same was true of the Prince and his younger sibling.

When Prince Evan was still just a prince, there was a story about how he trailed behind his younger sibling in every aspect. However, after ascending as crown prince, the situation completely reversed, leaving his sibling consumed by inferiority—a key turning point in the story.

That incident occurred not only in the villainess novel I read but also in the romance fantasy Amelia had read, which explained her confident answer.

“I’m the weakest in my family as well.”

Riding on the momentum, I spoke to the prince.

“I was so untalented in swordsmanship that my family worried I wouldn’t even qualify as a proper member of the Delkis lineage. But later, I awakened as a druid and now contribute to the family in my own way. Your Highness will surely find your own path as well.”

“….”

“….”

The moment I finished speaking, the warm, supportive atmosphere in the room vanished.

…Huh?

Did I say something wrong?

Amelia’s sharp glare sent cold sweat trickling down my back. When I glanced at the prince, I saw him staring blankly, muttering to himself.

“…That was… the swordsmanship of the weakest in the family? That was the swordsmanship of someone with no talent?”

The Prince murmured blankly, his expression dazed. Only then did I realize the nonsense I’d just blurted out.

“Oh, um, that is…”

Having overturned all of Amelia’s efforts, I stammered, unable to think of a way to comfort the Prince.

Eventually, Amelia managed to persuade Evan with:

“The Delkis people possess unique physical abilities, different from ordinary humans. It’s not strange that Your Highness would struggle against them.”

*

Only after a lengthy explanation did the Prince nod in understanding.

In the end, the duel was postponed.

Once Evan mastered the art of aura, I would spar with him at full strength.

“I’m sorry for interrupting earlier…”

“It couldn’t be helped. And what you said was true. Even if we had hidden it now, Prince Evan would have realized it on his own eventually.”

Just… not so soon.

“Do you think Prince Evan will challenge me to a duel once he learns to wield aura?”

“Prince Evan has a good memory… or so I’ve heard.”

Amelia hastily corrected herself, as though she was about to let slip some hidden knowledge.

“So I believe he will remember the duel promise. But I don’t think there’s any need to worry too much.”

“Why not?”

“Because by the time he grows up, he’ll be surrounded by so many women that a childhood promise from one won’t matter.”

Amelia spoke with confidence.

…She was probably right.

The Crown Prince had a bit of a narcissistic streak. Although he occasionally showed clumsy moments, his primary trait was his overconfidence. He was like one of those blonde, arrogant characters you see in Japanese comics—just much better looking.

By the time Prince Evan grew up, he would likely have the kind of appearance that graced the covers of Korean romance webnovels, much like Harvey.

With that face and the title of Crown Prince, women would inevitably flock to him, both in private and public spheres. These women wouldn’t just be anyone; they’d all be beautiful, self-assured, and accomplished, befitting someone who could stand beside him without being overshadowed.

…It must be nice to be that impressive.

“I’ll ask one last time—you weren’t genuinely fond of the prince, right? You’re not going to feel hurt or anything, are you?”

“Absolutely not. Don’t worry.”

When I firmly denied it, Amelia let out a sigh of relief.

“In the future, be more cautious when speaking in front of high-ranking individuals. It’s fortunate this was just a young prince. An experienced noble might have used your words to twist the situation to their advantage.”

“I’ll be more careful… I learned my lesson.”

When I responded somewhat gloomily, Amelia let out a soft laugh.

“….”

“….”

For a moment, silence fell between us.

The sound of logs crackling in the fireplace filled the room. My room, with its stone walls and floor, was chilly except near the fire. Still, it was much warmer than outside.

“By the way,” I said, as something suddenly came to mind. “Why did the Grand Duke’s daughter come to our territory?”

That’s right—I didn’t even know the reason for her visit.

“Well, obviously—”

Amelia began to speak but paused, closing her mouth.

“Obviously?”

When I echoed her abruptly halted words, Amelia’s lips curled into a faint smile.

“Did you know? Recently, we succeeded in procuring chili powder.”

“Really!”

At her words, I couldn’t help but cheer.