The villain, who is also the main character of this world, the supporting character who will be killed by him, and the character who doesn’t even appear in the novel.

At that time, Serik, who was turning his eyes with me, pulled the hem of my clothes lightly.

As I leaned toward Serik, he whispered softly in my ear.

“Wasn’t it just the two of us meeting each other?”

“I’m sorry. But this is Mother’s order, so…”

It was just the other day that I asked Serik to be friends with just the two of us.

It was a complete lie.

When I blushed in embarrassment, Serik, knowing the circumstances in the Duke’s castle, smiled as if he was okay.

Serik was also very understanding.

Then, Reynold, who had been staring at the two of us, arrogantly nodded his head and opened his mouth.

“I’m right, am I not?”

Apparently, Reynold knew we’d end up like this, whether we wanted to or not.

Only Serik, unable to understand Reynold’s words, tilted his head around.

I barely straightened my almost crumpled face and responded to his words.

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t opened up to you yet.”

“Ah, really?”

Reynold’s cheeky reply made me really angry.

The realm of his talent clearly isn’t to frighten the opponent with such a scary face, but to piss them off.

“But that’s the same for me.”

If that’s the case, why the hell did you come here!

I barely swallowed my sigh.

“What is your personality like?”

“My personality?”

“Because you’re more shameless than you look.”

At my words, Reynold smiled lightly.

Somehow, the more I talked to him, the more I felt like stopping him.

“…The two of you must be very close?”

Serik, who was listening to our conversation from the side, asked cautiously.

“No?”

I reflexively responded to his words, and Reynold chose silence.

I hurriedly continued speaking in case Serik misunderstood.

“Never, we’ll never be like that.”

It would be a big deal if there were even rumors that I was close with that kid.

Rumors spread quickly, and if that happened, the perception that ‘Reynold and Danae are close’ might be caught in everyone’s subconscious.

At my urgent words, Serik blinked his eyes for a moment, then awkwardly nodded his head while trying to raise the corners of his lips.

Seriously, maybe this is a good thing?

Should I go visit the Duke today?

The Duke didn’t seem to welcome Reynold, so if I express my intentions once more, I might be able to cut this meeting off.

I felt like my stomach was hurting because I was stressed.

Eventually, I jumped up from my seat.

Then, Reynold’s gaze turned to me at once.

“Where are you going?”

“Toilet.”

The nobles of the Empire expressed the word going to the toilet in a roundabout way. I will go to the breakroom, something like this.

So Reynold must have never expected the word ‘toilet’ to come out of my mouth as a noble.

“…You say such a thing out loud?”

Reynold seemed quite shocked.

It was distinctly different from Serik’s calm demeanor, which had become accustomed to my speaking habits.

Look, I told you, this way we don’t get along.

I opened my mouth with a proud face.

“You’re lucky I didn’t say anything more vulgar here.”

“…”

Reynold completely crumpled his face.

Seeing his wrinkled face made me feel strangely refreshed.

I went to the furthest toilet as far as I could.

It was because I thought I should buy time even in this way.

On the way back, I walked as slowly as possible.

Interfering in the affairs of busy servants everywhere, and blowing dandelion seeds one by one if I see them.

As I was wandering around for a long time, I saw Pul looking for me in the distance.

Pul, who was turning his head here and there, found me and hurriedly ran to me and asked.

“Miss! Where are you from?”

“Toilet. Is there something wrong?”

The sight of the Pul profusely sweating was rather strange.

“Your friends fought while the Miss was away.”

What is Pul saying now? Why would my naive friend Serik fight with Reynold?

Even if Reynold had challenged him to a fight, Serik definitely wouldn’t have accepted it.

I reacted indifferently to his words.

“Don’t lie to me.”

“It’s not a lie!”

“To think the two of them are fighting, it’s really… ”

Trying to ignore it, I thought just in case. The opponent is Reynold, who is the villain.

My feet moved first before I could think with my head.

Pul shouted from behind, asking why I didn’t believe him so much, yet I couldn’t hear anything.

Panting for breath, as I headed towards the two of them, the reflection in my eyes was the sight of hot tea pouring down Serik’s arm.

“…”

And Reynold was calmly catching his breath while watching Serik like that.

Watching it made my blood run cold.

I hurriedly approached the injured Serik.

Pul, who had been following me from behind, also found the injured Serik and left in a hurry, saying that he would call the doctor.

“Serik, are you okay?”

At my question, Serik closed his eyes and nodded slightly, but his lips trembled slightly.

No, Pul, wasn’t the fight between the two already over?

What the hell is this?

The maids rushed to get scissors and ice water to cut the wet clothes and ran towards us.

One of the maids skillfully cut off Serik’s wet clothes with scissors.

Before long, Serik’s arm, which I met directly with my eyes, was burning red.

I involuntarily made a grimace face.

I wasn’t leaving the place like an idiot, though.

In a way, it was as if I had Serik, who was nothing in this world, intervene in the original story.

And the moment I saw Serik’s wounds, I, too, began to fear.

I felt like I was suddenly covered in cold water.

I realized once again that this world is a novel, and that that child in the future will definitely kill me.

If I die in this world, I may not really be able to return home.

In the distance, Pul could be seen bringing the doctor of the duchy.

The doctor hurriedly approached Serik and began the treatment.

Fortunately, the burn wasn’t that severe, and he added that there would be no scar left if it continued to be treated.

Even so, my mouth went dry.

Unknowingly, when I looked back, Reynold was frowning.

I looked at his expression and turned my head again.

However, at that moment, Reynold urgently grabbed my wrist.

It wasn’t long before I looked at Reynold’s hand that was holding my wrist, and I nodded at him, asking for an explanation.

Reynold hesitated before opening his mouth.

“…Hey.”

“…”

“It’s true that he was hurt because of me, but.”

At that moment, Serik cut off Reynold’s words and stood up.

“Danae, I’m going back now.”

I pondered for a while.

Should I listen to Reynold’s words?

But, ironically, my thought at that moment was that this was an opportunity.

Because the justification for drawing a line against Reynold was created.

And the important thing to me now was Serik.

That, too, isn’t someone who will kill me.

I let go of Reynold’s grip on my wrist.

Yeah, let’s draw a line here.

No matter how much I thought about it, there was nothing good for me or for him if I had a relationship with him.

I don’t even think about getting close to Reynold and changing his crazy personality from the side.

I know myself well.

I wasn’t that great of a person who could change someone.

Changing people is never as easy as it sounds.

It’s hard to change yourself, and even more so to change others.

That kid would be someone I couldn’t deal with, and there was a good chance I’d be killed by him one day.

Even though I knew the future, I wasn’t a person with a strong spirit of challenge enough to follow him.

It might be cruel to turn cold to an eight-year-old here, but fortunately, I was the same eight-year-old as he was.

Because childhood friends are easily forgotten.

In the end, my choice was to run away.

I left Reynold, who was trying to tell me something, walking with Serik.

I think it’s strange if I’m more involved now that I’ve done this.

***

But nothing in this world was at my disposal.

Indeed, has there been even one thing that has gone my way?

It wasn’t my intention to fall into this goddamn world.

Reynold was still looking at me.

He’s not the kind of kid who will notice me. Seeing that, the current Reynold must really be a child now.

But I opened the book without saying anything to him.

Serik was currently resting at the viscount’s house.

Madam Collin had sent a bunch of expensive medicines to Viscount Detwin as an apology.

Still, the friend-making project between Reynold and I seemed unwilling to end.

They probably thought there was no problem between me and Reynold.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t figure out why Madam Collin and Lotte were so eager for me to be friends with Reynold.

Is this the setting of the novel?

If so, it gives me goosebumps just like that.

Reynold, who was sitting in front of me, asked me cautiously.

“…Are you mad?”

“No?”

Reynold pursed his lips to see if he had anything to say, yet he quickly closed his mouth. Then he also picked up the book in front of me.

I was scratching my head hard.

Anyway, I went to Lotte yesterday.

I tried my best to convince her that I was no match for Reynold, but Lotte lightly dismissed  me, on the grounds that I lack social skills.

So I brought up the conversation I had with the Duke the other day, but it didn’t work for her at all.

She just said that Reynold and I would make great friends.

At this point, the world itself seemed to be the problem.

He doesn’t like me, and I’m the one involved in a relationship with Reynold, so why aren’t any of my intentions reflected?

This isn’t how I end up becoming friends with that kid and go to that damn academy together, right?

Prang!

At that moment, the sound of glass breaking was heard.

Thanks to that, I woke up from my thoughts and turned my head to where the sound came from.