I Possessed The Villain’s Childhood Friend

23 – Tangled Tales – 3

‘Raina. As much as me, only you….’

‘Thank you, lady.’

‘I won, Reina.’

‘I’ll take care of you no matter what….’

‘Reina!’

‘Sorry, lady.’

“Ugh!”

I was choking and my eyes were open.

I was obviously lying down and sleeping, but my heart was beating like crazy.

“Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.”

She caught her breath just in case and looked around, but there was no one else in the dorm room.

She pulled back her curtains to calm herself.

Starlight was shining in the dark night sky.

“The wind is cold.”

Spring must be coming, but I didn’t feel any warmth at all.

It’s okay.

Over 3 years have made me not dull in any cold.

But why did I have this dream?

Why does my heart hurt so much?

‘Your action just now was obviously wrong.’

I remembered what happened during the day.

His face was stained with bewilderment as he scolded me for covering up the wrongdoing of an unknown student.

What was the meaning of that expression?

… Let’s not think It doesn’t make any sense anyway.

It’s all lies after all, so don’t believe it.

There was no knight who would always protect me and be on my side.

She scolds me when she goes astray, but her older sister, who said she would always be with me, is gone.

“Liars.”

Is it because I met him after a long time and talked?

Fun memories of the old days began to come to mind.

I hate it. I don’t want to recall

Winter feels even colder because there is spring.

I wish I hadn’t known the warmth of spring.

It would have been different if you guys were here.

If only I had you to give me strict advice when I made a mistake.

If only there was you who always smiled and understood me.

I know it’s a really useless assumption.

But I couldn’t stop the memories that had already started flooding in.

“… Help me, Ike.”

Inadvertently, those words leaked out.

★

“Welcome, Reina.”

At my greeting, Reina’s awkward smile froze.

Raina was wearing an Arcana’s uniform with many ornaments on a white and gold background.

“What happened to Prince Ike here?”

“I want to talk with you alone.”

“I have been summoned by Dean Ender now.”

“I asked for it. I want to talk with you alone, so ask me to rent a place.”

“What is that?”

Reina frowned at the incomprehensible story.

But everything I just said was true.

The person who arranged this place was Dean Ender whom I met yesterday.

“Do you have any concerns?”

It was Dean Ender who spoke to me while I was sitting on the bench.

He was proud of his white-washed hair and beard, and he was looking at me with a benevolent smile.

“Dean Ender?”

“Yes. You are Ike, a freshman this year, right?”

“That’s right.”

Dean Ender naturally took his seat next to me.

“… Do you have any business with me?”

“There is nothing in particular. However, it is not common for students to make such a face from the first day of admission. If I can be of any help, I want to give you advice.”

It’s a matter of course, but I couldn’t sense any other ulterior motive from his tone or expression.

Ender Arcana. The dean of Arcana Academy and the lord of Reinen, the only self-governing province of the Empire.

Simply put, Ender was the role of Sophia and the Crown Prince’s gift in the original work.

As a person of character who puts students first no matter what, he helped them through their hardships.

“It may be inconvenient, but I am confident in counseling students.”

But is it okay to tell Dean Ender everything?

Honestly, I had nothing to say even if others laughed at me when they heard it.

To think seriously that just because the look in your eyes has changed or your personality has changed.

Generally, you would believe that people have changed over the course of three years.

The prince was able to confide only because he was in an exceptional position as her fiancé.

But no matter how much I thought about it, I wasn’t sure that the guy I met for the first time would believe everything I said.

‘In the end, everyone on my side is gone.’

‘After all, Prince Ike was also a liar.’

But there was no time to stop.

‘In the end, I didn’t have anyone until the end.’

I felt that the last conversation I had with Reina was similar to her will in the original story.

If she is truly despairing over such thoughts, she should definitely let you know.

I’m on your side no matter what.

“Since Miss Reina, the second-in-come, is in a strange state, are you asking for a seat?”

“Can’t I?”

“Hmm.”

Dean Ender looked at the floor for a moment before opening his mouth.

“… I also thought that Miss Reina’s condition was strange. But it’s a problem that can’t be easily allowed. Depending on her position, there may be stories related to her abuse of power.”

“I want to do that somehow.”

“So can I ask you one question, Mr. Ike?”

“Yes.”

“Miss Reina and you are childhood friends, but I know you haven’t seen each other in over three years. To be honest, it could just be that people have changed with age. But why do you bother to have a conversation with Miss Reina? What do you want?”

Dean Ender’s question is actually a question I’ve been thinking about a lot.

Why am I working so hard for her?

What can I gain by overcoming fear and enduring pain?

And there was always one answer.

“… Do you know what Miss Reina’s nickname is?”

I decided to tell Dean Ender the answer I had been thinking about so far.

“I know that she is called the Ice Princess.”

“This nickname came about because he doesn’t express his emotions and always has an ice-cold atmosphere. Seeing her being so strict with herself, she’s honestly admirable at times.”

Raina and I are the same age.

If I combine my memories of living in the original world, Reina would be much younger.

But she was much more mature than I was.

From the first time we met, always.

The Reina I saw in this world always behaved like an aristocrat, and no matter how heavy the task she undertook, she never complained.

She said it was the duty of those who were born aristocrats.

“What a world where people who work so hard cannot be happy. That is a very unfortunate story.”

This was the conclusion I came to after learning about Reina and studying her about her world.

“I asked the dean to talk to you alone, and he gave me permission.”

“Did you two trick me?”

Reina glared at me with her cold eyes.

It’s supposed to be just me and the two of us in this room, but like her nickname, the atmosphere was icy.

“It’s been a while since I met my childhood friend, but we got into a fight and broke up. I wanted to reconcile somehow.”

“Even if it is packaged in such a nice way, the reason we met is mixed with political reasons. I don’t think they are true friends.”

“It doesn’t matter what the occasion is. It doesn’t change the fact that she was friendly.”

“Three long years have passed. Human relationships change.”

Reina didn’t change her opinion at all.

Of course, I had no intention of giving up.

“I don’t mean to talk about difficult things. I just want to hear how you’ve been.”

“Didn’t I tell you enough yesterday?”

“It’s been such a long time since we met, and the conversation is over in less than an hour?”

“Maybe.”

The hands of the clock pointed to eight o’clock.

Classes start at 9:00. Dean Ender said to finish by 8:50 at the latest.

However, the story did not progress even after an hour passed.

Reina didn’t get caught in my judo interrogation, she kept repeating the same subject over and over again.

As if trying to pass the time somehow.

However, I didn’t want to drag it out any longer.

“Yes. I lost I will tell you the truth.”

“There is nothing I really want to hear, so just send it to me….”

“Don’t lie.”

I cut off Reina and made a statement.

“If you really want to go out, you didn’t even have to sit here in the first place. If you just opened the door and turned back from the moment you saw me, it would have been over. If you didn’t do that, it means you have something you want to say or hear from me.”

“That’s Dean Ender….”

“Don’t turn around, Reina. I will stop trying to induce an answer.”

I took one big deep breath and slowly put the question into my mouth.

“What happened to Anna, Reina?”

“What are you talking about?”

Reina, whose expression hardened once at my question, was taken aback by anyone’s eyes.

“I mean literally. Your exclusive maid of honor, Anna Margret. How is she now?”

“Everyone, of course, is in the family home. Because Arcana is basically prohibited from using it.”

“Lies. I heard the story from Your Highness. When the two of you met last month, there was no Anna by your side.”

“At that time….”

Reina couldn’t open her mouth.

And she was holding her trembling right arm with her left hand.

“What the hell happened?”

“Ah, Anna quit. After quitting her handmaid, she left the Duchess of Roselia.”

“A lie.”

I don’t know about anyone else, but I know better than anyone else that Anna can’t be like that.

She was the one who silently passed on what I had done in Heros’ Market for one reason: it was for Reina.

There was no way Anna would leave Raina without any reason.

Anna, who had promised to protect Reina no matter what, couldn’t do that.

“Really. Anna is….”

“A lie.”

“Really….”

“A lie.”

“Really!!”

Reina’s scream, which she had never seen before, suddenly rang out.

“Suddenly, without a word! 3 Years ago, you suddenly left behind only a letter! And I never got a call back!”

“You left a letter behind?”

“You are a liar. You said we’d be together forever. I was believing I thought it was her sister. I thought she was real family.”

Tears were running down her cheeks before she knew it.

“You are the same, Ike.”

What the hell happened?

“He said he would help! If I’m struggling, I’ll always come running! I said I won’t leave you alone, that’s a promise! And I didn’t send any letters, and the ball I was attending didn’t even come! You guys didn’t keep any promises!”

“… What?”

“Liars. Liars. Liars… !”

Reina wept endlessly as she held her head in her hands.

“Tell me, Ike. Why did Anna leave me? Why did you leave me alone why….”

To her sincere resentment, I couldn’t say anything.