My Childhood Friends Are Trying To Kill Me

***

“…”

Oscar looked at his friends one by one with an expressionless face.

His eyes didn’t look as big as Kalix, but his eyes questioned everyone there.

Especially when he saw Romeo sitting on a mat in the garden and covered in a blanket, his forehead crumbled.

“Hey, what’s with your eyes? Why are you looking at me like I’m crazy? They’re even crazier.”

Romeo huffled, but no one answered.

“You’re finally here.”

Griffith said, raising one corner of his lips.

Oscar slightly raised his head and looked out of Lelia’s room window, and then looked back at his friends. An unpleasant feeling slowly came up.

“Why are you here?”

Romeo wanted to shout ‘It’s because of you, you!’ right away, but if he did, he would definitely hear everything from Lelia, so he kept quiet.

It was Griffith who answered.

“I’ve been waiting for you. Oh, I heard that the Hraesvelg Emperor was newly crowned. To be here… Are you trying to settle down now?”

“…Yes.”

Romeo sensed an unusual energy between Griffith and Oscar.

‘He’s such a jerk again.’

‘I knew it would be like that.’

Romeo said before the spark shot out of the eyes of the two.

“Why don’t we move first?”

“Lelia might wake up.”

Oscar and Griffith moved calmly at the words. However, Kalix stood still.

“You’re not following us. What about you?”

“I’m going to wake Lelia up and eat this with her.”

A tendon sprang up on Romeo’s forehead.

In the end, Kalix was dragged away by Romeo by the back of his head.

***

The place where they moved was Griffith’s room. It was far away from Lelia’s room, so there was no sound to be heard.

(Romeo strongly insisted that Griffith’s room be assigned to the farthest place from Lelia’s room.)

Four people sat on the sofa in the dimly lit small drawing room.

Griffith stared at Oscar, who was sitting opposite him.

Romeo, sitting on a one-person sofa between the two, tried to say something else, but when he saw Oscar, he said as if he remembered something.

“Oh, come to think of it, you had kidnapped her, right?”

“…”

Oscar closed his mouth and said nothing.

Romeo was worried that Oscar would kidnap Lelia again, but he didn’t think so.

Now Lelia’s psychological state was very unstable due to Emperor Perseus and his mother.

No matter how crazy Oscar was, he won’t try to kidnap Lelia again in this situation.

In addition, the fact that he had organized the situation in his home country anyway was also an expression of his willingness to stay here.

Romeo sighed and asked.

“By the way, who took over the throne instead of you?”

“…A doll.”

When Romeo said that, he got a headache and rubbed his forehead.

He knew it.

Oscar returned after setting up a fake doll made of magic as the emperor.

He had to ask something more, but his mouth didn’t open easily.

Every time he saw Oscar, he remembered the words that Lelia said. That she loves Oscar.

“…”

Romeo somehow felt twisted.

Until now, he thought he could bear it well, but when he saw Oscar’s face, he couldn’t bear it.

It seemed the same for Griffith.

Griffith’s face, which had always looked relaxed, was cold. Somehow, he looked nervous.

Contrary to Romeo’s idea, however, Griffith was not nervous at all. Rather, he didn’t feel bad.

Griffith opened his mouth leisurely after much consideration.

“You’d better throw away the idea of monopolizing Lellia.”

“…”

Oscar’s gaze shone horrifically at the provocative words. Red eyes stared at Griffith.

“She can’t abandon any of us, and she doesn’t want our relationship to fall apart.”

“…”

“We too. Shouldn’t we give each other at least once?”

Oscar didn’t answer. However, Griffith saw Oscar’s closed jaw strain.

He was holding it in.

There was silence in the dark room.

Romeo was annoyed by the strange tension and Kalix, sitting in the corner, looked thoughtless. He was the only one that seemed to be calm.

Oscar’s lips opened after a long time.

“…If Lellia wants that.”

“…”

It was an unexpected answer.

Romeo looked at Oscar in surprise.

He didn’t know Oscar would agree with Griffith’s crazy idea.

Not just Oscar but everyone else.

“Why did you kidnap Lelia, to monopolize her?”

In addition, he gained Lelia’s heart.

He didn’t understand.

Like Griffith said, was it because if they point swords at each other, only Lelia would suffer?

Even while answering like that, the expression was very distorted.

In Romeo’s eyes, he could see how much Oscar was holding back his anger.

“…”

He turned his eyes and looked at Griffith. As soon as he saw him, Romeo felt unpleasant.

Griffith was smiling really brightly. With a very happy face.

At that moment, Romeo also realized something.

“Oh, there’s something.”

There was a reason why Oscar had to do that.

Griffith must have known that and wondered.

‘Anyway, you’re giving me goosebumps..’

“You have become very obedient since I saw you last time.”

Griffith said with a laugh. He couldn’t stand this situation because it was funny.

He almost laughed out loud.

Oscar was about to do anything if Lelia wanted to. That didn’t mean that the desire to monopoly Lelia had disappeared.

He could see him trying to suppress his anger somehow.

What could be the reason to do that?

Griffith began to make all kinds of guesses.

It was then.

“Hey, concubine.”

Kalix, who had been silent all along, opened his mouth.

He was talking to Oscar, but not only Romeo but also Griffith looked at Kalix as if they were wondering what he was talking about.

In fact, Kalix felt awkward and uncomfortable in this situation.

It was natural that he faced Oscar for the first time since he punched him. But friends are supposed to fight and stuff..,

Kalix called him with little thought. With the word “concubine”.

“Hey, what did you just say?”

“What does ‘concubine’ mean?”

Romeo asked. The corners of Kalix’s mouth went up.

He felt good that Romeo, who always showed off, didn’t know a word that he knew.

“Don’t you know the word ‘concubine’?”

Kalix began to explain slowly.

It was Lord Karius, Lelia’s uncle, who taught this word. He recalled what happened a few days ago.

“Uncle, is it impossible for one woman and two men to get married?”

Kalix suddenly asked. He called Karius his uncle comfortably, and the name seemed to be very good to hear.

“Hmm?”

When asked a strange question, Karius tilted his head.

However, Karius didn’t think much of it because Kalix was always goofy and often said random things.

“Normally, property inheritance becomes complicated. Nobles would rather have an ally.”

“Ally… The ally is not an official couple, right?”

“Yeah, well… They are not a formal couple. If you’re officially getting married… Hmm. It’s called a concubine?”

“What’s that?”

“Ah, I heard it from a friend on a trading ship. On some western continents, such a relationship is called ‘concubine’.”

“Concubine…”

“Yeah, concubine. Unlike an ally, they become a formal couple. One woman and several men or one man and several women.”

“Aha… So you call the second husband a concubine?”

“That’s right.”

That’s why he called Oscar a concubine.

Kalix raised his chin and said.

“Hey, concubine. I heard that a concubine should be polite to his wife. I’ll call you “hyungnim”. Okay?”

“…”

Unlike when dealing with Griffith or Romeo, Oscar stood up ignoring Kalix altogether.

“If you’re done talking, I’ll go see Lelia. She will be waiting for me.”

“…”

After saying that, Oscar left.

Griffith laughed at Oscar inwardly. On the subject of speaking so confidently, he could see him shaking inside.

He was going to reveal it somehow.

“I didn’t do anything, but I feel weird because I feel like I lost.”

Romeo muttered. He was heartbroken because it was true that Lelia was waiting for Oscar.

‘Should I leave for a bit? Then, Lellia won’t eat because she misses me, right?’

Romeo muttered helplessly and found Kalix sitting at a distance.

“Hey, idiot.”

“You are a concubine or what? Don’t say nonsense and go to sleep.”

When he said that, Kalix jumped up.

And he pointed at the remaining two people and said,

“…For your information, even if you want, I won’t let you be my concubine. Even if I call you hyung later, I won’t accept you.”

“Yeah, do your best. Concubine play.”

At Romeo’s answer, Kalix strode out as if he was offended.

***

Knock, knock

Lelia suddenly stood up from bed at the sound of knocking on the door.

She couldn’t sleep, so she was looking at the picture next to the bed.

Lelia got out of bed and headed to the drawing room.

There was no one to visit at this hour of night.

From the sound of knocking on the door, it wasn’t even Kalix.

(If it was Kalix, it would have been very loud.)

Is it Romeo or Griffith?

Maybe it could have been her mother.

Lelia became nervous for no reason, and headed to the door with a shawl around her shoulder.

When she carefully opened and pulled the handle, a cold scent permeated like dawn.

It was Oscar’s scent.

“…Oscar?”

As soon as she saw a large person standing in front of the door, she felt dazed.

Is this a dream?

She thought he would definitely come through the window. It must have been a dream when she saw him coming through the door.

She choked up and raised up the tip of her nose. She missed him so much that she thought she was dreaming. However, even if she blinked several times, the person in front of her didn’t disappear.

“Is it you, Oscar?”

Slowly she put her hand on his pale cheeks. The cold body temperature was transmitted through her palm.

“…”

Oscar took a step into the room, placing his hands over Lelia’s hands on his cheek.

She heard a clicking sound behind his back.

Lelia was not even aware that the door was locked.

Because Oscar immediately pulled Lelia in.

***

Thank you for reading!