The Childhood Friend of the Villainess in a Romance Fantasy

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

“……Your Highness?”

“Lady Delkis, it’s been a while.”

The prince, who had fallen off Lobo’s back and was now sprawled in the grass, greeted me that way.

He lay on the ground as if he’d landed gracefully, crossing his legs and raising a hand. However, his disheveled hair and labored breathing betrayed the truth—it wasn’t intentional.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

As I approached to offer him a hand, the prince quickly stood up.

“It’s been a while, Lady Delkis.”

And, once again, he greeted me in the same manner.

“It’s been a while, Your Highness.”

Because of how suddenly he appeared, it took me a moment to grasp the situation. Only then did I lightly lift the hem of my clothing and bow to greet him.

However, since I wasn’t wearing a skirt but pants, it didn’t look very graceful. Fortunately, it seemed the prince didn’t notice, perhaps due to his own embarrassment over the situation.

“I figured you’d be with the wolves, so I had Lobo follow the scent of his siblings and parents.”

I turned my gaze to the wolf the prince called Lobo.

He looked as though he was about to attack, but in reality, he was just expressing his excitement. Gray, Snow, Lobo, and the other siblings born with them were all entangled, biting and licking each other with enthusiasm.

That said, I’d never been tossed around like that when I rode on Gray’s back.

I was the leader of the pack, after all, and the wolves showed me a certain degree of respect. It wasn’t hierarchical in a strict sense, more like I stood slightly apart within a horizontal relationship. But still, an alpha was still an alpha.

But the prince… had he not fully established control yet?

Or, perhaps, there simply wasn’t an alpha? I wasn’t sure if that was even possible, but considering there were only two of them, maybe it wasn’t enough to form a “pack.”

“This is why I can’t hide anything from your keen eyes, Lady.”

……Huh?

“It seems I’ll never be as admired as you are. I’ve managed to build a rapport with Lobo, but I haven’t been able to dominate him as a true ‘alpha’.”

As he said this, the prince scratched the faint scar at the end of his eyebrow.

……Wait a moment. A scar?

“Your Highness, that scar—?”

“Oh, this one?”

The prince chuckled at my question and brushed back his bangs.

“It’s from when I was sparring with Lobo. Still, it’s not too bad, is it? Better than having bite marks all over my face, don’t you think?”

“You mean you fought to the point of leaving bite marks on your body?”

Feeling the blood drain from my head, I asked that with a shaky voice. The prince laughed heartily and waved his hand.

“I did get hurt, but they’re all minor wounds. Not something worth bragging about.”

No, hold on a second. Are you telling me the wolf I gave you bit the prince of this country and left scars?

Isn’t this grounds for execution?

“There’s no need to worry. All the injuries I got were while spending time with Lobo. None of the royal family would blame you, Lady.”

That’s just your opinion, isn’t it, Prince Evan?

……Well, it wasn’t something I could resolve by dwelling on it, so I decided to push the thought to the back of my mind. To be honest, I just didn’t want to think about it anymore.

Meanwhile, Lobo and his family had stopped biting each other. Gray and Snow were diligently licking Lobo, leaving his fur nearly soaking wet.

“By the way, Your Highness, where is your entourage?”

“Oh, I left them to find their own way here. They should arrive soon.”

“…….”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No reason, really.”

Something about him felt… off.

He wasn’t like the prince from the novel I remembered.

*

In the novel I read, the prince was incredibly annoying and insufferable.

I wasn’t sure if it was because it was a yuri story, and the male leads were deliberately downplayed, but the male leads didn’t have much prominence. They weren’t particularly likable, either. In the end, Amelia ended up with the heroine.

Yet, the prince before me… It felt as though the walls he’d built around himself had been torn down.

His demeanor and speech patterns were similar to the novel, but how should I put it? It felt like he didn’t care about the opinions of those around him anymore.

“I hope it’s not impolite to ask, but…”

I addressed the prince riding beside me.

Ironically, I was on horseback, while Prince Evan was riding Lobo. He hadn’t brought a horse with him, it seemed.

It must’ve taken a considerable amount of time to travel from the capital to here, especially without a saddle or stirrups, riding only on Lobo.

Even I had never ridden a wolf for such a long distance.

What could have possibly happened to him during that time?

“May I ask why you came here, Your Highness?”

“Lately, I’ve been traveling here and there.”

The prince responded with a cheerful laugh.

“It seems the throne will go to my younger brother, who’s more capable than I am.”

It appeared that his abilities hadn’t yet surpassed his brother, as they did in the main story.

Or perhaps negotiations between the empire and the kingdom were beginning. Five years ago, it might have been different, but now the emperor would be reaching an age where having a child might be challenging. The fact that nothing had been publicly announced suggested they were keeping it under wraps.

“…….”

“There’s no need to look so serious. For me, having my younger brother ascend to the throne would be better. He’s an exceptional person.”

What was I supposed to say to someone who spoke of relinquishing the throne with such a serene expression?

Besides, in the original story, that younger brother was a bundle of inferiority complexes for various reasons. It wasn’t as though the younger brother could claim the title of crown prince for himself. Objectively, he just couldn’t match his older brother’s abilities. Though he had shown great promise in childhood and was expected to inherit the throne, those expectations gradually faded, leaving him in his brother’s shadow.

The fractured relationship between the two brothers was mended by the heroine in the original story, who ended up winning the affection of both. That was probably the plot of the “original-original” story.

Of course, the novel I read had a slightly different progression.

I racked my brain for something to say and finally managed to speak.

“So… does that mean you’re just here on a trip?”

“A trip? I’d prefer if you think of it as ‘broadening my horizons.’”

Isn’t that the same thing? Like a Grand Tour or something?

More importantly, why had his personality become so cheerful? What had happened in the meantime? Could bringing along one wolf have made such a drastic difference? Did playing with Robo turn him into such an easygoing person?

Still, I couldn’t exactly ask him outright, “How did you become so cheerful?” so I was left pondering how to delve into his past.

“By the way, how is Lady Grattanmount doing?”

“She’s been doing well, in good health.”

Though lately, she’s been increasingly worried about me.

Amelia seemed to think I was pining for home every time she saw me staring out the window. In truth, while I did miss home, it wasn’t to the point of despair. It was just the occasional melancholic day.

There were those who opposed me, but that was normal. Delkis was an exception, and it was actually more natural to have some people dislike me.

“Ah, by the way, it might not be ideal to enter the city riding a wolf…”

“Why not?”

“Well, because it’s a wolf?”

“Lobo doesn’t bite anyone.”

“…….”

But no one else knows that?

Lobo is big enough to bite an adult’s head and chew it like a candy ball. And you’re planning to just ride him into the city?

I wasn’t even allowed to bring an entire pack into the city, or even just one wolf, though I didn’t insist on it either.

“Welcome, Your Highness.”

Yet, my common sense was completely shattered.

Although the guards were startled to see the prince riding a wolf, it seemed they had been informed of his arrival. Aside from a bit of stammering, they simply knelt on one knee and opened the gate.

The prince turned to look at me.

His expression was one of puzzlement.

Indeed. I didn’t expect to be let in so easily either.

As expected, in a hierarchical society, status is everything.

Now that I thought about it, wasn’t this essentially the same as saying, ‘Don’t you know I’m the commander here?’