The Childhood Friend of the Villainess in a Romance Fantasy

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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In the past five years, have I ever climbed onto Amelia’s bed?

Amelia had never outright told me not to. Not that I had been overly cautious about it either.

Still, the thought of climbing onto the bed of someone of a different gender had always felt instinctively wrong to me.

I had sat on a friend’s bed before. When visiting a friend’s house, if there weren’t enough chairs, I would often perch on the bed. After all, most of my friends didn’t have more than two chairs in their rooms.

But in my relationship with Amelia, I always instinctively maintained a boundary.

There was no one closer to me in this world than Amelia. Even Harvey wasn’t as close to me as Amelia was. For five years, we had been practically inseparable, visiting each other’s rooms without hesitation. Amelia was the only one I shared such a bond with.

Yet, Amelia and I shared a master-servant relationship above all else. Amelia was the daughter of a Grand Duke, belonging to one of the most prestigious families in the country. I was just the youngest daughter of a Baron’s family that served the Grand Ducal House. No matter how close we were, we each had boundaries to maintain.

And with the added consideration of our differing genders, I had naturally kept my manners intact.

So, not only was sitting on the edge of her bed unthinkable, but the idea of climbing onto Amelia’s bed and sitting face-to-face with her like this had never even crossed my mind.

It felt only natural to kneel in this position.

“Phew…”

It seemed Amelia was just as tense as I was.

In the Grand Duchy, there were plenty of girls around Amelia’s age. However, Amelia was the Grand Duke’s daughter. While she had acquaintances she spoke to casually, there were few she could genuinely call “friends.”

Perhaps she had such a person in her past life. But not now. Having spent the past five years together, even bringing a friend into her room and sitting face-to-face like this must have made Amelia a little nervous.

“So, the reason I called you here, Elsie, is to clarify how we should address each other.”

“Yes.”

I had heard about this.

Clarify how we address each other? In what way? Judging by her tone, it didn’t seem like she was nitpicking how I addressed her. It sounded more like she wanted me to call her something more casual.

Perhaps she wanted me to use her name directly.

Seeing that Amelia was also somewhat nervous, I felt slightly more at ease—

“But before that, if I don’t give you a proper reason, it might just make you uncomfortable, Elsie.”

Amelia said that with a faint smile on her lips.

A proper reason?

Before I could even guess what that was, Amelia’s next words had already come out of her mouth.

“Elsie, do you happen to have memories of a past life?”

“Huh.”

My response to her words was less of an answer and more of a dumbfounded noise.

“Like, a world where cars drive on the streets, airplanes fly in the sky, and houses have boilers that keep the floors warm in the winter.”

As I stared at her blankly, Amelia seemed to grow more confident in her assumption and continued speaking with a smile.

“Or memories of a country where people cook with soybean paste and red chili paste, or make kimchi using napa cabbage, chili powder, various fermented seafood, radishes, and fruits?”

“…….”

Had I been caught?

Since when?

“About five years ago.”

Before I could even ask, Amelia calmly answered.

“To be honest, wouldn’t it be stranger not to suspect someone who dips boiled potatoes in sugar? The fact that you thought of using such an expensive ingredient like sugar for boiled potatoes almost confirmed it.”

Was that so?

I mean, sugar is sweet, so isn’t it natural to think of trying it with something? Am I really the only person in this world who eats boiled potatoes with sugar?

“And then, hearing about unfamiliar dishes in a region where vegetable fermentation isn’t common, showing curiosity and wanting to try them. Or when you managed to get the ingredients, attempting to modify recipes by adding chili powder, or trying to make fermented seafood by experimenting with all kinds of fish and repeatedly failing…”

Amelia began listing the ridiculous things I had done since coming to the Grand Ducal House.

The more she talked, the more I felt my face heating up.

“But you did succeed in the end. Even if it’s just the two of us eating it.”

To be honest, it was such a hassle to make every year, not to mention expensive. Grattanmount Grand Duchy was completely inland, so obtaining fish or shrimp was no easy task. Transporting them in good enough condition for cooking required both effort and money.

“Pancakes, short ribs, galbitang, seolleongtang, blood sausages, rice cakes… If you think about the dishes you’ve attempted to make here, isn’t it basically like begging to say, ‘Please notice’? Or maybe you didn’t realize that I might have come from the same place as you?”

“…….”

No, I did notice.

But why hadn’t I thought that I might’ve been caught?

Come to think of it, judging by Amelia’s words, it was clear that I had blatantly revealed that I came from Korea.

Honestly, my attempts to recreate those dishes in this world had been almost complete failures. Even with a chef’s help, my vague descriptions made it nearly impossible to replicate the taste of what I used to eat back home. What little success I had resulted in dishes that looked and tasted like fusion cuisine.

Especially fermented foods… In a world without refrigerators to maintain a constant temperature year-round, it was difficult to replicate the flavors I sought with my own attempts.

Cooking was simply too challenging to approach without proper knowledge.

“Ah, um, well.”

“Don’t worry too much. I have no intention of talking about this elsewhere. And even if I did, who would believe me?”

Seeing me flustered, Amelia smiled and placed her hand over mine.

Just like earlier, it was soft and warm.

“……”

Amelia gently lifted my hand, pulling it toward her.

For a while, she quietly fidgeted with my hand.

“You have calluses. Mine don’t.”

Amelia expression darkening slightly.

“You’ve worked hard to train all this time, haven’t you? Even when all the instructors gave up and walked away.”

“I… needed to be useful.”

At my response, Amelia raised her head.

She looked genuinely surprised.

“Useful? What do you mean?”

“I’m the worst at swordsmanship in Delkis, so I thought I should at least achieve a minimum level of skill for the sake of your Highness, who entrusted her safety to me.”

I needed at least some justification to stay by her side.

“So… you’ve been pushing yourself all this time for that reason?”

“……”

It was embarrassing to hear her put it that way.

“I was the one who brought you here, Elsie. You hesitated, but I was adamant that you come. That’s why you’re here.”

Amelia clasped my hand firmly as she spoke.

“And… that means you’re always helping me, Elsie. Always.”

“Am I?”

“……”

Amelia looked at me silently for a moment before speaking again.

“Elsie, tell me. What do you think of this world? Could it be that you read the same story I did?”

Oh…

Well, I do know this is a world inside a novel.

But Amelia probably doesn’t mean it in the way I’m thinking. She likely didn’t see herself as a fictional character, and from her perspective, she was right. In Amelia’s perspective, her “original story” would be the real history.

To me, Amelia was a character in a novel. The protagonist.

“Yes.”

Still, I couldn’t bring myself to say, “You’re a fictional character,” even if that was how I saw her.

“Really?”

Amelia’s grip on my hand tightened, but it didn’t hurt. After all, the hands of a Delkis person wouldn’t bruise just because a twelve-year-old held them tightly.

“I’m the same. I read the same story as you, Elsie.”

Amelia’s voice sounded truly happy. Her face was bright, and her lips curved into an innocent smile.

“I thought I’d never meet someone to talk about this with for the rest of my life.”

Ah, I see.

I finally understood why Amelia chose me over Harvey back then.

If Amelia had realized my identity from the beginning, then to her, I was the only person in this world who shared the same origin as her.

She must have felt both joy and relief to have someone who could truly understand her… someone who could empathize and respond to her story in a meaningful way.

Amelia’s face leaned in close to mine.

“In that case, shouldn’t the two of us stop using formal titles?”

Amelia’s breath felt close—so close it made me hyper-aware of the space between us.

Even though I knew she didn’t mean anything by it, my twelve-year-old heart thudded rapidly in my chest.

“Hmm? Elsie. Can’t we just treat each other casually?”

As if someone might overhear us, Amelia whispered softly.

Her hand was still warm and soft.

No, was it just me, or did they feel a little warmer now?