The Childhood Friend of the Villainess in a Romance Fantasy

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

A subtle damp scent filled the air—it was from Amelia.

And it wasn’t that Amelia lacked physical endurance compared to other noble ladies. On the contrary, her physique was well-toned, and her grip on the sword was anything but awkward. She was clearly above the average noblewoman in terms of physical aptitude.

Of course, when compared to someone like me, who had the opportunity to receive systematic swordsmanship training, or Adele, a noblewoman from a knightly family, she fell short. But that was inevitable. It was like comparing a professionally trained soldier to an ordinary person.

In truth, the fact that Amelia, who was always in a position where she could simply be protected, was undergoing swordsmanship training at all was commendable in itself.

Perhaps because of her vigorous movements, Amelia’s body was drenched in sweat. Her figure, which was already hard to conceal even on ordinary days, was now starkly revealed through her soaked attire.

Honestly, was there a reason for making the villainess in the original novel so beautiful?

In the story I read, it was natural for the villainess protagonist to attract people since she was supposed to rival the heroine. But in the original… she was simply a villain, wasn’t she? At least, that’s how it was in the novel from Amelia’s original world.

Was the illustrator perhaps someone who wasn’t good at drawing unattractive and spiteful characters?

A moment ago, Amelia had been breathing heavily. Now, wrapped in my arms, she looked as if she’d forgotten how to breathe entirely.

It wouldn’t be surprising if she were startled since I had caught her with one arm wrapped around her waist. Even though I was taller, we were still both women. Although, my physique was far closer to a fantasy ideal than reality.

If I’m being honest, I wouldn’t have minded staying like this a little longer. Feeling the slender softness of her waist through my arm, her damp and warm body… and that distinct, unique scent of hers…

Her black hair clung to her pale skin, making for a strikingly seductive image.

“…You seem quite exhausted, Lady Grattanmount.”

But of course, I couldn’t remain like this forever.

I straightened Amelia up and spoke those words.

“Ah, yes.”

Amelia answered in a dazed voice.

Still holding the wooden sword in one of her hands, I asked her gently, “Are your legs alright? If you’ve twisted an ankle, I can provide first aid.”

“Ah…”

Amelia blinked a few times, finally seeming to regain her senses.

She lifted one foot and rotated it in circles before shaking her head.

“No, I think I just slipped. I don’t appear to be hurt.”

I heaved a sigh of relief inwardly.

“That’s fortunate.”

If Amelia had been injured because of me, it would have been incredibly distressing.

“Lady Carlins also seems quite exhausted.”

I shifted my gaze toward Adele. She too was soaked from head to toe. Though not to the extent of Amelia, her figure was also clearly outlined through her wet clothes.

Her overlapping top had loosened slightly during the intense exercise, revealing a bit of her upper chest—

—but it couldn’t compare to Amelia, whose soaked blouse left little to the imagination.

Although Amelia had trained frequently during her childhood, she had mentioned that she hadn’t trained much after becoming a proper “lady.”

Naturally, she didn’t have clothes suitable for training.

As a result, she was wearing a white blouse on top and riding trousers on the bottom, which turned out to be an unfortunate choice.

Unlike me, who wore similar clothes but never sweated enough for them to stick, Amelia hadn’t trained in so long that she hadn’t anticipated how her clothes would cling to her body when drenched.

Throughout the training, I struggled to keep my eyes from wandering toward Amelia’s… body. It was easier to focus on Adele when she jumped in. I could simply meet Adele’s gaze and ignore other distractions.

But whenever I looked toward Amelia… I had to consciously lift my gaze to fixate on her face or deliberately turn my eyes elsewhere.

So, speaking now made me feel a little more at ease.

Once they cleaned up and changed into fresh clothes, their appearances would be far less provocative—both Amelia’s and Adele’s.

“I can still keep going…”

Adele opened her mouth as if to protest my words but then shook her head.

“But you’re right. If we continue, we won’t have the energy for tomorrow. It’s been a while since I’ve had such an excellent sparring partner, so I got carried away—ah, forgive me. To be honest, I wasn’t even a match for you. I apologize for requesting a spar with such lacking skills.”

Hearing Adele’s humility, I felt strangely flustered.

“No, the sparring was actually my request. Your original request was for instruction, but since I hadn’t prepared systematic lessons on swordsmanship, it turned into this.”

“But that too was because I first requested the instruction.”

At that point, Adele looked at me with a somewhat tense expression.

…Why?

Seeing that expression for some reason made me uneasy.

“I… I feel that my request has been more than satisfied with this session. In truth, the way things turned out was thanks to the generosity of Lady Grattanmount. Even in just this one lesson, I’ve learned so much. I’ve had two instructors teach me in the past, but they each only taught their own school of swordsmanship. None of them could teach such versatile techniques.”

I felt the blood drain from my face.

I couldn’t say for certain what kind of people had taught Adele, but I could swear my swordsmanship was far inferior to both of them. I couldn’t use aura, which swordmasters wield effortlessly, nor could I execute the distinctive sword aura unique to Delkis swordsmanship.

Frankly, it was fortunate that Adele’s instructors weren’t standing here with us right now. If they were, they would no doubt be furious.

“But as I crossed swords with the Lady of Delkis today, I realized something. The essence of ultimate swordsmanship lies not in elaborate techniques but in the fundamentals, which require no techniques at all.”

No, it’s simply that I’m only capable of sticking to the basics.

“And having the stamina to execute those fundamentals precisely is equally important. So, please, would you consider sparring with me again in the future? Of course, I understand that such a request may be excessive. I also know it’s a waste of human resources to use someone from Delkis as the swordsmanship mentor of someone like me, who hasn’t even been knighted.”

Isn’t that too self-deprecating? Honestly, if you set aside raw strength, Adele has far more strengths than I do.

“…”

I glanced over at Amelia.

Though her breathing had steadied somewhat, I could see her hands trembling slightly. It must have been because its been too long since she last exerted herself so intensely.

I didn’t possess the skill to accurately gauge another person’s stamina. True experts could determine their opponent’s level of exhaustion simply by observing their movements, but I was not at that level.

My best effort at controlling my strength was by physically assessing how much pressure would break something.

Could Amelia endure such training in the future?

“I…”

After a brief moment of hesitation, I finally spoke.

“I will defer to Lady Grattanmount’s wishes.”

Amelia looked at me with a slightly surprised expression. She blinked, as though as she hadn’t expected such an answer.

Why was she making that face?

“I am a Delkis person. And Delkis is a vassal family of the Grand Ducal House of Grattanmount. As someone entrusted with Lady Grattanmount’s protection, I cannot take on any other role without her permission.”

Amelia’s lips parted slightly.

Was I failing to convey my thoughts properly? I wasn’t particularly eager to take on such a role unless it was with Amelia by my side.

“Ah… That’s certainly true.”

But it seemed my thoughts had been conveyed clearly to Adele.

“Though I am not yet a knight, I understand the duties of a knight: loyalty to their master and the fulfillment of their obligations. In that sense, I fully understand Lady Delkis’s perspective.”

“…Though I am not a knight either,” I muttered.

Leaving Adele’s excessive praise aside, I turned my gaze toward Amelia.

Amelia, seemingly lost in thought, stared at me quietly for a moment before finally speaking.

“If it’s not a burden to Lady Elsie… and if it’s under the condition that I’m allowed to join as well, then I’m fine with it.”

Her answer was practically as good as giving permission.

Of course, for Amelia, dele was probably the most important person here, making it difficult for her to turn down this request.

Well, there was no helping it then.

“In that case, I look forward to working with you.”

“A-ah, no! It’s me who should be looking forward to your guidance!”

When I offered a slight bow toward Adele, she hastily bent over and replied fervently.