CH 5

It was Serik. I roughly shook my head at his words. Serik then smiled and grabbed my hand, forcing me to stand up.

“Let’s go for a walk.”

At Serik’s suggestion, I followed him with a pleasant laugh and got up from my seat.

The weather was nice outside.

It seems to be hot these days, yet the wind was so cool today.

Aside from everything else, I liked the fact that the sunlight wasn’t too strong.

I wanted to be lucky as the weather was nice today, but my life didn’t go so smoothly.

“…”

I didn’t know why Reynold was standing in front of me, in our garden at that.

Actually, it turns out that this is Reynold’s house, isn’t it?

Serik, who didn’t know Reynold, looked at me with puzzled eyes, wondering who he was.

However, I was too bewildered to satisfy his curiosity.

“Why are you here?”

Of course, I had made up my mind never to visit the Collins again, but that never meant seeing Reynold at my house.

Besides, I hadn’t heard that Reynold was visiting today.

Instead of answering my question, Reynold narrowed his eyes, looking at me and Serik the same way.

Is he wondering who Serik is?

Then there was nothing I couldn’t answer.

“This is my friend Serik.”

“…I don’t understand.”

Reynold, who was looking over Serik, sharply grinned and murmured, as if he didn’t like something.

From Reynold’s back, I could see Madam Collin following him hastily.

I reflexively bowed to the Madam, who paused when she saw Serik as she accepted my greeting.

But after a while, she took care of her expression and smiled broadly. She came up to me and stroked my hair.

“So Danae has a new friend.”

Ah, is it time to introduce you to my proud friend Serik?

I twitched the corners of my lips and proudly opened my mouth.

“This guy’s name is Serik Detwin, and he eats spicy things well. He’s good at chess, and he’s super smart. His face is also handsome, right? And he has a great personality too. In short, Serik is a very good friend.”

The Madam seemed to hear me with one ear and let it out with the other.

As if she was distracted by something about him, she spat out her words.

“I see… Serik, could it be possible to become friends with Reynold?”

Pardon me? Serik is my friend, though?

That can never happen.

However, as soon as I opened my mouth, Madam Collin stroked my hair and skillfully blocked my intention to shake my head.

Serik, who was standing next to me, hesitated for a moment at the kind Madam’s words.

However, my good friend Serik soon reached out to Reynold.

On the other hand, he coldly turned away from Serik’s hand that was extended to him.

Whoa, what is wrong with his personality?

Of course, my personality isn’t good enough to point someone out, but… I think I’m better than him.

I held Serik’s empty hand instead.

“Reynold Collin!”

His behavior freaked out at Reynold’s behavior and called his name.

The Madam’s face began to grow red, as if she was angry at the sight of Reynold.

Yet he left without pretending to hear the Madam’s call.

She stared at Reynold’s back for a moment, as if she was dumbfounded, but she hurriedly regained her senses and apologized to Serik.

“Kid, I’m sorry. May I apologize on behalf of Reynold?”

“Yes… It’s fine.”

Serik replied with an expression that showed it wasn’t okay at all.

Then I gave a little more strength to the hand that was holding me.

The angry Madam followed Reynold, saying that she would educate him thoroughly, and I once again admired his tremendous personality.

If he has that level of personality at the age of 8, he will probably have a greater personality in the future, right?

Suddenly, I felt a chill run down my spine.

What I had done to him so far passed by like a bolt.

Isn’t he going to kill me in the future because he holds a grudge against my actions?

Thinking about that, it’s not that it’s impossible.

That guy killed his childhood friend, Danae.

I mustn’t die until I find a way back home.

I wasn’t certain that dying here would return me home, so I couldn’t die before I found a way.

Then Serik tapped my side as I was staring into space. He asked.

“Danae, who is that?”

“Ah, the boy who was a candidate for my friend.”

“…A friend candidate?”

“Yeah.”

Don’t tell me he already holds a grudge against me.

Looking at what I’ve done, I wondered if it would be possible for Reynold in the future to rush at me shouting, “Fufufu, I’ll avenge the past on you!”

I unknowingly asked Serik, who was standing next to me.

“Shall the three of us just get to know each other?”

If the three of us get close, it’s true that the content will be different from the original story, so I guess, we can avoid the ending where everyone perishes, can’t we?

“…”

Serik paused at my words. But that was for a while, he replied with a bright smile.

“I don’t want to.”

The answer was so resolute that as if he was chewing on a sweet pumpkin. 

(단호박 (sweet pumpkin) sounds similar to 단호하다 (assertive/determined) so it’s a play on words)

I blinked for a moment.

Serik spoke shyly to me.

“Because I’m very shy.”

Indeed, my friend Serik was very shy…

On the first day, he couldn’t even make eye contact with me.

I said, holding Serik’s hand.

“Yeah, then let’s do that.”

I also had no desire to get involved with the crazy male lead in the original story.

In fact, the reason Danae died was because she was friends with Reynold, so it was a big deal…

We don’t have to get involved with him n the future.

Serik seemed surprised for a moment at my cool answer, yet he smiled broadly as if he was happy with my answer.

Serik’s smile was also pretty.

***

After that, Serik spent time with me, went home in the carriage, and when I heard Lotte calling me, I turned to the garden.

Lotte.. So, she was the madam of this mansion.

Of course, she’s not Danae’s biological mother.

And she’s not Edin’s or Sylvester’s either.

We all had different mothers, and Lotte was nobody’s mother.

Well, so this situation was to blame for the Duke who was severely revealing women. All of this.

Lotte and the Duke had a very, very perfect arranged marriage.

I’ve never even seen them share a room, and when I did, they weren’t even interested in each other.

Even so, it felt a little peculiar that they didn’t care about each other.

They’re still a husband and wife, though.

Husband married and brought three children by another women?

Besides, all the mothers of the children are different?

If I were her, I would pull out all the Duke’s hair, and his head would be so shiny, but considering that his hair was still intact, Lotte was a bodhisattva among bodhisattvas.

When I went to the garden, there sat Lotte, Madam Collin, and Reynold, who had run away earlier.

The table was full of food. And in front of Reynold, there was an empty seat that seemed to be mine.

It seems that there was a dinner date that I didn’t even know about.

Reynold crumpled his face as soon as he saw me, and that drew Madam Collin’s and Lotte’s eyes to me.

Seeing me, Lotte called out to me with a very friendly smile.

“It’s been a while, Danae.”

“Hello.”

I lifted the hem of my dress and greeted her.

It had been a very long time since I had seen Lotte.

The relationship between us was neither good nor bad.

Well, she wasn’t the type to like us three siblings.

She paid just the right amount of attention for the three of us.

Just as much as the role of the madam of the duchy, nothing more and nothing less.

But I understood her.

Neither of us was her son or daughter, yet she has three children.

Edin and I have been very polite to her, to the extent we weren’t big-headed.

He was afraid of her, that’s why I didn’t want to trouble her.

I think I’ll mess with the Duke, but at least I don’t mess with his wife.

I listened to what she had to say, and greeted her diligently.

And when it was her birthday, us siblings pooled our money to buy her a present.

Then she seemed reluctant, but she accepted the gift anyway and thanked us.

We were just that close.

A relationship to the extent of attending each other’s funerals?

In that sense, the reason why Lotte is so kind to me is that she must have something to ask of me.

Unfortunately I wasn’t good at denying her a favor.

“Come on, have a seat.”

As soon as Lotte finished speaking, I sat down on the chair.

I heard that Lotte and Madam Collin were close friends, and it seemed to be true.

In the meantime, I turned my eyes in confusion, then I met eyes with Reynold, who was sitting across from me.

I was very bewildered by this situation, yet Reynold was eating comfortably and wrinkled his face whenever he saw me.

But he probably doesn’t want to get involved with me either.

Our first meeting was the worst, and if it were me, I wouldn’t be around a kid like me.

However, Reynold seemed to have a very different opinion from me.

“Danae has a very sweet personality.”

Madam Collin was the first to run her luck.

I was rummaging through the salad with my fork as I paused at her words.

…I’m sweet? Me?

Didn’t you mistake me for someone else?

Of course, I had no reason to respond like that.

Lotte answered while drinking tea.

“That’s a relief.”

“It was the first time Reynold ever said he wanted to be friends with someone… I was in tears when I heard that.”

Reynold, who was eating next to the Madam, hesitated for a moment.

And when I heard that, I was shocked.

Did he really say that with his mind intact?

Reynold met my eyes again and suddenly raised the corner of his lips.

No way… Is he doing this on purpose to mess with me?

I swallowed my saliva in anxiety.

Reynold smiled broadly at Lotte and opened his mouth.

“I’ve never seen a girl like Danae since I was born.”

No, that’s not an insult!

As if Reynold was cute, Lotte responded in a voice full of laughter.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. That’s why I really want to get close to Danae.”