My Childhood Friend Is An Archmage Chapter 111
Translated by d6y (ko-fi)
Chapter 111
I frowned at the woman's remark.
"What do you mean?"
"Quite literally. It's the man's fault for not recognizing your true feelings." She sipped her drink and stared at me. "I'm a relationship expert. You've obviously been heartbroken and travelled here to find some relief, right?"
"...." I shut my mouth at the pinpoint precision of her words.
To be honest, I didn't feel too good about having my heartbroken business meddled. At the same time, my curiosity about this woman was instantly piqued.
How did she know so much about me when my parents didn't even know?
"You want to know how I knew? I told you, I'm a relationship expert."
"...." She must have the ability to read minds.
Completely speechless, I clicked my tongue. I grabbed my glass and chugged it down, realizing that if I said anything more, she'd completely reveal everything.
"Let's see. You and the other guy have known each other since you were kids?"
I stiffened. My insides felt like they'd been pricked by a hot needle.
Thud.
I swallow and set the cup down.
"...Who are you?"
"A relationship expert."
"Not that."
"Hmm, I guess a relationship expert doesn't have a lot of credibility, huh? I was just guessing, but I didn't know it was actually a guy you've known since you were a kid. What, are you childhood friends?"
I broke out in a cold sweat.
What the hell? Who is this woman and how does she know me so well? No, she doesn't even know me! How can she read me so well? Is she using magic?
My eyes widened, unable to hide my bewilderment.
She looked down at me like I was cute and smirked. "I bet you've been wondering if I'm a mage, haven't you? That's right, I am a mage."
"A, a mage?" I swallowed dryly. I looked at the woman sitting across from me.
At a glance, she was well past middle age.
Fine wrinkles hung like scattered petals around her eyes, and her hands, visible through her sleeves, bore the marks of age.
"Are you really a mage?" I asked her, forgetting my manners.
Having grown up only in the capital of the Empire, I never met a mage before. I was vaguely aware of their existence in the neighboring Hebnia, but they were the stuff in fairy tales and legends.
But here they were, right in front of my eyes…..
"Yes. I'm a mage from the Hebnia Kingdom." She gave me a graceful smile and a slight bow. Her red hair swayed in the sea breeze.
And the first mage I met….
…She looks just like a normal lady, though?
That was my first impression.
Now that I think about it, it was the first impression that made me feel sorry for Viscount Artisina. She's the mother of King Hebnia, and I treat her like she's just another passerby on the street.
But I never imagined that she was the mother of the King. She wasn't shy at all.
"...You speak the Imperial language quite well for a Hebnian."
"Yes, I do, given how often I come to the imperial court."
Taking my remark lightly, she smirked and cupped her chin in one hand. "By the way, that's enough about me, now tell me about you."
"I don't have anything to tell."
"What do you mean you don't? Tell me about that guy right now. What the hell did he do to rip the heart out of a cute little girl like you?"
"...."
To be honest, I wasn't too keen on telling my story to someone I'd just met for the first time today.
But this woman was different, she had a certain charm that seemed to tug at my heartstrings.
Plus, I was pretty tired, physically and mentally.
What happened between me and Lancer at that time is something I have never been able to confide in anyone else.
If I had told my parents, the story would have been told to the Soli Duchy, and if I had told my maid, Phoebe, she would have been on her way with a bat to beat him to death.
Things rot if they stand in one place too.
That was me.
I had a lot of anger, resentment, and frustration that I couldn't get out. It all mixed and finally started to regurgitate.
"...So, you wanted to be in a body and soul relationship with Lancer, but Lancer only saw you as a close friend?"
"Yes!" I slammed the table. The other tables stared, but I didn't care.
Relieved that I finally had someone to talk to who understood me, I spewed out words like a burst pipe of water.
"How could he do that? It's so outrageous! Don't you think so too?"
"You are absolutely right." She chuckled and nudged the waiter. Ordering another drink for herself, she gently grasped my fist on the table.
"Don't be too upset, though, Princess. Men are naturally more insensitive to romantic feelings than women."
"But still, he told me he liked me…."
Now I couldn't tell if I was confiding in her for advice or just to ramble.
She took a sip of the lemon tea in front of her. "But there's something I'm curious about, Princess."
"Shoot it."
"What is it like to be childhood friends with the archmage, Lancer?"
What?
I shot up, looking at the mage across from me.
Does she really not know after everything I've told her?
"What do you think?"
"What?"
"Imagine that you, not me, had been best friends with Lancer since childhood. What do you think?"
"Hmm…. Wouldn't it be great to have the strongest person in the world as an ally? I bet you bragged about it to everyone you met." With that, she picked up the golden teaspoon on the table and took a bite of crème brûlée.
I sighed inwardly. Why does everyone think this way?
"No, I don't think so. I'm bothered by Lancer being an archmage. I just want him to be a normal guy."
"But if he was normal, he wouldn't be Lancer anymore." She smirked. "Isn't that why you fell in love with him in the first place, because you like him just the way he is?"
"Princess, why are you dreaming of a different reality that can't exist?" she added in a low voice.
"...." I couldn't think of any rebuttal. My head felt like someone had put a bag of ice on it. It throbbed and ached. At the same time, I came to my senses.
She was right.
Although I dislike Lancer the Archmage and find him annoying and tiresome, nonetheless, I like him.
Even though I clutched my head and grunted at the accidents he caused on a daily basis, I still liked him.
I liked the way he smiled at me. I liked the way he sat next to me and laughed happily. I liked seeing him run to me with a big smile on his face.
So… I liked the Lancer that everyone else shunned, hated, and feared.
But there were times when I thought he was annoying because he was an archmage.
It's like…. "I have no idea what Lancer is thinking sometimes."
He would smile and take my hand. Why would he hold my hand? Because we're friends?
He would sit down next to me and lean his head on my shoulder. Why would he do that? Because we're friends?
He would run to me with a big smile on his face and hug me.
Why would he do all of this? Because we're friends, because I'm his friend?
Should my love for Lancer be hidden like a shadow under the guise of friendship forever?
I wanted to know.
I wanted to know how he saw me, how he thought of me, how he felt about me.
But I couldn't. He always wore a mask of a bright smile, and underneath that mask was another mask.
No matter how hard I tried to unmask them, I couldn't tell if the person he was really the person he showed up to be. Maybe even that thought was fake.
I thought I knew everything about him, as a childhood friend who stood by his side for so long.
He had shattered my confidence. I didn't know. I had no way of knowing who I was to him.
I could no longer believe him when he said he liked me, and in the end, I couldn't fully accept it as that.
Once the cogs were out of alignment, they couldn't roll properly.
"I hate that...."
Silence followed my terse tone.
The mage had finished her crème brûlée and was now taking a bite of chocolate mousse. She wiped her mouth, and six empty dessert plates stacked in front of her.
"So, the Princess wants to know what's on Lancer’s mind?" She set down her spoon.
"...Yes." I nodded, staring at the dessert plate in front of her. How much was she planning on eating?
"Good, I can help you with that." She smirked.
Pardon.
I turned toward her in surprise. "You can help me find out what Lancer… thinks?"
"Of course, I'm a mage, I can easily help you with that."
Looking back now, I don't think the magic that allowed someone to hear people's thoughts was something a mage could do. It wasn't something even an archmage like Lancer could do.
But it was unlikely that I, who was as ignorant of magic, would have known that.
"Ah, right."
The “mage” winked, noticing how I was watching her intently.
"Nothing comes for free. You'll have to pay a fair price for the magic I'll cast on you, are you prepared for that?”