My Childhood Friend Is An Archmage Chapter 37
Translated by d6y (ko-fi)
Chapter 37
What the hell is this guy saying now?
At the Viscount's bizarre declaration, I shoot him a glance that says, "Have you gone mad?"
He started to hastily explain, "I specialise in shapeshifting magic, so I can turn you into a cute animal."
"What does that have to do with me going home?"
Despite my somewhat aggressive tone, the Viscount didn't stop smiling and spoke, "Get on top of me."
Disgust was immediately evident on my face.
"The Viscount is even worse than I imagined."
"Huh? Oh, wait. No, that's not what I meant!"
Only then did he realise that his words were open to misinterpretation and stammered, "Just look at me now, Princess!"
The Viscount whirled on the spot, at the same time, the tall man who stood in front of me vanished like a lie.
And in the blink of an eye, there was something else in front of me.
"Meow."
It was a cat.
Huh?
It was a plump, grey-furred cat. Its two amber eyes, like the Viscount's golden ones, sparkled like glass beads.
It crawled slowly towards me with its chunky four paws.
"What do you think now?"
"Viscount..?"
I was a little shocked to hear a grown man's voice coming from a cat's body.
I'd seen all sorts of unusual Lancer magic in my life, but never this kind of shapeshifting.
"Even Lord Lancer wouldn't be able to do something like this, would he?"
As if he knew what I was thinking, the Viscount- I mean, the cat with grey fur said.
"Shapeshifting magic has always been the preserve of witches, and no matter how great of a mage he is, Lord Lancer can't do this, can he?"
'Tonight, I'll get a point from the princess!'
I sighed inwardly at his inner thought.
"Viscount, aren't you afraid of being seen?"
Why would he show me a form of magic that only witches can use if he's trying to hide the fact that he's the descendant of a witch…
The cat's eyes sparkled at my question.
"It's okay since it's dark and no one will see anyway."
At his words, I glanced at the door of the balcony that led to the ballroom.
A thin curtain blocked the glass doors facing the balcony. He was right, from the balcony's point of view, you wouldn't be able to see what was going on inside there anyway.
"So, what are you going to do now that you've turned into a cat?"
"Now I'm going to turn you into a butterfly."
"...What?"
I was dumbfounded by his proclamation.
What was he going to do by turning me into a butterfly?
"I already told you before, didn't I? You're going to get on top of me, and I'll escort you to the carriage using this cat form."
Ah…
So that's what he meant when he said, "I'll send the Princess home in a cute way!"
So, uh… the Viscount, in the form of a cat, is going to carry me, in the form of a butterfly, to where my carriage is…
"What's with that face?"
"...I'll just walk."
"Huh, why?"
The cat purred and lay down at my feet.
"You're going to say to a cute cat like me?" This guy just called himself cute using his mouth. "Think about it, Princess! There aren't many opportunities to ride a cat in this world!"
"I know." I cut him off, "But I don't like cats."
Shock and horror were etched deeply into the cat's face at those words. The look of deep despair is reminiscent of a fallen aristocrat who has lost an heirloom.
It was amazing that a cat could evoke such a wide range of expressions.
"You hate cats, Princess?! That's too mean! What colour is your blood? Cold-blooded animal! Heartless!"
The cat started pawing at the tip of my shoe then pacing the room.
What a cute little temper tantrum for a grown man.
"I didn't say I hate them, I just don't like them."
"What's the difference?"
"Isn't it the same way I don't hate the Viscount, but I don't like him either?"
"..."
The Viscount was now a honeyed mute.
"Though, thank you for showing me your rare magic, I'll be going ahead now…"
Suddenly,
BANG!
The door connecting the ballroom and balcony burst open.
"Nyaa!"
The cat let out a piercing scream and leapt up from its perch to launch itself at me.
Stunned, I hugged the cat in reflex, the grey fur on its body standing on end. I didn't even have time to throw the cat out of my arms.
"What?"
I gasped and turned to the source of the noise, to find a small commotion by the door.
"You're not supposed to be on the balcony, accidents happen there!"
"Go back, young lady!"
The servants guarding the entrance to the balcony were trying to catch the person who was about to take a step towards it.
"Why can't I? Princess Skyla is here!"
The shrill, cracked woman's voice. I've heard it so many times, it's starting to become too familiar.
It was Lady Aronia.
She came alone, all her friends were gone.
I glanced behind her, just in case, but there was no one else near the doorway.
"Ha, Princess Skyla, someone said you were on the balcony, and here you are!"
Lady Aronia, holding a wine glass, staggered towards me.
It was hard to make out her face in the poor lighting, but her cheeks looked particularly red. I think she's a little tipsy.
I frowned unconsciously, how much wine did she have? It's not like it's her first time at parties.
In the meantime, I heard the guards' inner thoughts, 'Do they know each other?'
The guards froze in their tracks and began to glance at each other as Aronia called out to me.
Hmm.
What should I do about this?
Truth be told, I want to shout at the servants, 'I don't know her! Take her out!" and they would do that to her for trespassing on the balcony.
But whether she would leave the balcony obediently is another matter. If that happens, she might start making a huge fuss.
And then people will flock to this balcony like they were coming to see a house fire. And I don't like that.
I paused to consider how to handle this situation when I heard the guard's inner thoughts again.
'Uh, Why is the Princess holding a cat? Also, where's the mage?'
I just realised that even the guards didn't know the Viscount could use shapeshifting magic.
I looked down at the cat in my arms.
"Nya, meow..." A clumsy kitten's cry.
I glared at him, and the cat slowly stopped.
Inevitably, I turned to the guards and said, "The mage is away for some urgent business."
"Ah, I see. Then this lady is..."
"My friend." I answered.
For a moment, Lady Aronia looked at me in surprise. I deliberately ignored her gaze.
"It seems like she has something to tell me, so if you don't mind, may I speak to her in private? We'll leave as soon as we're done."
"Yes, my lady."
With that, they left the balcony.
With a click, the glass doors closed.
"..."
Holding her wine glass, Lady Aronia stared at me wordlessly.
It was hard to believe she'd been stomping her feet in anger just a few minutes ago.
Is she drunk?
"I'm not drunk."
Yeah, she's drunk.
I approached her with the cat still in my arms.
"My dear Aronia, what kind of wine have you been drinking?"
Lady Aronia's expression changed subtly when she saw me.
Her face suddenly contorted after staring at me a bit more.
"I... I really hate you, Princess!"
Why is she suddenly swearing at me openly?
"It sucks! Why did the Crown Prince dance with Princess Skyla and not me when I've worked so hard for this day!"
Because there are some things you can't do even if you tried.
I let out a long sigh and made sure she heard it.
"Lady Aronia, if you keep stomping your feet like this, you're going to form a habit of kicking the blankets off, so hurry up and go back in-"
"The last time I messed up my business, why did you snitch on my father?" She asked as she drank the last of her wine glass.
"I went and told him before your business was ruined." I tried to correct her misstatement, but she refused to listen to me.
"Do you know what happened to my standing in the Marquis of Garnett after that?"
"No."
"Of course, you, Princess Skyla who has had it all in her life, doesn't know!"
Lady Aronia blurted out, her voice full of sorrow.
"I'm not actually the Marquis of Garnett's daughter, I'm a maid's daughter! A dirty, illegitimate child!"
Why is she telling me these unasked-for facts?
My eyes widened as I looked at her.
Clank!
She put down her wine glass onto the railing.
"My mother is a maid who used to work for the Marquis."
She turned to me and began to spill her backstory like a rapid-fire cannonball.
"She never had any contact with the Marquis originally, but one night, he got drunk and mistook her room for his, so he spent the night with my mother, who naively thought if she had his child, her life would gradually be better!"
"Ah... yes."
I muttered shakily. What was I supposed to say here?
The truth is, I was really flustered.
Lady Aronia, a girl I'm not even close to, suddenly shows up drinking and tells me the secret of her birth.
But she had no time to consider what she just put me through.
"Would he have looked kindly on me and my mother? My mother was murdered by a man he sent, and I was the only one who survived, then his wife died, so he took me in since I have his blood running in my veins!"
"..."
"My half-sister and two brothers always looked at me like I was filth. The Marquis, who was the only one on my side, locked me in the attic after I ruined my business. The only time I was allowed out was to go to social gatherings, did you know?"
Lady Aronia buried her face in her hands after she spoke.
"I thought my situation would be a little better if I caught the Crown Prince's eye with this ball, but now I realised that you have everything, even the Crown Prince..."
Her sobs echoed through the balcony.
"..."
I remained silent and stared at her.
"Aronia."
"What, are you going to apologise to me? I don't need it!"
"Apologise?"
I raised my eyebrow.
"Why would I need to apologise to you?" I snapped.
She lowered her hands and jerked her head up.
Her sobs ceased, and the corners of her eyes were glistening with tears.
"What was that..."
"Lady Aronia, I pity your situation, but why would you be so mean to me?"
