My Childhood Friend Is An Archmage Chapter 39
Translated by d6y (ko-fi)
Chapter 39
I wasn't trying to make fun of this unknown young lady, I was sincerely advising her not to come to a ball like this, not just to talk about healing anyone's wounds, but to show it in action.
The pink-haired young lady hastily bowed towards me.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here, I've made a mistake..!"
"Gosh, you shouldn't roll your tongue like that even if I wasn't here."
Although the words were spoken in a chilly manner, I wasn't getting angry anymore.
I'm starting to get a rough idea of what other people see when they look at me and Lancer: It would probably seem like I had unilaterally rejected him.
Even though I was the one who got rejected from the start.
But people don't know the history between me and Lancer so they won't know it.
Plus, I didn't want to tell them or make up lame excuses for myself.
"Where is Lancer?"
"H-Huh?"
"You said he was sitting by the window," I said, "Why don't you guide me in exchange for some advice?"
I flashed her a smile. I wanted to appear friendly.
But the warmth of my gesture wasn't conveyed to her.
'I-I'm scared!'
It was a request, not a threat. I must've come off too strong.
* * *
After guiding me to the window where Lancer was, the young lady scurried off right away. Thanks to that, I couldn't even say thank you to her.
Lancer was by the window. I don't know how he did it, but he sat centred on the window sill.
The windows in this ballroom were rounded like a full moon, which made Lancer appear like he was crouching down.
"He seemed lonely."
The pink-haired lady couldn't have been more wrong; Lancer wasn't alone.
"Lancer, are you sure you're not going to dance?"
"I won't dance."
"You're too much. It's not like imperial balls are held every day, how can you kick away such a rare opportunity?"
"Whatever."
"That's why you don't have any friends besides Skyla!"
"I don't need anyone else."
"Tsk, if you were the heir to the family, the generation would've ended with you."
The person who clicked his tongue as he spoke was Hubert, Lancer's second brother.
He seemed to be trying to persuade Lancer to take him away from the window still.
I slowly made my way towards them.
"Oh, Skyla! Long time no see!"
Hubert spotted me first and waved me over. He looked pleased to see me.
I gave him a slight nod. "How have you been doing, Hubert?"
"Come on now." He let out a boisterous laugh and held out his hand to me.
I froze while looking down at it.
"Do you mean to shake hands?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
Why would he want to shake hands? He already saw me playing with Lancer since we were kids, rolling in the dirt, climbing trees, and the ugliness in me.
"You're about to become the next Duke of Kaerun, so I'm going to have to be polite to you. Now, let's shake hands, future Duke of Kaerun."
'I'll be a knight for the Kaerun Duchy, so I'll have to look good in front of Skyla. I don't want to work in the Imperial Knights forever.'
Hmm, I see, you're already working on getting to the front of the queue.
I shook his hand pleasantly. I don't hate quick-witted people.
Hubert looked a lot different after all these years, he was much taller than I remembered him, and his body was doubled in size.
It seems like he experienced a storm of growth while working in the Imperial Knights.
"Where's Duke and Duchess Soli?"
"Well, they went to meet the Empress earlier… but then they left the ballroom altogether, probably for a long story."
I see. I didn't get to greet them this time.
I was going to apologise somehow for having a sleepover unauthorised the other night.
I continued on my way to Lancer.
"Lancer."
"...Skyla."
He slowly lifted his head.
The eyes looking at me were unusual. They used to sparkle like jewels, but now they looked dull like murky water.
I instinctively realised that he was in a bad mood.
"What's wrong? Why do you look so down?"
"...I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"I'm not sure what I don't know either."
Whether he understood what I was saying or not, the way Lancer replied was unusual too.
"Hmmm."
Hubert suddenly nudged me with his elbow.
I looked up to see what was going on, but he was flapping his mouth at me like a fish out of water.
His gaze was fixed on something behind me. What is he looking at?
As I turned my head to see what he was looking at, I saw a cat wagging its chubby grey tail.
"Is that your cat?"
"No."
"Really? Then can I pet it?"
"I won't stop you."
As soon as the affirmative answer was given, Hubert cheered and immediately knelt before the cat. He seems to have an extra sense for animals.
"Oh my, where did such a cute cat come from? It's so adorable, don't you guys think?"
Stop it, Hubert. It's a dirty and lascivious thing.
"Lancer, look at this cat! Isn't it cute?"
"..." Lancer didn't even glance at it.
I sighed inwardly and looked back and forth between Hubert and the cat.
"Aww, you're so cute. Come here, I'll pat your head."
The stern impression of nagging Lancer earlier was nowhere to be seen.
Hubert grinned and held out his hand to pet the cat.
Smack!
The cat hit his palm. It was a pretty strong force for a small animal like it to exert.
"..."
Hubert was shocked. His gaping mouth proves it.
After dozens of seconds of silence, he stammered and turned to me. "S-Skyla... I was rejected by it…"
"I saw." I answered.
"I... I've never seen a cat so defiant..." His face flushed slightly.
…Uh, hello?
"Do you mind if I take this cat home with me?"
"Nyaargh!"
The cat hissed and then jumped. It hugged one of my shoes tightly and began to hiss again.
It was a scene that would have made anyone's heart melt when they saw it, but I didn't blink, knowing that this cat was a lowly wizard trying to fool me.
"The cat... it seems to like you, Skyla…"
Hubert said bitterly while glancing back and forth between me and the cat. He looked forlorn, like a brokenhearted man.
"You two go make each other happy... I'm gonna go now…"
I didn't think he would be this depressed over being rejected by a cat.
'Rejected by my crush, rejected for a dance, and rejected by the cat… I'm going to go drink more wine with my friends...'
Aha, he got dumped by his crush.
I didn't reach out to comfort him. I trusted that his knightly friends would do it better than I could.
I approached Lancer, who remained still sitting by the window throughout everything.
He was not his usual self.
Lancer would always interrupt when Hubert and I were talking. He would say things like, "Don't talk to Skyla without me!"
"Are you tired?" I asked as I stood next to him.
"...No."
"Then why are you like this?"
"Skyla, dance with me." Lancer blurted out.
I couldn't help but feel flustered. "All of a sudden?"
"You danced with the Crown Prince earlier, so can you dance with me this time?"
He grabbed my sleeve. I could feel his touch through the velvet material.
I wondered how long he'd been sitting here. I couldn't feel his warmth, his body must've gone cold.
"Skyla, me and..."
"Let's go home." I Interrupted him and took his hand.
Being forcibly pulled, Lancer moved in a daze, following my touch blindly, then abruptly stopping.
"You want us to go home now?"
"Yeah. Aren't you cold?"
"You're not going to dance?"
"Oh, I won't dance."
His complexion darkened again at my adamant reply. A dark glow, reminiscent of a dark cloud that seemed to pour out at any moment, filled his expression.
"Skyla... did I do something wrong?"
"Huh?"
I blinked. Why was he suddenly asking me this?
"Are you mad at me because I tried to follow you to Marquess Garnett's tea party the other day? Is that why you don't want to dance with me?"
"No, it's nothing like that."
"Then why..." Lancer's voice trailed off. He didn't even seem to have the energy to finish the sentence.
Seeing him so tired, my heart ached as if it had been stabbed by a rose thorn.
It felt like it was my fault. Was it my fault? What is this guilt I'm feeling?
Wait, why should I feel bad? It's my choice to dance with him or not.
It's not like I must dance with him, we're not even together anyway.
"We're just... friends."
Such irresponsible and convenient words slipped from my lips after searching for the right words for a while.
"Lancer, you don't dance at a ball with your friends, you do that with your lover."
"Then are you and His Highness lovers?" A blunt question came out of him.
I stiffened for a moment, then smiled to break the ice.
"No, we're not in a relationship, but I guess the Crown Prince asked me to dance because he might be interested in me?"
"Then you and I can be lovers."
"What..?"
I was rendered speechless at his sudden words, and he didn't spare me a moment to think,
"No matter how dense I am, I know that only lovers dance."
As he began to push me.
"So please dance with me. Don't leave me behind. I beg you." Lancer's voice began to crack.
I stared at her, panicked. He was sobbing.
"I like you, Skyla."
The innocent Lancer who knew nothing but joy was crying.
"I've told you this exactly 322 times now, and this makes it 323."
His tears fell on the floor.
"I was going to keep telling you until you knew how I felt, whether it was for the thousandth time or the ten thousandth time, I was going to keep confessing to you. No matter how many times you pushed me away, I always thought I'll be okay."
"Lancer…"
I called his name like a fool. I wanted to reach out to him and wipe away his tears with the handkerchief in my pocket.
I wanted to comfort him from this pretentious act of mine.
But my dress, made for the ball, had no pockets. It wasn't made to hold a handkerchief in the first place.
Above all, who would think that I would wipe away his tears in a ballroom?
Lancer, why are you crying?
Don't cry. Don't be silly.
Don't confuse me like you did before.
"...But when I saw you dancing with the Crown Prince, I found myself strangely wanting it to end at the 323rd time."
Lancer continued, ignoring the fact that his vision was blurred with tears. My heart was caught in my throat at the sight of his reddened eyes.
I knew the words that were about to follow.
Stop it.
Please don't say them.
"Skyla, I like you."
Through his sobs, Lancer confessed once more.
"If saying 'I like you' isn't enough, I'll say 'I love you'. I want you to accept my heart right now, it breaks when I think that I have to keep waiting. So can you please like me?"
