Chapter 08
Kyle’s jaw moved up and down a few times before closing again with a short breath.
Kyle turned his body forward again and picked a new arrow from the quiver. Then he muttered in a low, suppressed voice, grinding his words.
“……I clearly said I hated it that day.”
“Tch. I even sneaked into the food storage to feed you properly.”
“Who asked you to?”
“How about today? Have you eaten?”
“…….”
Soon, the arrow was released from the tightly drawn bowstring, and one more mark of failure was added outside the target.
Then Kyle turned toward me. His face became even more fierce, probably because he felt ashamed of the missed arrow.
“What are you plotting?”
“Huh?”
“Are you trying to get some crumbs by approaching the Duke of Dierne’s son? Do you think I haven’t seen people like you before? Disappear while I’m talking nicely.”
Wow, was his personality this twisted before meeting the heroine?
I was momentarily flustered but blinked calmly without showing it.
“I don’t have any scheme. I just like you and want to be friends with you.”
I answered casually, but Kyle snorted as if it was nonsense.
“Don’t lie.”
“It’s true. Actually, I don’t have any friends.”
“You don’t have friends because you pick up and eat dropped things.”
This brat…
“That was because you shot it down.”
“Then do you have friends?”
“I don’t need that kind of thing.”
Yes, yes. I expected you would say that.
Sigh, stay calm. Getting angry at a kid only harms me.
I remembered dealing with a wild troublemaker in my previous life. Compared to the time I got an entire whipped cream cake dumped on my head, this kid is like an angel.
After lowering my blood pressure and becoming magnanimous, I smiled brightly.
“I need friends. Since our houses are close and our older brothers are close, let’s get along well.”
“No.”
“Why? I’ll treat you well.”
“No. Don’t bother me and get lost.”
It was a stronger wall than expected. But if I give up just because of this, I wouldn’t have started in the first place.
“Then let’s make a bet.”
I pointed at the target he was aiming at. At this point, it was do or die.
“If I shoot arrows better than you, we become friends. How about it?”
“…….”
“Not confident?”
“……Fine. But if I win, don’t bother me anymore.”
“Okay.”
“Calling it ‘bothering’ is harsh.”
Anyway, he seemed to have terrible skill too, so it was worth trying, right?
I had never tried it before, but after about 20 days since possessing this body, I concluded that “Ries” had nimble fingers and good dexterity. Today I even successfully performed butterfly wing surgery.
“Give me three practice chances.”
“Do as you like.”
Kyle generously handed me the bow as if telling me to try.
I put an arrow on the bow and took the same stance as Kyle earlier.
Oh. The string was tighter than it looked and hard to pull.
But as a proud Korean who always swept archery medals at the Olympics, I couldn’t surrender to something like this.
Enduring the pain that felt like my fingers would fall off, I pulled the bowstring. I held my breath and quietly aimed at the target. When the wind became still and the trembling stopped, I released my hand.
The arrow flew forward bravely, cutting through the air and stuck into the wall.
As expected, hitting the target on the first try was impossible.
After regaining my composure, the next two arrows I shot carefully also missed the target.
It’s okay. There’s a saying that the first effort is usually bad. I can do well in real combat. The last arrow did get somewhat closer to the target, and I felt like I slightly caught the feeling.
I turned proudly toward Kyle, who had been watching with a mocking smile.
“One arrow at a time. The person whose arrow lands closer to the center wins.”
“Don’t talk twice.”
“Kyle, you too!”
Kyle snatched the bow and stood in position. It was my turn next, so I watched his movement carefully.
Kyle, who hadn’t moved a single bit, released his hand.
Thud.
Huh? Until now he kept missing—why now!
Kyle checked the arrow stuck near the inner edge of the target and gave a sneering smile before handing me the bow.
Maybe I shouldn’t have made the bet. Regret flooded in.
I tried to hide my anxiety and accepted the bow calmly. I put the arrow in and pulled the bowstring while concentrating and praying desperately.
If God or whoever is listening, please give me a miracle just once. I have to save Darius!
Piiing—
Thud.
Yes! Hit it!
It was far from the center, but slightly closer to the inner side than Kyle’s arrow. About 2 cm maybe?
It was probably just luck, but a win is a win.
“Please take care of me, friend.”
I extended my hand for a handshake, but Kyle shouted in anger and snatched the bow from my other hand.
“You’re not going to claim it was invalid, right? I won.”
“…….”
“‘Don’t talk twice~’”
Mocking the words Kyle said earlier, I imitated him, and he clamped his hand over my mouth.
Laughing softly, I tapped the back of Kyle’s hand, and soon he let go of me. I pushed my face closer to Kyle, who was muttering curses.
“Hmm? Hmm? Kyle. We are friends now, right?”
“……Got it.”
Phew, finally got acceptance. It was really hard to become friends. It’s a secret that even if I had lost, I planned to keep pestering Kyle somehow.
In the original story, Kyle quickly became close to Adele, so I didn’t think it would be so hard to befriend him. Indeed, protagonist privilege is different.
Anyway, even though he seemed to practice hard, his skill was only this level. While Darius was described as a genius in the story, Kyle was said to be a hard worker. I shouldn’t hurt his pride by teasing his skill further.
Kyle’s arrow this time was stuck closer to the center of the target.
Huh, did he start getting the feeling too? If I had bet a little later, I might have lost.
Seeing three consecutive hits afterward made my spine feel cold. It didn’t seem like he was letting me win…
His skill suddenly jumped, didn’t it? Was it because of competitiveness?
“Wow, you’re good! You completely turned the training ground upside down!”
Hiding my uneasy thoughts, I praised him. Maybe he felt slightly relieved because Kyle’s terrifying aura softened a little.
“Stop talking. You’re disturbing me.”
Even though his words were harsh, his fierce eyes became slightly rounder. Geez, he’s transparent.
“Ah! Kyle.”
Suddenly, I thought of one more opportunity to get closer.
This morning I had seen in next month’s calendar that my birthday was marked.
“My birthday is coming soon, so I’m going to have a party. You’ll come, right? We’re friends now!”
“…….”
Actually, there was no planned party. I just wanted a reason to meet him once more.
“Please? You’re my first friend.”
“……I’ll see.”
Kyle answered indifferently while inserting a new arrow.
The sound of a night owl echoed in the darkening sky. Realizing it was getting late, I shook off my hands.
“You must come. My older brothers are waiting, so I’ll leave today.”
I took a candy wrapped in plastic from my pocket and placed it on the tree stump beside Kyle.
“It’s lime-flavored candy. I saw before that you seem to like sweets.”
Golden round eyes glanced at it briefly and then looked away.
“I don’t like it.”
“If you don’t like it, don’t eat it. I’ll come again soon. Let’s play together next time!”
I waved my arms, but as expected, there was no reply. Since I expected it, I left the training ground without much shock.
Returning to the gate with Darius, Simon was leaning against the carriage waiting for us. When Simon saw us, he tapped his watch and grumbled.
“You said you were just going to greet him.”
“The conversation got longer. You didn’t leave first?”
“If I went back first, Father would make a fuss again, right?”
“That’s true.”
“Get in quickly.”
As Simon got into the carriage and urged us, the coachman prepared to depart.
“Well, I’ll go now. It was fun! Thank you.”
“I should be the one thanking you. Come play again, Lady Ries.”
After lightly getting into the carriage, I waved my hand toward Darius through the window.
As the carriage ran along the main road, Simon sitting opposite me poked my cheek with a puffed face.
“That pin brooch looked pretty expensive. You really have impure intentions toward him, right?”
“No. It was the first time meeting him that day. He’s a duke’s son, so I thought I should give a decent gift.”
“Then when did you start liking butterflies? I never heard of it.”
“You told me to please the duchess. So I studied on purpose.”
“How did you know the duchess likes butterflies?”
“That’s a seeecret.”
When I lifted my chin proudly, Simon let out a dumbfounded laugh.
“……After getting sick, the kid became strange.”
He shook his head and then threatened me again, telling me not to get too close to Kyle.
Sigh, I wish this man would go to the dormitory as soon as possible.
Fortunately, before the lecture dragged on too long, the carriage arrived at the count’s manor.
It was a lucky day. I secured a reason to visit the duke’s mansion anytime and became friends with Kyle. Only one bad news remained.
‘If he goes to the dormitory, I won’t be able to see him for a while….’
I should visit Darius a few more times before he leaves.
Planning repeated visits to the duke’s mansion, I also ordered high-quality coffee beans that he would like.
Not knowing that I would not be able to meet Darius for a while.
