# Chapter 13 – I Possessed the Villain’s Daughter #
Thea stood in a corner of the garden. With his black hair and dark eyes, he looked as if he could blend into the shadows.
I stared at Thea. He gave me a faint smile.
“Hello, Lara.”
“…Are you even human?”
Could he be a spirit or something similar that exists in this world?
He was so elusive—always managing to catch me when I was alone. It was suspicious.
But he simply nodded, unbothered.
“Of course. Besides, we’re childhood friends.”
“What?”
My eyes widened.
But strangely enough, I found myself accepting it.
This was only our second time meeting. Even so, whenever I saw him, I felt an odd sense of comfort and longing.
“If we were childhood friends… I guess that would explain it.”
“…You really did lose your memory, didn’t you?”
“…!!!”
I clenched the railing tightly. I could feel my eyes trembling.
“How did you know that? Answer me.”
That was a secret not even the staff at the estate knew. We had deliberately decided there was no benefit to letting others find out.
But he just shrugged casually.
“Well, I am a wizard.”
“…A wizard?”
The kind that breathes fire, turns invisible, and summons familiars?
I had never seen a real wizard before.
Besides, in Elia’s story, wizards and spirit tamers were rare individuals.
I stared at Thea.
They say curiosity kills the cat, but I couldn’t help but be curious about him.
“…Fine. So you’re my childhood friend, huh? Then stop standing out here and come inside the ballroom. Let’s talk.”
“I can’t.”
He smiled secretively.
“I’m not exactly welcome here.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Who knows…”
“If you’re saying that because you don’t have an invitation, I’ll vouch for you. No need to be nervous.”
But Thea simply shook his head.
“I’ll come again… later.”
“Wait!”
“You’ll know who I am soon enough.”
He stepped backward.
“I came just to say happy birthday, Lara.”
With that one sentence, he vanished into the darkness. It happened in the blink of an eye.
He was gone.
I stood there for a long time until my brother Eddy came to find me, and only then did I return to the ballroom.
“A wizard, huh?”
That would explain his sudden appearances and disappearances.
“Just what kind of life did Laila live before…?”
First, the Crown Prince’s bombshell, and now a wizard childhood friend… Today was just one surprise after another. I felt drained.
“…Laila. Laila?”
“Yes?”
“You’ve been spacing out. Look ahead.”
At Eddy’s words, I looked up and finally noticed Father and my other brother, Eit, walking toward me. Both of them were smiling brightly.
“Laila! Happy birthday!”
“Sorry we’re late—happy birthday!”
I looked at the clock. They were actually early, earlier than usual. Had they really used a teleportation scroll? I didn’t ask—I was too afraid of the answer.
“Come on, dance with me!”
Eit grinned and held out his hand for a dance. I couldn’t help but smile.
“Sure.”
The brightly lit ballroom sparkled with joy as the lively music played.
I could feel the love from my father and brothers as they celebrated my birthday.
I took the outstretched hand and walked toward the radiant glow of the chandelier.
“Happy birthday, Lara.”
A soft whisper from an uninvited guest lingered around my ears like smoke.
The day after the successful banquet.
Maybe I had overdone it, because I kept yawning from the morning. I was thinking of sleeping in until lunch when a maid brought me some unexpected news.
“What?”
“Yes, Lady Serne is currently waiting in the drawing room.”
“Lady Serne? Didn’t she go home yesterday?”
“I believe she asked to tour the ducal estate for another day, and His Grace gladly permitted it.”
I hadn’t heard that. More importantly—why was she looking for me?
Given that ‘I’ had apparently bullied Lady Serne in both official and unofficial ways in the past, I felt awkward already. But since she had specifically requested to see me, I couldn’t exactly fake being sick and hide. So with a grumble, I took off my nightgown and began to get ready.
Today, I wore a white dress with blue frills at the collar, blue buttons, and bell-shaped sleeves. I paired it with white lace socks and blue shoes, then walked down the stairs toward the drawing room connected to the hall.
From the landing, I could see her back. She wore a dress of reddish-orange and yellow, a bold contrast to her long navy hair. Considering it wasn’t planned for her to sleep here, the fact that she wore a different dress than yesterday suggested she had either sent for it early in the morning—or more likely, had packed spares just in case, as most nobles do.
Once I reached the bottom of the stairs, I stepped in front of her and gave a light curtsy. Startled, she quickly set down her pastel-yellow teacup and returned the greeting.
“Good morning, Lady Serne. Did you sleep well?”
“Good morning, Lady Laila. Thanks to your care, I had a very peaceful and comfortable night.”
We were of similar rank since neither of us held titles, but still, Lady Serne addressed me more formally, calling me “Lady.”
Once I sat down in the plush chair, the maid came over and offered me a drink. Since it was still early and my throat was dry, I asked for water and looked toward Lady Serne. She seemed like the diligent type—her eyes sparkled even this early in the morning.
“How did you find the banquet yesterday?”
I started with a polite question. Serne hesitated but responded—saying the ballroom was beautiful, that I looked stunning, and that she hoped to be invited again if there was another chance. We chatted about the weather and social rumors, back and forth. Feeling like that was enough polite talk, I set my glass down and asked:
“It’s an honor to have you stay at our estate, Lady Serne. But since it was so sudden, I wondered if you were feeling unwell… or if something might have changed your mind?”
Though I spoke gently, it was a pointed question.
Lady Serne suddenly lowered her head.
“Lady Serne?”
Confused, I called her name. Then she abruptly raised her head, eyes burning with determination. For a second, I thought lasers were about to shoot from her eyes.
Her amethyst-colored eyes locked directly onto mine.
“I—I—I have something I want to ask you, Lady Laila!”
What could it be? I looked at her, startled. She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and shouted:
“Please be my friend!”
Her voice was so loud, even the maid pouring tea flinched.
“…”
I blinked. Serne seemed even more startled by her own loud voice and fumbled her words.
“Y-You want to be my friend?”
“Yes—no—I mean, yes…”
Her face was bright red, like fresh tomato juice would pour out if you poked her with a chopstick.
“I don’t know if I’m worthy of being your friend… but…!”
“But?”
“The way you spoke confidently to Lady Lupe, how you helped me… – her words got quieter and quieter, and I had to lean in to hear them – I thought it was so cool! I just really wanted to thank you.”
I had just acted on my own instincts. But to Serne, it must’ve seemed admirable.
“I’m not very good with words, and I’m lacking in many ways, but I want to keep this connection with you. Is that okay…?”
Clasping her hands together, Serne looked at me with hopeful, nervous eyes—as if scared I might reject her.
I stared at her face for a moment, then smiled softly.
“Sure. Let’s be friends.”
“Y-Yes?”
“I’ve never had someone ask me to be their friend like this before. It’s a bit unfamiliar… but I’d be happy to be your friend, Lady Serne.”
At my words, her pale face bloomed like a white magnolia.
“Th-Thank you so much, Lady Laila.”
“Mm-mm, that won’t do.”
I wagged my finger.
“Huh?”
“Just speak comfortably. We’re friends now, aren’t we?”
“B-But I’m not used to informal speech…”
“Then at least drop the ‘Lady.’ Just call me Laila.”
“Ra—Laila…”
Blushing deeply, Serne kept repeating my name. It felt like I’d just gained a younger sister. We chatted quietly for the rest of the morning.
She said she was the only daughter of Count Arfa. With little experience in high society, she didn’t have any friends and was shy. I told her I didn’t have many friends either, and we both chuckled.
While sipping tea and chatting, a question popped into my mind.
“You’ve danced with the First Prince before, haven’t you? What was he like? I’m just curious—don’t read too much into it.”
Serne hesitated but replied.
“Well… he’s kind, but it’s hard to tell what he’s really thinking. There are rumors that he likes someone, but he’s not engaged. He sometimes shows up at balls with girls our age, but he doesn’t seem to have anyone he consistently sees. His partner changes every time.”
I calmly banished the idea that the Crown Prince might have feelings for me far, far away—like out of the solar system. Someone of my standing has no reason to be in a secret relationship with the Crown Prince. If he didn’t pick me to enter the ballroom with, and changes his partner constantly, there’s only one conclusion.
“No matter how you look at it, he’s clearly a playboy.”
As I nodded to myself with that thought, Serne carefully spoke again.
“…This might be a bit hasty to say, but…”
“…What is it?”
“You should be careful around the First Prince.”
She lowered her gaze and looked into her teacup filled with warm tea.
