My Childhood Friend Is An Archmage Chapter 45
Translated by d6y (ko-fi)
Chapter 45
For a moment, my body was thrown backwards. I felt like I was blown away by a gale.
Kwadang!
I was flung out onto the marble floor.
"Skyla!"
"Princess!"
"Hah, hah…" I desperately breathed.
It hurt. It hurt like a part of my body could break at any moment. A mere contact with that magic power hurt like this.
This is why Father is so afraid of the Hebnia Kingdom, because of the amount of mages…
I brought the back of my hand to wipe away the tears that were physiologically flowing from the pain.
Until I felt a trickle of lukewarm liquid running down my nose.
Ah, a nosebleed.
I clenched my teeth. If Phoebe found out, she'd be furious.
I pushed myself up, with one hand covering the bottom half of my face.
"S-Skyla! I…"
After realising that his magic touched me, Lancer jumped to his feet.
"Don't move, Lord Lancer! Are you going to hurt her?"
Viscount Artisina, standing on the other side of the room, snarled at Lancer. In his hand, a burning flame could be seen.
Lancer flinched at the sight. At the same time, the light emanating from his body began to intensify once more, dangerously so.
"Viscount." Still covering half of my face with one hand, I called out to him calmly. "Put your magic away. Who do you think you're going to take that out on?"
Chastised by me, his imaginary tail fell with a whimper. "I-I'm just trying to help the Princess..."
"Put it away." I snapped, turning my back on him. "Don't make me say it twice, Viscount."
"..."
After a moment of silence, he complied. I heard the flames of his fire dying down behind me.
"Lancer."
I called Lancer, who stood still in the centre of the hall. His face was as white as the first snow of winter, his pupils were shaking, and the corners of his mouth were trembling.
Then it hit me.
Lancer… was afraid.
I suddenly wondered, what could've sent him into such a state. What was he afraid of? It wasn't a difficult problem at all, but it does feel like it.
"Lancer."
I stepped in front of him once more. But this time he took a step back, he was afraid of accidentally hurting me with his magic.
"It's dangerous, Skyla. Don't come any clo-"
"I like you." Ignoring Lancer, I spoke.
At that moment, he froze as if he'd forgotten to breathe. He looked at me, questioning why I would say such a thing.
To reassure him, I continued, "I don't lie about things like this. I like you, Lancer."
"..." Still, nothing came out of Lancer.
But I knew well what he wanted to say to me,
"Then why did I reject your confession earlier?"
I nodded. A smile spread across my face as I watched his eyes widen.
The glow from his body was fading, it's a good sign.
"Listen, Lancer, do you know why I rejected your confession?"
Slowly, carefully.
I watched the twitches of his eyebrows, the shakes of his pupils, the tiny quiver at the corners of his mouth, and continued.
"I did it because I like you."
"…I don't understand." He finally gave a verbal response.
I returned a weak smile. "I mean it, quite literally, I said I can't like you because I like you."
"What the… what the hell is this?"
I couldn't think of how to answer his question.
Like a horrific curse, the words of the man I met years ago rang in my ears.
'Can you not love for love's sake?'
I think about it all the time, but I don't have that kind of resolve.
"Skyla… I don't get it. You said you like me, but you also said you can't like me?"
Lancer looks like he could cry at any moment. His eyes, shining like blue diamonds, were beautiful, but the sadness in them was palpable.
The light emanating from his body is slightly distorted, is there an emotional disturbance?
Watching us from behind, Viscount Artisina's inner thoughts are like a news station.
'It's dangerous. At first, Lord Lancer's emotions seemed to calm down a bit, but now they're wavering again!'
Persuading Lancer with words seems impossible at this point. Of course, He would calm down if I told him what he wanted to hear.
But I don't want to lie. Especially when those lies would deceive Lancer's emotions.
So, let's try something else.
There's only one way left.
I clench my fists unbeknownst to him. I remember the conversation I had with Phoebe on the way to the Imperial Palace,
"Then how on earth are you going to convince Lord Lancer…"
"I'll think about it."
That wasn't a joke, I'll think about it by using my 'head'.
"Lancer."
"Yes, Skyla."
"Let me hit you once."
"Huh?" Lancer asks, puzzled by my confusing declaration.
"Please pass out, you bastard!"
With all my might, I slammed my forehead against his. It was a dumb move, but it's the best I could do at this point.
BANG!
It's a terrifying sound of skull against skull. It makes me wonder about the mysteries of the human body, but it also sounds satisfying.
Just before I black out from the shock, I see his body collapse into a limp, dead tree and the glow surrounding it fades.
At least the biggest hurdle is over now…
With that complacent thought, I too am knocked unconscious by the impact of the blow, just like Lancer.
* * *
When I come to my senses, I see an unfamiliar ceiling.
"..." Shaking off the grogginess, I open my eyes wide.
Just by looking at the ceiling, this is not my room. The ceiling in my room is painted a stark white with no decorations. However, the one atop me now is like an ornate work of art, covered in intricate patterns and gold. This looks like a room the imperial family would use…
"Are you awake?" An unfamiliar, yet familiar voice calls from beside me.
I couldn't help but jump in surprise. I didn't expect anyone to be here.
"I didn't mean to startle you, I'm sorry."
"...Your Highness."
It seemed like I was lying on the bed and the Crown Prince had pulled up a chair next to me with a book in his hand.
He must've been reading carefully, seeing how he's even wearing a monocle. The sight of the Crown Prince wearing glasses is very unfamiliar.
"Is this the Imperial Palace?"
"Yes. The princess fainted, so I've brought you to one of the palace's guest rooms to heal you with magic and have you rest."
He inserts a bookmark and closes the book. He also removes his monocle.
"Ah, I apologise for not seeking the Princess' permission beforehand, given the urgency of the situation."
"No, thank you very much."
What kind of excuse would I ask for that when I literally fainted?
I turned to him and bowed.
He smiled like it was nothing. "I just did what I was supposed to do. What's your next question?"
"What about Lancer?"
"You mean the princess's bad friend." He speaks slowly like he's anticipating my reaction from start to finish. "To put it bluntly, he's in prison for posing a threat to the palace."
Prison…
My entire body sank after hearing that.
I didn't expect Lancer to just be sent home when he destroyed the parts of the Imperial Palace, but hearing his punishment firsthand makes me feel sick to my stomach.
"You don't look very good."
"...Your Highness said you could do a lot, if not everything, for me." I speak, recalling what he said when he escorted me to my carriage.
Noticing what I'm hinting at, he shrugs.
"The princess has nothing to ask of me. The prison room where Lord Lancer is being held is much like the room you're in now. The imperial wizards are also working to make sure he's stable."
Saying so, he gestures for me to lie down.
He stumbles over to the bed and sits down.
"Of course, I'm not cold enough to punish a princess's best friend to death."
He lays me down and gently pulls the covers up over my shoulders.
"Can I meet Lancer?"
He smiles wryly at my question. "I don't think now is the time."
Before he leaves, he tells me, "Get some more rest. If you need anything, just pull the rope."
Slam. The door closes and silence flows over.
I lay still on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
My heart sinks. I didn't expect things to end up like this.
Where did it go wrong? When I rejected Lancer's confession? When I said no when he asked for a dance? When he waited hours for me?
Or when we started talking about marriage because I wanted to inherit the Kaerun Duchy?
In the whirlwind of my thoughts, a memory from years ago surfaced.
It was the first time he told me he liked me, and I told him that I liked him too.
I should've rejected him back then.
I shouldn't have liked him then.
