I Became the Villain’s Childhood Friend - Chapter 2

Reynold laughed for a while and asked me.

 

“Can that be done at will?”

 

“Of course. You don’t like me, anyway, do you?”

 

Reynold nodded his head slightly as if he couldn’t deny my words.

 

I suggested to him the best way we could take.

 

“Can’t we just reject each other with all our might?”

 

“Do you think it will be our way?”

 

Reynold, who had been silently listening to my words, immediately looked pathetic.

 

With such a frightening face and such an expression, it was as if I had become a worthless human being.

 

“There’s nothing you can’t do.”

 

There are no parents who force their children to do something they dislike.

 

However, his expression as he listened to me didn’t intend to lighten at all.

 

Reynold, who was looking at me with a frown on his face, asked me.

 

“You, you’re not close with your mother, right?”

 

“…”

 

It hit the nail on the head.

 

Lotte wasn’t my mother.

 

I wasn’t the child she gave birth to from her stomach, in a word, I was the Duke’s illegitimate child.

 

My mother died giving birth to me, I was told.

 

Asking such a thing when he knew everything about my family.

 

No matter how I thought about it, it clearly wouldn’t suit Reynold.

 

It seems like I’ve been discovered, so I opened my mouth first.

 

“…We’re close, though?”

 

“Don’t lie.”

 

He’s really good at hurting people.

 

When I glared at Reynold with resentful eyes, he lightly crossed my line of sight.

 

“Follow me.”

 

Then he moved on.

 

Reynold is close to his mother, so maybe he listens to his mother that well.

 

Following Reynold’s pace, I quickly came to the Collins’ garden.

 

This situation was uncomfortable, and it was because I increased my walking speed to the fullest.

 

They said that the second most beautiful garden after the Imperial Garden was the Collin’s garden, and the rumor was true.

 

I thought the Lerdonia family garden was pretty nice, too, but it wasn’t very different from the thoughts of the frog in the well.

 

The Collin’s garden was divided into sections, each decorated with a different atmosphere.

 

Where Reynold and I walked side by side, the sky was full of branches covering our heads. And at the end of the branch, purple flowers were blooming looking at the ground.

 

If I had been a bit taller, I would have been able to reach those flowers.

 

Reynold glanced up at me as I walked and opened his mouth.

 

“It looks really pretty at night.”

 

“At night?”

 

“Yeah. At night, the flowers shine like lanterns.”

 

It wants to be pretty..

 

It looks so pretty in the daytime, though.

 

Do all the flowers glow purple at night, I wonder.

 

I wanted to ask Reynold more about the flower, but I thought I might be friendly with him, that’s why I gave up.

 

Because these things I’m curious about, I can look for them in the book later.

 

In the center of the garden, a pavilion stood tall by the lake. Although it was quite large, it didn’t look that big since it was next to a larger lake.

 

Reynold trudged to the edge of the lake and started down to the water’s edge.

 

…Why is he going down dangerously?

 

I had a slightly ominous thought, yet I wondered if Reynold would harm me in the mansion.

 

I followed him cautiously close to the lake.

 

Reynold’s eyes were already on the lake.

 

I kept a little distance from him without letting my guard down.

 

But for a moment, I could understand why Reynold brought me here.

 

The water on the shore of the lake glistened beautifully in the sunlight. As if there were fireflies trapped in water.

 

As soon as I involuntarily let out an exclamation, I hesitated for a moment.

 

It’s ominous, ominous.

 

It’s a no-no if things flow as the novel develops like this.

 

Suddenly feeling uneasy, I looked back at Reynold and asked cautiously.

 

“But you… You don’t want to be close to me, do you?”

 

After hearing my question, Reynold replied without showing any unpleasant feeling.

 

“Ah, so we won’t need a doctor.”

 

“What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”

 

Seriously, I don’t know what he keeps talking about.

 

Reynold looked at me and opened his mouth with a small sigh.

 

“Then let’s try it once.”

 

Before I could question his offer, Reynold shoved my shoulder as I stood by the lake.

 

Then he smiled and said.

 

“Goodbye.”

 

This X-bastard!

 

I stretched out my hand as hard as I could and grabbed Reynold’s hand as he walked away.

 

Reynold, who took my hand, put on a puzzled expression, as if he hadn’t thought I’d grab him.

 

Relying on one of his hands, the image of me dangling from the boundary between the land and the lake was dangerous.

 

Reynold shouted in a very ferocious voice.

 

“Aren’t you going to let me go?”

 

“Even if I die, I will never die alone.”

 

Saying that, I smiled broadly at Reynold, and his face slowly began to turn into astonishment.

 

Reynold asked me in a calm voice.

 

“Are you crazy?”

 

“Is it only you?”

 

When I replied with a grin, Reynold shouted urgently, as if his strength was getting weaker.

 

“Let go of my hand right now!”

 

I grabbed his hand, which was about to tear away from mine, and I threw my head back as hard as I could.

 

No matter how many male lead buffs he received, he was still a very young fellow.

 

He had the same weight and height as mine, so there was a chance of winning if I endured with evil.

 

Before long, I felt Reynold being pulled towards the lake.

 

“Aagkh!”

 

Reynold screamed as he was being dragged into the lake, and I smiled brightly and closed my eyes.

 

Soon, lukewarm water heated by the sun hit me with the sound of a splash.

 

I wanted to die like this, but soon a small hand grabbed my back and climbed up.

 

When I put my face out of the water, a spicy taste rose from my nose.

 

“Cough, cough…”

 

While I was coughing recklessly, I felt a gaze from one side.

 

I turned my head to where I could feel a gaze, and at the end of it was Reynold, who was looking at me pitifully.

 

“Why are you doing something you can’t handle?”

 

“Then what are you doing here?”

 

“Well, I told you I would test whether my words are nonsense or not.”

 

“…”

 

I couldn’t even guess what the hell he was trying to show me.

 

One thing was for sure, his way of thinking was something I could never match.

 

Obviously, I, who grabbed him to fall into the lake with me, am strange, but we’re all the same.

 

Fortunately, the lake wasn’t deep.

 

At my height, my feet barely touched the ground, so it was never deep.

 

Still, it wasn’t shallow enough for me, who can’t swim, to go out on my own, so we were only showing our faces on the surface.

 

No matter how much time had passed as we glared at each other and floated our faces above the surface of the water, a commotion began to be heard from far away.

 

“Oh my, oh my, goodness! Baby!”

 

“Miss!”

 

Just by hearing her voice, Pul was with Madam Collin.

 

Madam Collin, who ran frantically towards the lake, entered the lake at once.

 

Isn’t she walking erratically toward me, not her son?

 

“Baby!”

 

The Madam, who came to me at once like that, gave me a hug.

 

To be honest, I didn’t even know in my dreams that the Madam would jump into the lake to save me, that’s why I was a little taken aback.

 

Reynold had also fallen into the water, licking his lips rough, but as promised, no voice came out.

 

It’s relatively warm water, but I’ve been nervous for a while, and it seems that my body has stiffened in the meantime.

 

I glanced at Reynold without realizing it, and he was also looking at me.

 

It was only after our eyes met that a voice came out of my throat.

 

“Reynold too…”

 

My voice was as weak as the sound of an ant, yet it was enough to reach Madam Collin’s ear, which lay close to my mouth.

 

“Let’s quickly go out.”

 

Yet Madam Collin didn’t even look at Reynold, hugged me and strode out of the lake.

 

Pul, who jumped in to save me, took Reynold.

 

…It seems that the people they need to take care of have changed a little bit.

 

“I-I’m fine.”

 

The skinny Madam’s strength was greater than it looked.

 

Her dress was also soaked in water and would weigh more on her, but she didn’t seem to be struggling at all

 

She dropped me off only after she saw the maids running with towels in the distance.

 

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

 

“…I’m not.”

 

The quick glances at me were quite frightening.

 

But for a moment, when I looked unscathed, she immediately let go of her expression, snatched a towel from the maids, and began to wipe me off.

 

Then she took my hand and led me.

 

“Let’s go inside.”

 

At that moment, I once again met Reynold’s eyes.

 

‘See.’

 

Reynold mouthed as he looked at me.

 

***

 

Getting my hair dried and drinking some warm cocoa made me feel a little better.

 

I said that it was warm when I was in the water, yet it was true that I felt chilly outside.

 

It was surprising to me that she cared more about me than Reynold, but in a part of my heart, it was a good thing.

 

Children want to monopolize their parents’ love.

 

Reynold might have hated me more because Madam Collin seemed to care more about me.

 

However, it was strange that this is what Reynold wanted to show me by drowning me.

 

What was the point of Madam Collin prioritizing me over Reynold?

 

That she loves me?

 

Does she want me to be close to her son because she cares about me?

 

It didn’t make any sense at all.

 

A maid cautiously approached me as I was lost in thought.

 

She was the maid who introduced herself as Mary earlier.

 

There was also a large gift box beside her.

 

“The Madam has prepared a present for you.”

 

The size of the box was quite large. I wondered if there might be a dress in the box.

 

“Because she was looking forward to the arrival of the Miss. She said if the Miss wore it, you would be pretty, that’s why she chose the dress on her own.”

 

“I didn’t even think of a gift…”

 

I was a little excited about the unexpected gift.

 

When I opened the box with a pounding heart, there was a red dress inside.