Chapter 25: Friends
“Pardon?”
Even though I’d heard her perfectly, I couldn’t help but ask again, dumbfounded.
Just a moment ago, she had exuded regal authority. Now, she seemed like an entirely different person. Was she secretly two-faced? Did her personality just… change on a whim?
Otherwise, how could someone transform like this?
“Um… What I mean is…! Ugh…”
She now resembled a nervous child attempting to make their first friend.
Surely not. There’s no way someone of her status—a princess, no less—could go nineteen years without forming relationships.
Even if she’d entered the academy as soon as she came of age, she’d still have been surrounded by people.
It was unfathomable. The sight before me defied explanation. Unless she was joking—or truly had a split personality.
“…We… were friends, right?”
Her current demeanor was more like a frightened kitten than a tiger.
Her ears drooped, and her tail curled toward her body.
Even someone unfamiliar with animal body language could tell she was radiating unease.
Regardless, this was undeniably an opportunity. I’d been at a loss for how to approach her, and now she was effectively granting me permission.
“Yes, of course we’re… friends.”
It felt strange to speak casually after consistently using honorifics.
“Really?”
Despite my affirmation, she still asked for confirmation, her voice filled with uncertainty.
“Then… Hoyeon?”
Hearing me call her by name, she flinched slightly. I remembered her hating it last time, claiming it was too familiar. But now, she merely blushed without showing signs of disapproval.
Perhaps she was terrible at expressing herself.
Though I’d thought Anastasia was bad in that regard, Hoyeon might actually surpass her if my hunch was correct.
“Y-yeah?”
“…Have you… never had anyone you could call a friend?”
Her expression froze as though I’d struck a nerve. I began to suspect I’d touched on something sensitive.
Much like how you shouldn’t tell someone they’re unattractive, perhaps asking this was off-limits.
“…”
After a moment of silence, she gave a small nod.
This… Is this her true self? Perhaps that cold, aloof exterior was merely a mask to hide this part of her.
Assuming this was indeed her true nature, I couldn’t help but imagine how difficult it must’ve been for whoever taught her courtly manners.
“If that upset you, I’m sorry.”
“N-no, there’s no need to apologize!”
Despite her words, her hurt feelings were obvious. It was like watching someone insist they were fine while visibly struggling.
“No, really, I should’ve been more considerate.”
“Ah, uh… Stop it…”
Why did apologizing feel like committing a crime? I had a strong feeling that pressing further would lead to irreparable damage, so I left it there.
We walked in awkward silence, neither of us meeting the other’s gaze. She fiddled with her hair and stared off into the distance, clearly as uncomfortable as I was.
Having declared ourselves friends, it felt wrong to return to the dorms in complete silence.
“Did you have anything you wanted to do?”
I tried to spark some conversation, but she didn’t seem inclined to talk.
“…No.”
“Then, is there anywhere you want to go?”
“…No.”
So we were just heading back to the dorms after all. Occasionally, I caught her glancing at me, but she always turned away when I tried to meet her gaze.
Her sharp rejections left me regretting bringing up the topic of friendship in the first place.
“Are we just heading back to the dorms, then?”
“Yes.”
She was even cuter now than when she played the part of a dignified princess. It made me wonder how someone like her could come from such powerful parents.
Initially, I’d planned to avoid her, not pursue her. But if she kept showing me this side of herself, my priorities might shift.
If I succeeded, I might even prevent the Baek Empire’s invasion while charming someone perfectly suited to my tastes.
Of course, failure would likely hasten the invasion, but I’d deal with that when the time came.
As I quietly adjusted my plans for her, we arrived at the dorms before I knew it.
***
“…Haaa…”
The moment I bid farewell to Dogeon and entered my room, I collapsed to the floor, leaning against the door. It wasn’t dignified, but I didn’t have the energy to care.
He really called me his friend.
Friend, friend, friend…
The only person I’d ever considered a friend in my original world was that twisted individual. This was such a foreign feeling.
I’d always thought that if I ever had a friend, I’d be warm and talkative with them. But now that it had happened, I felt like I’d only managed 20% of what I’d envisioned.
Still, I felt slightly wronged.
Dogeon had blindsided me with that question about friends, catching me off guard. Worse, his attention was suffocating.
How could one person’s focus feel heavier than the interest of dozens? It was almost crushing.
Even after I insisted I was fine, he kept apologizing, making me feel increasingly self-conscious.
And then there was how he called me Hoyeon.
The only people who had ever addressed me that way were my parents. Hearing it from someone else felt… strange. Not bad, just really strange.
“…Haa.”
I guess I’ll have to call him Dogeon, too.
“Do…”
“…”
“Do…!”
Nope, I couldn’t do it. The words stuck in my throat. Besides, the walls here weren’t very soundproof. If someone overheard me practicing, I’d die of embarrassment.
As I writhed in self-inflicted agony on my bed, a bead slipped from my pocket and rolled onto the floor.
Oh, right. This was the bead Stefania had given me. She’d said something about wanting to have tea together sometime, but I’d completely forgotten.
While Stefania seemed like she wanted to befriend me, something about her made me hesitant. Dogeon might not have been the purest, but Stefania was on a whole different level.
Even without her characteristic squinty eyes, she exuded an air of slyness. The gaze she’d given me earlier felt anything but innocent.
…Was she a textbook example of a kuksaere character? Maybe.
Either way, I doubted I’d get close to her.
I placed the bead on my desk, wrote in my journal for Mother, and lazed around until it was evening.
While I could’ve gone to dinner alone now that I knew my way around, meals were better with company.
Friends eat together. With that thought, I knocked on Dogeon’s door.
No answer.
Worried he might have fallen asleep, I tried the handle. Once again, the door wasn’t locked.
Was Dogeon just forgetful, or did he trust too easily? First his locker, now this.
The room was empty.
So I’d been shadowboxing my own assumptions about him being next door?
Just as I felt a twinge of regret, Dogeon walked in holding an old scroll.
“…Oh, you’re… here?”
“How did you get in this time?”
His genuinely startled tone compelled me to explain.
“Uh, the door wasn’t locked…”
His expression practically screamed, Seriously?
“Don’t look at me like that…”
Stop looking at me like I’d committed a crime. The door opened—it wasn’t my fault!
“Hoyeon.”
“…Yes?”
Despite knowing I’d done nothing wrong, his tone made me instinctively tense up.
“Come with me for a moment.”
Following him hesitantly, I found myself standing in front of his locker.
“Try opening this.”
“…Okay.”
I had no idea what he was thinking, but I obliged. When I pulled the handle, the locker opened easily.
As a wave of refreshing mana washed over me, I barely had time to process it before Dogeon, now wearing a serious expression, tried opening my locker.
Of course, it didn’t budge.
“Now try this locker,” he said, gesturing to another.
“That’s… someone else’s locker…”
“It’s fine. Just try.”
How was that fine? But I couldn’t refuse. After all, he was my friend, and I already felt guilty.
Surprisingly, it opened just as easily as his.
“…Could it be?”
“What?”
“Nothing. Never mind. Anyway, why were you in my room?”
What the hell was this? Why did he act so serious and then brush it off?
Lacking the courage to pry further, I just answered his question.
“Well… since we’re friends, I thought we could… eat together…”
“…Oh. Sure, let’s do that.”
We didn’t engage in much small talk on the way to the dining hall. Despite wanting to say something, seeing Dogeon in front of me left me tongue-tied.
After finishing a modest meal, we returned to the dorms.
Now was the time. It was just his name.
It wasn’t a difficult task. Or so I thought until we reached his door.
“Uh… Dogeon…!”
“Yeah?”
Oh, no. I’d done it. My face burned with embarrassment.
“…Uh, nothing! Sleep well!”
He didn’t seem fazed, simply wishing me the same before heading inside.
Once in my room, I buried my face in my pillow. Still, I’d done it—I’d called him Dogeon.
But more importantly… the day was approaching.
…Well, I’ll figure it out somehow.
For now, I basked in my small victory and let sleep take me.
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