Saving My Childhood Friend Through... Questionable Means... - Chapter 52
Her friend Marie’s home, the Saint Viscounty, was an hour’s ride from the duchy.
Upon her arrival, Marie warmly welcomed Seria, who looked troubled, and told her to stay and rest as much as she needed. Thanks to her friend’s hospitality, Seria was able to take a proper break and sort through her chaotic emotions.
Looking back on the situation from a distance, she found it both amusing and slightly bitter.
‘This all started with the intention of saving Lucas, but how did things spiral into such a mess?’
She couldn’t pinpoint where everything had gone wrong. Was it Lucas’s lies that were the problem? Or was it her own lingering feelings for him, even after discovering his deceit? Seria resolved to use her time at Marie’s home to slowly organize her thoughts and feelings.
At noon, under the warm sunlight, Seria and Marie sat in the backyard of the viscount’s mansion, enjoying tea. Observing Seria’s far more relaxed expression compared to when she had first arrived, Marie took a sip of her tea with a gentle smile.
“Your face looks much more at ease now.”
“Yeah. Thanks to your kindness, I’m feeling a lot better. Ah, this cookie is delicious.”
Seria brightened up with a smile, nibbling on a cookie. Marie quietly watched her for a moment before hesitating and then blurting out in a shocked tone.
“You seem better, so I’ll just ask… Do you have a man?”
“What?! What are you even saying?! Cough!”
Seria choked on the cookie stuck in her throat, coughing violently. Marie quickly poured her a cup of slightly cooled tea and patted her back. After Seria finally calmed down, with her eyes reddened from the coughing fit, Marie spoke again.
“Is it true? I could tell just by looking. Whenever you sigh out of nowhere or stare off into the distance with that wistful gaze… It’s clearly about a man.”
“What?! …Ugh.”
Seria initially opened her mouth to protest but quickly gave up when she saw Marie’s knowing expression.
Marie had plenty of experience with romance. It would be difficult to fool her. Trying to deny it would only give away more clues. Perhaps it would be better to be honest and ask for advice.
After rolling her eyes and swallowing nervously, Seria cautiously opened her mouth.
“Well… You’re half-right. There’s no man exactly… but I am struggling with a problem involving one.”
“Oh my! That’s practically the same thing. Tell me, what happened?”
Marie clapped her hands in excitement, her sparkling eyes filled with anticipation.
Should I have said anything? Seria frowned slightly, debating whether to continue. Her mouth felt dry, so she moistened her lips with her tongue before finally speaking.
“Um, so… Do men… after they sleep with someone—”
“Oh my goodness, you slept with someone! Who is it?! Who did you sleep with?! Seria, you wild girl! You’ve gone completely mad, haven’t you!”
Marie cut her off mid-sentence and erupted into a flurry of exclamations.
I really shouldn’t have said anything.
Seria shot her an exasperated glare, and Marie, realizing her friend’s displeasure, quickly coughed awkwardly to recover.
“Okay, okay. You know, you’ve always been so indifferent to romance compared to our other friends. I guess I was just shocked to hear this from you! Still, congratulations, dear! You’ve finally experienced a man!”
“Haah, it’s not like that. I’m not in a relationship. I just… I only slept with him.”
“What?!”
Marie’s eyes widened in disbelief, and Seria nodded weakly. Leaning in closer, Marie covered her mouth with her hand and whispered,
“Is he good-looking?”
“Why would you ask that… Ugh, yes. He’s good-looking.”
“Really? Then what happened after you slept with him?”
Marie’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. Seria licked her lips nervously before replying.
“He wanted to talk, but I avoided him.”
“Why? Why would you avoid him? ‘Let’s talk’ sounds like a positive sign.”
“Is it really positive?”
Seria asked blankly, and Marie nodded firmly.
“Of course! If he didn’t want to work things out with you, he’d avoid talking to you instead. That’s how bad men are—they just let time pass and hope things resolve themselves without effort.”
“Work things out? Doesn’t it depend on what kind of relationship we already had?”
“What? You already knew him? Oh my goodness! Who is it? Who?”
Seria bit her lip tightly, frustrated with herself for letting slip a crucial detail. While she wanted advice, she didn’t want to reveal that she had slept with Lucas. After all, she still didn’t know where things would go with him.
Although she trusted Marie to keep a secret, it was still too embarrassing to share the details.
If she said anything more, it would reveal that something had happened between her and Lucas. But at the same time, Seria wanted to talk about it in detail and get proper advice. Her hesitation made Marie tilt her head in curiosity as she tried to guess the truth.
“Who could it be? Don’t tell me—it’s Duke Lucas?”
