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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: The Noblewoman's Misunderstanding
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“It's a good story about a friend.”
I froze, and the lady chimed in as if on cue.
Her eyes sparkled with an intensity that felt overwhelming.
Her face lit up like a girl excited by an entertaining tale.
“Tell me. What's the problem with your friend?”
I figured I needed to watch my words.
“No. It's not a problem between me and my friend. It's that my friend and another friend aren't getting along. I'm worried about when they'll make up.”
I tried to be as vague as possible.
The noblewoman's expression quickly clouded with disappointment.
It was the reaction of someone who hadn't gotten what she expected.
“That's what you're worried about? Not something like being upset because your closest opposite-sex friend is hanging out with someone else, or wishing that friend would only play with you?”
Why did it sound like the question of some lovesick auntie?
“It's not like that.”
“That's strange. Usually, when young friends start with 'This is a story about my friend,' it's about stuff like that.”
The noblewoman cupped my cheek with one hand and muttered in puzzlement.
Why are you pondering that?
“Do people really consult about things like that?”
“Of course. Young friends are starting to get interested in that sort of thing.”
That sort of thing?
“Whatever it is, that's not my worry. If my friend said that to me, maybe.”
In truth, that kind of attitude was something Luciano showed me the most.
He got upset when I hung out with others, and he was the one who wanted to play only with me.
“Oh my, that friend does that to a young lady like you?”
Suddenly, the noblewoman raised her voice.
Huh?
Her eyes gleamed with what looked like thrilled fascination.
‘The topic of conversation seems to have shifted a bit…….’
She'd been so weary earlier, but now she was full of energy, so I decided to play along politely.
“Sometimes it's annoying to the point of being bothersome.”
“That friend is a boy, right?”
“Yes. How did you know?”
The noblewoman's smile deepened.
“That friend must really like the young lady a lot.”
What kind of obvious statement is that?
“Of course. To him, I'm the only one.”
As I nodded, the noblewoman's expression turned subtle.
“Hmm, you say that so matter-of-factly?”
I tilted my head.
“Because it is a fact?”
Right now, Luciano trusted no one but me.
It was an indisputable truth, so I was confident.
‘If I told Luciano to choose the most precious person to him, he'd pick me.’
The noblewoman looked at me with a strange gaze.
“So, what was the worry again? You said your friend and another friend aren't getting along?”
After staring at me for a moment, the noblewoman steered back to the original topic.
I jumped at the chance.
An adult's advice could be helpful.
“Yes. The atmosphere is bad, so it doesn't sit well with me.”
When someone exudes a hostile vibe, it's only natural that it unsettles the people around them.
“May I ask why your friends fought?”
She seemed ready to give serious advice, but it was a tricky question.
“I can't tell you that.”
“Without knowing why they fought, I don't know what to suggest.”
I had no response to her disappointed mutter.
To be precise, they hadn't even fought.
There was just one-sided resentment and one-sided guilt.
“I'm sorry. That's really a secret.”
At my apology, the noblewoman waved it off as if it was fine.
Then she adopted a thoughtful demeanor.
“Hmm, is one of the two fighting friends the one who likes the young lady?”
“Huh? Yes. One of them.”
“Oh my, is the other one a boy too?”
As if something had clicked, the noblewoman's voice brightened.
He was too big to call a boy, but Harrison was male.
“It's true that both are male.”
The noblewoman covered her mouth, letting out a stream of “Oh my, oh my.”
Her interest reignited; she looked positively delighted.
Like a girl strolling in a gentle spring breeze.
‘Um, why are you like this?’
I swallowed the question that rose to the tip of my tongue.
“Between the two, who does the young lady like more? Or is it hard to choose?”
The question was odd.
“Does that matter?”
“Of course it matters.”
The noblewoman's eyes sparkled as she pressed.
Why on earth does it?
I was puzzled, but her eyes shone so intensely that I had to answer.
“If I had to pick one, I could.”
Perhaps my simple answer didn't satisfy her.
“Are you sure?”
The noblewoman's eyes sharpened.
Her girlish expression turned calm in an instant.
The sudden shift left me dazed.
“Yes?”
“Even if you could never see the other person again. Are you certain you could pick just one?”
The noblewoman's face was deadly serious.
Why the sudden intensity again? I was getting weirded out.
She seemed a bit odd.
Even so, her solemn expression made me think it over again.
My conclusion didn't change.
“Yes.”
“Ah…….”
At my firm answer, the noblewoman let out a strange sigh.
She propped her chin on her hand and fell into thought.
In truth, this was simple.
Naturally, I'd side with Luciano, with whom I'd spent more time.
‘I've been raising Luciano so diligently these past few years!’
Feeding him, soothing him, playing with him!
I felt far more affection for Luciano; it wasn't even comparable.
And Harrison now wasn't even really a friend.
I'd cut ties without hesitation…… Wait!
‘Come to think of it, if he's a sub-male lead, isn't he a husband candidate?’
It hit me like lightning.
The childhood incident had made Luciano my real friend.
Since that killed any romantic potential, it was only right to cozy up to the next male lead candidate.
Of course, Luciano was my precious friend.
I couldn't disregard our time together.
But friend versus future husband? They didn't weigh the same.
Did that mean I needed to pay more attention to Harrison from now on?
‘Luciano would never allow that…….’
My worries deepened suddenly.
That's when the noblewoman spoke up.
“Hmm, if you can choose one so decisively, then the answer's obvious, isn't it?”
Her tone was light, as if wondering why I'd agonize over something so straightforward.
Her expression was bright too.
Was this the wisdom of experience!
Solving my dilemma in one go!
“Is there a good solution?”
I asked eagerly, and the noblewoman smiled gently.
“If the young lady sticks only to her more precious friend, it seems like it would sort things out between the two friends.”
“Yes?”
“Young friends are so romantic.”
The noblewoman gazed at me fondly.
‘Why bring up romance there!’
“W-what kind of misunderstanding is this?”
“Aren't the two friends fighting over the young lady?”
Her utterly absurd misconception left my jaw on the floor.
I'd sensed the conversation veering strangely, but what kind of bizarre misunderstanding was this!
“No! One is a real friend, and the other—we haven't even properly introduced ourselves!”
In fact, outwardly, I still didn't know Harrison's name.
“Oh? Is that so? I thought it was a love consultation.”
It's really not? I shook my head firmly at her imploring eyes.
In romance-fantasy novels, it was easy to assume two guys fighting meant rivalry over the heroine.
But this situation was too clear-cut for even wanting to misunderstand.
If anything, I'd love for it to be that!
“What a shame. It was so intriguing.”
The noblewoman sighed regretfully.
‘……Where did that elegant noblewoman go?’
Her abrupt change even felt like a betrayal.
“Anyway, their bad relationship isn't because of me.”
I firmly corrected the noblewoman's misunderstanding.
“It feels like a love triangle with the young lady in the middle.”
“It's not!”
The more she insisted regretfully, the more flustered I got.
“Both just have their own issues. It involves their families too.”
In the end, I even dropped that hint.
“Ah, families…….”
Complicated emotions flickered across the noblewoman's face.
“If it's about family matters, it won't resolve easily. Must be tough being in the middle.”
A bitter shadow suddenly crossed her features.
‘She must have her own story.’
“I've had a bit of heartache. Are you worried about family too?”
The noblewoman flinched for a moment.
A flurry of emotions flashed across her face before vanishing.
“Relationships don't always go as we wish, do they?”
She let out a deep sigh.
It was so heavy it weighed on my heart.
As I cautiously gauged her mood, the noblewoman seemed to notice and gave an awkward smile.
“Maybe because they're still young? My grandchildren are too busy fighting among themselves.”
She tried to downplay it to ease my mind.
But she couldn't hide her troubled expression, so it clearly bothered her a lot.
The noblewoman didn't look young, but she just seemed like a grandmother; hard to guess her exact age.
No idea how old her grandchildren were.
Still, calling them young meant around my age?
“Young ones have hot blood. Time will change your grandchildren too. They'll mature as they grow.”
I nodded and chimed in appropriately, and the noblewoman's eyes widened before she burst into laughter.
“I hope they grow up quickly and mature, just like the young lady says.”
She kept chuckling as if something was hilarious.
“Are your grandchildren big troublemakers?”
Seeing her enjoy it, I deliberately brought up her grandchildren more.
“Troublemakers, yes. They hardly listen to this old lady. They really know how to worry me.”
She scolded them fondly, her affection impossible to hide.
Seeing that, she looked just like any ordinary grandmother.
“They'll grow up soon and be reliable grandchildren. Don't worry too much about the headaches now.”
At my comforting words, the noblewoman burst out laughing again.
She laughed so long I worried she'd pass out.
What?
It felt odd, but I didn't interrupt someone who was enjoying it.
After a while, she finally spoke.
“So, young lady, how do you plan to reconcile your friends? If you have a good method, share it. I might use it too.”
What kind of out-of-left-field question was that?
I panicked.
“No? I'm not going to do anything?”
I denied it urgently.
