Chapter 79

1STKISSNOVEL. DO NOT STEAL MY TRANSLATION!

You read it! You read it! You read my letter!’ I jumped with joy. I was afraid that I put it too deep inside the desk and he wouldn’t be able to find it, but luckily it seemed to work out. However, if I showed my delighted expression on the outside, it was obvious that the smart Nicholas would notice it right away, so, contrary to my heart’s wishes, I stiffened my face and lowered my gaze.

‘But I hope he’ll find out before it’s too late. Hihi.’

It’s so breathtakingly fun, playing secret friend is the best. Then I suddenly changed my mind.

‘I’m more curious about who got me as their secret friend.’

First of all, I don’t think it’s Jake since looked at my face and said ‘Too bad’! Somehow it seems that it’s not Alice because I am not a difficult person and she got a difficult person for a secret friend.

‘Because… I’m not difficult! Of course I am not!’

Haha. So, maybe it is Cedric?

‘Because he said it was a face he sees everyday, there is no possibility at all.’

Hmmm. Somehow, I feel like a detective in a mystery novel. But the catch is that I have poor reasoning.

Yes. Let’s think more. It could be Princess Ninaina! It could be me because she said it was an unexpected person. She never expected to get me. Or, Prince Nicholas?

‘…The prince looked at me and turned his head away. Why?’

But his reaction was so vague, so it was hard to be sure. In the end, my poor reasoning only made me fall more and more into the labyrinth of thoughts.

‘Ugh. That’s why I’ll never be a detective. Not just a detective, even a detective assistant is impossible.’

I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I blew away all my beginner’s writing class in the Imperial language. Time to take a break. Alice approached me, drooping in the chair and spacing out. In Alice’s hand was a pair of socks that had already been made and another that had been made about a quarter.

“Midway check!” Alice smiled brightly. It was a smile like the sunlight radiating in the clear sky. These days, I have two people’s—Alice and Cedric—knitting to check.

‘Actually, I don’t really want to do it, but they liked it, so let’s go along with it.’

Cedric was knitting while sitting on a chair diligently without even checking in today. The tiny hands, which had been forged through swordsmanship training, seemed to move at the speed of light, swoosh swoosh swoosh. He was probably behind Alice. It seemed so. My gaze turned to Cedric for a moment. At that time, Alice tilted her head and asked me a question.

“By the way, Lady Emir…”

“Why, Alice?”

“You don’t usually wear the necklace I gave you, do you? If you don’t like it…” Alice lowered her gaze with a face that looked hurt. I thought that somehow Alice’s gaze was directed towards the nape of my neck.

“No! It’s a misunderstanding, Alice, how can I not like it?”

Alice’s face brightened again at my hasty answer. I rambled on and on. “It is rather the opposite. Because it was given to me by Alice, it is very precious. If I just wore it, I was afraid it might break or be ruined, so I put it in a treasure chest at home.”

“I’m glad…… ” At my words, Alice made a genuinely happy face. Then she took my hand and said, “But, I wish Lady Emir would wear the necklace I gave you every day. Actually… that necklace, I have the same thing.” As she spoke, she took out the necklace that had been hidden under his collar and showed it to me. Of course, I already knew that but I pretended not to know and widened my eyes. Alice smiled and said, “My nanny gave it to me in the past, and she told me to share it if I had a good friend.”

Good friend? But the nanny’s lines that I saw in the original story were obviously… or something similar? Anyway, I nodded.

“So, that means I’m Alice’s good friend?”

“Yes, yes. Right. Not just a good friend… a very, very good friend.” Alice slightly corrected the words in my sentence. She then added, “It’s okay if it breaks. Please wear it every day.” But the chain was pretty old and could break easily. Alice was able to read my thoughts. “If it breaks, I will make a lot of money when I grow up and buy you another one. A necklace with a very large emerald and a very thick pure gold chain.”

“Haha. Thank you for your words, Alice.” At Alice’s cute imagination of the future, I burst into laughter. Actually, in the future, Alice may have a lot of money. She has one of the special abilities as the female lead. ‘A very thick pure gold chain necklace at that! If I wear one, I might look a little bit like a rich person.’

Alice, unaware of what I was thinking, said with a slightly sullen face,  “It’s not a joke. I am serious…”

“Of course I know that. You mean it.”

“Ah, anyway, please wear the necklace tomorrow! The necklace… I want to see it on you.”

“Yes. I promise.” I hooked my finger with Alice’s and made a promise.

***