I Became The Childhood Friend of the Obsessive Second Male Lead

“You’re good. It feels great.”

As Rieta admired, Noel gave a small snort.

“It’s thanks to someone nagging me and teaching me. Why did you tell me this . . . how annoying.”

He continued to brush her hair very carefully, despite saying it was annoying.

After that, he brought a little hairpin.

“Raise your head.”

“Why?”

“Aren’t you washing your face?”

He gathered Rieta bangs one by one and pinned them over her forehead.

Noel stared at him for a moment and smiled, as if the fullness of her face was amusing.

He probably thought that she was ugly. The expression on his face said it all.

Rieta pursed her lips.

“Go on, go wash your face.”

With Noel’s urging, Rieta returned to her room with her forehead uncovered.

She washed her face and combed her bangs down roughly with her hand, and when she came out, Noel was already in her room.

He pointed with the tip of his chin to the clothes the maid had prepared for her.

They were all outdoor clothes.

“Quickly pick something up and change into it.”

“Are we going somewhere?”

Rieta asked as she took off the nightgown behind the screen.

“Yes

“But the Duke will come soon.”

“He will be late. He said he would come late in the afternoon.”

“It seems that the negotiations are not going well.”

It looked like she had to apologize again, when the Duke returned.

Because of Rieta, he couldn’t properly negotiate with the merchants, and as a result, the Duchy’s affairs were complicated.

Maybe he wouldn’t blame Rieta.

“Are you changed?”

“Yes, hold on.”

Rieta, with the help of a maid, fastened the shoulder straps and hurried out of the screen.

“Uh.”

Noel noticed one thing as he looked up and down at Rieta’s chosen outdoor clothes.

He keeps turning his gaze to other places.

“That . . . isn’t that too open?”

“Is it?”

Rieta looked down at her body and asked.

“It seems normal. I wore this last time I went to the lake too. It’s hot these days.”

“What?!”

Noel automatically glared at the faithful maid standing behind Rieta.

The maid, of course, was not as intimidated by the young master’s gaze.

On the contrary, she held her chin high and seemed to reply, ‘What’s wrong? It’s just pretty.’.

Since it’s true that it’s pretty, Noel couldn’t even refute.

He was just raging.

“Anyway, let’s go.”

“Where?”

When Rieta followed closely to Noel’s side and asked, he pondered for a moment before shrugging his shoulders.

“Well, I haven’t really thought about it.”

When their eyes met, Noel smiled.

He retained the innocence that had not changed since childhood.

“I was never the type to set up anything.”

“That’s right.”

Rieta agreed.

After getting ready to go out, the two headed to the front door.

All the servants they encountered along the way stopped and bowed to greet them.

The reason why the gazes felt exceptionally warm was probably because they hadn’t seen the two of them together in a long time.

They used to go around like this all the time when they were younger.

Rieta felt her nose tingle for no reason.

“When did you get the carriage ready?”

Noel slightly raised his nose at Rieta’s question as she came out to the front door and climbed into the carriage.

“This is nothing,’ he appeared to reply.

As they sat side by side in the carriage, the butler came over and greeted them.

“I’m glad you two have grown enough to date. Have a safe trip.”

“What?!”

Noel and Rieta jumped up from their seats almost at the same time.

Of course, as the carriage started, they had to sit down.

What date. Even if it was a joke, that was a little too much.

Rieta looked at Noel, who was sitting next to her, with her arms crossed in displeasure.

He also didn’t look very good.

It must be because of what the butler just said.

If Rieta grumbled here to Noel, wouldn’t Noel be annoyed with the butler later?

“What, are you okay with it?”

So, reluctantly, Rieta decided to stand by the butler. She owed him too.

“It’s okay even if it’s a date. Noel, you came out dressed nicely.”

“Isn’t it a bit odd to call it a date just because we’re well dressed?”

“If you think about it that way, it is, but . . .”

Rieta rolled her eyes here and there, trying to find the words to persuade Noel, but in the end she only pursed her lips a few times. She couldn’t properly argue.

“If you want to do something like that.”

Could it be that he was a little sorry by Rieta’s troubled appearance?

Noel gave a pretty simple answer.

“At least hold this.”

He held out his hand.

On his white palms, there were calluses and scars she had never seen before.

Could it be a mark from the academy? Rieta widened her eyes.

“You’re hurt, Noel.”

“I said to hold it, not observe it?”

“It just bothers me. Is this a sword cut?”

“Everybody has these.”

“I don’t have any.”

“Give me that.”

With Noel’s prompt, Rieta gave her right hand.

“. . . It’s very small.”

As Noel muttered, Rieta looked down at her hands.

Of course, her hands weren’t particularly small.

It was just that Noel had grown so big.

He’d probably grown up even more than the last time they met.