I'm Done Being Your Best Friend

As the boatman rowed, the boat slowly floated across the river. The river was frozen in some places, and the temperature of the river seemed quite cold.

After about ten minutes, we arrived at a small island.

“Whoa!”

Nancy cried out from behind me. I also looked at the island in front of me with widened eyes. The first thing that caught my eye was a strange-looking rock.

How can a rock be that big? A horseshoe-shaped rock covered the entire island as if it were a lid on top of it. Additionally, there were so many birds in the sky. It was definitely a scenery that could not be seen in Beland Kingdom.

The most impressive thing among them was an animal called an otter. It was not something to be wary of, but rather cute. Watching the island keeper fed the otters, I burst out in admiration.

“How adorable…!”

“Pardon?”

“How come there are so many lovely animals in Brew?”

“… ”

I thought he would respond, but at my words, Logan stared at me without saying anything. Unlike me, who was smiling broadly, his face was rather serious.

Am I too excited? The moment I felt the bud of embarrassment, Logan burst out laughing.

“Lady Nelson is lovelier though.”

“…sorry?”

I am lovely? As soon as I heard those words, I felt a strange sensation arising from deep inside my heart again. I couldn’t keep my calm.

How should I react in this situation…

I ended up avoiding Logan’s gaze.

When we returned from the island, a problem arose.

On the boat heading for the dock, I was quietly contemplating because of what Logan said earlier.

Am I really lovely? To Logan? As I was lost in thought, Nancy tapped me from behind, pulling me back to reality.

“Miss.”

“What is it?”

“Below…”

Nancy’s voice did not sound good when she said that. When I turned to face Nancy, her face was also distorted. What’s below? When I lowered my gaze in the direction Nancy was looking, I stumbled on something very unpleasant.

“Kyaa!”

It was an insect the length of my finger. A silky black insect wriggled at my feet.

An insect in the middle of winter?! I sprang up from the spot.

But I forgot something important for a moment. If too much force was weighed on one side, the center of gravity would be tilted. Just when I got up and stepped on one side of the boat, the boat leaned significantly.

“Urgh…!”

As my body leaned along with the boat, I fell into the water second later. Simultaneously, a sound rang beside my ear.

(Splash)!

“My lady!”

“Kya! Miss!”

“Oh my god!”

I heard Logan, Nancy, and the worker exclaim in surprise. And soon, there was the sound of someone else falling into the water.

I didn’t have the mind to open my eyes and check. I heard the sound of water lapping over my ears and a biting cold came over me.

The moment I thought I was going to die, there was a hand that grabbed me and pulled me up.

“Hurry!”

“Ye- yes!”

Logan… Logan had thrown himself to rescue me. As my body found a breathing space, I realised I had come up to the surface. With that, I immediately opened my eyes, floundering and gasping for air.

“Haa, haa…”

“Oh my goodness! Miss, please come on and wrap this over!”

I had already expected it when I saw the ice floating, but when I fell into it, it was so cold that I couldn’t come to my senses. Nancy covered me with a blanket as I shivered. Logan, who had boarded the boat with the help of the boatman, hurriedly approached me.

“Are you alright?”

Logan held my face with both hands. His face, anxiously checking my condition, was white.

His black hair was wet, water dripping down his face, and his red lips fell open with every heavy breath he took. That look gave me a strange feeling again.

It’s not the time to be thinking something like this. I shook and lowered my head.

It seemed that only me and Logan were in another world on the noisy boat.

***

Was it wrong to suggest this trip? Fabian was overcome with guilt as he looked at Sienna sitting next to him.

Though of course there were business reasons as well, the reason Fabian looked forward to traveling to Brew above all was none other than Sienna. Since the two of them had to pretend to be friends in Beland Kingdom.

No matter how much they both adored each other, on the outside they had to appear as friends. The duke who received help and the marquis’s daughter who helped. That was how others perceived their relationship. (T/n: In a previous chapter, Sienna told people at a ball that they became friends because she helped Logan when he was injured at the Marquisate)

As long as their genders were different, they could not go on a trip together. However, because of the business, Fabian decided to travel with her, which he had longed for.

Yet, things turned out this way. At the time, they were sitting helplessly in front of the fireplace in the living room on the second floor.

“I’m so sorry, Your Grace. Because of me, even you…”

Sienna apologised again. Sienna’s complexion turned pale when she said that.

However, the person who should be apologising was himself, who had not anticipated this situation. Fabian shook his head.

“No. More than that, I’m worried that the young lady would catch a cold.”

“Don’t be. I’m fine.”

Sienna, who sneezed right after saying that, looked at Fabian while flustered. She fell into the icy water, she couldn’t have possibly been fine. The doctor had dropped by and left a while ago, but it seemed she had caught a cold.

Fabian immediately touched her forehead.

“Uh… ”

“You have a fever.”

“Your Grace…”

“I’m fine. I’m more worried about Lady Nelson.”

This time her hands were wrapped in his. Unlike him, who had already regained his usual warmth, Sienna’s hands, which were still shaking, were as cold as ice.

“Duke?”

Sienna looked surprised when her hands were wrapped in his large ones. Fabian said, looking at her sadly.

“Your hands are cold. Please stay like this for a moment.”

“Ah… yes. Thank you.”

Sienna thanked him, blushing. She then turned her head and stared at the fireplace.

Fabian looked at her for a moment, then also shifted his attention to the burning flames. He intended to stay quiet so she could rest.

But after a while, Sienna leaned her head gently against his. He turned around in surprise and found that her eyes were now closed. She had fallen asleep in the meantime. The blanket covering her was also slowly slipping down.

“…”

Fabian carefully removed one hand, then lifted her blanket and covered her again. Luckily, she didn’t wake up. Leaning her against his shoulder, Fabian looked at the sound-asleep Sienna.

Thanks to him renting the entire accommodation, there were only two of them in the lounge on the second floor. He heard nothing but the sound of the firewood burning and her panting breath. It reminded him that she was still alive and well.

If something big had happened…

Fabian felt a great relief. He had the urge to hug her, but if he did it now Sienna would wake up.

It can’t be helped then.

Fabian decided to hold hands with her and endure it this time.

It was nice though. This moment with her was so precious to Fabian that not a single second he found boring.

For now, this is enough.

***

When we returned to Beland Kingdom, two weeks had already passed since our departure. On the day we returned to the Beland Kingdom, I took a break from the travels at the mansion and rested comfortably.

And the next morning, Nancy brought a box to my room. It was a square box filled with balls of yarn. Using this as a sample, I planned to check the reactions of the people around me.

The first place I headed was Madam Ford’s dressing room. I still had to deal with the matter regarding lady Watson, and I had something else to ask of her.

When I arrived with Nancy and showed her the balls of thread, Madam Ford’s eyes widened.

“Oh my Goodness, is this the thread?”

“Yes. It’s the same kind of thread. It seems like all you have to do left is imitate the shape of the flower, but is that possible?”

“Oh, of course. The problem only lies with the thread material, but the flower shape is possible with my skills.”

Curiously, Madam Ford looked at the bundle of thread made from alpaca fur. Madam Ford, who produced various attires for nobles, showed great interest in the thread, just as I thought.

“But how did you get this thread? I’ve only seen it embroidered on silk, it’s the first time I’ve seen it in a bundle like this…”

“It’s still a secret.”

I smiled. I hadn’t planned on telling people completely yet, for once I got asked how much it was, I would price it as much as the Moore had been selling for.

“You can make a reservation for lady Watson with this.”

“Oh my, thank you, miss, I would have been really troubled if it wasn’t for you.”

It should be noted that the daughter of Viscount Watson had a very persistent personality that never gave up on something she had set her eyes on. How troubled the madam must have been when she bumped into lady Cruz then.

Now, let’s talk about the most important thing.

“Madam, I have something else to ask of you.”

I took the rest of the yarn out of the basket.

***

I only found out about it when I sat down at my desk and opened the bottom drawer. There were unseen letters there.

Did some invitations come while I went to Brew? I picked up the two letters.

And when I checked for the sender, I frowned. Both were from Spencer.

“What is it again…”

Isn’t the last time we met the end of it? Yet, in the letter, it was written that he hoped to meet again next time. He expressed his wish to continue the pleasant meetings.

Seriously, why is he doing this?

I was about to write a letter to Chloe, but I stopped all of a sudden. Didn’t Chloe and lady Cruz’s opinions differ during the last meeting? Chloe had the same thoughts as me, but the lady of County Cruz had a different view. She said he seemed genuinely interested in me.

I just didn’t know who to trust anymore. As I thought about it, something came to my mind.

So, what would a ‘man’ like Spencer think of this? It might be better to approach it this way. A face popped into my mind.