“Y-you were just trying to wake yourself up?”

Unable to leave Wilhelmina in distress, I spoke honestly.

Her face immediately turned as red as well-aged wine.

But that lasted only briefly before she spoke dismissively while releasing my hands.

“R-right! It’s not like I’m tormenting you or anything, I just asked Father to bring you to this villa.”

……She even asked Duke Lopez?

This was Wilhelmina who had avoided speaking with her father whenever possible since going to study at the Royal Academy.

I was so moved I lost my words.

“……Did I force you to come too suddenly after all?”

Though it seems Wilhelmina interpreted my silence differently.

Now fully awake, I quickly shook my head.

“Not at all, I love it. This room is so pretty, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

I didn’t say that just to make Wilma happy — I was sincere.

I naturally walked out onto the terrace attached to the room and smiled at Wilma.

“And the garden is so healing just to look at.”

Unlike House Zamoti which had only recently been elevated to a duchy, House Lopez was truly an ancient noble family.

With vast territories and wealth accumulated over long years, plus the political acumen of generations of Lopez dukes who never let themselves be disadvantaged.

At any rate, as befitting such a ducal villa, the landscaping was exceptionally beautiful.

“Isn’t it? This is my favorite villa.”

Wilma followed me onto the terrace, carefully gathering her hair that was fluttering in the wind.

“The nearby village, while not extremely bustling, has its own charm and is nice for sightseeing.”

“I’d love to see it.”

“There’s also a clean stream in the forest a little ways away, and all sorts of flowers should be blooming beautifully along the waterway right now.”

Is this a date invitation between friends?

When I looked at her with an unconsciously excited expression, Wilhelmina smiled readily.

“You’re like a child, Miss Saliche.”

“It’s my first time going to such a pretty place with a friend.”

“F-friend?”

“Are we not? Am I being presumptuous again—”

As soon as I opened my mouth, she blocked it.

“I told you not to say such things.”

“Ah.”

“And, f-friend! Yes, we’re friends.”

Wilhelmina said this while her face turned as red as a ripe apple.

“If we weren’t friends, I wouldn’t have invited you to the villa. You’re actually the first person I’ve ever invited like this.”

“Of course, my lady.”

I leaned against the terrace railing and spoke with a bright smile.

“Since we’re friends, please call me by my name now.”

“……Miss Roselita?”

“Just Roselita.”

Meanwhile Cassian had started using a nickname for me whenever he wanted.

It’s stranger that friends like Wilma and I can’t call each other by name.

She looked at me quietly before smiling softly as if finding it absurd.

“You don’t need to make such a pretty face for something like this — I would have agreed anyway.”

“What?”

“Save the pretty smiles for when you have difficult requests, like with Prince Cassian…”

Why him specifically……?

Of course, since there was nothing to gain from correcting the nature of my relationship with Cassian, I firmly kept my twitching lips shut.

“In return, stop calling me ‘my lady’ too.”

“Then, Lady Wilhelmina……”

“Just Wilhelmina is fine, you can even call me Wilma!”

Oh my, she’s allowing a nickname.

I was so moved I grabbed Wilma’s hands.

“Alright, Wilma!”

Her face turned prettily red again at my forwardness.

We were both really terrible at making friends.

Both Wilhelmina and I.

*

Since we arrived at the villa quite late, Wilma and I decided to enjoy some warm rooibos tea that wouldn’t disturb our sleep, along with light refreshments.

Though the conversation was awkward and clumsy, I felt happy that we had managed to have even this simple tea time that Wilma had invited me to several times before.

“You’re not satisfied already, are you?”

“What?”

Wilma asked me with a worried face before heading to her room.

“Given how many times you’ve declined my invitations for tea time, I’m asking if you don’t think today alone is enough.”

“Can I be honest?”

If we hadn’t had tea time like this today, I would have gladly given Wilma all decision-making power.

After all, I thought filling her heart with warmth should come first.

But spending time together made me realize how pure-hearted Wilma was.

Though she had long been exposed to her family’s coldness, I realized she was actually quite strong-minded and upright, and once she showed goodwill, she wouldn’t take my words badly.

“Of course! We’re friends after all!”

She was really really honest too.

Seeing her somehow tense expression, I quickly spoke up.

“I’d like to have occasions like this often, even in the capital actually.”

“……Really?”

Why do you look so surprised?

“……I’m relieved.”

Her shoulders visibly relaxed, looking truly relieved.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well… I thought I might have forced you to come here.”

“What?”

“O-of course! Though I don’t think it’s proper reading material for a lady…. but our maid recommended it so strongly that out of curiosity I read it just briefly, very briefly.”

Huh? Suddenly the flow of conversation seemed to be going in a strange direction.

“In those, ahem, romance novels where women who love the same man fight and torment one another…. Especially when the protagonist is often a low-born lady who gets bullied by noble ladies like me…”

Wilma’s face turned pale in an instant.

Aren’t you taking this too seriously, Wilma?

“What’s the title……”

I should have offered words of concern first as a friend, but my curiosity overcame reason again.

“‘The Beloved Villainess Seeks Ways to Delete the Emperor’……”

Unfortunately, it was a new release that I had been too sleepy to start just before falling asleep yesterday.

The title itself seemed like a mess of every keyword imaginable.

“Anyway! A cultured person like you wouldn’t read such things, so you probably won’t misunderstand…. But my brother said…”

“What did he say?”

“That you were politely declining to associate with me, and that I was being clingy without reading the atmosphere.”

This is why blood relatives don’t work.

Why does he judge my feelings arbitrarily?

My rejections were because of my insane workload.

“Of course, of course! I didn’t think you were someone who would say such empty words. Don’t misunderstand.”

“How could I? Instead I feel grateful. You’ve always been thoughtful of me even though I could barely manage letters because I was busy with work…”

At my words, Wilma stood up and firmly grasped my hands.

“Really? I’m not some narrow-minded, petty person! And I didn’t bring you here to torment you where no one would know!”

I was starting to get really curious about what exactly the villain did in that story.

“Of course not, I could tell how kind you are just from how you prepared such a beautiful room for me, Wilma.”

“R-really?”

I nodded firmly as if to reassure her.

Of course, I didn’t forget to correct her misunderstanding that really needed addressing.

“By the way, Wilma. Have you read ‘My First Time Being an Empress in a Novel’?”

I couldn’t lose a precious reading friend!

*

Though we meant to have a short tea time.

Wilma and I were only able to go to bed as dawn was approaching, after all our various discussions about novels.

Of course, we actually fell asleep even later since we also exchanged books with each other.

As proof of that…

“G-good morning, Roselita.”

Wilhelmina Lopez, who was known to strictly maintain her daily routine as a noble lady, had overslept.

When it was almost lunchtime, Wilma smiled embarrassedly at me as I returned from a leisurely garden walk.

I did recommend quite a lot yesterday…

Since I had binge-read all the new releases before she brought me here.

‘Is it okay to corrupt a friend like this? What if Duke Lopez says don’t play with our child, you’re only being a bad influence?’

Though these worried thoughts crossed my mind, they didn’t last long.

“Ahem! More importantly, Roselita.”

“Yes?”

“How about we eat lunch outside? I know a place with delicious brunch menu items.”

Since Wilma had guided me to such a delightful place.

On the second day of my trip, I should have spent such a perfect day, but…

“Hello, Rose?”

Why am I seeing things in front of my eyes?

“P-Prince Cassian?”

But Wilma’s surprised voice confirmed this wasn’t a hallucination.

……To run into my superior at a vacation spot.

The worst possible situation of my vacation had occurred.

“It’s been a while, Lady Wilhelmina.”

Cassian, who had smiled gently at me, returned to a thoroughly professional face and gave Wilma a formal greeting.

At that moment, I tensed up.

Worried that my superior might enchant and steal my friend.

After all, Wilhelmina Lopez was famous for having a one-sided love for Prince Cassian, both in the original story and in reality.

‘I can’t lose a friend I worked so hard to make like this…!’

Thinking this, I looked at Wilma with a worried face, but…