Chapter 56 - My Friend (1/2)

Chapter 56 – My Friend

***

“Are you alright?” a voice said.

Odeletta was headed towards the exit, but her footsteps paused when she heard someone speak. She turned around and saw Dilton looking at her. She stared wordlessly at him, then turned around again.

“I’m alright,” she said.

No, she wasn’t alright. Who would be in this situation? She was miserable, sad and resentful. Every part of her.

“Don’t worry,” she added.

Good friend of mine, Dilton.

Odeletta smiled helplessly. He was probably concerned that his childhood friend was hurt. Even when they fought, they cared for each other like that.

“Odel,” Dilton began.

“…”

“I hope you’re not hurting too much. The Crown Prince—”

“You’re mistaken, Dilton. I’m not hurting,” she said irritably.

Odeletta rarely raised her voice at Dilton, and the sharpness in her voice only concerned him even more.

“Don’t tell my parents what happened today,” she said. “I don’t want them to worry uselessly.”

“…Very well.”

“I have to go. I’ll see you again.”

Odeletta left without another word. Dilton stood frozen on the spot as he watched her retreating figure. He wanted to walk with her towards the gates, but he thought that she might not want his company right now.

***

‘They must be having a good time by now.’

I lounged on my bed with a book, while my hand searched for a chocolate cookie next to me.

By now, they should be eating dessert and enjoying a good conversation.

‘I hope it works out.’

If they were lucky, they would get married as soon as possible. They were both getting older.

‘It would be hard for them to meet with me if they were married.’

A sense of melancholy washed over me, but it couldn’t be helped. I couldn’t whine about things like that when I wasn’t a kid.

‘I can enter the palace as a lady-in-waiting.’

There were many ways for me to see them. I shook my head and immersed myself back in the book.

‘I shouldn’t think too much.’

Then, there was a knock on the door.

“Who is it?” I called.

“It’s Florinda, My Lady. You have a visitor.”

“A visitor?”

There was only one person who would visit so suddenly.

“It isn’t Dorothea, isn’t it?” I asked, an ominous feeling sweeping over me.

“No, My Lady. Lady Odeletta is here.”

Whew. I heaved out a sigh of relief that it wasn’t Dorothea.

A moment later, however, I started to wonder. What was Odeletta doing here now? She was supposed to be enjoying herself with Xavier at Thurman Palace. I rose from the bed with my brow crinkled in confusion, and I opened the door and went out. Fortunately I was wearing more than just a chemise, so I went straight down to the parlor room. I tapped on the door twice then opened it.

“Odeletta,” I said, announcing my presence.

She was inside drinking tea, and when she turned to me, I saw that her face was swollen. I approached her with a worried expression.

“Were you crying?” I asked.

“Mm.” Odeletta smiled, but it looked tense.

“What on earth is going on?” I said, worried. “You came here so suddenly. Did your meeting with His Highness go badly?”

“…No, nothing like that,” Odeletta said in a soft voice as she shook her head. Somehow I felt like she was lying.

“Something happened, didn’t it?”

“Nothing happened.”

“But why is your face like that?”

“…”

Odeletta didn’t answer, and I felt a suffocating tension in the air. When I was about to question her again, she spoke first.