As the Villainess Who Was Dumped, I Am Saved by My Childhood Friend from a Noble Family and Spoiled in the Frontier - Chapter 2

After the tumultuous graduation party, I was effectively ordered to live in seclusion within the borders of the Aurelia March.

My father had been furious enough to challenge the Crown Prince to a duel, but Lord Franz managed to calm him down.

“When my dear friend’s son says that, I can’t argue. This time, thank you so much for saving my precious daughter. Please, please take good care of her.”

“Yes, Nina is an important junior to me as well. Leave her to me.”

My father was crying tears of gratitude toward Lord Franz.

I, too, felt gratitude beyond measure.

※

“Lady Nina, is something wrong?”

“I’m sorry, Maria. I might be a little tired.”

“That’s understandable, after everything that’s happened.”

Several days had passed since moving to the March. I had been given a room in Lord Franz’s mansion and was staying there.

Though I had come here almost like a criminal and was prepared to do housework or anything else, I was told, “Nina is an honored guest. Making you do such things would bring shame upon our house,” so I ended up with nothing to do.

Thus, my afternoon tea parties with Maria, Lord Franz’s sister, had become my only real pleasure.

Maria was a 16-year-old first-year student at the academy. Though two years younger than me, thanks to our families’ long-standing relationship, I thought of her as my own little sister.

“All my friends were outraged as well. For Lady Nina to be falsely accused and have her engagement broken. Does the Crown Prince really find that cheating baron’s daughter so wonderful?”

“Thank you, Maria. But you mustn’t say such things too loudly. It could cause trouble for Lord Franz too.”

“You worry too much, Lady Nina. While everyone was frightened in that moment, my brother firmly stood his ground, and people are saying it was incredibly refreshing. Besides, I’m so happy I get to live under the same roof as you, Lady Nina, whom I adore. My brother is kind, but ever since our father and mother passed away from the epidemic, I’ve been rather lonely. Lady Nina, please think of this place as your own home and relax.”

For me, who had borne the full brunt of people’s malice in that situation, her affection was so heartwarming it brought tears to my eyes.

“Hey there, Maria! I had a meeting in town, so I bought some freshly baked muffins. Let’s invite Nina and have the three of us for a snack. Oh, you’ve already started!”

Saying this, Lord Franz appeared at our balcony tea party.

In official settings, he comported himself as the head of a great noble house, but in private spaces like this, he became the easygoing big brother I’d known since childhood.

He had mentioned having a work meeting with the commerce guild executives since morning. So, he’d bought us sweets as a souvenir.

“Ooh, they smell wonderful! Thank you, Brother! Is your work finished for today?”

“No, I still have plenty of paperwork left. I just came to slack off a bit.”

“My, oh my, Brother. Hehehe.”

Ah, what a blissful time this was.

Since becoming the Crown Prince’s fiancée, I’d had no time to rest my mind between etiquette lessons, foreign language studies, and court functions.

While I got along well with Maria and other juniors, some of my classmates saw me as a rival and subjected me to various harassments and gossip.

That’s precisely why sharing tea like this with these two kindred spirits felt overwhelmingly, wonderfully happy.