As the Villainess Who Was Dumped, I Am Saved by My Childhood Friend from a Noble Family and Spoiled in the Frontier - Chapter 20

I am dreaming.

This is a story about a dream.

In the dream, I was still before entering the academy, on a family vacation at a seaside villa.

Lord Franz’s parents were still alive then, and they had come to visit us in the same place.

At that time, my spirit was broken.

Endless days of studying solely to become the future Empress.

Learning court etiquette, foreign languages, and history.

That education demanded perfection. It was far too heavy for a girl still in her early teens.

I was being crushed by this empire’s traditions and the hopes created by so many people.

It was precisely because of that time that Father took me outside. A holiday meant to be a change of pace. But I hadn’t been able to shift my mood.

I was crying alone in the villa’s bed.

When I was by myself, I would shut myself in a dark room and cry all alone.

I didn’t want to return to the imperial capital like this. Once I went back, those hellish days would start all over again. I even wanted to throw away my position as the fiancée. If I did, I could live freely like any other girl my age.

Why do I have to be the only one in such a painful position?

Everyone is jealous of me and only ever treats me badly.

It’s not like I ever wished for or even considered such a position.

“Are you alright, Nina?”

It was then that Lord Franz came to see me.

I tried desperately to put on a smile, but I couldn’t, and I started crying in front of my beloved big brother.

He didn’t ask for the reason.

He was a little surprised, but he simply stroked my head and let me lean on his chest.

“You’ve worked hard, Nina. You always push yourself too much. It’s okay to rely on me when you want to cry. It’s alright. If only I could take your place, how wonderful that would be. But I can’t do that.”

“That’s not true. Just the fact that you comfort me like this saves me so much.”

“But I can’t support you when it truly matters. I am truly powerless. I want to help Nina, but I can’t do it. It’s so pathetic. That’s precisely why I will become stronger. I’ll study a lot and train my body. And someday, I’ll become strong enough to protect you, the Empress. I’ll become strong enough to put my body on the line when you need help.”

“Thank you!”

Lord Franz, back then, he moved to keep that promise for me.

Waking from the dream, I wipe away my tears.

I could feel my heart growing warm.