I Woke Up as the Villainess's Friend. I Don’t Want to Be the Next Dark Queen

The prince isn't here. Probably for the best. I don't feel like dealing with his concern about the assassination attempt. And honestly, I'm looking at that bodyguard I wanted to get rid of with different eyes now. The problem is that when I get back to the village to find Ronan, a certain zombie bird I carry in my backpack—in a different pocket than the pup—comes within mental communication range of its master. Immediately, Ronan tells me he wants to assign me more bodyguards.

Let me break this down.

I could have asked him through our mental connection to come to the human village, Clearhaven. Instead, since the deer ride is really fast, I decided to go to the goblin one myself.

I'm walking down the street that leads from Clearhaven's square when I hear him.

My lady, did someone try to assassinate you? You must let Tom or one of the trolls escort you.

Yeah, that. I can just picture myself at the academy with a zombie troll walking side by side with the human bodyguard. Well, not side by side; the troll is way bigger and taller.

Yeah, that.

Not happening.

No, Ronan, I tell him mentally. I'm fine with just the bird, actually I think they saved Mary, but I can already defend myself.

I tell him how the major protection necklace kept me alive while I wave to the guard and leave the village, where the deer is waiting for me.

What is the cooldown?

One week.

My lady, you should accept my help.

I'll be careful. I don't think they'll try to assassinate me again if they've already failed. And if I don't watch out, the rector and the crown will assign me more escorts. Don't worry.

I mount the deer. The good thing about mental communication is that I can't see him, so if he's planning to look at me with disappointment or disapproval, I don't even notice.

Though it's not like Ronan usually shows emotions beyond his wonder at the outside world. By outside I mean anything that's not inside a basement.

As you command, my lady, he responds after a few seconds.

Uh, now it's "command" and not "wish." Well, I focus on holding tight to the deer and we don't take long to reach the cave.

Ronan greets me. I can see that the totem and the goblins are still happy, both from the experience gained fighting the ants and from my vassal sergeant helping them develop their settlement.

As soon as the female goblins give birth, we'll have the requirements to establish the town hall and, with it, the village. The fifty beds have been ready for days now—all we need is the population increase.

Ronan asks if I have any mana left and, since the answer is yes, I make him some stone bricks.

Congratulations. Your stone control spell has leveled up. It is now low-level stone control.

Low-level stone control. Can move, loosen, compact, and shape up to 25 cubic meters of earth. Range: 50 meters.

It's nice to get the system notification. It seems to be following the same pattern as earth control but staying two levels ahead. If this continues, the next level will give me 50 cubic meters and 100 meters of range.

While I'm at it, I check my character sheet:

Bianca L'Crom

Race: Human

Age: 18

Level: 10

Constitution: 14

Strength: 9

Intelligence: 8

Agility: 9

Wisdom: 11

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Health Points: 17

Mana Points: 11

Magic Affinities:

Elemental: Earth, medium level. Water, medium level. Fire, medium level. Air, medium level. Spirit, high level.

Non-elemental: Light, medium level.

Skills:

Medium runner: Passive. +2 Agi. Run 20% faster.

Low sword mastery: Passive. +2 Str. Wielding a sword feels natural.

Minor Bow Mastery: Passive. +1 Agi. Fighting from a distance with a bow feels natural.

Low scholar: Passive. +2 Wis, +20% memorization speed.

Mana Control: Passive. Mana fully regenerates after 20 hours, provided the user has eaten and slept for at least 6 hours.

Explosive Strength: Your muscles have developed enough to allow you to double your strength for 15 seconds.

Spells: Advanced earth control. Low stone control. Intermediate earth wall. Minor stone bullets. Intermediate fire dart. Minor fireball. Intermediate breath control. Low splash. Low healing. Low light orb. Low channeling with water and air. Intermediate Channeling with earth and fire. Minor flash. Low meditation.

While I'm at it, I'm curious about how much Ronan might have leveled up in the dungeon:

"Hey," I ask him, "did you touch the stone slab at the academy? Just to know everything you must have gained, because every last level of that Blue Mountains dungeon was pure carry on your part."

"Actually, yes, my lady. I reached level 10 and, with the items, my intelligence is now at 22, my wisdom at 18, and my constitution at 6. My total mana points are a whopping 20. Here I'm counting one intelligence point and one wisdom point that I gained by leveling up my iron will mastery to advanced level."

Wow. That's a lot, I have 11. And by the way, what a good memory Ronan has, remembering all those numbers.

In the time left until dinner, Ronan stays in the forge, busy working with the yeti skull—I imagine because of what he said in the dungeon about wanting to make himself a helmet—and I stay chatting with some goblin females. They're excited about how little time is left before their babies are born. So, doing the math... for the ball.

Yeah, it's going to be a special day indeed.

Anyway, we have dinner with the goblins and then head back to the academy.

It's a bit late. Vincent has probably returned from his dungeon. I ask Ronan to knock on his door, since it's in the male dormitory area.

I wait in the gardens, lit by the moon and the lights coming from the academy windows. A few magical orbs that the professors or their assistants place here as soon as it gets dark add extra illumination.

I'm sitting where I always do, near the fountain. Vincent approaches and speeds up when he sees me.

"Bianca, I just heard. Are you all right?"

I'd bet I know who told him. A certain someone with dark hair.

"Yes, don't worry."

He looks at me and examines me, especially my neck, and when he seems convinced that I'm not going to break, I notice the tension in his body relax.

"I don't know how you survived, but the rector will have already told you not to tell anyone. It's very easy to plant a spy from another kingdom, and you'll be fine as long as they don't know how you escaped." He turns toward my bodyguard. "In fact, he probably has air magic and listens to your conversations for my parents."

What? So this morning in the park, he found out I have multiple elements... Well, the king and the queen already know. Now the rector will have to decide whether to scold me for telling Mary or not, because that would reveal that his guard is spying on me.

At least not the other world thing. We were inside the pastry shop for that.

Just in case:

"Hey, could he hear a conversation from outside a pastry shop?"

"I don't think he has the spell level necessary for that. What would he be? A level eight soldier? Nine? Because he looks pretty young. I don't think he's been in the army for many years. Maybe ten at most, but I doubt it."

I narrow my eyes and look at him.

Human soldier, level 9.

"I imagine."

"Well, I seriously doubt he has the sharp ears air magic spell leveled up enough. Keep in mind that he also has to have his martial masteries to be able to protect you. Crown spies dedicate themselves exclusively to leveling up those air spells, not to improving their combat skills."

"Thanks. I was asking because I've been talking to Mary. Ronan let it slip that I had light magic and she was acting weird with me because I didn't trust her. I told her about my other magics and it's possible the guard heard it."

"Were you inside the pastry shop and he was outside? Because if so, you can relax."

"No, we started talking about it in the pastry shop and continued in Solstar Park."

"Okay. Well, it's not a big deal. It's nothing my parents don't know. Though..." His expression changes, darkens a bit. "See, my older brother, the crown prince, I don't think he'd look favorably on either you having that sword or being so powerful."

"And that's because?"

"He usually wants everything for himself. But well, if he tried to do something stupid, like break his engagement and marry you, I can relax because we're going to announce ours."

He extends his fingers and takes one of my hands, which he caresses with his thumb. I shiver—it's delicious.

"How did it go?" he asks me. "Were you able to talk to Marco?"

"Ah, I'm afraid not. That's why I wanted to see you. I went to his parents' house and he's already left for the academy. I left word at the Steel Falcon inn, so they'll let me know if he comes before the ball. If not, I'm really sorry but I'll break up with him there, somewhere private, and we'll have to postpone announcing our engagement to any other day. Doing it at the ball would seem like a dirty trick to the poor guy."

I feel the pressure of his fingers on my hand. I see how he tries not to show that it affects him.

"You call him a poor guy, but he doesn't seem that way to me right now. Not if he's going to the ball with the most beautiful woman in this kingdom."

"If I can't see him before then, this is just a small wait. You know my heart beats for you. It's not something that's going to change because of a trivial setback."

He pulls me closer and takes me in his arms. My legs lift off the bench and I fall onto his lap.

He kisses me.

He doesn't need to say anything else.

We stay on the garden bench for a while. We're lucky that no one passes by here, not Berta, not Ronan, not any professor or student.

Life, in these moments when I'm curled up on him, is simply perfect.

There's no contract with the seed of evil, no assassination attempts, no exams to pass. Just me and my prince.

Who would have thought I could have such a romantic soul.