Reincarnated As The Villainess's Best Friend

When morning came, the sound of loud fanfare was blasting throughout the castle.

"What is that noise?" I muttered, rubbing my eyes.

One of the maids darted into our room.

"Good morning, my lord, my lady," she greeted, her entire face bubbling with excitement. "Hope you had a good rest?"

"Well, I'm trying to... no thanks to that noise."

I turned to Lucy. She sat upright in the bed, glancing at the maid with dazed eyes.

"The Queen ordered us to bring you both breakfast..."

The maid clapped her hands, and five more came into the room, carrying different trays filled with food, each covered with silver lids, the smell of which filled the entire room.

"The Queen would highly appreciate your presence in the throneroom by noon," the first maid announced, then disappeared through the door along with the rest of the maids.

"The Queen seems to be in a great mood," I whispered.

Lucy rose from the sheets and walked up to the trays arranged on the table opposite the room. She lifted the covers, investigating each one as she decided which to dig into first.

My back protesting loudly, I stood up and moved behind her.

"Lucy..." I muttered.

She made a quick glance at me.

"About last night..." I began, reaching for her hand. "I'm sorry I couldn't give you what you wanted. But I do feel the same way about you. I really do."

I expected her to keep silent, like she usually does.

"What happened last night?" she asked, staring at me blankly. Her voice was flat, as if she'd erased the night entirely.

"What happened... last night?" I repeated, narrowing my eyes. It was hard to tell if she was pretending or if she genuinely had no idea.

The silence dragged on for a moment until I realized that Lucy was waiting for an answer.

"Nothing," I replied, feigning a smile. "Nothing happened."

Lucy furrowed her brows, returning her attention to the tray of food.

I couldn't tell if it was the blank stare or the sudden forgetfulness, but something was different about her, and sooner or later, I was going to find out what it was.

*****

Unlike the dreadful chaotic mess it had been the previous day, the throne room looked spectacular.

The rubble from the previous day had been cleared out, and the chamber behind the throne was sealed again. Burnt drapes were replaced with new green ones, as well as the carpet on the walkway.

In addition, large bouquets were neatly arranged on all sides of the room, hanging from walls and columns as well.

Armed knights were lined across the central walkway, their armour looking shinier. As we marched into the throne room, they pulled out their swords, raising them high above their heads.

A hero's welcome.

The entire chamber was packed. Citizens from all over the town had gathered on both sides of the throne room, their faces radiant. One could hardly tell that the same people were the ones screaming for their lives the previous day.

A few familiar faces stood out from the rest of the crowd: most of the families I had saved, as well as the elven family Lucy had saved from being crushed.

Queen Rosa stood at the end of the walkway, now dressed in a flowing white ballroom robe, with her long green hair braided neatly behind her back.

"Welcome, noble heroes of Viridale," she announced, her voice bellowing throughout the hall as we approached her.

Yesterday, we were her prisoners. How time flies.

We stopped in front of the queen. Lucy made a quiet curtsy, while I gave a royal bow, as Rin was taught to do.

"People of Viridale," the Queen began, "Yesterday our capital city faced dire peril. A Wyvern, a dangerous and filthy beast, appeared out of nowhere, and threatened to destroy our beloved city."

Out of nowhere, huh?

"I was almost destroyed by the wretched creature, but these young mages-to-be," she spread her arm in our direction, "stepped forward and saved my life, and all of yours."

From the way she spoke, one would think we defeated a dragon, when in reality, we'd only faced a young Wyvern, not even a fully-grown one.

"If not for their actions, our city would have been burned into the past. But thanks to them, many of us now have a chance to live another day."

She lowered her head.

"Come forward, daughter of House Daevalia."

Lucy stepped forward, her eyes glued on the floor.

Whispers erupted in the hall, but for the first time, they were... Positive.

"Our tragic history led us to believe that you were as evil as your ancestors, but yesterday, you proved to be an ally to humanity. Everyone in this room, bore witness to your strength and courage, as you battled the dangerous Wyvern. The people of Viridale, owe you a huge debt."

One of the knights stepped up to the Queen. He took a knee and held up his sword high.

Grabbing the handle, Queen Rosa picked up the sword and gently placed the flat end on Lucy's left shoulder.

I flinched for a moment, thinking the Queen would try to cut Lucy's head off. Instead, the Queen lifted up the sword, briefly dropped the tip on Lucy's right shoulder, returned it again to the left before she pinched it into the ground.

"Arise, Lady Daevalia. Knight of Viridale."

Lucy rose, her eyes briefly meeting the Queen's. Then, she turned around to face the citizens.

"All hail, Lady Daevalia," a voice yelled out from within the crowd.

The entire hall cheered in jubilation. Loud fanfare erupted amidst the noise, blowing a celebratory tune throughout the chamber and beyond.

"Lady Daevalia... Lady Daevalia... Lady Daevalia."

"Thank you, Lady Daevalia."

"You saved our lives, Lady Daevalia."

Amidst the noise and cheers, one person in particular remained motionless.

Me.

Upon hearing the words of Queen, a haunting memory from five weeks ago replayed in my mind.

Lady Daevalia.

That was the name the survivors of the Viridale catastrophe knew the Shadow Queen by.

Before my very eyes, the future I was trying to prevent, was coming to fruition.

"Stormborn..."

The queen's voice broke through the thoughts in my head. I snapped awake, realising that the noise in the throne room had died down.

"House Lillith sends their warm regards to House Stormborn. Thank you for all your help."

Sure... No knighthood for me. All I did was prevent Greenhold from burning down to a crisp.

Without warning, the Queen leaned forward and planted a kiss on my right cheek.

Didn't beat a knighthood, but it'd do for now.

"Before I forget, we would like to present you with a gift," the queen said, turning back to Lucy.

Footsteps came up from behind. It was the Wand Maker, moving as slowly as usual. In his hand was a box, which he handed to Lucy. With eager eyes, she grabbed the box and flicked it open.

It was the crooked wand, embedded with red crystals.

"Thank you," Lucy said, nodding to the queen.

Queen Rosa smiled back. "There's a carriage right outside waiting to carry you back to the academy. To explain your absence, we will also send word ahead."

Now that, was helpful.

"Thank you, Queen Rosa," I nodded.

"No... Thank you for saving our city."

Without another word, I turned around. One of the knights marched ahead of us, leading us out of the hall.

On both sides of the hall, the people clapped in appreciation.

And right before we left the chamber, a smile flickered on Lucy's face.

*****

Right before dusk, our carriage arrived back at the Academy.

Our journey was rather uneventful, as I had slept the entire way, which was the only good sleep I had had in weeks.

It seemed like a week had passed since we left, but it had only been two days.

We walked into the school in silence. Lucy hadn't said a word since we left Greenhold, but somehow, I could sense she was in a good mood.

For the first time in her life, she was treated like a hero.

"How does it feel?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

She kept walking, her eyes resting on the floor. Then she stopped.

"It feels... good."

That was all I wanted to hear. And to me, that was more than enough.

When she arrived at her hostel, I waved at her. She waved back and I turned to leave, but suddenly, I felt her arms wrap me from behind.

"Thank you, Rin."

Her words made my heart flutter, but before I could reply, she ran back to her hostel.

For the first time since hearing Si Ya's prophecy, I felt like I finally had a chance to rewrite fate. All I had to do was pretty simple: change Lucy's reputation.

Before I made my way back to my room, I decided to check the noticeboard to see if anything interesting had happened during our absence.

I scanned the board, expecting nothing but boring academy rules.

Then, something struck out.

There was a new announcement. From the school.

It was a long message, but one point in particular caught my attention.

"... Following a unanimous decision from the Tribunal, the new class president for the first years, and newest member of the Tribunal is, Kyro Solaris..."

Kyro Solaris. The guy with the huge mana pressure.

A chill went down my spine.

I wasn't sure why, but I had a feeling this was bad news.