Reincarnated As The Villainess's Best Friend

My heart leapt in my chest. Instinctively, I reached for my dagger as I turned to see who it was.

"How long have you been out here?"

Freya leaned off the wall, folding her arms as she closed the gap between us.

"Pretty long," she said, eyes scanning the door. She'd changed into a thick white night robe, which I assumed belonged to Lucy.

I took my hand off the dagger on my belt, glancing once again to my left. "The guard, what did you do to him?"

The edge of her lips tilted up into a smirk. "I... may have convinced him to take some time off."

Judging from her demeanor, I could tell it was a lie, but the whereabouts of the guard wasn't my main concern at the moment.

"Were you following us?"

"Not really," she replied, "I was only trying to find the bathroom, when I stumbled upon a particularly interesting fight. Can't blame me for wondering why the King was trying to kill you."

I sighed. This was the one scenario I had tried desperately to avoid. "I assume you heard everything..."

"Not everything. But that was a pretty sob story. Almost makes me feel bad for Lucy."

Freya's demeanor was calm. Too calm for someone who just learned that one of her classmates was a reincarnated mage and the other was a walking corpse with an immortal demon living inside her.

"None of it bothers you?"

"Not really," she replied, "When it comes to her, nothing surprises me anymore."

She turned away, walking a few steps in the opposite direction, then she stopped, looking back over her shoulders

"If Lucy ever becomes a threat, I'm going to kill her myself."

Her words struck me deep, but I wasn't surprised. No matter how Freya tried to hide it, her fear for Lucy would always remain in her heart

"You can try, but she won't die."

"We'll see," she muttered, then disappeared down the narrow hall, leaving me to wonder if she harboured any secrets of her own.

*****

"There's a demon inside her?" Fumiko asked, her golden eyes glinting with surprise.

The small room fell silent for a while, the cold air biting into my bones.

We'd just returned from the king's banquet, to Fumiko's new bedroom, when I decided to break the news of Lucy's origin to her.

She'd listened quietly, nodding at intervals, until I'd mentioned the demon.

"It's the source of her power" I replied. "And it's the reason why she's so powerful."

Fumiko's expression darkened. She adjusted her posture, shifting uneasily on the bed she sat on, the hem of her brown winter gown creasing around her thighs.

"It doesn't make sense," she said, her lips pressing into a thin line. "If there's a demon within her, I should have sensed it a long time ago."

"There's no way you would've. I didn't sense it either, because the King used a sealing spell to keep it buried in her. Problem is, during our fight with Thorn, the seal was broken."

Fumiko stared at me, her eyebrows rising."That's why Lucy's been acting different,"

"Indeed," I replied. "But the king wants to reseal it at dawn."

"Reseal it?" She fumed, creasing her forehead "Why not just remove it?"

"It's not that simple. The demon's tied to her. Removing it might kill her. Jirel says the seal's the only way to keep her safe and protect the world at the same time."

Fumiko scoffed, leaning back on her hands. Her voice grew sharper, cutting through the quiet. "Rin, you're smarter than this. You know this isn't right."

I clenched my fists. "There's nothing else we can do Fumiko. With the seal broken, the shadow demon can emerge at any time, and if the order finds out, they'll send more assassins after her. They've already found a way to kill her—demon and all. If we don't seal it, they will."

She fell silent, her gaze drifting to the stone ceiling.

"Does Lucy know... about the demon?"

"No," I shook my head. "I don't think so. The king kept her in the dark."

Fumiko fell quiet again. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the soft tapping of snow on the arched window. When she spoke again, her voice was softer but firm.

"You need to tell her."

"What?"

"You need to tell Lucy. All of it. The demon, the seal, the assassins—everything."

I paused, trying to understand the gravity of Fumiko's statement.

"No," I muttered. "I can't. Not today."

A frown appeared on Fumiko's face. "She's not a child anymore, Rin. She deserves to know what's inside her... what's at stake."

I shook my head, my chest tightening. "She's been through enough. Telling her she's tethered to a world-ending demon? That she's immortal because of it? It'll break her."

Fumiko's eyes flashed, and she leaned closer, her voice dropping to a fierce whisper.

"You don't get to decide what breaks her. She's the one carrying that thing inside her, not you."

"I have to protect her..."

"Protect her?" She cut in, "If you keep this from her, you're not protecting her—you're betraying her."

Her words hit me like a jab to the chest. Was it betrayal, to keep Lucy in the dark?

I imagined how the conversation would go, and a picture of Kyro's neck snapping darted into my mind.

"I don't think I can..." I whispered.

"It's not about what you think," Fumiko replied, "Lucy deserves the truth, and you're going to tell her, before it's too late."

I stared at her, the weight of her words sinking in. The room suddenly felt colder, and I shivered a little to keep myself warm.

"And if the truth destroys her?" I asked quietly.

Fumiko's expression softened, but her eyes remained resolute. "You'll be there to pick her up again. But if she finds out on her own, there'll be no telling what will happen."

Fumiko's words stung because I knew she was right, but the thought of facing Lucy, of shattering her world with the truth, was more than I could bear.

"I'll think about it," I muttered, rising to my feet.

I left the room, heading back to the main hall, her words echoing in my mind like a warning bell. The weight of the truth pressed harder against me, and I wondered if I'd have the strength to tell Lucy.

Even from a distance, I could sense it — the dark hum of the demon's mana, vibrating through the air.

I swallowed, dryly. This was going to be harder than I thought.