Surviving As The Villain’s Childhood Friend - Chapter 1

Sunlight came through the window. Light pink everywhere, and blue clouds moved through the sky. It was morning.

I blinked and waited slowly for my sense of reality to return.

Perhaps because I dreamed of my past life, I felt strange today. I got up to make sure.

“…It hasn’t changed either.”

The small limbs attached to the body still remained.

“The mind is an adult, but the body is a child.”

Yes, this body was not my original body. I lost my life in an accident in South Korea at the age of twenty-eight. When I opened my eyes, I thought I’d be in the afterlife in heaven or hell. Instead, I was reincarnated into a novel I read and had the memory of my past life.

I jumped out of bed and stood in front of a nearby mirror. In the mirror stood a child with soft milk-brown hair and warm green eyes. Eyes a little bigger than average, white skin, reddish cheeks, and thick lips. The ten-year-old girl was lovely, if not outstanding.

“Haaa.”

I took my eyes off the mirror and looked around. It was a cozy room decorated with cute things like a little girl’s room. Although she was not rich, she was born into a noble baron family and grew up without any shortage in her life.

Maybe it was a much better condition than my original life as modern Kim Jin-ah.

But…

“This is a novel.”

The novel had a crisis and climax. The empire in which I was born will not go on peacefully over the years. When I become an adult, there will be many incidents in the empire. And in the middle of the storm was my family, Zeos.

“No matter how you reincarnate, I had to reincarnate in this family!”

When I am around the age of twenty-one,  all the members of the Zeos family will be killed. In my previous life, I died young in an accident, and now in my present life, I will be murdered.

What kind of life is this?

It was when I was tearing out my hair in hysteria when someone opened the door and came in.

“Sister!”

“Blan!”

An eight-year-old child rushed over and fell into my arms. Their cute behavior made me forget about my anguish for a moment and I smiled. The child whined and hugged my waist tightly.

“Sister, let’s go out and play.”

“Sister, you haven’t washed up yet?”

The child’s cheeks puffed while whining.

“Bella!”

“Yes, yes, here we go, Young Master.”

At the call of the child, the maid brought water to wash.

“You should wash up and have breakfast. Then the next step is taking a walk.”

As I was dragged to the maid, I washed my face and dressed in light indoor clothes. A child with sparkling eyes smiled as he watched me. I laughed along with his lovely appearance.

At first glance, the Zeos family may seem quite ordinary. But the child in front of me was anything but ordinary. He was a genius. A child so talented in swordsmanship that he is later referred to as the “little devil.”

Blandis Zeos.

He’s just a cute lovely little brother now, but…

Soon he would become the left arm of the villain of this novel, Roziel Evelian, who would later destroy the world.. And because of the brother who was attached to the side of the villain, the Zeos family was in ruin.

In short, that cute kid is the culprit.

“Hehe. sister. What are you thinking about?”

Blandis, who was hanging from my waist, smiled cutely.

“…Nothing. Blan, why don’t we have breakfast together and go for a walk?”

“Yes!”

I held my brother’s hand, hiding my mixed feelings.

Blan worshipped power.

Having been called a genius since birth, no one could match him until he was fifteen.

Except for one person.

Roziel Evelian, the villain.

Blan was determined to follow Roziel’s strong power. Then he participated in wars in the Empire to build strength and later raised the flag of rebellion against the emperor.

Such a cute and innocent child became a villain by worshipping power.

I really didn’t want to believe it.

“Blan. You’ll grow up to be a good adult, right?”

I smiled tenderly and whispered to Blan.

“Huh? Of course!”

“You promise?”

Of course, I didn’t think this humble promise would change the story. But I couldn’t just stay still.

* * *

“Are you awake?”

“Yes, did you sleep well?”

When I came outside, my mother welcomed us.

Me and Blan sat side by side at the table.

Soon there was hot soup, salad, and a simple breakfast on the table.

“I’m going out with Blan this morning.”

“Hoho, that’s a good idea. You only stay at home every day. Why did you come up with such a special idea?”

“…I’ve been a little tired.”

I was stuck in my room for a while and seriously agonized about my future. About what the hell I can do now. Of course, all a 10-year-old could do was sit down and read fairy tales or play with their younger brother.

I felt frustrated, so I dipped the salad into my mouth and asked.

“What about my father?”

I couldn’t see my father, Baron Zeos, who was always with me for breakfast.

“He got on the boat early in the morning.”

“Where is he going this time?”

“He went to Belois, Stelly.”

The Zeos family made trade a business. The countryside, close to the sea, had a large dock, and the Zeos family imported goods that could be sold abroad by boat.

Although not exceptional, with good business skills, the Zeos family was able to live a decent life.

It was a trading business.

There was no big regulation on imports in the empire, so you could make a big profit if you found good items.

However, the Zeos family had yet to find anything significant.

This was because the members of the family themselves were simple and pure and had no greed.

I emptied the bowl and reached out my hand towards Blan.

“Let’s go, Blan.”

“Yes!”

Holding Blan’s hand tightly, I stepped toward the garden.

* * *

The sun poured down over me and Blan.

“Sister!”

“Yeah?”

“What shall we do today?”

“Let’s play tag.”

It was the most passable play. Perfect for ten and eight-year-olds. It was not to my taste, but I can’t enjoy drinking and the nightlife at this age.

Time went by when I followed Blan, pretending to run roughly.

“We’ve played tag thirty-four times this year. I don’t want to anymore.”

“Did you do it that much?”

I felt a little guilty. I think I was a little too mean to my lovely younger brother.

“Well, let’s play what Blan wants to play. What should I do?”

“Let’s play the knight!”

Blan was hooked on fairy tales these days. It was a fairy tale book with a wonderful story about saving a beautiful princess.

“…yes.”

It was the worst game ever. You have to jump and swing your arms. I hate sweating.

“Sister, you’re the villain!”

Don’t I usually get to play the role of a princess?

Blan ignored my earnest gaze and put down the teddy bear brought by the maid under the tree.

“Gomsoon is a princess! You’re the villain who kidnapped the princess!”

(TL: Gomsoon literal translation is “female bear” so he’s saying the bear is the princess)

Being pushed back by Gomsoon, I stood under the tree nodding my head.

“Come on, come on! You stupid knight!”

I started acting with all my heart and soul.

Blan aimed the sword at me with a serious face.

“I’m here to save you. Princess Gomsoon.”

“Aaaaa! Knight!”

I waved my arms at Blan, speaking out in two different voices for both the roles to make it more realistic.

Blan swung the sword at me. The sword of an eight-year-old, however genius, was not so intimidating.

I bent over, dodged lightly, and grabbed Blan.

“Wow, you weak knight!”

“Ahhhhhhhh.”

I tickled his waist and Blan laughed hard.

“You can only use this much strength!? I’ll take Princess Gomsoon!”

I recited the lines I had just made up while holding Blan and twirled around.

“Hehe. What’s this?”

Blan leaned on me gasping for breath.

“Now let’s change roles.”

I guess you’ve finally decided to give your sister the role of a princess.

But Blan gave me the wooden sword.

“You’re a knight now. I’m a princess. Gomsooni is the villain!”

Something felt unreasonable, but I accepted the wooden sword.

But how am I supposed to swing this? I was a typical aristocrat who had never held anything heavier than a teacup.

But contrary to my concerns, the first wooden sword I touched was lighter than I thought and easy to swing.

Strangely wrapped in my hand, it felt like I had wielded a wooden sword for a long time.

Wait a minute?

Thump. My heart began beating loudly when I lifted the sword. Something was boiling up in my body. Was my inherent desire actually to act as a knight?

I looked at the wooden sword. The motion was fast, light, and accurate. It was enough to see the after-image of the sword passing by because of how fast it was.

I knew I had good eyesight, but was it this much?

“Wow. My sister is good.”

Blan applauded in admiration.

“I think you’re better than my teacher.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Do this.”

Blan taught me the sword skills he had learned from his teacher.

I copied it without any difficulty. I felt as if the sword had become an extension of my arm.

“Kya! Help me! Knight!”

“Die. Villain!”

I swung the sword at Gomsoon.

I was going to hit it lightly. But, Gomsoon’s neck was easily severed.

“Huh?”

Gomsoon’s neck rolled over the grass.

“…“

“…“

Blan’s voice, which had been howling with excitement, was cut off.

…Let’s think about it.

Can you cut the neck of a soft doll with a wooden sword that doesn’t have any sharpness?

The cut made on its neck was surprisingly neat.

“Oh, my God.”

I handed the wooden sword to the maid in a daze.

As an adult, she was shaking as she held Blan’s wooden sword as if it was heavy.

I looked down at my hand.

Is this…

Why didn’t I think about this?

If Blandis Zeos was a genius born with a tremendous talent for the sword…

‘Then that meant that I had the potential, who was of the same blood.’

I wondered if I, Yuria Zeos, also had the talent.

No wonder… Whenever we were playing tag, I was the only one not caught until the end.

“Bella.”

“Yes, My lady.”

“May I see Teacher Huran?”

“Teacher? Yes! I will come with you!”

I grabbed the dead Gomsoon and approached the whimpering Blan.

And, as usual, I stroked his head and said.

“…Gomsoon saved our family.”