Chapter : 51
In the end, I didn’t manage to make a single friend.
Sigh.
Maybe I need to rethink this plan.
Today again, I was floundering in the hell of exercise—where those who don’t walk more than 2,000 steps are punished—and seriously contemplating everything.
“Arelene, why are you sighing?”
How could I not sigh right now?
“Did you not sleep again last night?”
“No, I did sleep…”
“Did you eat?”
“I ate three square meals.”
“Did you stretch?”
“Yeah. I did it twice.”
“Good job!”
Pession (hell’s warden, the crown prince, and kind of cute) beamed brightly.
His sunny smile was dazzling enough to melt even the perennial snow, but my heart still felt uneasy.
‘What’s he so happy about, smiling like that?’
“Do you like Harun more than me?”
“Because Arelene doesn’t like me…”
Pession had vanished once, saying that, and then returned acting like nothing had happened.
I still remembered the dark, wounded expression he’d worn, and now that he was behaving so nonchalantly, I didn’t know how to act around him.
Should I just treat him like usual?
‘No, how is that even possible?!’
Doesn’t he feel awkward? Isn’t he uncomfortable?
Whether he knew how I felt or not, Pession looked at me with a radiant smile.
“Arelene’s being quiet today.”
“…”
“Not even begging for mercy.”
“That’s because…”
It’s because of you, you jerk!
“Please spare me.”
“Okay, I’ll spare you.”
Pession smiled sweetly.
“So let’s go one more lap.”
“You demon…!”
“For Arelene’s sake, I can even become a demon, no matter how painful it is!”
“Don’t say that while smiling! I know you’re enjoying this!”
“I’m not. This is really hard and painful. Just one more lap.”
“Argh! This is the last one, seriously!”
“Okay, okay.”
My legs were cramping, so I slowed down and glanced at Pession.
‘Is he really okay?’
He always smiled, so it was hard to tell.
“But Arelene, why did you come to the friend group yesterday?”
“Huh?”
“Honestly, last time you left looking completely pale. I thought you’d never show up again.”
Pession confessed that he had stormed into the Halbern mansion because of that.
“So I was kind of curious.”
Honestly, I hadn’t expected to go back on my own either.
‘Should I just tell him the truth—that I was trying to make a friend?’
My ultimate goal was to escape from this hellish exercise regime.
‘I’d usually be honest, but…’
But still!
I couldn’t say something that might hurt him, especially after seeing the expression he made yesterday.
“…I just wanted to go out.”
As expected, I had no talent for talking.
“I thought it would be rude not to show up again.”
I glanced sideways at Pession’s face.
“And it’s been a while since I saw you somewhere outside the Halbern mansion.”
“Arelene…”
For some reason, Pession’s eyes welled up with emotion.
“Can I hug you?”
“No!”
“Just once!”
“Ugh.”
His eyes sparkled so brightly. It was hard to look away.
“Just once, okay?”
“Arelene!”
Pession suddenly wrapped his arms around me.
It felt different from when I’d been hugged by Mehen. The cool, refreshing scent calmed my restless heart.
“Do you like me that much?”
“Yeah!”
I truly didn’t understand.
Why did he like me so much? His constant affection felt like a mystery to me. It was fascinating and puzzling at the same time.
Pession’s eyes curved gently.
“Still, I like it best when it’s just you and me.”
Suddenly, I grew concerned for Pession’s social skills.
“At this rate, you’ll end up an outcast like me.”
The Crown Prince’s Childhood Friends Club.
Nicknamed the “Collection Club,” this social group didn’t have an official title, but it held more significance than most aristocratic social circles.
Naturally so.
The role and title of “the Crown Prince’s childhood friend” had traditionally been the exclusive domain of powerful noble families—a league of their own.
Traditionally, the one selected to be his childhood friend would spend nearly every moment with the crown prince, becoming both his right hand and his most loyal confidant.
In this generation, that “friend” was Harun of House Muvisk.
But then—
“The crown prince needs to grow up surrounded by a wider variety of people. A future emperor must have a broad perspective.”
Empress Azeny suddenly abolished the exclusivity of the role and turned it into an official group.
There were now only three criteria to be part of it:
Born to a high-ranking noble or influential family.
A genius recognized in any field.
Recommended by the Crown Prince.
And so, about 40 children gathered.
These children quickly split into three groups.
First, the sons and daughters of noble families.
“We’re being treated like commoners? Us?!”
“Even if they’re geniuses, they’re just commoners who happened to be smart!”
Second, the geniuses.
“Look at them clinging to their noble bloodlines.”
“They’re useless without their family’s power.”
“We’re different! We’ve proven our worth with our own abilities!”
The rest were ignored by both.
But whether noble or genius, both groups had the same goal:
To become the crown prince’s true friend.
Everyone who came to the Collection Club knew.
Only three people could truly be called the Crown Prince’s childhood friends.
Harun of House Muvisk, and the twin siblings from House Spherom.
“As expected…”
Recently, however, someone new had been added.
Arelene Siglia Halbern.
Arelene had always been a background character.
At first, she was noticed because she came from House Halbern. But that didn’t last.
“She’s Halbern’s daughter?”
“She’s pretty, but…”
“Why is she so different from the Muvisk heir and the Spherom devil twins?”
With her faint presence and timid personality, she quickly faded from interest.
“My mom says she’s illegitimate.”
“She doesn’t even know who her mother is.”
“I heard she’s terminally ill.”
The children didn’t hesitate to gossip and insult her. In fact, they seemed more eager to bully her because she was from Halbern.
Even when they mocked her, Arelene only gave a pale smile and never said a word back.
So—
“Arelene? Do you know her?”
When Pession first mentioned Arelene, no one could immediately recall who she was.
“Who’s Arelene?”
“She comes to this group too?”
“You know Arelene?”
“Why is His Highness looking for someone like Arelene?”
A few kids who had pitied her enough to occasionally “play” with her remembered.
But when Pession said her name, those were the ones who reacted most negatively.
That’s when it began.
Arelene, who had once been nothing, became a threat.
“Don’t worry too much. It’s probably nothing.”
“Right, Lady Leslie. His Highness would never like someone like that.”
Lady Leslie of House Belfart had everything.
The only thing missing was that her house was a marquisate, not a duchy.
‘But that doesn’t matter.’
Among the five duke houses, Arelene was the only young lady.
So aside from Arelene, Leslie had the highest status.
“My daughter, you will become the Crown Princess.”
“There’s no one more suited to the role than you.”
“I’ll make sure you marry the Crown Prince.”
Leslie had never doubted she’d be the Crown Princess.
Her beloved father had promised, and everyone around her believed the same.
‘But then…’
Things started to change.
All because of Arelene—someone she’d never seen as a threat.
Today again, Leslie glared at Arelene, who sat surrounded by the Crown Prince, Harun, and the twins, and recalled what she’d heard at the last gathering.
“We’re together from morning to night.”
“She’s my hell’s warden.”
Together from morning to night.
Hell’s warden?
She had to be joking.
Did Arelene really think no one would realize she was bragging about how close she was to the Crown Prince?
‘You think I’ll just let that slide?!’
Leslie approached Arelene with a mind to put her in her place. The sight of her clinging to the Crown Prince was unbearable.
“Lady Arelene.”
All eyes turned instantly.
Feeling satisfied with the attention, Leslie smiled.
“Would you like to come over and have a chat with us?”
An invitation she couldn’t refuse.
Now Arelene wouldn’t be able to monopolize the Crown Prince and the others anymore!
But then—
Arelene’s pale eyes suddenly sparkled.
“My savior…!”
“?!”
Leslie had no idea why Arelene looked so happy.
