I Have Become The Heroes’ Rival

Chapter 24

TL: gaeulriri

Editor: Daed

“Are you done with your business here?”

“Oh, no, we still need to talk.”

Was there anything else we could talk about?

I thought it was already over.

Claudia frowned at his words and looked back at me. When she saw how red my face was from the heat, her expression hardened in anger.

“Is that why you made Rin stand under this hot sun?”

“Pardon?”

“Oh my God, how will you take responsibility if Rin got a heat stroke? Look at how she’s sweating.”

Claudia unfolded the parasol on her wrist and held it over my head, then she dabbed the sweat on my face with a handkerchief.

The heroine of this novel was no joke. Claudia wasn’t a meticulous person who brought parasols or handkerchiefs with her at all times.

She also had a blessed constitution; her skin would not be burned easily by the sun.

But because I commented, ‘Isn’t the sun too hot these days?’, she started to carry a parasol and handkerchief with her everywhere.

She could have had her maids to carry it, but it seemed like she did it personally because she liked it.

Recently, she developed a hobby of embroidering her own handkerchief, even though she wasn’t that good yet.

I was silent for a moment when I saw the lump of thread embroidered on the edge of the handkerchief.

Actually, her skill wasn’t important. The heart and sincerity when she embroidered the handkerchief for me were more important.

“Spider……”

I spoke vaguely and stretched my words as I watched Claudia’s reaction.

Argh, it was a sullen expression.

I became nervous; I tilted my head while pondering my next words thoroughly.

This metaphysical pattern had several sticks around the circle. She used red thread. And, considering that she handed me a bouquet of flowers today…

“……A spider flower?”

“You’re right!”

Claudia finally smiled proudly.

She was really cute, like a puppy that wagged its tail and said, ‘Come on, praise me!’.

Because she really cared for me, I should praise her.

“Nobody cares about me as much as Claudia does.”

Maybe this was what she wanted to hear.

Unconsciously, I started to stroke her hair.

Her smooth, silver hair was soft and fluffy even in this terrible heat without a drop of sweat.

“Let’s get in quickly and take shelter.”

Claudia stared at me with twinkling eyes. However, she seemed to be belatedly aware that Lord Belle was still here.

Her expression quickly became cold.

“Would you please stop disturbing my time with Rin? I’m sorry, but every minute and second is a waste because of you.”

“⋯⋯”

There was a tremendous difference in the attitude she took. If you compared it to the differences of temperatures, it would be like the difference between cold and hot water.

As if Claudia had built her own world, Lord Belle was treated as an obvious hindrance.

He couldn’t even make a single peep, and he walked away from us with slumped shoulders.

‘That’s funny. You were so confident in front of me before.’

It was strange to see him get his heart crushed in an instant by Claudia.

I stared at Claudia silently. She smiled as if nothing had happened.

It seemed to me that she was simply happy to be able to spend time alone with me.

***

I just realized that it was hard to avoid the people who constantly tried to stick to us.

Once or twice, I could use the iron wall I created. But it seemed to never end, even though I had rejected them all.

If Lucas intended to wear me down with excessive stress, he had succeeded.

“Was it this hard for Chloe too? Luckily you don’t need to maintain your image.”

Then Claudia, who sat across from me, said proudly,

“See? No matter how much Rin denies it, I’m not the only one who thinks that you are cute.”

“It was the Crown Prince… No, I mean, they are the people sent by His Majesty.”

“All of them?”

Like a detective in a mystery cartoon, Claudia provided her reasoning with confidence and shining eyes.

“There must be people who are sincere.”

Unfortunately, even though you talked that seriously, it couldn’t change the fact that you were not Conan.

Thanks to that damn Crown Prince, the misunderstandings grew deeper, making people think that these men really liked me.

“I knew it would happen one day, but I didn’t know that Rin’s popularity would explode this much.”

“No, it’s not like that.”

“If I had known this would happen, I would have made you less cute.”

No one was interested in me in the first place.

Claudia seemed to feel a sense of danger, fearing that her best friend would be taken away by an imaginary rival who did not even exist in this world.

She shot me a look, then asked as she gave me a honey bread full of fresh cream and fruit.

“Even so, I’m still the best, aren’t I?”

Is that even a question you had to ask?

“You can’t compare yourself to them. There’s no one in this world who can match Chloe.”

I affirmed, tearing the bread apart and dipping it in cream.

I’m sorry to say this, but these days, Claudia seemed to be a fool.

Following me without any questions, trying to protect me, agreeing with all my words.

‘So this is what it’s like when the heroine has a strong feeling toward something. Like a lovebird.’

The heroes in this novel were really stupid. If they had acted more like humans, they would definitely win Claudia’s heart. They only had to be there for Claudia whenever she was feeling down. Wasn’t it easy?

Rather, they were doing the opposite, so Claudia had no choice but to hate them and become hostile towards them.

At the same time, I was angry. How could they try to destroy the innocent people who had loved the heroine sincerely?

Even if they regretted, repented, and were reborn as new people, they would never deserve Claudia.

Just like what Claudia experienced in the original novel, I hoped they would experience endless suffering throughout their lives.

If they gave up and let Claudia go, we could all live in peace.

‘But that won’t happen.’

I contemplated about what I could do for now.

Hmm. After some thought, I decided to make an offer to her that I had never made before.

“It’s so hot, how about we play in the water?”

“I’d love to!”

Claudia nodded without hesitation.

I wonder if I said that I would make fermented soybean paste with red beans, would you say yes too?

***

“You said we will play in the water…….”

Claudia muttered in a low voice. Her face was full of disappointment.

“Aren’t we currently playing in the water?”

I asked, pointing to the empty bathtub. I even brought a bath bomb.

She grumbled cutely with her cheeks puffed out.

“It’s only a bathtub. I thought we were going to play in a lake or something.”

“This is different from the mansion, many people are watching us. Until we get home, let’s be satisfied with the bathtub.”

In the first place, we should not show useless curiosity nor should we wander around in the Imperial Palace.

Because if we get unlucky, you could be summoned if you saw something that you shouldn’t see.

There were landmines wherever you stepped. So it was better to go to the designated place whenever possible.

Of course, Claudia would survive if she wandered around, but I would die.

“Why do you care about people watching us? You don’t need to care about that.”

Couldn’t you understand even just a little?

The Imperial Palace was not a water park. Furthermore, if you openly played in the water outdoors, then people wouldn’t stop talking about us.

No matter how much we retained the ‘My Way’ principle, we must maintain our dignity as nobles.

“But there is no water in the bathtub.”

“Ah, I want Chloe to fill that up from now on.”

“What? You’re asking me to bring the water?”

Claudia asked with her eyes wide open, as if she didn’t expect that she would be asked to do that.

Yes. Actually, it was for a different reason that I suggested playing in the water.

Of course, it wasn’t that I had the intention to treat her like a maid.

I showed a slightly wistful gaze like a puppy in the rain.

“Actually, I wanted to see Chloe’s magic when handling the spirits. I haven’t seen it before.”

Claudia made a really reluctant expression. But when I added the words ‘I really want to see it’, her pupils seemed to shake.

I took advantage of my short height, and shot her a pleading look with my eyes wide open and my hands together.

“…..It’s not anything difficult.”

Reluctantly, as she reached out for the bathtub, she muttered incomprehensible words.

Water droplets quickly gathered in her hands, forming a lump, and then falling, filling the bathtub.

I widened my eyes at a sight that was more spectacular than I thought.

“What did you say earlier?”

“It’s the spirits’ words. I asked the spirits of water to lend me some water.”

“Do you also understand what the spirits say?”

“I learnt it at the academy. It’s not very useful.”

Claudia’s face was melancholic for a moment, then she shook the water droplets from her hands.

In order to deal with spirits, it was necessary to have “affinity”. “Affinity” was usually natural talent in many cases. However, if you talked a lot with the spirits, it might increase slightly.

The higher this affinity was, the less Mana* you used to summon strong spirits. On top of that, the spirit’s ability would also be amplified.

Claudia had already been talented since she was a child, and at this point, she had a great affinity.

Besides, just like Felix, the best sorcerer, Claudia had a lot of Mana.

She could also talk with the spirits, so she could be said to be a prepared spiritist who had tremendous potential.

Even though Claudia had the potential to make anyone who dreamt of becoming a spiritist jealous, she was in a slump.

It was because she couldn’t sign a contract with any spirit.

*Mana: Spiritual life force energy or healing power (especially in Polynesian, Melanesian, and Maori belief)