What Happens When You Cut Ties With Your Childhood Friend

“Just keep going straight, then take a right.”

I stared, wide-eyed.

Kayan was sitting beside Hans, giving him directions.

Well, I suppose Kayan had been to the capital once before, about a year ago, because of me…

Hans, on the other hand, was likely new to the city, so it made sense that Kayan would know the layout better.

‘…But still, what is this situation?’

Even for someone with a lack of experience, this was beyond the pale.

‘Who would even call this a baronial family? Sitting next to the coachman like that? Even commoners wouldn’t do this! Why didn’t they just hire a proper coachman from the city?’

As dizziness set in from the absurdity, the carriage’s speed picked up to a ridiculous pace.

The streets were crowded, but Hans expertly maneuvered the carriage through narrow alleyways.

‘…Ah, right.’

Clutching onto the seat inside the rattling carriage, I blinked.

This feeling was eerily familiar. This was…

‘Just like when they used to drive wagons through the canyons.’

Thinking about it in the context of the North, everything suddenly made sense. Up there, the terrain was so treacherous that only skilled knights could handle wagons.

‘These people are still living with the North’s mindset. That’s why.’

But at this rate, I felt like I might be thrown out of the window.

Quickly adjusting my core strength, I stabilized my lower body and waist to maintain balance.

This was a survival skill every northern child learned while hitching rides on wagons.

Amidst the chaos, I thought

‘Right. Compared to the canyons, the capital’s alleyways are nothing…’

Thank goodness the maid wasn’t riding with us. She would’ve been flung out long ago.

After what felt like a circus act, the carriage finally screeched to a halt.

‘No way, no way, no way, no way, no way.’

I swallowed hard, staring at a mansion visible through the window.

‘That can’t be the baronial—no, the viscount’s residence… can it?’

A dreadful sense of foreboding made my heart race.

‘Barcklith. No, Viscount Barcklith. They’re rich, aren’t they? And they don’t even try to save money! They spend recklessly everywhere!’

I even silently invoked Arthur’s name, breathing heavily.

But bad premonitions always come true.

Kayan spoke politely.

“We’ve arrived, Your Highness. Please step down.”

As soon as I staggered out of the carriage, Hans shot off like a bolt of lightning to park it in the stable.

In the end, it was just Kayan and me standing in front of the mansion.

Whiiiine.

The wind howled, and the front gate emitted a creaky, metallic sound.

Shoddily finished clothing. A carriage barely better than a wagon. A mansion that, while large, looked every bit a haunted house, both inside and out.

As I sighed, Kayan nervously glanced at me.

“Well, I only purchased the viscount’s residence recently… It’s still a bit disorganized.”

Crossing my arms slowly, I pieced together what had happened.

‘This isn’t “disorganized”—it’s a scam.’

I could understand the circumstances, though.

The Barcklith family had no one familiar with the capital or the ways of nobility. They had always been confined to the northern border regions since their mercenary days.

Even Kayan, who had briefly visited the capital because of me, had returned to the North after only a few days.

‘Arthur must have sent Kayan to the capital in advance, thinking he was the only one with even a shred of experience.’

If I knew Arthur, he had likely handed over an enormous sum of money to Kayan.

But what happened when a 15-year-old child, ignorant of the world, came to the capital with equally clueless attendants? A disaster like this.

“I see,” I said, taking a deep breath before managing to offer some praise.

“You think this is just disorganized? That’s… very optimistic of you. It’s a good attitude. With that mindset, I’m sure you’ll handle adolescence just fine.”

At that moment, a group of large men came rushing toward us from the front gate.

They were members of the Barcklith faction.

Clad in jet-black uniforms, each one of them had broad shoulders.

‘Were they always this massive?’

In the North, they were always bundled in fur coats, so I thought they just looked big because of the layers. But no, they were huge even without the coats.

The men formed a line stretching from the front gate to the mansion entrance, bowing deeply in unison.

“Welcome back, Your Highness!”

Their booming voices startled me so much that my eyes darted around nervously.

It was truly a relief the maid hadn’t come along. She would’ve fainted for sure.

‘What on earth is this now?’

Not even in the North had things ever been this extreme.

While I stood there dumbfounded, Kayan awkwardly explained beside me.

“Well… it’s because of the discipline from our expeditions.”

Discipline? This seemed… like it had gone in a completely different direction.

Even the Imperial Knights weren’t like this.

‘This isn’t a noble house—it’s an organization!’

As I let out a hollow laugh, the men lined up in front of the mansion recognized me and began shouting one by one.

“Wait, is that the Princess?”

“Your Highness, it’s been so long!”

“Oh-ho-ho, who would’ve thought I’d live long enough to see the Princess wearing such fancy clothes!”

“Ha, still as short as ever! Hahaha!”

While they stiffened up in Kayan’s presence, their attitudes toward me were the same as always.

Kayan pressed his hand to his forehead, exasperated.

Meanwhile, I just smiled and waved.

“It’s been a while, everyone.”

For the first time in what felt like ages, I could breathe freely, no longer feeling stifled like I always did in the Imperial Palace.

I declared brightly and gently,

“Yes, I’m back.”

It felt like I had been transported back to the past in an instant.

The absurdity of earlier had left me unable to savor the moment, but now, a bittersweet sense of nostalgia began to wash over me.

These were my precious people.

Before my regression, every one of them had died—tragically, and in vain.

After their deaths, I had been so overcome with grief and emptiness that I had secluded myself, unable to do anything.

That’s how much they had meant to me. It was only right before my regression that I discovered Simon had been the one to kill them.

But this time, I wouldn’t let them die so senselessly.

This time, I would protect Kayan and everyone else, no matter what.

Tears welled up in my chest, but I held them back.

I had shed more than enough tears for them in my previous life. But no matter how much I cried, it wouldn’t bring them back. So instead of crying, I clasped my hands behind my back, smiled, and asked,

“Anyone want to pick me up? I’d like to breathe the air from higher up.”

At once, the burly men started fighting amongst themselves.

“Move! Move! I’ll carry her!”

“Get lost! I shaved yesterday! I’ll do it!”

“No way! I won’t back down! Once the Viscount settles into the capital, there won’t be another chance to carry Her Highness!”

They were all former mercenaries who had been hastily knighted under the Barcklith family 13 years ago.

Well, they hadn’t received any formal education befitting their new titles, since they’d gone straight to the North.

Still, to me, they were the most familiar people in the world.

“Everyone, move aside! Her Highness is mine to carry! Out of my way! You’re all shorter than me anyway!”

Hans, who had returned late after dealing with the carriage, cleared out all the other men.

In the end, I was carried into the mansion in Hans’s arms, feeling a little exasperated as I thought,

‘These people are fiercely loyal to the Barcklith family, even from their mercenary days. If they knew Kayan and I had cut ties because of a falling-out, they wouldn’t be treating me like this.’

I wouldn’t have to look far to see the consequences. If someone had treated Kayan poorly, I would’ve been the first to storm over and grab that person by the hair.

But instead of pulling my own hair out in frustration, I had decided to fulfill his wishes in this life.

Kayan Barcklith, who had stayed by my side until the very end—or rather, had been by my side from the moment I was born. His wish was…

“To become a proper noble. I think that’s what I’d like to be.”

‘A proper noble.’

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