Ch. 157 A Female Friend
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 157: A Female Friend
The scent of women’s perfume, one she had smelled before.
The owner of the letter.
She was significantly taller than Sugar—a height that could rival a man’s. Her figure was equally voluptuous, though she was around the same age as the other three.
That woman looked down at Sugar.
In response, Sugar smiled coyly and tilted her head up to meet her gaze.
Their eyes locked.
“…”
“…”
A suffocating five seconds passed for those around them.
The silence was broken by the other woman’s question.
“Did you come to visit Riley?”
“…”
Sugar didn’t answer, her smile only deepening.
Puzzled by her lack of response, the knight shifted her gaze behind Sugar—then startled and bowed deeply.
Ian bit her lip and waved her hand.
“It’s fine. Lift your head…”
Now wasn’t the time for formalities. Outside official settings, a simple nod would suffice.
‘Leave as soon as the greetings are over. Leave as soon as the greetings are over. Leave as soon as the greetings are over.’
“I see everyone’s here to visit Riley. Please, go on in.”
Her silent plea went unheard. The knight tactfully stepped aside and opened the door, but now was not the time for such courtesy.
She could’ve bolted without looking back. ‘Please, don’t say that name so familiarly.’ Swallowing her frustration, Ian forced a stiff smile and nodded with a creak of her neck.
The knight’s eyes sparkled faintly. Was she surprised that someone so noble had come to visit her friend?
Then, Sugar—who had been silently smiling—parted her lips at last.
“Hi. Could you introduce yourself?”
Her voice flowed like beads rolling, gentle as a spring breeze, utterly calm.
The other woman promptly saluted.
“Ah… my apologies for earlier. I’m sorry for the late introduction. I’m Knight Natasha. I recently became a full-fledged knight.”
She seemed to assume Sugar, standing with Ian, was also someone of high status.
“I see… So you’re the… Hehe…”
“You know of me?”
“Mhm. No need to be so stiff. I’m just a civilian.”
“Huh?”
To the bewildered knight, she offered an answer—
Sweeter than ever. Thicker than ever. Kinder than ever.
“I’m Riley’s most precious childhood friend.”
“Huh? Ah… Aah! You’re the one!”
Suddenly, Natasha grabbed one of Sugar’s hands and began bouncing excitedly.
“So you’re the childhood friend! I’ve always wanted to meet you… Riley’s told me so much!”
How much had she heard? Her reaction was exaggerated, as if she’d finally found a treasure.
“I’m Sugar.”
“Ah, I’m Natasha. You can call me Tasha.”
As the knight shook her hand warmly, Sugar shyly added:
“Y’know… I’ve wanted to meet you too.”
“Eh? You have?”
Natasha tilted her head, as if the thought had never crossed her mind.
“…Did Riley ever talk about me?”
“Of course.”
The immediate affirmation made Natasha’s face flush. She seemed stunned by the unexpected revelation.
She glanced at the man sitting on the bed, then back at Sugar.
“…What did he say about me?”
Lowering her voice as if sharing a secret, she hesitated. Sugar’s delicate lips curled.
“Just that you’re an ordinary friend he met outside.”
Natasha froze.
“…”
But it was the truth—no lies, no embellishments.
“Nothing special. Just someone he greets and occasionally shares meals with.”
And Sugar knew. She knew how Riley had introduced her to this friend.
“What did he say? About me, what did he say?”
“His most precious person.”
Sugar watched the knight’s face with keen interest, gauging her reaction. When she caught the slight twitch of Natasha’s eyebrow, the corner of her mouth twitched.
Amidst the tension—
“…Wow. That’s harsh, Riley.”
Her tone was wounded. Natasha’s stiff expression shifted instantly.
“Is that all we were? Even if it was short, we went through thick and thin together outside. I’m hurt.”
Her smile was playful, but while her words seemed aimed at Riley, her gaze stayed fixed on Sugar.
The hospital room grew strangely quiet.
“We crossed mountains. Crossed rivers. Felled monsters. Cooked together under the stars. Remember when the three of us got drenched in the jungle rain and dried off side by side?”
She boasted of their closeness, each word driving the atmosphere further into tension.
“And then… when we first met, too.”
The man muttered a spell under his breath.
The cross-dressing woman fumbled with a trembling petition.
All because they were wary of one woman’s temper.
The white-haired witch with enigmatic eyes. The saint beloved by the Evil God.
The incarnation of jealousy.
Under the scrutiny of those who knew her nature and those who didn’t—
An unexpectedly flat reaction came.
“…Pfft.”
A muttered sigh, languid as a weary beast’s.
“That’s all you’ve got…?”
Her tone, stifling a scoff, dripped with disappointment.
Though she’d mumbled it, everyone in the room heard.
No—had she meant for them to hear? The knight’s smile began to fray.
Amidst it all, Sugar solidified her undisputed position.
“So, Natasha? Sounds like you’ve been through a lot with our Riley. Thank you for being close to him. As family, I’m… truly grateful.”
“…”
The knight’s eyes narrowed.
She opened her mouth as if to say more, but only spat out one word:
“…Don’t mention it.”
Sugar smiled—radiant as a flower in full bloom.
“…I should get going. Training calls. Enjoy your chat.”
After a formal bow, Natasha turned on her heel and strode out of the hospital room.
Sugar watched her retreating back with a smile—for a long, long time.
***************
‘Come to think of it, Ione called for me… I’ll visit again later…’
Ian had fled.
The only sound left in the now-empty room was the crisp scraping of a knife against apple skin. Someone had gifted Riley a fruit basket as a get-well present.
Sugar’s hands moved with practiced ease, carving rabbit-shaped apples under a facade of calm. It was almost dazzling how effortlessly she split the peels with light, precise flicks of the blade. A twist, a flourish, and in the blink of an eye, another apple rabbit was born.
Occasionally, she sucked in a sharp breath. Her fingers trembled before tightening around the knife.
Her smile had long vanished. Her eyes, fixed stubbornly on the fruit, betrayed emotions she couldn’t control—so she kept carving.
By the time she finished, thirty apple rabbits sat in the basket.
She’d used every last apple.
“Sugar.”
“…”
“How many times do I have to say it? There’s nothing between us.”
“That’s not the point. It’s the look in her eyes that matters.”
“Hey—she doesn’t see me that way. We’re just friends, like buddies.”
Sugar, who had swapped the apple for a peach, glared at him. Something simmered in her gaze, resentment bubbling up.
“Riley, you’re so dense.”
“You’re the dense one.”
They stared each other down.
Sugar, forever pretending not to understand her own heart.
Riley, oblivious to the feelings of the women around him.
Both equally frustrating.
“…Whatever.”
Sugar looked away first.
Then, she performed a small trick.
She stabbed the peach from above, extracting the pit with a single deft motion. The blade came away clean, the pit impaled perfectly.
Juice dripped as she flicked her wrist—sending the pit flying straight into the trash.
“…”
She’d held back. For his sake, for everyone’s sake.
To avoid causing trouble.
Pride, too. Why throw a fit over something as trivial as a “just friends” dynamic?
Her position was unshakable. As family, as his elder, her pride ran deep. She’d give everything for him—yet in some ways, she clung fiercely to her dignity.
A love so vast, a responsibility so heavy. The dissonance between them twisted her insides into knots. Conflict, struggle, opposition—this was the Sugar they’d forged.
The constant mantras of “friend,” “family”—all barricades to fortify her sense of duty.
“…Here.”
Having suppressed her feelings yet again, Sugar finished slicing the peaches and arranged them neatly on a plate alongside the apple rabbits. A harmonious little fruit party.
Riley sighed.
“Push the plate aside. Come here.”
“Why.”
“I’ll hug you.”
“No thanks.”
“I said come here. I’ll hug you.”
“I said no.”
“Quit being stubborn. Come here when I tell you to.”
Sugar shot him another glare, grinding her teeth as she replayed the conversation.
A jealous woman. A man trying to placate her.
Undeniable, even to herself. The dynamic was painfully obvious.
“I—I’m not jealous!”
“Who asked?”
“It’s not that! I just—I can’t stand bad people getting close to you! That’s all!”
She yanked the knife from the peach and hurled it into the wall above Riley’s head before bolting up.
“Hey!”
“I’m leaving!”
She ran without looking back, fingers clawing at her throat as she raced to her room in the cathedral. The choker’s texture was unmistakable, yet she kept fussing with it.
The moment she entered, she faced the mirror. She tore off her ribbon tie and nearly ripped the buttons from her blouse, exposing her unblemished collarbone.
“…Ugh.”
She didn’t even know why she was checking.
“Ugh.”
That woman, cluelessly clinging to him—disgusting.
“Ugh.”
And him, oozing pheromones without a care—infuriating.
But the most unbearable thing was the woman staring back from the mirror.
Raised eyebrows, bitten lips, flushed cheeks. Eyes glistening with sticky, suffocating devotion.
The thought of her jealousy causing him trouble again made her sick.
“Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh…”
She thumped her forehead against the mirror with each mutter.
Then, like a broken machine, she froze.
“…”
There were words she hadn’t said to Riley. Desires she couldn’t vomit up.
She couldn’t. Even when obsession boiled over, she couldn’t voice them soberly.
She’d never demanded it, never even could.
So she’d locked the words away—until now.
“I want you to mark me…”
Her lips, finally honest, trembled.
LegoMyEggo
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