I Became a Guide For My Childhood Friend

fter dinner, Cassian was about to enter a vacant room where he was supposed to stay for the meantime, but the earl caught him by the elbow.
 “Please play with Yernia, little duke.”

He found Yernia annoying, but there was nothing he couldn’t do.

Yet, why did her presence bother him so much when she was just sitting there right next to him?

Yernia didn’t talk to him at the beginning.

Instead, she kept peeking at him while she ate her lemon sherbet.

That was all the attention he got.

“I am Yernia.”

Yernia, seated at the farthest end of the sofa away from Cassian, had crept up next to him without warning.

Cassian couldn’t ignore her anymore, so she glanced back at her with a frown.

“Yena.”

“Huh? Yena?”

“I heard everyone here calling you ‘Yena’.”

“Oh, that is my nickname! My complete name is Yernia Cilliard.”

It was summer, the first time she met Cassian, and she had just turned eight years old.

She hadn’t returned from her past life during that period yet.

Before she had figured out that the boy she grew up with was  Cassian, as the Countess often referred him to, they had spent their childhood together at the Cilliard Mansion until he was four years old.

Yernia hated him when he pushed her to the ground during the first meeting.
But she quickly decided to forgive him because the lemon sherbet she had for dessert was delicious.

“I asked you what’s your name, but you didn’t answer me.”

“Why are you curious about that?”

“Because we are friends!”

“Who?”

“Since you are staying at my house now, I’m going to be your friend.”

Cassian stared at Yernia’s face for a moment.

‘Strange girl.’ That was Yernia’s image imprinted in his young head.

“Tell me your name.”

“I don’t want to be friends with you.”

“Why?”

Cassian, who had been on edge lately, blurted out.
“I hate people like you.”

He shouldn’t care whom he had hurt with his harsh words since he wasn’t that friendly from the start.

Since Cassian was the Duke’s son, many children his age had tried to be close to him in this method, so it irritated him that Yena approached him in the same manner.

This time, she pretended as if she wanted to be his friend.

Like any other child, Yernia’s jaw had dropped when she heard those words from him.

Also, the lemon sherbet in her hands fell and ruined the sofa.

“I don’t like you either!”

Yernia took no offense when he had ignored her earlier, but now, she was hurt when he told her that he hated her.

“That’s great.
I don’t like you either.
So don’t stick to me.”

“…….”

“Stay away from me.”

Cassian thought he was unfortunate to be in this bad girl’s vicinity.