I Became The Male Lead's Female Friend

Rudrick’s thoughts continued one after another. From speculation that the Duke might have caught the disease, to the medicine sent by Dahlia, and the Duke who was completely unconscious all night.

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And when he heard the name ‘Dahlia‘ from the Duke’s lips, who barely opened his eyes. He was finally convinced. 

‘Dahlia sent a cure.’

At the same time, suspicious rumors are spreading around as well.

‘Maybe it’s related to her.’

Rudrick heard that the Crown Prince was digging into the mysterious top with a cure, and he was only targeting the top when he came out on his own.

If the contents of Dahlia’s letter are true, the Crown Prince will find someone to negotiate with.

It was time for him to step up. But fortunately, the Crown Prince came to him first without him having to step up.

His usual suspicious personality helped. Rudrick hurried out of the barracks and entered the woods. Suddenly, a few shadows followed him behind.

“The 1st and 3rd divisions are disguised as assassins.”

“…”

He continued without looking back.

“We’ll find a place to ambush the negotiating table, and then we’ll wait.”

No matter what happens, the negotiations must be carried out safely in a safe space.

The suspicious Prince won’t trust Rudrick either.

“Get rid of all the Crown Prince’s nudges.”

Rudrick’s eyes flashed coldly.

✿

The Duke, lying in bed, heard strange news.

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The first is that negotiations have been held with the top who has the cure, as his daughter wrote in her letter.

The second point was that Rudrick went where the Duke should have gone.

It was also ordered by the Crown Prince himself.

Not even River Goldman, who was good at negotiating, nor Averine, who’s good in business, but Rudrick Bouser, who was known as a murderer on the battlefield.

‘I didn’t know what the Crown Prince was thinking about sending him there,’ the Duke thought.

Right now, he’s in a very sensitive state. Adelio, who was lucky if the negotiations were not overturned, was startled by the words that followed.

Rudrick, who somehow went to the negotiating table with great force, came back from the negotiations without a hitch.

Rather, it was the Prince’s reaction that was strange. They say the person who gave the order directly to Rudrick, and the person who received the recipe for the cure were trembling.

Maybe the Crown Prince was really suspicious of top, who received only one ‘mine’ and gave him a mild method of the recipe.

Even so, the manufacturing method was the last remaining rope for the Imperial Army.

The Crown Prince ordered Rudrick to make the medicine using the recipe he had received, and the Imperial physician immediately made the medicine and administered it to one patient.

The doctor, who watched the progress, finally reported cheerfully, “There are signs of recovery!”

✿

“What? My father didn’t come to the negotiation?”

Negotiations went smoothly. Perhaps because I had been preparing for quite a long time, the work went without hesitation.

As planned, a small amount of medicine was released to the villages around the Imperial Army, and rumors quickly spread without having to take any trouble.

When people were released and mixed with false rumors, it was difficult to understand the truth.

And when the Imperial Army missed the epicenter of the source of medicine one after another, the top naturally approached the Crown Prince.

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In fact, it is natural to say that, from my point of view, our top ranks were very suspicious.

There were some concerns. What if the Crown Prince refused the transaction or put abnormal conditions on it?

But was it too urgent? The Crown Prince heard the terms of our negotiation and gladly accepted it.

Even if our side decided to set a place for the negotiation, he passed it on without saying much. So it was even tenser.

We even suspected that they might ambush soldiers at the negotiating table to surprise us.

However, as if my worries had been inadvertent, the negotiations ended without incident. At first, I thought it was because my father came to the negotiating place.

For some reason, I thought that it was my father, he might come forward without asking any further.

But the news was completely different from what I thought.

“Is it from Bouser’s side?”

My mouth gaped, then, as if in a flash of thought, I quickly asked,  “No, why did Bouser… why would they send a knight to the negotiating place? Directly? The only person who would come out as a representative would be the Duke. What does it mean? Huh?”

“Calm down. From what I heard, there was a man with black hair.”

“Does he look the same as your first love, don’t he?”

“Oh, come on!”

Looking at Jeron who hated it, I let out a small laugh. However, unlike the appearance of lightly joking or talking, I was bursting with all kinds of worries in my head now.

‘Why didn’t my father come instead? Did something happen to my father? Or did the Crown Prince stop my father from leaving?  And instead, he sent Rudrick? But why? I don’t think Bouser is a good family for negotiations rather, Bouser’s confidence was in swordsmanship…’

After thinking about it that far, I asked in a serious tone for a moment, “… Did anyone in the negotiations got hurt?”

“Huh? Yes, everyone came back safely.”

Only then did I feel relieved and swept over my chest. I could only understand that sending Bouser, who has a reputation for swordsmanship, to the negotiating table, was to threaten us or to really see blood there.

However, the negotiations went smoothly, and no one was injured in the end. Fortunately, my worries were turned to nothing.

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“Now we should relax. It’s all over.”

“… That’s right.”

I smiled bitterly at Jeron’s soothing words. Yeah, so far everything I’ve prepared has been coming to an end.

Not long after the negotiations were over, good news came from the Imperial Army. It was news that the Crown Prince discovered a cure for the epidemic, and the epidemic was gradually dying down.

It was a bit heartbreaking that the medicine that Hestia and I had developed after a hard time fell into the Crown Prince’s hands, but it was okay.

Thanks to this, the Imperial Army, whose morale had been weakened, showed a recovery, and above all…

“Because I got this.”

I looked at the documents in my hand. I was worried that the Crown Prince might have sent a false document, and I prayed repeatedly.

It’s a mine in the Eastern mountains of Pelitos!

“It was good.”

I carefully smoothed the document, trying to lower the corners of my mouth as it crept up to a smile. It was Jeron who was somewhat surprised by my appearance.

“But why did you ask for that? I’d rather ask for something more difficult to give. It would have been less suspicious.”

“It’d be nice to take what I need to trade.”

“… You need the land?”

Jeron had a look on his face that he couldn’t really understand what I was saying.

That’s right. The mine in the eastern Pelitos, owned by the Crown Prince, was already a wasteland many years ago, where there was nothing more to gain from.

In fact, not only the Crown Prince but also the nobles who knew the value of the mine would have been puzzled.

No matter how you look at it, the value of the wasteland mines and the recipe for healing medicine was not even comparable.

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But that’s what people who don’t know the true value of this mine say. I think this mine was worth more than the recipe. Because…

“Because there’s a huge amount of magic ores hidden under the mine!”

No one will know. No, I also shouldn’t have known about it. Isn’t this the privilege of the second reincarnation in life?

Of course, in the original story, it was the female lead who finds this magic ore mine, and thanks to her, she wins the Crown Prince’s trust.

However, in order to gain the Crown Prince’s trust, I decided to just take the mine from the Crown Prince.

Because I already have the back of the Duke of Averine, this one is more profitable.

In the future, this mine will serve as a foundation for my vassals to recognize me as the next Duke.

Then my father would be surprised by my foresight. No, will he be surprised already? By now, my father would know that I have some connection with the top.

“Then… Does Rudrick know?”

A sudden thought shook my head.

It can’t be, I was certain that I only revealed some signs to my father, that I was involved in the cure.

But why do I keep thinking that Rudrick, who I have a hunch, might know? Is it because I am involved with Rudrick in an unexpected place, or because I haven’t heard from him in a long time?

I stared blankly at the window. The warm sunny sky was clear and blue, so I suddenly thought it resembled Rudrick’s eyes as a child.

After looking up at the sky for a moment, I quietly steered, “I hope the war ends soon.”

✿

“No, it’s not.”

Rudrick glared at the man in front of him.

At the moment, there was a cold silence in the barracks in a rigid atmosphere. The man sitting in front of him, the people around him, and even the knight standing behind him swallowed dry saliva.

Rudrick decided to go directly to the negotiation site.