The Villainess Doesn't Want To Fall In Love

Chapter I: The Faraway Land Part 2

Anyone visiting a patient would be holding a bouquet in their hands or a basket of fruits, but today, as usual, she had nothing. Her best friend knows how broke she is beyond comprehension and she didn't want her to prepare anything. For Alyssa, only her best friend's presence matters the most. Already wearing a clean, disposable facemask, Reina opened the door of the private room. There she saw Alyssa, already awake and staring blankly outside the window.

"Alyssa.." She broke the silence and walked towards her best friend who was surprised upon seeing her. She sat on the chair beside the bed, Alyssa could see through her eyes that she was delighted to see her. "I'm sorry for not visiting these past few days, I had matters to attend to."

"I thought you grew tired of me too, just like my parents." Alyssa forced a smile, her lips were rough and dry. She couldn't help but notice the glimpse of disappointment and loneliness in her best friend's eyes.

"I would never do that," she reassured and squeezed Alyssa's skinny, pale hand. It was evident that her physical appearance had changed a lot due to her health condition.

Unlike Reina, Alyssa was raised in a wealthy household and provided a luxurious life since she was a child. They met each other when they were in junior high school. Alyssa was the typical nerd who wore think-framed eyeglasses and carried some books with her. While she was just an average student who didn't possess anything special in her. Until one day, fate made their paths cross. She witnessed a bullying incident and rescued a poor girl who was no other than Alyssa.

"Whatever happens, don't let anyone look down on you. You must be brave for yourself because no one else will do it for you."

She remembered telling those words to Alyssa. After their first encounter, Alyssa started to become comfortable and clingy to her. They became close friends since then. She thought she was a loner type of girl but when they grew closer, she realized Alyssa was indeed the loudest person she had ever met in her entire life. She would crack corny jokes, she would tell an old story or random facts which she read from books, and she would bring expensive snacks and they would eat those together under the shade of the old acacia tree in their school.

Since the day she met Alyssa, her monochrome life started to fill with bright colors. Whenever she was with her, she would forget that she had a miserable life.

However, it was when they reached senior high school, Alyssa started to show some strange symptoms. Later on, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She had to quit school and stay at the hospital for serious medication. Reina was once again brought to loneliness. Every time she goes to school she would always imagine her best friend chitchatting and teasing beside her. She missed her day by day and the only thing she could do was to visit her regularly in the hospital. But when she entered college, her schedule became tight.

"Thank you for always staying with me, Reina. I love you so much."

"Here we go again. Please don't make me cry," she chuckled as she stretched her arm to reach the book which Alyssa was currently holding.

It was the same fantasy-romance novel that Alyssa asked her months ago to read aloud for her. It was thick and huge. She said it was written by her late grandfather and she had already read the book when she was still a child. It was a long time ago and she had already forgotten the story. Now that her maid had just recently found it in their storage room, she wanted Reina to read it for her.

"You were absent for a week and I almost took the courage to read it myself."

"What chapter are we now?" She flipped the pages as she familiarized the words and the scenes that she had already read. "I think we're done with this part when Melissa made a deal with Prince Darius to live with him in his isolated manor. I wonder what will happen next."