I’ve Been Exiled, But I’m Alive and Well - Chapter 118 (Patreon)

When we came down from the clock tower, the sun had set and night was about to fall.
I wanted to ask him if he would like to have dinner with us, but it took a lot of courage to say so in this delicate atmosphere.
On second thought, there was no need for us to have dinner together, and Giselle would make a fuss if we stayed out too late. The safest choice might be to go home.

"Shall we go home?”
"Would you like to have dinner with me?"

We both let out a dumb "What?" and froze.
I think I just heard someone ask me to dinner, but I'm sure I heard wrong.
Jed looked away uncomfortably. It's no surprise, since the moment he tried to ask me out to dinner, I suggested that we go home.
However, I was originally going to ask him to dinner, so there was no reason to refuse.

“Sure, let’s have dinner.”
“But, just now, you…”
“I’m hungry, let’s go quickly.”

I walked in front of him as if to deceive him. When I glanced behind me, my eyes met Jed's, who smiled relieved.
He laughed as he lined up next to me, "I'm worried that Giselle will get mad at me for taking you around.” Surely Giselle would tell me that I'm late and inquire whether something happened to me.

"If she complains, I'll be sure to warn her.”
"By all means, please. You guys are really good friends, aren't you?”
"We're the best of friends. I'm sure you have good friends, too.”

Jed, who was walking next to me, froze in his tracks. I took a few steps forward and then turned around to see a sad expression on his face.
I guess I wasn't supposed to say this.
I held my tongue at my mistake of assuming that friends were there as a matter of course.

"Don't look so sorry. I have a proper friend.”
"I see..."

I thought he didn't have any friends, but I'm relieved to hear that he does. Perhaps sensing my relief, Jed shrugged his shoulder and chuckled, "There's only one, though.”

"I also have only two friends.”
"Two?"
"Giselle and one other person is in the Fall Empire.”
"In the Empire..."

Jed's eyes widened and he looked surprised. He is also from the Empire. I guess he didn't expect me to have a friend from the same country as him.
But that's too much of a surprise he’s showing. I wonder if he was surprised that I had a friend other than Giselle.
I think it's rude, but I was mutually rude, so I can't complain.

"Since your friend is in the Empire, it means you haven't been able to see them at all, right?”
"Indeed. I haven't seen him since we became friends.”

I guess that's because I'm from the Ansanse Kingdom. There's a big mountain between the two countries, and for a commoner with little means of transportation, it's not easy to get back and forth. It would be better if I could go there once every few years.
But that's not the reason why I couldn't see him. Jed looked down and asked, "So can you still call him a friend?" He asked me.
From an outsider's point of view, he and I might not be considered friends. It was only natural, since we hadn't even met or exchanged correspondence.
Still, to me, he is.

"We may never see each other again, but he is a dear friend of mine.”

His Highness Jerald, the First Prince of the Fall Empire.
He is an invaluable friend.

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