I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 15

The two of them had no idea what the other had written on the paper.

Curiosity naturally bubbled up, but the fun lay in enjoying that mystery.

Edgar continued writing for a while before quietly getting up.

“I see Edgar finished first. Will you hand it over?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Helene took the paper and pulled out the spherical object she had packed in her bag earlier.

What Edgar remembered about a time capsule was that it was literally a capsule shape where folded letters were placed and buried.

However, the sphere that Helene held looked more like a regular ball than a capsule.

In other words, it meant there was no separate lid.

‘How do you use that thing?’

Just as Edgar’s curiosity deepened, Helene smiled at him as if to say watch closely and picked up the sphere.

She gently placed it on a piece of paper that wasn’t folded and began to chant a barely audible short spell.

Buzz.

“……!?”

Suddenly, a small burst of light emitted from the sphere and covered the paper.

Soon, the form of the paper was enveloped by light, rendering it invisible, and when that light scattered in all directions, the paper was nowhere to be found.

“Isn’t it amazing? This is how this object works.”

“Does it store other items?”

“Yep. Just keep in mind that it can’t hold anything too big and food goes bad. It’s trickier to use than you might think.”

That being said, it was sufficient to use as a substitute for a time capsule.

It wasn’t particularly large or prone to rotting, so paper was a perfect fit.

Agreeing, Edgar nodded slightly, and Helene chuckled, patting his head.

His hair, a fiery red, was a bit darker than his daughter’s eyes.

It was such a rare sight that he couldn’t help but reach out to touch it once in a while.

Thankfully, he didn’t show any sign of dislike, so she had been frequently doing so lately.

“Mom, I’m done too!”

“Really? Give it here.”

Helene stroked Edgar with one hand and received Ariel’s paper with the other.

She then placed Ariel’s paper inside the sphere using the same method she had just used.

As Ariel watched the burst of light scatter, she exclaimed, “Wow—!” and even clapped her hands. It was evidently quite fascinating.

“Now we just have to bury this… Oh my? What was I thinking?”

“What’s wrong, ma’am?”

“I should’ve brought a small trowel or something. I totally forgot. Please wait a moment.”

Even though the ground was soft, so digging with hands wasn’t too much trouble, she seemed to be worried about getting dirty.

After all, how often did the lady of a grand house and a noble daughter dig into the soil with their bare hands?

The only instance Ariel even attempted to dig was when she wanted to take a flower she liked, but even then, Edgar had stepped in to do it for her.

‘Well, dirt can be washed off.’

If Katria caught wind of this, she’d surely have a lecture ready, but he wasn’t too concerned.

On the contrary, if he helped Helene with what she was trying to do, wouldn’t he earn some praise?

At the very least, it would help mitigate any scolding.

Finishing his thoughts, Edgar restrained Helene, who was about to rise.

Helene, standing awkwardly in her place, cocked her head in confusion, then was startled and stopped him as she rolled up her sleeves.

“Ed, it’s not something you dig with your hands. You’ll get your clothes dirty, so stop it.”

“It’s fine. I’ve done this a few times and really, clothes can be washed.”

Of course, the maid who washed the clothes would have a harder time, but there was no helping that.

He didn’t want to make Helene walk back and forth either.

He considered just going to fetch one himself, but that seemed like it would take longer than doing it this way.

“Ed, do you want me to help?”

Ariel, not noticing his concern, tried to offer help, but Edgar firmly shook his head.

He had just told her not to help, so what use would it be if she did anyway?

Swoosh. Swoosh.

Since digging too close to the tree roots would risk tangling them, Edgar decided to dig a bit farther away.

As he skillfully began to turn the soil, Ariel’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she watched.

Such a child—indeed, even the noble girl seemed interested in playing with dirt.

‘This should be enough.’

After clearing a reasonable amount of dirt, a suitable space emerged.

It’d be difficult to find if he dug too deep, so Edgar decided this would suffice.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but could you place it in here?”

Since his hands were covered in dirt, it felt awkward to receive the item directly from Helene.

Understanding his intention, Helene nodded and carefully stepped over the soil pile to place the sphere in the hole.

Clunk.

The two spheres collided inside the hole, making a small sound.

Having the yellow, glowing sphere nestled in a brown pile of dirt felt strangely off.

Edgar glanced at Ariel to confirm, “Shall I bury it?” and when her head bobbed up and down, he crumbled the dirt back on top.

Once the dirt was back to its original state, he went to the corner to shake off the soil.

He was a bit worried about getting hurt if he caught a rock, but fortunately, the task was concluded without mishap.

Just then, Ariel, who had caught up late, suddenly patted Edgar on the back with both hands, as if he were a drum.

What was this about now?

Curious, Edgar asked what was going on, and she cheerfully replied, “Praise!”

“This is praise?”

“Yep. I was patting you because you did well.”

“Oh wow.”

What a unique form of praise.

If another opportunity arose, he resolved to pat her back in return as a sign of praise too.

I wonder how Ariel would react to that.

‘She’s someone who tends to keep her promises, so it should be interesting.’

Wouldn’t she likely sulk and say something silly?

That sounds fun! Alright, I must try it.

With such mischievous thoughts in mind, Edgar mused.

“Ed, hurry back and wash your hands. Your clothes are pretty dirty too…”

“Yes, ma’am.”

When the two had been huddled in the corner for a long time, Helene, who had come looking for them, led them back to the main building.

Ariel couldn’t hold back any longer and asked Edgar about what was written on the paper.

If that were the case, what was the point of burying it in the ground?

Edgar, baffled, stared at her with narrowed eyes and replied.

“Didn’t we bury it so we could see it together in nine years?”

“But I still want to know a bit in advance. Can’t you give me just a hint?”

Usually, she was too busy being sassy to show any of her softer side, but why was she so good at it at this moment?

It must surely be because she was aware of her own appearance.

Edgar figured that it was unlikely that there was anyone around her age who could resist her charms when she mixed in cute noises while asking.

“Okay, no.”

“Ugh, why not? It won’t hurt to give me just a tiny bit of info!”

“Ugh.”

I guess I have no choice. Maybe I’ll have to use my secret weapon.

Ariel seemed to sulk a bit and took a tiny step away, puffing her cheeks.

Edgar lightly poked her shoulder with his finger and gestured for her to come over.

‘Oh, as expected.’

You think I won’t tell you?

Though Edgar was strangely immune to her charms, he generally was inclined to grant her requests within a reasonable range.

As she drew closer with a victorious smile, Edgar leaned in, his face coming closer to hers.

‘Wait, what?’

This is too close. Is he about to whisper something?

It was natural for Ariel to feel disoriented since Edgar had never come this close on his own before.

Her heart began to race, and warmth coursed through her body.

Just as she was anticipating what might happen next,

Snap!

Suddenly, her vision flickered, and a sharp pain shot through her forehead.

“Ow!?”

“Wait nine years, you fool.”

Ariel, still bewildered, opened her eyes.

What came into view was the face of her childhood friend, grinning mischievously with his fingers pinching together his middle and thumb.

By the time she grasped what was happening, anger flared up in her eyes.

Had she not said anything, it would have gone unnoticed, yet he dared lay hands on her?

“You, you just hit me…!?”

“I did.”

Bleh.

Sticking out his tongue, Edgar mocked her and dashed into the mansion.

Ariel didn’t respond quickly enough and found it hard to chase him with the gap in their speeds.

“Not a kid anymore, but they’ve got plenty of energy,” Helene observed, trying to ignore the ruckus behind her while shaking her head with a wry smile.

Wishing these kids could maintain their innocent and bright selves like this in the future felt like too much to hope for.

At the very least, she hoped they could remain good friends until they dug up the letters from the ground instead of sticking strictly to noble ties… maybe, if that was even possible?

‘That might be too much to ask right now.’

Setting aside those troubling thoughts, Helene lowered her head.

All she truly desired as a mother was for her children to be safe and sound.