I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 10

Still, is it because it’s the birth of the firstborn?

The food adorning the table in the Hall was so varied that it felt like they really put in some effort, showing off quite a spread.

‘What should I try first?’

Edgar had a good appetite by nature.

Despite being a ten-year-old kid, he managed to eat as much as his father, Ransel, so that said it all.

As he roamed around with his plate, I could clearly see the once-plentiful food quickly diminishing.

“You really eat a lot, Edgar.”

“Why aren’t you eating? Not to your taste?”

“I’m eating enough, okay? You’re just eating way too much.”

Is that so?

Edgar didn’t really realize anything. He just ate whatever was in front of him.

But looking at Ariel’s frustrated face, it seemed he had indeed eaten quite a bit.

Of course, there was still room for more.

“By the way, did you like your birthday present?”

Edgar nearly choked on a piece of steak sliced into manageable bites at the sudden question.

That must be referring to that ridiculous mountain they gave him.

While it was absurd for her to give such a gift, in hindsight, it was even more puzzling that Helene allowed it.

What on earth made her think it was a good idea to give a ten-year-old such a present?

“Uh… well…”

“What kind of reaction is that? Are you saying you don’t like the present I picked out for you?”

I had expected praises to flow, but this felt about as lukewarm as a summer’s southwestern breeze.

Ariel, visibly upset, glared at him with fiery eyes as Edgar tried to calm her down.

“No, I didn’t mean I didn’t like it… it’s just… it feels a bit weird to get such a big present.”

“What? So that means you like it then?”

“Uh… yeah?”

Edgar responded with uncertainty, tilting his head.

If he had to choose between liking it or not with a sword pointed at his throat, he’d pick the former.

Though it was debatable how that mountain would come in handy, how many people in the world could say they’ve received a mountain as a gift?

Just the satisfaction of being among the few was enough for him.

He was just curious about why such a lavish gift was given.

“Anyway, why did you give it to me?”

“Remember what you said when we went to the mountain? ‘If all this grass were mine, I could eat my fill and live comfortably.'”

“…Ah.”

Now that he thought about it, he might have unwittingly said something like that.

He had heard from his parents that the mountain had some rare herbs and trees, and that was likely the basis for that remark.

Still, to think of giving an entire mountain… that truly seemed otherworldly.

“Wasn’t the mountain owned by the country to begin with?”

Edgar still had many gaps in his understanding of the laws and rules of this world.

He didn’t know if that mountain belonged to the empire or originally belonged to the Robeheim Family as private property. There was no way to tell.

One thing was certain: it definitely wasn’t the property of the Billhark Family. If it were, Ariel wouldn’t have been able to give it to him.

“I don’t know.”

What does it matter? Regardless, it’s mine now.

When he got older, if he found himself with nothing to do, living in a house on that mountain wouldn’t be such a bad life, he thought.

After all, he used to admire people who lived naturally in the mountains.

“Thanks anyway. I never got to thank you properly back then.”

“Hmph! If you know that, treat me well! I’ll be watching you!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

He almost missed the frail appearance of the Grand Duchess he’d seen three days ago, but this look suited her too.

With a mix of haughtiness and not being overly unpleasant, she always had a fresh reaction to his teasing, and sometimes showed her pure side.

He used to think of her as just a little girl to protect, but now, she had truly become his friend long ago.

“But why isn’t anyone else coming to celebrate your birthday, Ed?”

“Probably because the adults are busy.”

“That’s not true… On my birthday, the adults always came by to congratulate me!”

‘Well, that’s because you…’

Edgar had many things he wanted to say but swallowed them down.

“Maybe they were busy that time.”

“Is that so?”

Still, since she was still a naive ten-year-old, it was possible to convince her at this level.

He wondered how it would be once she turned four years older. Would it still be possible to redirect her interest like this?

“I’m curious to see.”

That day awaited him, but on the other hand, it was a bit scary.

With how naive she was now, he had no idea how uncontrollable she might become by then.

He just hoped she wouldn’t turn into a runaway horse.

“Hey, Ed, do you know how many days we’re supposed to stay here?”

“I don’t know. Are we staying long?”

“Yeah! Mom said we could stay for a week!”

‘Oh.’

Was this good news or bad news?

For him, being able to play with Ariel for a whole week without getting bored was definitely a good thing.

However, Ariel staying meant that Helene would also be around.

In other words, it meant that for a week, his mother Katria would have to entertain Helene.

‘Lady Helene is a nice person, but that’s beside the point.’

When someone important visits the house, it’s only natural to tense up. Regardless of their character.

From that perspective, the upcoming week would be a triumph for him and Ariel, but might feel like a disaster for Ransel and Katria.

“What do you think? Isn’t it great?”

“Yeah. I get bored just staying home alone.”

“Heh, actually, I learned some other magic because I wanted to show it to you!”

At Ariel’s bombshell statement, Edgar’s eyes widened in shock.

Did she really learn a new magic in just three days?

Even though she had talent, this seemed a bit much.

The magic she had previously demonstrated was impressive enough that he had checked in his book later and was surprised at how high-level it was.

It wasn’t high-level magic, but still, he had heard it wasn’t something a ten-year-old could easily exhibit.

After all, the very premise of a ten-year-old being able to use magic was already skewed, but he couldn’t dwell on that given how exceptional she was.

“I’m looking forward to it. Make sure to show me later.”

“Don’t worry. I can show you today too!”

After the party was over, even if they stayed up late, he figured she’d probably be too worn out to whisk him away somewhere.

That girl truly had a lively spirit.

“No need to go that far…”

Edgar was about to say something more when he fell silent at the sharp glint in Ariel’s eyes, resembling a gleaming blade.

Well, if she insists, he might as well comply. It wasn’t hard for him to entertain her anyway, given that he rarely got sufficient sleep.

But if Lady Helene catches on during the process, that would surely cause a ruckus.

She was rather conservative in that regard.

“Is that settled then?”

“Alright, just don’t get mad.”

“Hmph! You idiot, fool, Edgar.”

“Edgar isn’t an insult, you know.”

How did she come to consider calling Edgar equivalent to calling someone an idiot or fool?

Was there even a worse insult kids could come up with?

In that sense, it seemed Edgar was the most potent curse in her brain.

The past ten years they spent together seemed to fade in an instant; or rather, it was eight years.

As they were exchanging this trivial banter, he noticed someone approaching them.

Edgar turned when he placed the empty plate on the table.

Standing there was a boy slightly taller than him, beaming a broad smile.

“Hey, Edgar.”

“Uh?”

Who was this?

Caught off guard by the boy suddenly appearing and addressing him so casually, Edgar found himself confused.

He vaguely recognized the face but couldn’t pinpoint a name or even a family.

Had they even exchanged words before?

“Happy birthday!”

“Oh, uh, thanks.”

He couldn’t ignore someone wishing him a happy birthday, so Edgar nodded in appreciation.

The boy didn’t look bad.

In fact, he seemed rather warm and looked like he would grow into a handsome man.

“Ed, who is that?”

“Uh? Well…”

As he was lost in thoughts about the boy’s appearance, Ariel suddenly interrupted, her voice sharp.

At that moment, Edgar found himself wanting to ask the same question. At least share your name!

Noticing his hesitation, Ariel’s voice turned even sharper directed at the boy standing opposite them.

“Who are you?”

“Me? I’m Edgar’s friend.”

“Ed doesn’t seem to know you. Do you know him?”

Though spoken many times before, Ariel had a keen sense.

It was obvious that the boy had approached Edgar unilaterally and addressed him.

And despite claiming to be Edgar’s friend, he was clearly fixated on Ariel, the birthday boy instead.

‘How dare you.’

Ariel was pretty from a young age.

It wasn’t just that her features were sharper than other kids her age; her beauty had reached an impressive level.

Thus, even when she held her parents’ hands at social events, she often became the target of boys her age who could recognize beauty.

But what irritated Ariel right now was not just that.

The fact that he had used her precious childhood friend to strike up a conversation with her.

That meant he had insulted her friend.

Though she was young, she had been educated enough to know that insulting someone’s honor was the greatest sin in her family.

And she was well aware of the punishment when someone’s honor was denigrated.

“Get lost. Ed’s going to play with me.”

“Uh? But I’m Ed’s friend…”

“You’re making me uncomfortable, so don’t call him Ed. The only ones who can call him by that name are my mom and me, besides uncles and aunts.”

By “uncles and aunts,” she was referring to Edgar’s parents.

The boy, still not having introduced himself, tried to stake his claim in an irritating manner, and Ariel spoke in an even more annoyed tone than usual.

This was not her preferred method, but it was the most effective one in situations like this.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Y-you’re the Grand Duchess…”

“Then you know who my mom is too, right?”

“Uh, yeah.”

There was no way he wouldn’t know.

The boy had come to this party at his mother’s orders to befriend kids like them.

He understood Ariel’s status, who her mother was, and that he had come to this party together with them.

“Should I bring my mom over? Or do you want to leave right now?”

“Leave… leaving…”

While the boy was scion to a well-respected family, he might never have been told to leave by someone who wasn’t a sibling or acquaintance.

Clearly shocked, he quivered as he faced the little lady with no intention of showing mercy.

“I’ll ask you again. Do you want to leave right now or should I go get my mom?”

“I-I’m sorry!”

The tone had drastically shifted from harsh and high to low, almost as if this was the final warning.

With that, the boy ran away without even looking back, seeking shelter in his mother’s arms.

Once that unpleasant face was gone, Ariel smiled contentedly as if she had resolved a problem and brightly suggested to Edgar.

“Ed, if you’re done eating, let’s go play outside!”

“Y-yeah.”

What did I just witness?

Edgar could only blink in amazement, dumbfounded by the rapid turn of events.