I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 101

Ariel looked at her approaching friend and nemesis, who had a broad smile plastered on her face, and let out a short sigh.

Dressed quite elegantly for her coming-of-age ceremony and with a somewhat extravagant demeanor, Silvia caught the attention of the nearby men in an instant, thanks to her looks that could be deemed pretty.

‘Is that guy her lover?’

Despite the unusual aura emanating from Silvia, Ariel rolled her eyes disinterestedly, her gaze fixated on the man standing next to her.

Even without any prior acquaintance, Ariel could guess the stranger’s status from the way Silvia was clinging to him and his striking blond hair matched with blue eyes.

She had heard enough about his looks from Silvia to be thoroughly bored by it.

‘He is handsome, though.’

Just because Ariel was head-over-heels for Edgar didn’t mean she would intentionally downplay other guys’ looks.

After all, having a loved one doesn’t mean one’s eye for beauty in sculptures or art changes.

Moreover, since he was the lover of one of her few friends, there was no need to view him negatively.

In that regard, Hagel was indeed a man of exceptional looks.

“Long time no see, Ariel. Edgar too.”

“It’s not that long. You were just here the other day.”

“I always want to see you, Ariel. Even if just a day has passed, it feels like a long time!”

As usual, Silvia showered Ariel with her one-sided expressions of affection, though they fell on deaf ears.

“But who are those two over there…?”

Despite Ariel’s cold reaction, Silvia smoothly moved on and tilted her head when she spotted the two women standing behind her friend.

Having frequented Robeheim Castle nonstop, it was without a doubt that she had never seen these faces before.

That made sense, considering Silvia prided herself on her unparalleled memory for people’s faces and personalities, no matter what else she might forget.

Realizing she had unintentionally sidelined her friends, Ariel quickly stepped aside to introduce them to Silvia.

“These are my friends. You probably haven’t met yet.”

“What? Friends? When did I miss that?”

“At the first ball.”

“You hid that from me…!? That’s so unfair, Ariel!”

This time, even Silvia felt genuinely a little hurt.

The friends of a friend should also be friends to her, so at least a brief introduction should have been made.

Even if an actual meeting was difficult, she could have shared that she had made such friends.

Silvia, unusually pouting, showed an annoyed expression, and Ariel, feeling a bit bothered, added an explanation.

“I mean, I only communicated with them through letters after that, you know? It wasn’t that I was trying to hide it from you, I just never got around to telling you.”

“Ah, I see? Well, you wouldn’t forget me, right?”

As soon as Ariel clarified that it was unintentional, Silvia’s expression brightened.

Then she turned her gaze to the two women standing at the back and began to introduce herself first.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Silvia Lorentz, Ariel’s friend. Since a friend’s friend is also a friend, please treat me comfortably.”

“Wow, I can’t believe I’m meeting the lady of the Lorentz family! I’m Sally Dwalros, and it’s an honor to meet you, Lady Lorentz!”

“I’m Gria Jernin. Nice to meet you.”

Sally showed a thoroughly surprised reaction and rushed to introduce herself since the Lorentz family was one of the well-known noble families, whereas Gria calmly finished introducing herself with a light smile.

Seeing her two friends, who were starkly different from one another, made Silvia unconsciously smile subtly.

“Silvia, why don’t you introduce your lover too?”

Meanwhile, Edgar, watching Hagel standing awkwardly next to Silvia without uttering a word, nudged him gently.

It would have felt a little strange to speak when meeting Sally and Gria for the first time, but introducing Hagel now would allow him to engage in conversation.

“Oh! I’m sorry, Hagel. I’ve kept you standing there.”

“It’s alright, Silvia. Since we’re here, I’ll introduce myself.”

Realizing she had left her lover in the lurch, Silvia turned pale and apologized. Hagel, smiling gently, stepped forward and introduced himself politely.

“I’m Hagel Lukevil. It’s my first time meeting so many people in one place, so I’m a bit nervous. I hope we get along well.”

“Nice to meet you, Prince Lukevil. I’m Edgar Billhark.”

Since Ariel was the connection here, Edgar thought it made sense for her to step up, but seeing her subtly nod in encouragement, he stepped up to return the greeting.

“Oh, I’ve heard a lot about you from Silvia. They say you’re quite skilled in martial arts.”

“Did she say that? How embarrassing.”

Edgar was somewhat surprised, not expecting Silvia to talk about him to Hagel.

On the flip side, Ariel wanted to compliment Silvia for praising Edgar even when she couldn’t see her, so she subtly nodded at her and smiled approvingly.

“I’ve heard plenty of compliments about you from Silvia too. She can be a bit reckless, but as a friend, I hope you take good care of her.”

When it came to friendship among friends, raising a glass for one another was proper.

Ariel also extended her hand for a handshake, adding a comment about how, while she did sometimes find Silvia annoying, she hoped Hagel would be good to someone who was close to her.

Hagel, taken by surprise at hearing such a statement from none other than the Lady of the Robeheim family, opened his eyes wide for a moment before nodding and playfully asking a potentially cheeky question.

“Thank you. But tell me, aside from compliments, have there been any complaints about me?”

“H-Hagel…! What are you talking about!”

Had Edgar’s presence influenced him so much that he was picking up on humor now?

Silvia, exhibiting visible shock at Hagel’s sudden question, interjected between the two.

There weren’t exactly complaints per se, but there were definitely a few things that could land him in hot water if exposed.

Even if it was merely a complaint tossed out jokingly back then, it was uncertain what kind of reaction Hagel would have if he heard it now.

It was crucial to make sure it didn’t reach his ears.

“Hmm, let’s see… what was it again? Silvia?”

“!?”

Although Ariel pretended as if she couldn’t remember, Silvia instantly felt a chill down her spine upon catching the underlying meaning of that brief sentence.

That was essentially the same as saying, ‘Should I say it, or will you?’

Given the pranks she had pulled on Ariel until now, it was a foregone conclusion that if that came to light, disaster would follow.

Thus, Silvia could only wait in anxious fear for her impending judgment.

“Don’t scare her like that.”

Ariel looked at Silvia with a triumphant expression, causing Edgar to chuckle lightly and give her a playful nudge.

But on this day, Ariel had no intention of letting it slide easily, so she looked up at him nonchalantly, curving one side of her lips upward.

“It’s funny, why not? Let it be.”

“You’re something else.”

“That idiot has done way too much to me. I deserve this little revenge, don’t you think?”

“Geez.”

Ariel had no real intent to divulge whatever Silvia had shared about Hagel.

From her perspective, she didn’t feel that Hagel would react negatively unless he truly was the type to get offended by it, but there was no need to drag other conversations they had into the open.

This was simply a harmless act of revenge.

Ariel knew well that Hagel was the type who wouldn’t care what she disclosed, but Silvia wouldn’t be so carefree.

If Ariel ever did reveal the past conversations between them, it would surely leave Hagel worrying about how he might be genuinely upset.

What Ariel needed to do was simply remain inactive while leveraging the gap between them.

While it wouldn’t be quite fitting to say silence is golden, no other phrase could accurately describe the present situation.

“H-Hagel…! We should really move over there and greet the others, shouldn’t we?”

Finally, unable to stand the atmosphere any longer, Silvia chose to escape from the situation.

Hagel, too, found that he would tease her more easily given her overly sensitive nature, so he agreed to move along.

“Ah, right. By the way, I haven’t been able to introduce you to my acquaintances yet.”

“Exactly…!? Let’s go! We can chat with Ariel later!”

It was surprising for someone like Silvia to avoid a meeting with Ariel and move elsewhere.

Edgar guaranteed that he had never seen such an odd scene in his life.

At this rate, he began to wonder whether he should worry more about tomorrow’s sun rising from the west, rather than if it would rise at all.

As Silvia quickly linked arms with Hagel and scampered away, Ariel couldn’t help but smile softly under her breath, deciding to let it slide this time.

After all, she should wrap things up soon in consideration of the people who were about to arrive.

“The Grand Duke is entering!”

The moment those thoughts crossed her mind, a voice echoed from a man guarding the entrance.

It wasn’t an overly loud voice, but rather a low yet dignified tone that considered the status of the incoming individual.

At the sound of that voice, the attention of everyone in the hall turned.

Following that, massive doors swung wide open, revealing a man with an emotionless face, bearing a lion-like appearance with scars etched into his skin.

He had finally made his entrance.

The entity everyone present hoped to meet had appeared at last.