I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 106

As time grew late, the adult ceremony was winding down, and everyone was starting to head back to their rooms.

Before leaving, those who stayed until the end took a moment to pass by Edgar and Ariel, exchanging greetings.

Though the words were simply about how well they matched or congratulations, it was enough to satisfy the two.

There was an odd feeling as if they had already experienced their wedding ceremony.

And so, time flowed peacefully.

“Seems like I’ve been patient long enough. Want to explain yourself? Or should I fetch a sword instead?”

As other guests scattered to their rooms, the two, hearing words of congratulations, found themselves heading not to their own rooms but to Ariel’s.

Perched on the edge of the bed with her arms crossed, she looked up at Edgar with sharp eyes, as if to say she would listen, but wasn’t inclined to let him off easy.

“What’s the point of bringing a sword?”

“Want me to show you?”

“…No.”

Edgar, knowing he had committed a crime, lowered his head like a guilty sinner for once, keeping his mouth shut.

Could he have imagined that Silvia would hear about it?

Even if she had heard about it, he never thought she would suddenly bring up such a topic at that moment.

Thus, Edgar became a turncoat who hid the topic from Ariel while sharing it with others.

Despite this being based on fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say he was simply waiting for the right moment to reveal it, which was somewhat unjust for him.

Of course, he didn’t think expressing that injustice would uplift Ariel’s mood, so he kept mum.

“By the way, what do you mean you want to have a maid?”

“I’m not saying I want one… It’s just that His Highness hinted at it not long ago.”

“…Father?”

Earlier, Silvia had said the talk about the maid came from Helene, so why was Yulken’s name cropping up here?

Ariel shot Edgar a cold glare, suspicious he might be lying, but there was no wavering in his gaze.

“Looks like you’re not lying.”

“Why would I lie about something like this?”

“Hmph, you’ve kept quiet about it until now, making everything sound so fancy.”

“…Just give me a break. I’m sorry.”

With a bitter smile, Edgar scratched his cheek, prompting Ariel to respond haughtily, “Do it at your own risk.”

Then she motioned for him to elaborate, loosening her tightly crossed arms, showing a willingness to listen that hadn’t been there moments earlier.

“You know, Shuri has been covering for me lately, right?”

“That much is true.”

Ariel nodded, having been concerned about that aspect but offering no rebuttal.

Whether Shuri’s workload was heavy or not was subjective, but the fact remained she was handling work meant for two people.

“On top of that, I’ve been leaving the castle more often recently, and His Highness suggested it would be better to have someone to take my place.”

“Well… That’s not entirely wrong.”

Ariel found it somewhat reasonable, considering he had indeed started leaving the castle early in the morning or around noon and sometimes had no one to inform.

There were times when he didn’t even manage to let Shuri know where he was going, or if Ariel was napping or preoccupied with other tasks, he had no choice but to leave.

In those cases, Ariel would ask Shuri where Edgar had gone, while Shuri would be busy asking other users or someone in the castle.

But if Edgar were to have someone to cover for him, that alone would streamline their communication.

More importantly, it would make his life a lot easier, making it a win-win situation.

“Anyway, I get the reasoning. But do you know what’s bothering me?”

“You’re upset because I didn’t tell you first?”

Edgar thought this was the main issue at play.

However, to his surprise, Ariel shook her head lightly and continued in a calmer tone than before.

“No, I can let that go. You might have been too busy with the adult ceremony preparations… I mean, I’m a bit angry, but I can understand somehow.”

“Right.”

“But what’s really annoying is why call it a ‘maid’ instead of a ‘user’? Were you planning to bring in a woman all along?”

“…What?”

Edgar momentarily froze, blinking in confusion.

He thought Ariel would be upset about bringing in a maid, but he never imagined she’d mistake it for a request he made.

It looked like clearing up this misunderstanding was now urgent.

“Don’t tell me you thought I asked to bring in a maid?”

“…What? What do you mean?”

Ariel frowned in confusion at Edgar’s question, as if his words made no sense.

It was like he was saying he hadn’t suggested bringing a maid, that Yulken only proposed it.

“I told you, His Highness was the one who asked first. He inquired if I was thinking about having a maid.”

“Your father asked directly… So does that mean he specifically suggested a maid?”

“Seems that way.”

Edgar felt somewhat bad for putting the blame on Yulken, but he couldn’t twist the fact either, so he stated it as it was.

Upon hearing this, Ariel gave him a look of disbelief, and then suddenly reached for the pillow next to her and hugged it tightly.

It was a technique she often used to hide her face when she felt embarrassed.

“S-So… Are you saying you only considered the suggestion from father without ever suggesting I need a maid…?”

Ariel blushed and stammered, her embarrassment conflicting with her need for clarity.

When Edgar nodded immediately, her pale cheeks turned a deeper hue.

“I-I thought for sure you wanted a maid….”

“At this point, I’m really curious what you think I am. Do I seem like someone who would be into women?”

“…A bit?”

“Hey.”

When Edgar growled fiercely enough to remind her of the typical Ariel, she flustered and hurriedly apologized.

Finally, sensing the need for more detailed explanation, Edgar settled beside her and matched her eye level, and then began to calmly share what had happened that day.

“Just to clarify your misunderstanding, His Highness initially asked if I was considering bringing in a maid. Apparently, there’s a kid teaching with Shephy who is apparently ready to start working under someone.”

“Did you catch their name or age…?”

“Uh, it’s not firmly decided yet, so we can decide together after discussing it.”

Edgar added that he was thinking of asking for opinions once the adult ceremony was over.

At this, Ariel became so flustered that she entirely buried her face in the pillow, squirming about.

In reality, Edgar intended to listen to her opinion before making a decision; he stressed it was Yulken’s suggestion to call her a maid instead of a user.

Ultimately, she had blasted him with unfounded accusations.

“Ugh…!”

“Hey, you’re gonna suffocate.”

Watching her in amusement, Edgar quickly tugged her upright, tossing the pillow out of reach.

“I want to die…”

“How many times do you want to die?”

If she wished to die every time she felt embarrassed, she’d surely be done for after nearly 19 years.

“Honestly, I knew you needed someone to assist you, but the moment it called for a maid, I lost my mind for a second…”

“You really worry too much. Aren’t you overly distrustful of me?”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you…! I swear!”

Ariel could confidently declare it wasn’t due to mistrust of him.

Rather, it was a lack of faith in her own appeal.

Deep down, Ariel was aware that her personality was somewhat prickly.

Thus, she often snapped at Edgar, and even if he brushed it off, she had regretted her words and actions in the back of her mind many times.

But when he suddenly announced he would bring in a maid, she wondered if he preferred docile women.

Looking back now, that line of thinking was utterly ridiculous.

“Honestly… I can be a bit picky.”

“Really?”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t think that!”

“No, I genuinely never thought of it.”

Edgar shook his head firmly, wanting to dispute her claims.

It’s easy to say Ariel was prone to snapping, but he’d never categorized it as being picky.

He had recognized her tendency to be a bit straightforward, but that felt like a different matter altogether.

“Anyway…! I was just wondering if I might be annoying you with how picky I am…”

“You always overthink it. It’s not like you’ve been picky for just a day or two.”

“Just earlier, you said you never thought I was picky…!”

Blushing and pounding on Edgar’s chest as if in frustration, he grinned mischievously, pointing out that he never claimed it was nonexistent.

“So you’re saying you thought your personality was so terrible that I’d get fed up with you?”

“Terrible? Well, sort of the same meaning, right?”

With her fingers fidgeting, Ariel pressed him again, this time asking if he genuinely thought that was the case.

Seeing him sigh, tapping his chest as if frustrated, Edgar finally decided to smack her forehead gently with a serious expression.

Thwack!

“You always jump to conclusions…!”

“Is that your place to say? Besides, as I said before, I’ve never wanted you to change into someone else. I’ve never gotten sick of you either.”

“Cheh, then just say it!”

Ariel sulked, genuinely worried if her forehead was going to swell.

She would meet others from different noble families in the castle tomorrow; having a swollen forehead would be a disaster.

Peering into a mirror, she was relieved to see only a slight blush and no major issue.

It was a testament to Edgar’s long training, having spent about 19 years smacking her forehead.

Luckily, after coming to her senses from the smack, Ariel rubbed her still-tingling forehead and apologetically confessed.

After all, it had almost escalated because of her misunderstanding. In some sense, it had caused her to see him in a less favorable light.

“Got it. I’m sorry for worrying excessively.”

“Glad to hear you’ve figured it out. So can I take it you’re okay with the maid now?”

Now that all misunderstandings were cleared up, there was no reason to fret over it.

With that thought, Edgar asked once more, but Ariel, who had been somewhat glum moments ago, suddenly cut him off, her expression shifting rapidly.

“That’s a different matter. First, I’ll ask my father directly.”

“…Just remember he’s your father; don’t be too severe with him, okay?”

“I don’t care. I’ll think about it.”

Edgar felt an urge for her to offer a definitive answer at times like this, but since it was Yulken who had inadvertently offended her, he considered it his karma and decided to pass the buck.

‘May you survive, Yulken.’

Now, all Edgar had left to do was hope that Yulken would persuade Ariel with some good words as he took over the task.