I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 108

As Ariel left a deep wound on her father’s heart, Edgar took a moment to meet with Creed.

“You look lonely now that you’re by yourself.”

“Yeah, I suppose so.”

Leonel and Enya, who were usually by Creed’s side, were not there. They had ventured out into the world as adults, each on their own path.

Because of that, Edgar had started visiting this place more often lately.

According to Helene, other kids were expected to arrive soon, but until then, Creed would probably be quite bored.

“Isn’t it more comfortable to stay in the castle when there’s no one around? It must not be boring at all.”

“I’ve been here for several years now. I’ve gotten used to it.”

“Sounds just like you, Creed.”

Shrugging, Edgar took a seat across from Creed and asked about the kids who would soon be arriving.

He hadn’t heard the details about who was coming, so he figured Creed might know more.

“Well, I heard there’s a pair of boys and girls coming… They’ll probably arrive during the week, so why not see for yourself then?”

“Seems like you don’t know much either, huh?”

“I’ve got some basic info, but it’s just rudimentary. I’ll learn more about them as I get to know the kids.”

Creed chuckled at the thought of them being well-behaved.

“Were the other kids and I considered well-behaved?”

“Basically, yeah. But you were a bit of an old soul, and Enya was really sweet.”

“Leonel really doesn’t count, huh?”

“He was too much of a handful. But hey, it was nice not being bored thanks to him.”

Still, Creed added that Leonel wasn’t a completely unruly child. He just had a bit of a mischievous side; he generally followed rules and listened to what Creed said.

“Have you been getting any letters?”

“Don’t even get me started. They come in endlessly. Especially Leonel—what a talker! He writes letters like a blabbering girl…”

Even while say that, Creed had a look of pride in his eyes.

Edgar guessed the absence of mention about Enya was probably because both of them were headed the same direction.

Enya had spoken about wanting to be in service to someone for a long time. She thought she might not be particularly extraordinary, but she had dreamed of assisting beside such people.

So Edgar casually asked if she’d consider supporting Leonel, who was likely to become the next head of the Royal Knights, and surprisingly, Enya had a positive reaction.

As for how she decided on the direction of her dreams afterward, Edgar had no way of knowing, but given that they were headed in the same direction, he assumed it had likely been decided.

“I’m really curious if Leon will actually become the head of the Royal Knights.”

“It’s not impossible. But you know, I’ve sensed that his dreams might have changed.”

“Changed? How so?”

“He’s never said it outright, but I got the impression from his vibe.”

Hearing that Leonel’s dreams may have changed was news to Edgar. If they had changed, what direction could they have taken?

He found it hard to imagine because Leon had always expressed aspirations of becoming the head of the Royal Knights.

“Let’s hope he makes a good choice.”

“Yeah, for sure. He may be a bit thick-skulled, but he’s not an idiot, so he should be fine.”

Creed emptied the wine glass on the table, feeling a mix of emotions.

Though he had sent off several kids before, this was his first time watching one grow to adulthood, so it felt a bit special.

He’d started drinking alone early today because of a letter he received from Leonel.

He wished both of them would be able to live comfortably wherever they went.

And he hoped for a good outcome.

Having never been married or raised kids, he found himself wondering if this was what it might feel like.

“Your glass is empty. Want me to refill it?”

“Since you’re here, you should have a drink too. It’s pretty good stuff.”

“I’ll just have a little. I’ll get scolded if I smell like alcohol in front of Ariel.”

“Geez, it’s already obvious you’re gonna be tied down.”

Filling up the empty wine glass personally, Creed began asking Edgar about his recent affairs.

‘Seems like I’ll need to sleep early tonight.’

Even though he was getting older, he felt absurdly pathetic for acting so miserably.

Had he turned out like this just because he aged?

But for some reason, it didn’t feel bad. That was a rather strange thing for Creed.

—

“Are you talking about a maid?”

At her master’s sudden question, Shuri tilted her head in confusion.

After ignoring Silvia’s summon, Ariel had come back to ask if she had heard anything about the maid that Chef had taught her.

Wondering why she was asking out of the blue, Shuri knew for sure she had heard about her. No, to be precise, she had even met her.

“Yeah, didn’t you hear anything?”

“Ah… If it’s the maid that your mother raised, it must be Liné you’re talking about.”

“Liné?”

The name was completely new to Ariel.

To begin with, if Chef had secretly taught her, it was only natural that she wouldn’t know.

“Yes, Liné is her nickname; her real name is Elin, and she’s a really cute girl. Maybe a bit of a crybaby, though.”

“A crybaby… Is she incapable or something?”

“Not at all. While her personality is a little timid, she gets her work done very neatly. Your mother often praised her.”

Ariel knew very well that Chef was very particular about work.

Shuri, who was currently helping her, was also taught directly by Chef, and since Chef maintained her strictness even when teaching her own daughter, it meant that Shuri’s praise implied that Liné’s skills were nothing to worry about.

“How old is she?”

“Seventeen… I think. She said she’s three years younger than me.”

“Being younger… That’s dangerous.”

“Pardon?”

“Ah, never mind. I misspoke.”

Though she hadn’t misspoken at all, Ariel realized her true feelings were surfacing and coughed awkwardly to change the topic.

“So, um… Is she pretty?”

“Pretty? Are you asking about Liné’s looks?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“…?”

Wondering why she was suddenly inquiring about the maid’s looks, Shuri cocked her head.

Considering she had no connection with Liné, it was strange enough to be questioning her about it, and now she wanted to know about her appearance too. What on earth had happened overnight?

Anyway, since it was her master’s question, she had to respond, so Shuri thought about Liné’s face carefully and offered her superficial evaluation.

“From what I can gather, she’s a really pretty girl, though ‘cute’ might be a more fitting description than ‘pretty.'”

“Seventeen is an age when one should be quite pretty, no?”

Although beauty varies from person to person, Ariel thought seventeen was exactly the right age for blossoming looks.

Yet, the description as cute rather than pretty raised doubts in her mind.

“Actually, Liné is rather small in stature. She’s even shorter than me…”

“…Oh, I see what you mean.”

As Shuri elaborated, Ariel finally understood and nodded her head.

In other words, she expressed that Liné wasn’t unpretty; rather, her petite size gave her a cute appearance, resembling a small animal.

Since Shuri was among the slightly smaller girls, if Liné was even smaller, it wouldn’t be surprising if everything she did seemed cute.

“Um, Lady.”

“What?”

“I hope this isn’t an inappropriate question, but… why are you so curious about Liné? You haven’t even met her…”

Finally, Shuri asked the question she had been pondering over.

It made sense because Ariel generally wasn’t the type to show much interest in others.

The sudden inquiry about a girl she hadn’t met implied something had happened regarding her.

Meanwhile, Ariel had anticipated that Shuri would inquire about this.

Having roughly organized how to respond in her mind, she casually flicked her hair back with a composed face and spoke.

“It’s nothing. I just heard that she might become Edgar’s maid, so I got curious.”

“Edgar’s maid…? That’s news to me.”

“Seems like you’re hearing this for the first time. So, what do you think? Would she be an adequate maid for Edgar?”

“Well… From my point of view, I think she’d be just fine, but whether you and Edgar like her is another story…”

Taking such matters from a subordinate’s perspective was a bit awkward.

People have different perspectives, and just because Shuri was fine with it didn’t mean it would sit well with the two of them.

Thus, seeing Shuri hesitating to voice her thoughts, Ariel nodded quietly, understanding her point of view.

“Anyway, got it. I guess I need to meet with Edgar about this later.”

“Okay… um, but Lady…”

“Yes?”

Shuri, still burdened by the questions piling up in her mind, cautiously called out to Ariel again, hoping to settle that last bit of curiosity.

“I get why you’re curious about Liné, but… why did you ask about her appearance?”

“…Huh?”

Ariel realized she hadn’t thought through that point and froze with wide eyes.

What on earth was she supposed to say to explain this?

There was no doubt that if she spoke the truth, it would be more than enough to make her a laughing stock.

At first, Ariel thought about using Edgar’s name as a shield, but given the stupidity she had pulled yesterday, she figured she couldn’t make the same mistake twice.

In the end, she decided to gloss over it, trying not to show too much.

“Uh, maybe I just asked out of curiosity. What’s so weird about that?”

“That’s true, but… you hardly ever ask things like that, so I was wondering if there’s another reason.”

“No, there isn’t! Just drop it! Got it?”

Since she was so defensive, Shuri only grew more suspicious.

Yet, knowing that pushing this Ariel any further would only rouse anger, Shuri chose to back off.

‘Maybe if I ask the Young Master, he might know something too?’

Shuri had no idea what situation would arise if Ariel found out again.

Thus, a fierce game of stealthy tension unfolded between the master and the maid.