I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 112

After Yulken headed towards Whitewood, most of the tasks within the castle fell to Ariel.

Since she was still lacking in experience, she relied on the help of trusted retainers for some important reviews, but even considering that, her work was undoubtedly impressive.

Thanks to this, Ariel found herself spending more time in the office than her room lately.

Edgar, who was naturally by her side, ended up spending all day alone with her in the office.

In a way, they were getting a bit of a head-start on responsibilities they would have to take on soon.

Although Edgar found it somewhat overwhelming for now, he thought it was manageable.

“Ugh…! This is tough. Dad does this every day?”

“Yeah, it seems that way. I now understand the hard work of Lord Elpelt.”

Since Ariel was standing in for Yulken, and Edgar was standing in for Elpelt, they both realized the effort of those whose roles they were taking over.

Ariel even felt the difference from when she had casually covered for Yulken alongside Elpelt before. Back then, Elpelt had carefully given her only the easier tasks.

Ariel, who thought she could manage it easily, was particularly shocked by the reality of the situation.

It seems that reality is never an easy thing to deal with.

“Hey, Edgar, what’s for dinner tonight?”

Stretching lightly and looking out the now dim window, Ariel asked about the dinner menu.

She hadn’t really been asking such questions before, but having been stuck in the office lately, she had lost the chance to hear what was happening outside.

“I haven’t asked the kitchen. Is there something you want?”

“Not really…”

Ariel generally ate quite well without being picky.

It just depended on her mood that day what she felt like eating.

Edgar, knowing this well, casually asked if she had any requests to relay to the kitchen, but her answer was lackluster.

“If you’re tired, let’s start winding down. You’ve been stuck with papers all day.”

“There’s still work left to do. You can go rest if you want.”

“Hey, I have some decency! How can I rest alone while you’re working?”

When Edgar told her not to say such nonsense, Ariel smiled knowingly and gently placed her pen down.

“Alright, I’ll take a break then. You can be really stubborn sometimes.”

“Well, as your advisor, it’s only natural for me to be like this since you’ll soon be the master of the Grand Duchy.”

“Agh, I should’ve kept my mouth shut.”

Raising both hands in surrender to Edgar’s teasing nature, Ariel finally stood up from her seat.

Since she had taken care of the urgent tasks, there was no harm in taking a breather.

Besides, the weather seemed gloomy today, making her feel down and unable to focus on her work.

In such times, she figured it was best to call it a day, so she decided to wrap things up for now.

“By the way, where’s Shuri?”

“You didn’t say a word to her, so she went out, saying she’d do something else.”

“Oh, right…”

Since Ariel started spending her days in the office, Shuri had noticeably less to do.

Edgar could handle simple tasks just fine, and during breaks, he mostly took care of tea preparations, so Shuri spent much of her time without much to do.

Plus, while she might need to follow her when going elsewhere, there wasn’t much reason for her to stay by Ariel’s side in the office.

When it came to government duties, Edgar was much more knowledgeable and could provide more assistance.

Thanks to this, Shuri had recently been seeking Ariel’s permission to explore other tasks whenever she had free time.

“I just wish she’d stay by my side instead of running off.”

“That’s easier said than done.”

“Why’s that?”

With Ariel’s naive remark, Edgar chuckled and ruffled her hair.

It’s generally harder for a servant to understand their master’s position instead of the other way around, so he couldn’t blame her. However, he understood Shuri’s position somewhat.

“Tch, she doesn’t even give a proper answer and always beats around the bush.”

Ariel grumbled about her lover’s attitude, then abruptly reached for the doorknob of the office.

Wondering where she was going since dinner wouldn’t be ready for a while, Edgar asked.

“Where are you going?”

“Just heading to my room for a moment. I want to tie my hair up.”

“There’s a hair tie right here.”

“Yeah, but it’s not pretty. Anyway, just wait for me and don’t come following.”

It was just a hair tie, so he wondered why she bothered so much, but Edgar chose not to comment as he let her leave, deciding to wait alone.

Knock, knock.

“It’s Shuri. Can I come in?”

“Oh, come in.”

And right after Ariel left, Shuri returned.

Edgar couldn’t help but chuckle at the coincidence of their timing, but he soon welcomed her as she stepped inside.

“You seem a bit down. Is something wrong?”

“Um, actually… I just met with my mother for a bit.”

“Sephy?”

Even if she said she met with Sephy, what did that have to do with her long face?

Edgar inquired about what happened, and Shuri hesitated before cautiously speaking up.

“I feel like I don’t have enough work lately.”

Her tone was strangely bittersweet, but Edgar unintentionally responded.

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“That’s not necessarily true. If a servant can’t accept a master’s orders, then they’re meaningless.”

At Edgar’s teasing, Shuri shook her head with a bittersweet smile.

If it was a job done just for money, it wouldn’t matter, but she was a woman who had served the Robeheim family for generations alongside Sephy.

While it wasn’t like she was absolutely subordinate to the Billhark family like Edgar, the previous generation had received great favors from the Robeheim family, leading to their current position.

Because of this, Shuri too had pride in the duties entrusted to her, and feeling unable to fulfill them filled her with mixed feelings.

“You don’t need to overthink it. Or is it that Ariel told you you’re useless?”

At Edgar’s cheeky question, Shuri hurriedly waved her hands in denial.

Her gesture was so quick that Edgar momentarily saw an afterimage.

“Of course not. While she can be a bit playful, she would never say something like that outright.”

“Then that’s perfectly fine. Or are you the type to think she’d think that even if she wouldn’t say it?”

“…”

What Edgar had said in jest made Shuri fall silent, lowering her head deeply.

With the atmosphere turning serious, Edgar decided to straighten himself and earnestly listen to her concerns.

“This doesn’t seem like a joking matter. Want to sit for a bit?”

“Oh, no. I have other things to do…”

Understanding what he intended, Shuri tried to leave quickly despite having free time ahead.

Edgar was so casual with her because he would soon become her master, and speaking in a way that presumed to understand her master’s feelings was not something she could easily bring herself to do.

However, he wasn’t going to let Shuri slip away that easily.

Typically, mental burdens should be addressed early before they fester into something worse.

Moreover, as Shuri wouldn’t be just a regular servant but someone who would always be by Ariel’s side, Edgar didn’t want to treat her with such levity.

“Don’t come up with excuses that won’t work. This is something hard to talk about, even to your lover. So, now’s the chance to get it off your chest.”

“B-but, sir…”

Despite Edgar’s gentle prodding, Shuri hesitated, unable to sit down.

Realizing he needed to take a firmer approach to change her attitude, he pretended to rise from his seat as if to leave, jokingly saying,

“If it’s hard to talk without tea, I can bring you some. What would you like to drink?”

“Oh, no…! I’ll get it, please stay seated!”

Shuri quickly corrected him, rushing toward the pantry, fearing he might actually get up.

Most of the tea leaves were available in the office, and they had all the necessary tea-making tools.

Eventually, Shuri sat down with two cups of tea she had prepared, facing Edgar.

She had never felt uncomfortable around him before, but during this moment, that feeling was unmistakably present.

“Um… Sir, you’re not angry with me, are you?”

“Why would I be angry?”

“Well, presuming to understand my master’s feelings is not something a servant should do.”

“Oh please, being curious about others’ feelings is just human nature. It’s no different in a master-servant relationship.”

With a snort, Edgar shrugged off the gravity of the situation and leaned forward slightly, now looking at Shuri directly as he began to speak.

“Is it because of me?”

“Ah, no! That’s not it!”

“You can be honest. I promise I won’t tell Ariel.”

‘Should I pinky swear like children?’ Edgar jokingly thought to himself, and when he saw Shuri realizing he wasn’t the kind of person to do that, she carefully nodded in agreement.

Of course, it didn’t mean she was agreeing to a finger promise, but rather indicating that his presence felt a bit burdensome.

“Actually, there were things I was supposed to do as a maid before, and nothing’s changed in that regard, but I’ve been having these thoughts.”

“Yeah, go on.”

Edgar smiled gently, nodding along.

While he had a good idea of what she might say, hearing it from her own mouth was the best way to confirm it.

“The public duties that the lady is taking on are being handled by you, and even in the office, you do most of the minor tasks if I’m not around. I know it’s something to be thankful for, but for me…”

“You feel like your existence is fading away?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Shuri’s head drooped low as she clenched her hands on her thighs, and Edgar shook his head lightly.

It was a totally valid concern.

For him, this arrangement worked out better for both of them, and Ariel accepted it gratefully, so he assumed there were no issues.

However, if he looked at it from Shuri’s perspective, it made sense that, because of Edgar, her duties had been reduced, and she felt that her place within the household had diminished.

In truth, Shuri’s recent tasks mostly consisted of waking Ariel in the morning, helping her get ready, and occasionally assisting with bathing.

Some might question whether that made things easier, but as previously mentioned, she didn’t just see that as a job.

This was why she was struggling with it.

Wondering if she was really meant to remain here without any proper duties.

“That’s perfectly understandable. But what I’m curious about is what you mentioned earlier.”

“What part are you referring to?”

“That you think Ariel feels she doesn’t need you. Do you honestly think so?”

“…Yeah, to be honest, I’ve been feeling that way recently.”

Upon Shuri’s honest answer, Edgar fell silent and then asked her again.

“Do you want to quit?”

“No, I would like to continue if I could. But I can’t help but feel like my continued presence might become a burden to the lady…”

“Hm.”

In other words, it meant that her strong sense of pride in her work had created an adverse effect.

This was something only a devoted servant dedicated to their master would think to say.

However, this type of thinking usually makes it harder to connect emotionally later on, so he needed to intervene decisively.

‘It seems like a strong remedy is necessary.’

Such a mental struggle wouldn’t resolve just by giving words of advice, but it required something more intense to awaken her awareness.

As he contemplated that it was about time for the arrival of the one he’d been waiting for, he quietly spent his time glancing toward the office door.

Then suddenly, the door swung open.

“What’s going on? Were you two enjoying tea without me?”

As soon as the person, he had been waiting for, appeared, Edgar smiled faintly and stepped aside to make room for Ariel.

“Shuri needed to talk for a bit. Would you like some tea too?”

“Sure. But what’s the talk about?”

“Oh, um…”

Edgar swallowed the rest of his words, intentionally glancing at Shuri to see how she would react.

When Shuri gestured to him not to say anything just yet, a mischievous smile crept onto his face.

Then he smoothly continued,

“Shuri thinks she might not be helpful to you, so she’s considering quitting as a maid.”

“…What?”

“What, sir!?”

He had just thrown a match into the calm atmosphere of the office.