I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 128

The sudden remark from Ariel stirred the castle for a brief moment, but as time passed, it naturally faded away.

Just like how the brighter the moon, the less noticeable the surrounding stars become, it’s hard to focus on minor matters when greater issues are at hand.

In that sense, the fact that Edgar had returned alive was the greatest and most joyful news within Robeheim Castle.

“Seriously, there’s nothing to do.”

Ironically, the one who returned alive was sitting around bored, staring outside all day.

In truth, considering the severe injuries he had sustained, Edgar’s current condition was rather good. This was largely due to Yulken gathering renowned healers and magic practitioners from various places to care for him, but his body’s remarkable recovery abilities also played a vital role.

Thanks to this, by the fourth day after waking up, Edgar had recovered enough to walk around on his own.

However, every time he attempted to take a short walk, Ariel would rush to him immediately, so he still couldn’t escape the confines of his bed.

Knock.

“Come in.”

At that moment, as someone knocked on the door, Edgar, guessing who was outside, allowed them to enter without asking for their identity.

Then, a small girl appeared, pulling a trolley. Edgar couldn’t help but chuckle, as it seemed more like the trolley was leading the girl rather than the other way around.

“Master, I’ve brought some snacks.”

“Thanks. This is going to save me.”

“Hehe, I’m glad to hear that. But where’s the lady…?”

Elin, who had been smiling brightly under Edgar’s care, tilted her head when she realized Ariel, who had been there just moments before, was nowhere to be found.

This was quite understandable, as recently, Ariel had practically been living in Edgar’s room. It was rare for her to leave unless there was something urgent, but today she had vacated the premises quite early.

“I heard the princess called for her. Since she’s here, why don’t you keep her company?”

“I-I’m not good at telling interesting stories….”

Elin, feeling significant pressure about playing the role of companion, replied in a voice barely above a whisper.

She would have felt more confident serving him rather than making small talk, as matching her master’s tastes was quite the challenging task for someone as shy as her.

“Who said I wanted you to entertain me? I just meant to have you stay beside me since I’m bored.”

“If that’s what you meant….”

With a smirk, Edgar patted the chair next to his bed and took a bite of the snack Elin brought.

Due to his frequent isolation in his room lately, Edgar had developed a habit of demanding snacks.

To be precise, he felt more at ease when something to chew on was always nearby.

Every time, Elin would bring him snacks like cookies or small breads, which naturally sparked a question in his mind.

“Do you prefer snacks over fruits, Master?”

“Not particularly. I just don’t crave fruits unless I’m eating them after a meal. How about you?”

“I like fruits. Especially apples and grapes….”

As Elin was continuing, she suddenly clamped her mouth shut, realizing what she had let slip.

But one cannot take back words once they have been spilled, and so Edgar had caught that information in his ears, leading him to recall a particular moment.

“Oh, so that’s what happened when you got caught stealing grapes that time?”

“W-Well….”

Edgar’s room always had small amounts of fruits available to snack on, and there had been an instance where Elin got caught eating grapes there.

She might have been hungry or perhaps found them so delicious that she decided to take a bite just for a taste.

Since they were meant to be eaten anyway, Edgar hadn’t thought much of it, but for Elin, the incident had caused quite a stir, as she had kneeled and apologized profusely, tears streaming down her face.

“That could happen. So, you must really like them then?”

“Yes, particularly grapes… They’re quite rare here.”

“Grapes are rare? That’s news to me.”

While Edgar was fairly knowledgeable about trivia, he had no clue that grapes struggled to thrive in colder regions.

Moreover, since coming to Robeheim Castle, he had always been abundant in food, so grapes were just fruits readily available to him.

But for Elin, they were precious enough to drive her to the temptation of stealing.

They were fruits she couldn’t enjoy often, so her impulse was quite understandable.

“Well, if you ever feel like eating some, just take it from over there. I told you that.”

“But, but those are fruits meant for you, Master.”

“If you leave them, they’ll just spoil. Besides, they keep bringing in fresh ones every day, so what’s the harm in sharing a little?”

Edgar figured Shuri wouldn’t mind at all.

Having worked as a maid for quite some time compared to Elin, she would surely understand that her master didn’t care about such trivial matters.

On the other hand, even though Elin felt relatively comfortable around Edgar, her deep-rooted perception of the master-servant relationship meant she was cautious about overstepping boundaries—just splitting rights over something as trivial as fruit.

“Speaking of which, why not grab one and eat it?”

As usual, the silver platter on the table was piled high with fruit.

When Edgar pointed at it with his chin and suggested, Elin hesitated for a moment before confirming if it was really okay to do so.

And once she received confirmation again, she cautiously stood up and approached as if she were a squirrel seeking a nut, picking one grape from the plate and returning to her seat.

“But aren’t maids allowed to snack freely? I heard their standing is a bit different from other users.”

Looking on as she carefully peeled the grape skin one by one, Edgar was suddenly intrigued.

Shouldn’t someone of her position, a personal maid, at least have a little more leeway than a mere user? It struck him as odd that she was fretting so much over just a single grape.

Elin hesitated for a moment before chuckling awkwardly and placing the peeled grape in a dish before presenting it to Edgar, revealing a somewhat somber truth.

“I’m different from people like Shuri. I’m from a commoner background. I ended up under your service thanks to Shephy taking notice of me, but… it feels a bit careless to touch things like that.”

In her mind, she had always deemed her current position as somewhat undeserved.

Even ending up merely as a lowly maid would not have been surprising for her, but having been lucky enough to catch Shephy’s eye, the only skill she could offer was her diligent work ethic.

Afterwards, she had the chance to learn how to conduct herself as a personal maid and came under Edgar’s protection through Shephy’s recommendation. Thus, she was trying to ensure she didn’t forget her place.

Yet, to Elin’s comments, Edgar scoffed as if to say, what nonsense.

“Who cares about a silly grape? Your background is of no concern to me; you’re my maid now.”

“Y-Yes… right?”

“Then just do as I say. And like I said before, even though you’re my maid and I’m your master, I have no intention of getting hung up on that.”

Edgar had made a request to Elin before.

Although they both had their respective standings, as long as he was in a position to protect Elin, he would treat her like a younger sister.

So, he asked her not to think too uncomfortably, while also not neglecting her duties.

With that in mind, Elin responded, not entirely comprehending, but simply saying she understood—though that was exactly what he meant.

“It may be a bit complicated to say, but simply put, I’m not the kind of person who would look badly at you for sneaking a grape. Got it?”

“Y-Yes, I….”

Elin’s answer was so lacking in enthusiasm that Edgar’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“Your voice is too quiet. Answer again.”

“Y-Yes…!!”

“That’s right.”

Although her tone was still strangely deflated, Edgar felt satisfied with the more definitive answer than before, smiling contentedly.

It might be difficult to expect immediate change, but small exchanges like this made a significant difference over time.

It was a small philosophy he held regarding human relationships.

Suddenly, the door swung open, cutting through the lightened atmosphere in which they had been conversing, revealing Ariel.

“Huh? Were you two alone?”

“Yeah. I just asked my maid to bring me some snacks.”

“You’re still on about that?”

Ariel seemed to still harbor some doubts about Elin, as she occasionally mentioned these things.

Truth be told, she didn’t genuinely think so; it was merely a precautionary statement to ensure her mind remained clear.

“Anyway, have you thought about it?”

“Thought about what?”

“The thing I asked you about.”

“…You really think that’s a possibility?”

Edgar had initially believed Ariel’s previous outburst was just an emotional outburst, but judging by her tone today, she seemed genuinely serious about it.

After all, telling him not to leave Hespania was practically akin to saying he shouldn’t visit his parents, and how many would accept such a ludicrous condition?

“I kind of got the impression you might try to push back the conditions, so I brought in a new set.”

“… I’m not really interested. I just know it’s probably not going to be any better.”

“Just hear me out. It’s been significantly softened.”

Mentioning “softened” already implied that her previous conditions were quite outrageous, but Edgar didn’t bother to bring that up.

After all, if he were to point that out, he would have to pour out a mountain of complaints, so what else could he say?

“I had a short-sighted moment earlier. Anyway, you have things to attend to, and you’ll have to visit your family too, so I’ll take back the request for you not to leave Hespania.”

“Oh.”

The surprisingly rational first sentence made Edgar feel a glimmer of hope.

However, that feeling was promptly extinguished by what she said next.

“But stay within arm’s reach while I’m around. With that condition, we can go out together anytime. How does that sound?”

“…….”

He wanted to protest, asking what exactly had changed, but when he looked at her expression, he couldn’t find any worth in continuing the argument.

‘Isn’t this basically imprisonment after all?’

Or rather, it felt more accurate to say he was too frightened to respond.