I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 132

Upon showing Sonia the fish swimming around the pond, the two realized that the sun had already begun to set.

Thanks to Yulken’s cheerful visit, Ariel didn’t head back to the office and could soak in the warm water that Shuri had prepared in advance.

“Ah… finally feeling refreshed.”

She wasn’t exactly a germaphobe, but she did enjoy bathing frequently, sometimes even three times a day.

Indeed, Shuri had quite the task on her hands when she attended to Ariel during bath time.

However, after her coming-of-age ceremony, Ariel had started washing herself more often, which lessened Shuri’s workload.

“Miss, was the water temperature alright?”

“Yeah, it was really nice.”

“That’s a relief. Ah, here’s some water.”

The refreshing feel of cold water after immersing herself in warm water was something only those who hadn’t experienced it would fail to understand. Ariel let out a delighted, “Ah!”

“Heh, you’re starting to sound like Lord Edgar.”

“Why is that brat’s name coming up now?”

Ariel, who had plopped down on the bed to shake off the fatigue of the day, tilted her head at Shuri’s sudden remark.

The similarity to Edgar was something her mother, Helene, would occasionally mention, so it wasn’t entirely surprising. But it made her wonder why Shuri brought it up just from seeing her drink water.

“Remember back when you had such a dull personality? Well, it was different when Lord Edgar was around.”

“Why bring up the past? Besides, how much did it change when he was around…?”

Ariel was rather sensitive to discussions about her past.

Especially when she reflected on her former self, there were many moments where she wondered why she acted that way. Among them, anything involving Edgar was like a red flag.

“Don’t you remember? Back then, our lady said she had somewhere to go and told you to prepare for it. But on the day of, when she was getting ready to just wing it, and you heard it was to Ardenum, you…”

Shuri, who had been gushing out words, suddenly stopped.

It wasn’t any magical force at play. Ariel had covered her mouth with her own two hands to silence her.

“W-why are you bringing up that kind of story now!”

“Hehehe… it just shows how normally you treated everything lightly, but when it came to Lord Edgar, you reacted sensitively.”

Shuri, sporting her signature goofy grin, said it all—whether it needed to be said or not.

“Anyway, the way you looked back there reminded me of Lord Edgar. I remember when he drank, he would make just that kind of reaction.”

“Yeah, I think that sounds familiar… Is it really true that I’m starting to resemble him?”

“I think it’s a good thing. My mother sometimes says I resemble Ronan too.”

It’s common for similar people to meet, but sometimes people like Ariel and Shuri, who have completely different personalities, bond as well.

In such cases, it’s not about mixing black and white to create gray, but rather each influencing the other little by little.

To someone who was once as dark as pitch, traces of snowflakes might appear at midnight.

And to someone who was as white as a canvas, splotches of black beauty might suddenly emerge.

Shuri believed that this phenomenon was moving in a very right direction.

Just like how she, who seemed rather foolish, had become a bit more proper after meeting Ronan.

How Ariel, who was not used to considering others, had learned to think of someone else after meeting Edgar.

“That’s why I’m always grateful to him. He changed you so much.”

“…My mother rarely says that. Someone might mistake you for my mother.”

“Hey… We’re about the same age, so can’t you see me as at least an older sister?”

In the past, she would never have dared to say such things even as a joke.

It showed just how close the two had grown emotionally, as well as how well Shuri understood Ariel’s true self.

Of course, to Ariel, it was an utterly ridiculous statement.

“I mean, you’re just slightly older than me; you seem more like a younger sister to me! I remember you crying and snotting all over the place back then.”

“I-I wasn’t that much of a crybaby…!”

Even though she had had her fair share of heartache when she first entered Ariel’s service, she did have a massive accident, weeping in front of her master once.

But that was merely a thing of an unfamiliar past.

Now, Ariel had ironically brought that up, which simply irked Shuri.

“If you want to be my sister, you’d better mature a bit first. Right now, you still feel too foolish.”

“Foolish…”

With that devastating last blow, Shuri lightly sank as she whimpered, “Hee…”

While it was impossible for her to hear Ariel call her sister, she resolved to become someone as reliable as a sister in Ariel’s eyes.

As the day drew to a close, just as Ariel was about to settle into bed, an unexpected visitor arrived at her room.

Upon seeing the person’s face, she sneered sharply without greeting.

“Don’t you have any consideration? Coming into a lady’s room this late!”

“What? You’re complaining about that now?”

Edgar, who had entered the room casually as usual, stared blankly for a moment before asking, “Should I move to another place then?”

He hadn’t come just for a light conversation, so if she was uncomfortable, he was prepared to discuss it outside or in another room.

Realizing she had misspoken, Ariel fumbled with her words before abruptly turning her head and asking her business.

“…So, what do you want?”

“Guess it really was just a boring comment from me.”

Ariel seemed to expect his answer, and when Edgar shrugged, she blushed in protest.

“Sh-Shut up! So what do you want?”

While there had been times when Edgar had come to talk or met her outside, the timing tonight felt unusually late compared to those times.

Thus, she assumed he had an important reason and urged him to answer, pulling his hand to subtly guide him toward the balcony.

“Why bring me inside while asking about my business?”

“Honestly, you wouldn’t leave anyway even if I told you to.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Feeling slightly pleased that he understood her so well, Edgar smiled.

Anyway, since he had come for a purpose, it was about time to get to the point.

“Have you thought it over at all?”

“Actually, that’s why I’m here.”

“Really? That’s some delightful news.”

Thankfully, there was no need for heavy words since Ariel had naturally brought up the reason he had come.

Edgar wanted to share what had led him back to this discussion before going into the main topic.

Now understanding Ariel’s feelings to some extent, he felt the need to express this context properly.

“I heard it from Shuri. To be honest, I thought you’d have a hard time while I was gone, but I didn’t realize it would be to that extent.”

“…What nonsense did that fool say this time?”

She hadn’t expected Shuri to have rushed to spill the tea.

That’s why, at his first words, Ariel fumbled her lips and eventually nodded in agreement.

He wasn’t exactly wrong.

“I understand now why you made such an extreme request. I wanted to say that first.”

“From your words, it seems you think I won’t accept it.”

“Well, it’s looking that way.”

Edgar honestly stated his real thoughts, nodding slightly.

While he understood why Ariel had such a protective urge, it was still a request he couldn’t accept.

Even if they were to marry, each person had their own life to lead, after all—they couldn’t just become personal retainers.

Even Shuri was spending at least half a day away from Ariel.

Despite this refusal, Ariel didn’t raise her voice or react in surprise. Instead, she steadily met his gaze.

“Disappointed?”

“Not really. I mean, I hoped you’d say yes, but I didn’t really expect it.”

Edgar stared blankly at her nonchalant reply when she suddenly poked him lightly on the arm.

Though she said she didn’t expect it, it was a charming little act of pouting toward her lover for not meeting her request.

“Surprising. I thought you’d get mad.”

“Do you think I’m an idiot?”

Unlike her earlier calm tone, Ariel responded with a slightly heated voice, furrowing her brows.

She wasn’t foolish, after all, and had no illusions that Edgar would simply accept those terms.

She had technically let it slip in the hope it would work—but that didn’t mean it wasn’t sincere.

“Yeah, I guess you’re not an idiot. So you were just testing the waters?”

“Isn’t it possible to ask a question? Who knows? You might have agreed, resulting in a perfect outcome.”

“Come on now.”

Even calling that a perfect outcome was ludicrous to Edgar, as it sounded more like a prison sentence.

To him, that conclusion felt more like confinement than anything else.

“Seriously, what’s with this? Whether it’s food, clothes, or money, having you beside me wouldn’t solve any of that.”

“Yeah, point taken. You know, it wouldn’t really be lacking. Maybe living as a guardian might not be such a bad idea either.”

When Edgar jokingly asked, “Shall we just live like that?” Ariel scoffed like it was absurd.

It felt as if she was merely playing along without any real intent behind her words.

“Hey, don’t change your mind later. You hate retracting what you’ve said more than anyone else.”

“You’re practically a psychic.”

“Don’t think you know me that well.”

With a serious glint in her eye, Ariel shot him a glare.

In truth, she felt a sense of pride regarding how well she knew him.

Edgar, quietly observing her cheeks puffing up, reached out and tousled her hair.

It was something he often did when he had nothing else to say, but it also conveyed a lot of unsaid feelings.

“ I’ve been trying to gather my thoughts and say something… and it’s not really coming together.”

“What was it?”

“Just that I’m sorry for the trouble I caused. I understand your feelings, so I wanted to tell you not to be too scared because of that.”

Edgar contemplated why Ariel brought up such a proposal again.

There could be many reasons, but the most prominent was probably a significant fear of losing him.

That’s why he had initially considered accepting it.

He couldn’t shake the worry that if he turned her down, sensitive Ariel would become terrified and lonely all by herself.

Yet, as he pondered, it became clear that wasn’t a good approach.

Most importantly, not only would it restrict him, but it would likely have negative consequences for Ariel as well.

“Squeeze.”

Quietly, Edgar embraced Ariel, patting her back.

It wasn’t so much an expression of affection from couples wanting to feel each other’s warmth, but more so an affectionate gesture meant to reassure her.

In a way, it was a signal that he was still standing by her side.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let it happen again. I’m still with you, and I will be going forward.”

“…You’re asking me to trust someone who’s already lied to me? I’m not that naive.”

“I know. But believe me. I can’t promise you won’t cry ever again, but I will guarantee you won’t cry anymore because of me.”

In the course of being together, moments of anger and misunderstandings will arise.

However, aside from unavoidable circumstances, Edgar vowed that he wouldn’t allow her to shed tears because of him.

“I won’t die before you, and I certainly won’t just up and leave one day.”

“What if something like this happens again? Then what?”

Ariel’s sharp question cut right into Edgar’s calm words, halting him in his tracks for a moment.

He blinked as he envisioned the situation where something like this could repeat itself.

“Uh… I guess I would have to think about that when it happens…”

He hesitated, knowing he couldn’t just let Yulken be harmed.

As if responding to her concerns, Ariel’s fist flew out and poked him painfully in the side.

“…Sorry.”

“Forget it, you fool. I never even asked for it.”

Ariel was well aware of the kind of man he was.

This foolish guy would undoubtedly throw himself into danger again, just like he had pledged to save Yulken, Helene, and herself.

Ultimately, she decided it was futile to try and stop him.

If she attempted to bind him with promises of allegiance, he would surely find an excuse to refuse.

“Instead… Promise me.”

“What is it?”

“Even if it takes sacrificing your life, don’t give up again like this. Just make sure to come back alive, okay?”

“Isn’t that the opposite of sacrificing your life…? Cough!”

Ariel had no idea why she kept blabbering on and making things worse, but she felt a sense of satisfaction with her punch landing just in time.

“Answer me.”

“Okay, I’ll do my best. Even if it feels a bit cowardly, I’ll struggle and come back.”

Ariel, looking at Edgar with a somewhat sheepish expression, tugged at the collar of his shirt, adding more fiercely, “I told you before, right? If you don’t come back, I’ll die right alongside you.”

“Good thing I returned before you could go.”

“That’s not the point. Just keep it in mind.”

“Coming from a princess, I’ll certainly tattoo it on my heart.”

Ariel was ready to give Edgar a playful smack on the head, but she restrained herself, snuggling into his warmth and closing her eyes to soak it all in.

“…I hate you.”

“What’s that?”

“Everything. Being late and making promises you don’t plan to keep.”

“I swear I’ll keep it this time.”

“Just watch me.”

If he failed to keep that promise, she’d make him regret it as if the world would end right there.

Then, as Edgar’s golden eyes gleamed like the rising moon outside, she accidentally pulled him in and softly pressed her lips against his.

No matter how one put it, she was thankful for his return.

But she didn’t want to say it out loud for fear it might puff up his ego, so she just thought it to herself as she gradually pulled her lips away.

This kiss felt a bit more tender and sweeter than the ones they shared before.