I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 14

Ed, Ed!

Edgar Billhark was jolted out of a sweet nap by a loud voice.

Even without seeing the face of the culprit who woke him up, he could guess the situation well enough, so he wasn’t particularly displeased.

If he had one wish, it would be that they woke him up a bit more quietly.

Why was he being pounded on the stomach? He never had a peaceful day.

Even CPR wasn’t this rough.

“Ed, wake up! Let’s go have some fun!”

“Ugh, where are we going?”

His voice cracked and he felt thirsty, probably because he had just woken up.

As Edgar looked around for something to drink, Ariel Robeheim, with a sly smile, handed him a hidden cup of water.

He silently gave her a thumbs up and gulped it down in one go.

‘That’s quite the bribe; I can play along with that.’

What excellent sensibility! It seemed that they hadn’t wasted ten years together after all.

Edgar rose from his bed and quickly tidied up his bedding.

Even though the maids would do it for him, he had developed the habit long ago, so it was hard to change. There was really no reason to change it either.

‘If I can do it myself, why should I make others do it?’

That was his motto.

“Why do you always tidy up your bedding, Edgar? They’ll do it if you leave it alone.”

“You shouldn’t take things for granted. Sometimes, you should be able to do things with your own hands.”

“I don’t get it. You always use complicated words.”

Alright, it might be a bit difficult for a ten-year-old to understand.

Moreover, the other party had been pampered like precious treasure for over ten years since birth.

It was only natural for Ariel to find Edgar’s behavior unusual.

Since he had no intention of persuading her, Edgar continued tidying up.

He put the book he had read before bed on the table and moved the scattered items around… huh?

“Leave it. I’ll do it myself.”

“Hmph, if we keep doing this, we’re going to be late, and then I’ll have less time to play with you.”

“Hmm.”

Edgar didn’t plan to make Ariel do his work, but he couldn’t help feeling a bit uncomfortable.

He wasn’t against helping her, as he was the one doing it voluntarily.

Thanks to that, though, the tidying-up was getting done much faster.

Just an extra little helping hand made it twice as efficient.

‘She’s really good at this.’

Though still, she was the all-around princess who could do anything well.

In fact, it would have been harder to imagine her stumbling around while cleaning simple things.

With unintended help from Ariel, he finished tidying up and looked around the room with satisfaction, nodding to himself.

This was what a living space should look like.

He wasn’t particularly OCD, but this looked much nicer than a messy room.

“By the way, until what age did you sleep with your mom?”

“Me? Hmm, I’m not sure.”

That was an odd question, but not one he could get mad at, so he reflected back on his memories.

He remembered that after he learned to speak properly, he had slept alone ever since.

It wasn’t a completely accurate recollection since it was a bit of a distant memory, but he thought he had started sleeping alone around three or four years old.

“How old were you when you started sleeping alone?”

“I was five!”

‘Is that early?’

Seeing Ariel proudly declare her age made him realize that it seemed to be early compared to her peers.

The triumphant look on the princess’s face seemed to say, “Hurry up and praise me!”

She might have even thrown the question out there hoping he would ask something in return.

Smart girl.

Watching her smirk while blowing lightly from her nose made him want to tease her, but since she had brought him water and helped tidy up, it wouldn’t be too bad to let it slide this time.

“That’s impressive. Five is pretty early, isn’t it?”

“Right? I’m not scared of ghosts at all!”

“I guess not.”

Imagining Ariel being afraid of ghosts was something he could hardly picture, even in his mind.

If anything, she would be more likely to be scared of bugs.

Though, aside from spiders, she handled them pretty well.

“By the way, have you figured out what we’re going to do for fun?”

“Yup! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come to wake Edgar up!”

“… Put your hand on your conscience and tell the truth.”

Who could possibly be the one constantly coming over and demanding for fun?

As Edgar stared at her with squinted eyes in silence, Ariel, clearly feeling guilty, whistled to avoid his gaze.

It was a little annoying, but maybe he should let it go this time.

“So, what are we going to do?”

“Um… Actually, it’s not about playing; it’s something I want to do with you.”

“Something you want to do?”

Wasn’t that basically playing?

Still, if it involved cleaning together, that wouldn’t be considered fun. Of course, it was unlikely this little princess would think something so commendable.

In any case, it was the first time he had seen her hesitate to give a straight answer about what they were going to do, so his curiosity was piqued.

He hadn’t even had the chance to ask her to teach him magic yet; maybe she would bring it up first. He secretly hoped so.

“Just follow me! I’ve got everything prepared!”

“Okay.”

Leading the way, Ariel headed to the guest room.

Perhaps that was where Helene was staying right now.

There was no way she was suggesting they invite Helene to play house or something, right?

Sudden anxiety swept over Edgar, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

Knock, knock.

“Who’s there?”

“Mom, it’s me!”

Meanwhile, Ariel knocked on the door and tapped her feet impatiently, waiting for Helene to come out.

Watching her bounce in place showed that she was pretty excited about something.

Was it because of that ‘thing’ she wanted to do? What in the world could it be?

“Ariel! What a surprise! Edgar’s here too!”

“Mom! We’re going to make that thing you told me about yesterday with Edgar! So tell us how to make it!”

“The thing I told you…? Oh, that one.”

Helene nodded, lightly clapping her hands together.

She retreated into the room briefly, coming back wearing a light shawl over her top while holding a small bag.

Was she bringing something along?

“Where are you planning to go? Have you decided on a place?”

“Yup! We’re going to do it in the garden.”

“Right, that sounds good.”

As the two shared a conversation only they understood, Edgar felt a bit left out.

Was she deliberately withholding details about what they would be doing to tease him?

Helene had many similarities to Ariel, which made him suspect that.

“Madam Helene, what are we going to do?”

“Hoho, it seems Ariel hasn’t told you.”

Just as he expected, Helene glanced teasingly at her daughter as if asking, “Should I tell him? Or not?”

Startled, Ariel shook her head vigorously and hurriedly spoke.

“Mom, you have to keep it a secret until we leave!”

“Alright, but if you hide too much, Edgar might get upset, you know?”

Gulp.

Ariel shrank back slightly and turned her head cautiously to see Edgar’s usually indifferent expression.

She intended to surprise him with a gift, but if he stole her spotlight, that would ruin everything.

What should she do?

As she contemplated, Edgar’s hand patted her shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it. Just let him know once we get there. Let’s hurry!”

When it came to reading books, it was always better to get to the ending quickly rather than fret over what would happen next, and the same principle applied here.

He figured it wasn’t out of malice and thought her excited demeanor was somewhat cute, so he decided to play along.

“… Heh, Edgar was looking forward to it too, huh?”

“What are you talking about? Let’s go already.”

Ariel suddenly clung to Edgar as he stumbled.

Even when she was feeling happy, she hardly ever got this clingy.

That response must have pleased her.

“Despite everything, thank you for looking after our daughter, Edgar.”

“It’s nothing. I’ve gained a lot from Ariel too.”

“Did you hear that, Mom!? I’ve done so much for Edgar too!”

Would you quiet down, you little brat?

He wanted to smack Ariel on the head for intruding on the mood, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it in front of her mother.

Suppressing his disappointment, Edgar hastily hid his clenched fist.

Whether she knew it or not, Ariel was smiling mischievously.

With light footsteps, Ariel dashed out of the mansion ahead of them.

On the way, Sheffi asked Helene if she wanted to follow along, but she gently declined and held Edgar’s hand, trailing behind her daughter.

“Ed, aren’t you cold?”

“No, I’m okay. I don’t really feel the cold.”

Honestly, he was feeling a bit too warm.

The clothes Edgar was wearing were thicker than he expected.

Meanwhile, Helene, who had finally found a companion, broke into a smile.

She wore rather light clothing, with only a shawl over her thin outfit, which was enough to prove her resistance to the cold.

“We’re similar in that way. Both my husband and I don’t really mind the cold, but for some reason, our daughter gets cold easily. You know that, right?”

“Of course.”

Even though Ariel lived in a much colder place than Edgar, she never seemed to get used to the cold and was always shivering.

No wonder Edgar took along a coat he hardly ever wore; it was to prepare for situations like this.

Ariel, who had dashed ahead, quickly approached a tall quince tree.

While there weren’t many large trees in the Billhark Family’s garden, this quince tree had stood there for a long time.

Edgar also had an attachment to it since it had sheltered him when he caught a cold once.

“Mom, is this spot okay?”

“Yeah, it’s perfect. Good job, sweetie.”

“Yay!”

Helene knelt carefully where Ariel pointed, grateful for the soft grass beneath them that kept them from getting too dirty.

She then took out materials from her bag: a notebook and two pens.

Also, there was a small, round object of unknown origin.

“Madam Helene, what is this…?”

“You might have heard of it, Edgar. We’re going to write messages to our future selves on this paper and bury it in the ground.”

“Oh.”

A time capsule.

Only then did Edgar’s eyes widen as he realized what they were about to do.

He never expected there would be such a custom in this world! Although he had seen similar cultures a few times, it was still fascinating.

“Ed! What are you going to write?”

“It’s a secret. It wouldn’t be fun otherwise.”

“Heh, I see.”

Adding a playful twist with the words, “Wait for nine years,” Edgar took a sheet of paper and a pen.

What should he write? As he pondered, he couldn’t help but notice Ariel’s cheeks were slightly flushed.