I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 141

When Ariel found Edgar, a familiar face was beside him.

It was none other than Silvia, who had come to celebrate today, along with her lover, Hagel.

“Your Highness.”

Hagel noticed her first and tried to bow, but Ariel waved her hand with a smirk.

Well, given the setting, some etiquette was necessary, but still, she didn’t want to hear her friend’s lover addressing her so formally.

“It’s fine, just call me Ariel, Hagel. I’ll be using names from now on too.”

Ariel wasn’t exactly fond of casually calling a man by his name, but since he was a friend’s lover, she decided to allow it.

He didn’t seem like the kind of man to stray his gaze in situations where he already had someone.

“That’s right. Ariel isn’t the type to say one thing and mean another.”

“Uh-huh…”

Following Ariel, when Silvia joined in, Hagel cautiously glanced around to gauge the atmosphere before nodding carefully.

“Then is ‘Ariel…’ okay?”

“Sounds good, Hagel.”

With a beaming smile, Ariel hooked her arm around Edgar’s, drawing closer to him.

She appeared so natural that it was hard to believe she had just delivered disheartening news to a family. Still, Edgar’s sharp gaze didn’t miss a beat.

“What did you say to the Chepher Duke?”

“I didn’t say much?”

“No way you didn’t! Did that guy ask you to vacate your seat?”

“Goodness, I really can’t stand a man who picks up on things too quickly.”

Ariel clicked her tongue lightly and averted her gaze.

She expected her little predicament would be found out, but she still held the hope that Edgar might pretend not to know.

But that sentiment didn’t reach Edgar, who narrowed his eyes and stared at her.

It was an unspoken warning that if she didn’t provide a proper answer, retribution was imminent.

Eventually, Ariel, feeling the pressure, pouted her lips and decided to briefly mention the absurdity that had just occurred.

Still, with others around, she kept her voice as low as possible.

“I just said I’d raise the price of aquamarine by 30% for fun.”

“…Aquamarine?”

Edgar tilted his head with a somewhat puzzled expression as that peculiar term slipped out.

Of course, he knew what aquamarine was, but he didn’t get what raising its price had to do with the Chepher family or, more specifically, making trouble for Mirabel.

At that moment, Silvia, who had been standing beside Hagel with her mouth agape, interjected to clarify.

“The Tuanel, governed by the Chepher family, is known for having the highest consumption of aquamarine in the country. Increasing the price by 30% would hit them hard, as the raw material costs climb.”

Grateful for the easily understandable explanation, Edgar rolled up his sleeves, bracing himself to properly punish Ariel.

“So, it’s nothing much? You come here! I’m not letting this slide today.”

“Wh-What? You can’t be serious…!?”

When the nearly head-and-shoulders-taller Edgar suddenly approached, Ariel hastily protested.

At that, Edgar’s movement froze for a moment, looking down at her with a questioning gaze.

“Since my father said so, how could I make that decision on my own? I just said it to see how he would react!”

“Is that all it takes for you to get this worked up?”

Ariel’s boldness left Edgar dumbfounded.

He knew better than anyone how unpredictable she could be, but to think she was just bluffing after making such a veiled threat was shocking.

“Soon, I’ll contact the Chepher family separately, so don’t worry. I just wanted that woman to stew a little for a few days.”

“…….”

For Ariel, who seemed utterly nonchalant, it was quite something, especially since, from a Briuud perspective, it would be a miracle if they didn’t rush back to the family home for an emergency meeting.

“But Hagel, what’s on the agenda for this week?”

Later, as various conversations floated around, Silvia suddenly asked Hagel about his upcoming schedule and clinked glasses with him.

As expected, with the grace and poise befitting a daughter of a noble family, she appeared refined, but to Edgar and Ariel, it looked just like a façade.

“I don’t think there’s anything special planned. Is there something going on?”

“Actually, I heard you two are supposed to head to Hildak. Since it’s rare, how about we go together, take care of our business, and just have fun together?”

“That sounds good. But what’s the purpose of going to Hildak…?”

Hagel cautiously inquired, thinking there was no way they were simply going for leisure to such a far-off capital city.

Just as Silvia was about to answer, Ariel suddenly perked up, standing tall and proudly declaring the reason.

Edgar, watching from the side, felt like he was observing a proud mother boasting about her child, chuckling involuntarily.

“Actually, thanks to a recent achievement, the Emperor himself is going to reward Edgar.”

“Oh, so that’s why. It’s definitely understandable for something of such significance.”

Hagel had certainly heard of this before and, right before Ariel arrived, had just showered praises upon Edgar for it.

However, that didn’t lessen the shock of realizing this new information.

After all, a reward given directly by the Emperor was typically something only heads of noble families could receive.

They didn’t even send a decree or delegate; they invited him to the imperial palace just to present it in person, which was extraordinary news for Hagel.

“Anyway, congratulations, Edgar. I don’t know if I’ll be allowed to join, but I’d love to see that glorious moment myself.”

“Thanks. Honestly, I’m still feeling a bit dazed by it all.”

Seeing the friendly exchange between the two, Ariel’s eyes widened in surprise.

The last time they had met, they had been using formalities and sticking to titles, and she wondered when they had become so close.

“You two have gotten pretty chummy, huh?”

Silvia, who seemed to have an eye for things, gently sidled up to Ariel and made a candid comment.

Having not witnessed the two getting closer, Ariel couldn’t help but be taken aback.

“Yeah, when did that happen?”

“It’s not been long. They just sorted out how to address each other right before you came.”

It was quite the surprising situation for Silvia too, explaining it to Ariel.

It wasn’t even that a few months, weeks, or days had passed; the rapid development had occurred in less than 20 minutes.

“So suddenly?”

“Yeah, it turns out he was incredibly impressed by Edgar’s feats. So, when they met today, he was ecstatic.”

“Oh… they said he’s from a distinguished martial family.”

Ariel’s recollection of a previous conversation started to emerge as she muttered to herself, and Silvia chimed in with agreement.

“Exactly. So they probably feel a psychological closeness now. They were chatting and just naturally ended up dropping the formalities.”

“Does Hagel feel comfortable speaking like that?”

It was obvious that Edgar had switched to a more casual tone, but Hagel was still sticking to respectful speech, leaving Ariel sensing a gap between them.

“Yeah, that’s how he is with his younger brother too.”

“What a polite guy.”

“Right?”

Ariel wasn’t the only one glowing with pride when her lover was complimented; Silvia quickly sprang into relief and started listing praises for Hagel.

There was so much to say that even Ariel, with her decent memory, could only throw in the towel trying to remember all of it.

And after a few minutes of waiting, with the men and women separated, Ariel’s lips protruded slightly.

Then, without telling Silvia to wait, she stepped decisively toward the two men, suddenly tugging Edgar’s hand.

The sudden move made Edgar, who had been happily chatting with Hagel, raise a puzzled brow.

“Why? Do you need to go somewhere?”

Wondering if there was someone else he had completely overlooked in the crowd, Edgar asked, but Ariel shook her head with an annoyed expression.

“It’s not that. I just want to talk too.”

“……?”

If that was the case, why on earth was she pulling his hand? Edgar tilted his head, pondering her strange behavior.

While he was deep in thought about her change in demeanor, the presence of Hagel suddenly caught his attention.

“…You’re not, perhaps, feeling jealous over a guy, are you?”

“…….”

Ariel fell silent all of a sudden.

Edgar looked at her incredulously and said lowly, “Hey.”

Though he knew she had quite the jealousy streak, this could be taken too far, couldn’t it?

He couldn’t help but worry about what might happen if she got jealous of animals too.