I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 144

Living a New Daily Life

Time flew by quickly for the two of them as they settled into their new daily life.

At some point, when they opened their eyes, the day they had to depart for Hildak had already crept up on them—it was tomorrow!

“Are you really okay with just this, Master?”

The night before their departure, Elin, who was packing for Edgar, asked cautiously.

Even if they were traveling through the Dimensional Stone, the journey to Hildak would still take quite some time.

Yet, the things he had laid out to pack were incredibly sparse.

To put it even more clearly, they were so simple they were almost pathetic.

“I think it should be fine. Ariel told me to pack light.”

When they had visited Hildak for a ball, their schedule was so busy that they hadn’t noticed, but there was indeed a Robeheim Family’s Villa there.

This time, they were planning to stay there instead of the Imperial Palace, so there was no need for extra luggage.

“Did you know, Elin? That the Robeheim Family has a villa in Hildak?”

“No, I hadn’t heard that. But I suppose a noble family like the Robeheim Family would have at least one villa in most major cities, right?”

“That’s true.”

Edgar couldn’t help but smile wryly at Elin’s perspective, which seemed to assume the existence of a villa as a given.

Every time he experienced something like this, he realized how impressive the Robeheim Family’s status was.

“By the way, what’s the Imperial Palace like? I’m so curious about a place I’ll probably never set foot in during my lifetime.”

For girls around this age, especially someone like Elin, who wasn’t even a noble, the Imperial Palace was a mysterious and fantastical place.

If she had to pick a place she’d like to visit just once before she died, it would probably be the Imperial Palace.

“Right, I guess you haven’t been there.”

“Hehe, well, my status is quite low, after all…”

Seeing her scratch her cheek awkwardly, Edgar couldn’t help but smile gently.

He had a secret he had been keeping just to surprise her, and it seemed like it was time to reveal it.

“Well then, we should just go take a look this time. Come with me.”

“…Huh?”

After Elin finished organizing the luggage and discreetly wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve, Edgar casually threw out the suggestion as he watched her.

Elin, startled like a rabbit that had just been shot, was taken aback, wondering if she had misheard, and she asked her master again.

“What do you mean, ‘Huh’? Didn’t you say you wanted to see the Imperial Palace?”

“It’s just that… can I really go too?”

She had never even dreamed of setting foot in the Imperial Palace in her lifetime.

For her, it was as distant as plucking a flower from a cliff or grabbing a star from the sky.

However, she had wished that if someone could grant her a single wish, it would be to see the Imperial Palace.

But now, someone had actually shown up who was willing to make that dream come true.

“You’re my maid, so of course, you should come along. Should I go and make tea and eat alone?”

“W-Wait! That can’t be!”

Elin’s startled protest made her shake her head vigorously and then fidget with her hands.

The official reason for going to the Imperial Palace this time was due to the decree that arrived in front of Edgar, but the real reason was simply that Ariel and Edgar wanted to spend some quality time together.

Thus, Elin had expected that they wouldn’t take along any unnecessary servants, and from her casual chat with Shuri, it seemed like she thought the same.

So she had been packing her master’s things, resigned to her fate, when suddenly hope was restored.

However, one thing that worried her was that Edgar was quite considerate of those beneath him compared to other masters, making her wonder if he was just saying such things for her sake.

But it seemed like Edgar had accurately read her thoughts, as he smirked and pushed the luggage aside before opening his mouth.

“Don’t worry. I was planning to take the servants all along, and Shuri will be going too.”

That had originally been Ariel’s request.

It would be more convenient to have the servants who managed the villa with them, as it would be easier to have familiar faces around despite being away from home.

So from the moment this trip was planned, it had been decided that Shuri and Elin would accompany them.

However, since Shuri had noticed how eager Elin was to see the Imperial Palace, she had hinted at keeping it a secret until the day before.

“Looks like you’ve finished packing your stuff. Now hurry up and pack your own. Don’t make it a rush in the morning.”

“Ah… yes! Um, Master…!”

“Hmm?”

As Edgar turned to send her off after completing his final check of the luggage, Elin, who had bent over with her stomach nearly touching her thighs, expressed her intense gratitude.

“Thank you! I, Elin, will remember this grace for a lifetime!”

“Come on, you’re being overly dramatic. If you’re that grateful, just tell Ariel later. It was her idea to bring the servants along.”

Edgar had initially assumed they wouldn’t take any servants this time.

However, Ariel had suggested that it wouldn’t make sense to leave them behind, and that their own maids would be perfect for helping around the villa.

But even though Edgar credited Ariel for the idea, Elin accidentally bit her tongue as she expressed her thanks again.

“Yay…! I still wanted to thank you, Master!”

“Sure. I get it, so go get ready and get some sleep. We have to leave early.”

Since there was no need to be overly modest while expressing gratitude, Edgar chuckled and gestured for her to go.

Elin bid him a good night and headed straight to her room without looking back.

She was quite excited about the prospect of visiting the Imperial Palace.

‘Will Sonia act like that when she grows up too?’

In the past, Ariel had felt like she was close to the position of his younger sister, but ever since their current relationship developed, it felt like Elin had taken that place.

Of course, he had a biological younger sister named Sonia, but the age gap between them was significant.

Psychologically, Elin felt more like a sister to him, while Sonia felt more like a niece or daughter.

‘Having so many younger sisters is something else.’

With those idle thoughts cleared from his mind, Edgar finally finished checking his luggage and headed to his bed.

He couldn’t afford to go to bed late after telling Elin that.

Next Morning.

After quickly loading the simple luggage onto the carriage, they were ready to set off.

“Elpelt, I told you not to come out.”

Ariel frowned in displeasure when she spotted Elpelt just before climbing into the carriage.

She had given the signal that they would leave quietly and there was no need for a farewell crowd, yet a few people had stubbornly come out to see them off.

Elpelt was at the forefront of that group, followed by Gale and several other close retainers.

“Still, how can I, as one of your retainers, just stay inside while Your Highness leaves the castle?”

“Hah, that’s true.”

Although Ariel didn’t particularly like such formalities, she couldn’t help but understand their feelings, so she didn’t retort further.

With a sigh, she finally climbed into the carriage and left a parting message through the window to take good care of the castle.

Having recently inherited the head of the family position, she felt nervous about leaving the castle empty.

“Don’t worry. Just come back safely, Your Highness.”

“I will. Just don’t overwork yourselves and manage things accordingly.”

Originally, Elpelt should have been enjoying some peaceful time after stepping back from the frontlines.

As such, Ariel did not want to burden him too much, and in a way, it was a difficult request rather than just encouraging him to do his best.

A smile appeared on Elpelt’s face despite the thickness of his role.

Whether defying the master’s orders was disloyalty or adhering to them while remaining diligent was a dilemma, but for now, he just nodded.

“Understood. I, Elpelt, will heed Your Highness’s words and take care of myself while taking it easy.”

“I’m glad you understood. Then don’t worry and see us off well.”

With that, the carriage finally took off, and Silvia waved brightly from the window, even in front of those from other families.

This optimistic demeanor was one of her greatest charms.

After Silvia settled back into her seat, opposite her were Ariel and Edgar, while Hagel sat next to her.

They could have accommodated more people, but since it was a special occasion, they wanted just the four of them to use this carriage while the servants were set on another.

“Hey, Hagel, is your seat okay? Do you want to switch?”

Right in that moment, Silvia suddenly tapped her thigh and casually addressed Hagel.

The interior of the carriage wasn’t shaking that much, so her intentions were clear.

To this, Hagel scooched back, raising his hands in fierce resistance.

If it were just the two of them, he might have awkwardly gone along and laid his head down, but with a third party clearly staring at him from across, he wasn’t that shameless.

“It’s, uh, fine. Silvia. Besides, there are others watching…”

“We’re all friends here, so what does it matter? You did the same on the way here, right?”

“…”

Though there was nothing wrong or inappropriate about what she said, Hagel felt a mix of embarrassment and vulnerability as if his secrets had been exposed in front of everyone.

Caught in this dilemma, he casually glanced towards Edgar, who met his gaze with a sympathetic smile as if to say, ‘You’re going through it.’

Feeling understood, Hagel nearly felt teary-eyed.

“What am I doing in front of everyone?!”

Then, all at once, Ariel’s loud voice echoed in the carriage, and Hagel sensed a glimmer of hope.

No matter how much Silvia pressed on, there was no way she could act that way with Ariel around.

But contrary to his expectations, Silvia took on an attitude of audacity, as if to say, ‘What’s the big deal?’

“Why? Ariel can do the same to Edgar.”

“N-Never! There’s no way I would do something so embarrassing!”

“The heck? You think it’s embarrassing to do that when everyone’s watching?”

“…!”

Silvia’s sharp observation made Ariel widen her eyes and glance at Edgar, who was sitting beside her.

Thinking back, she realized what Silvia said was true.

If she thought Silvia’s actions were embarrassing, it essentially meant that what she used to do had been no different from a lady of the night.

“W-Well, if you don’t like it, just get off the carriage!”

“Cheh, how lame.”

In the end, Ariel had no choice but to leverage her authority to push Silvia back, so she shrugged her shoulders and abandoned her sweet gesture in front of everyone.

If she had known this would happen, she might have considered riding in a different carriage.

Realizing how short-sighted she had been, Silvia shot a relaxed smile at Ariel, who was constantly stealing glances at Edgar.

“Why not go ahead and do it? I bet Edgar would like it, too.”

“I’m not doing it!”

Whether Ariel actually used her lap as a pillow for Edgar remained a private matter they would only know, as the carriage carrying the crew hurried towards Hildak.