I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 155

As Edgar and Hagel returned after a brief look around, the women were already waiting for them outside the shop.

As the men approached, Silvia quickly offered an apology first.

Even if she had her reasons, it was a shame that their outing turned into a messy situation because of her unilateral decision.

“I’m sorry for making you bored, Hagel. Edgar, I’m sorry too.”

“If there’s something to share, there’s not much to be done about it.”

“Right, Silvia. Don’t worry too much about it.”

Since Edgar roughly understood the situation, he didn’t say much, and Hagel seemed to take it all in stride, thinking there might be a reason for it.

Of course, spending time with a partner is enjoyable, but chatting with like-minded friends isn’t exactly dull either.

Just recounting what happened in the Imperial Palace yesterday could easily fill an hour, so it wasn’t all that bad.

“Wh-what’s that?”

“I thought you struggled a bit.”

As soon as they met, Edgar patted Ariel’s head, catching her off guard, but she soon realized the reason and nodded.

At the same time, Edgar felt a strange dissonance in her innocent demeanor.

He expected Ariel to scold him for abandoning her right after they met.

Sure, she had a habit of saying things she shouldn’t, but that didn’t change the fact that she was Ariel Robeheim, the tyrant.

“Now that’s surprising. I thought you’d say something.”

“Say what?”

As Edgar muttered under his breath so Hagel couldn’t hear, Ariel wore a puzzled expression.

Her bright red eyes grew wide with questioning, along with her fair skin, making her look like a rabbit perked up.

“You left me behind, so you should complain, right? I thought you’d at least throw a punch at me.”

“Am I some thug? Do you think I just throw punches at people?”

“Uh… was it not?”

As Edgar scratched his cheek and pretended to be innocent, Ariel’s tiny fist clenched up tightly.

“Hey, do you really want to get hit?”

“Alright, I’m sorry. I won’t tease you. But really, what’s up?”

“Hmph, it was my fault for not keeping my mouth shut in the first place. Besides…”

“Besides what?”

Seeing Ariel’s cheeks suddenly flush, Edgar tilted his head in confusion.

He wondered if there was something from their previous conversation that warranted her embarrassment.

“I… I had some accomplishments.”

“Accomplishments? What kind?”

“I… I don’t know! Don’t ask anymore! I’m not going to answer!”

With nothing revealed and being told not to ask, he could only express his grievance.

‘If you’re going to say that, you should have just kept quiet. Don’t tease me.’

Still, it seemed like the conversation had gone better than expected, which he was relieved about.

He didn’t think Silvia would interrogate them about what happened last night given her personality.

Even though he was curious about the ‘accomplishment’ Ariel was hiding, he didn’t feel the need to pry further.

Everyone has personal secrets, and it’s not like he was going to disclose everything to Ariel.

“Well, if that’s the case, how about we go out again? I was going to buy some of that street food over there, but I didn’t.”

“Street food? That sounds good.”

Since Ariel spent so much time cooped up in the castle, she had recently developed a yearning for street food, which was somewhat more thrilling.

Although in terms of taste, it couldn’t compare with the meals prepared by the chefs at the castle, it had its own charm.

Once, Edgar would buy it for her when he returned from outside the castle, but he didn’t think that would be necessary today.

So she resolved to leisurely stroll through the streets and sample whatever she felt like.

When the group finished their outing and arrived at the villa, it was already dark outside.

Having just finished dinner, several people were eager to wash up with warm water, and thanks to Shuri, who heated the water in advance, they could go straight to the bathroom.

Among them, Ariel wanted to take a breather first, so she sat on the bed and relaxed.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

As soon as Shuri brought the water and poured it into an empty glass, Ariel gratefully accepted it and drank up the cool water.

She felt her mind finally clearing up a bit.

“It seems you had a good time.”

“Yeah, it was fun. I wish you could have come with Ronan.”

“Well, work is unavoidable.”

Shuri thought it wouldn’t be bad to hold hands with Ronan next time if she got a vacation.

Of course, for that trip to happen, their schedules would need to align perfectly.

“By the way, I heard you walked around without a carriage… Were you alright?”

Recalling what she had heard from Edgar, Shuri looked at Ariel’s delicate legs with concern.

Originally, they had planned to move only by carriage to avoid any confusion, but at Ariel’s suggestion, they decided to walk part of the way, which surprised her.

Although she knew Ariel wasn’t one to skip training, she had never walked for that long, so she worried for her.

But proving her fears to be completely unnecessary, Ariel responded nonchalantly.

“It wasn’t bad. It felt nice to go outside properly for a change.”

“True, I guess you would feel that way. You haven’t had a chance to go out peacefully in a while.”

Shuri nodded in understanding, accepting the empty glass Ariel handed back.

Ever since being ambushed by Vincent, Ariel had mostly stayed in the castle with Edgar.

Although she had been to Etrelle once, aside from that time, she had refrained from going outside due to the lingering possibility of danger.

Furthermore, since then, she had been busy with the coming-of-age ceremony and preparing to take over as head of the family, leaving little room for leisure.

To make matters worse, a major incident had occurred in Whitewood, so it had been an exceptionally long time since she could go out with such a light heart.

“You’re thinking of leaving the day after tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan. Why? Is there a problem?”

Upon seeing her eyes, Ariel sensed there was something Shuri wanted to say and asked again, but Shuri hurriedly waved her hands, shaking her head.

“No, it’s not a problem, but… I thought it might be better for you to rest a bit longer in Hildak.”

“Is that necessary? I can rest plenty back at the castle.”

Ariel didn’t always stay cooped up in the castle only to work.

It was just that with Edgar being in the office too, there was really no reason for her to leave there, and during breaks, they would spend time together in the office, making it seem to others as if they were just holed up.

But Shuri was pointing out something beyond that.

“Not that kind of rest. I hope you can relax without a care in a different environment. You’ve looked quite worn out since taking on practical duties.”

Of course, sleeping and eating at the castle could count as rest, but Shuri felt that Ariel needed a change of pace.

After the incident in Whitewood, Ariel had been nonstop and though it might not show outwardly, she could be quite exhausted mentally.

“Thanks for the advice. But it’s not solely because of household matters that I’m going back.”

“I-is that so?”

“Yeah. While it’s fun to roam around the lively capital, I still find Hespania the most comforting and enjoyable.”

“Ah…”

Since Ariel sometimes had a cold demeanor, there might be people who thought she lacked warmth, but she had a deep attachment to the place where she was raised.

Perhaps that’s why she often subconsciously compared everywhere she went in this country to Hespania, and each time, the desire to return home only grew stronger.

Even lying in a bed adorned with golden silk, there were times she felt more comfortable in her old shabby room.

“So don’t worry. If anything, it’s just that staying here is more uncomfortable, and that’s why I’m leaving.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear that.”

At last, Shuri could smile brightly.

If Ariel had said she was fine and that it didn’t matter, Shuri would have thought it sounded a little insincere.

But since it felt somewhat awkward for Ariel to say what she meant, it gave Shuri trust that this was indeed her true feeling.

“Oh, and Shuri, I have one request…”

“Yes, your highness. Please go ahead.”

Grabbing Shuri by the leg as she turned to leave, Ariel showed a bit of hesitation.

Shuri could tell that this wouldn’t be an easy request to make and prepared herself mentally.

Although Ariel often asked for things out of the blue, she rarely paused before making such requests.

After a moment, Ariel’s tightly sealed lips finally parted, and Shuri’s eyes widened in surprise at her request.

“If it’s possible… can you call me like you used to?”

“Like I used to? You mean the way you referred to me?”

“Mm-hmm.”

At such an unexpected request, Shuri was at a loss for how to respond.

Of course, it was true they weren’t accustomed to the formalities yet, but eventually, with frequent use, it would become second nature.

Even so, she suspected that there must be some reason behind this request.

“I know it might not be possible, but it feels more comfortable that way. Just because I’ve inherited the head of the family position doesn’t mean I’m no longer the lady you serve, right?”

“Well… that’s true.”

Since there was nothing factually wrong with what Ariel said, Shuri hesitated for a moment.

She believed that as the master, she should try to accommodate the request, but on the other hand, she questioned whether it was right to accept a request that crossed the lines of propriety.

‘Honestly, I’d prefer it that way too.’

Shuri also felt that changing how she addressed Ariel had put some distance between them psychologically.

Although they were neither lovers nor friends and were simply in a master-servant relationship, it felt important for Shuri.

Sometimes when they exchanged awkward smiles or when Ariel would shudder and halt at the odd usage of the title, it made things uncomfortable for both of them.

Still, trusting that time would heal this, Shuri tried to serve her former lady now that she was a highness, but it seemed Ariel couldn’t hold out any longer.

“Will you call me that then?”

“……”

Edgar had always thought that Ariel could be quite cunning in this regard.

While she could behave quite roughly most of the time, if she showed a moment of vulnerability or took the first step, it softened Edgar’s heart.

“…Heh, then if it’s not too much to ask, can I call you ‘Lady’ again?”

“Yeah, please do. It feels like I would break out in hives if someone else calls me ‘highness’.”

“Eh?”

Shuri was unsure whether to be happy or distressed by such an intense expression.

It seemed like she was finding comfort in her old title, which was good, but a strange unease lingered in her heart.

“If Shephina or anyone else brings it up, say I permitted it. No, just say I ordered it. Got it?”

“Haha… Mother will likely think there’s a reason for it.”

Anyway, after sorting out a title that benefitted both of them, they felt a weight lifted off their shoulders.

“Now we should get ready to wash up. Do you need me to wait on you?”

“No, that’s fine. But I do want to ask you one thing during that time…”

“Is it something unusual today?”

Ariel had never used the word ‘ask’ twice in a day before.

This was something expected for her as a master, but it implied that what she wanted to ask was important enough to need special consideration.

As Shuri turned away, less tense than she had previously been, Ariel, who had been looking up at her, began to fidget with her hands.

Her cheeks bore a faint blush, making Shuri think she was even more hesitant than before.

“Um… could you bring me a small snack plate?”

“A snack plate? I can do that, but… are you eating by yourself?”

Although Ariel had had a glass or two of wine before going to sleep, she had never asked Shuri for a snack plate.

She would just ask for a bottle of wine and quietly sip it by herself, falling asleep without any accompaniment.

But the fact that she specifically asked for a snack plate meant there was a hidden reason behind that.

When Shuri emphasized the ‘by yourself’ bit, trying to discover her reasoning, Ariel’s cheeks reddened even more.

“C-could you please prepare it for two? Nothing extravagant, just something simple to nibble on…”

“……”

As she watched Ariel make a tiny ‘two’ sign with her fingers—something so unlike her—Shuri’s expression gradually changed.

At first, she had been wondering who the other person would be to share this meal with her.

Then she was puzzled by why Ariel was being so fidgety about her request.

Finally, it clicked, and she recognized the reason, smiling softly with newfound understanding.

“…Sure, Lady. I’ll keep the others occupied, so have a great time.”

“T-thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Oh, and…”

Shuri hesitated for a moment, wondering if this was something she could do as a servant, but then she gathered her courage, and carefully hugged Ariel, who was sitting on the bed.

“Good luck.”

“……!”

She whispered her encouragement into Ariel’s ear.

Ariel looked shocked and trembled slightly at the sudden contact, but Shuri merely smiled innocently and left the room.

‘No one should come through here tonight.’

After exiting the room, Shuri grabbed a nearby user and instructed them that no one should be allowed upstairs during the night.

Just to be safe, as tonight might turn out to be a loud one.