I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 16

Ariel was born as the only daughter of the Robeheim Family, one of the three great powers of the Empire.

When she started walking and talking, her surroundings were already far from what ordinary kids her age experienced.

Adults who were two or three times her size were busy bowing their heads, and her breakfast always began at a long, wide table that felt overwhelmingly burdensome.

Her mother, Helene, was a caring woman who was very interested in her daughter, but she often couldn’t see her because of family responsibilities.

Sometimes, she would leave early in the morning without even having breakfast with Ariel to support her husband’s duties, returning home the next day.

During those times, the nanny Metel would stay by her side, but that was all.

Sitting alone at that lonely, expansive table, Ariel cut the meat and put it in her mouth, following the ceremonial etiquette she had learned since childhood.

“Munch munch…”

Surely, it had gone through solemn checks and processes to end up on her table, a high-quality meat that ordinary people would never even taste in their lifetimes.

Yet, why couldn’t she feel any flavor in her mouth?

With a face like she was chewing on paper, she looked around.

All the servants stood, heads bowed, unable to meet her gaze.

To young Ariel, they looked like puppets devoid of emotion.

After finishing her meal, Ariel returned to her room and threw herself onto her fluffy bed.

Though she had been bright from a young age and had spent time away from her mother’s arms, that didn’t mean she didn’t miss her.

In fact, she yearned for it more deeply than other ordinary children did.

For her, her mother’s embrace was not something she could always return to.

“I miss Ed…”

Even she had one friend she could call a companion.

That friend was the only son of the Billhark Family, which had a servant-master relationship with her family.

According to her mother, she thought that he would be the perfect friend for her daughter since she was two years old, and she had arranged for him to be brought as a servant, but they became friends instead.

The result could truly be deemed a great success.

After parting with her friend Edgar, Ariel always looked like this in her room.

While she certainly missed him dearly, above all, he was the first person to show her color in this white world.

For instance, even if she broke a valuable decoration displayed in the house or acted a bit too provocatively, no one around her said anything.

No, it would be more correct to say they couldn’t.

The only one capable of doing that, aside from her parents, was no one.

Even the nanny who cared for her had never blamed her for her mistakes, often appearing to have much to say while merely adjusting her throat.

The first time someone other than her father or mother scolded her was about two years ago.

It was the day she was first led into society by her mother, holding her hand.

There, she met the daughter of another noble family, and the object she had was something Ariel had never seen before.

– “What’s that you’re holding?”

– “This? It’s my favorite toy. Want to see?”

The girl, who had taken Ariel to the corner, covered it with her hands and skirt to prevent light from shining on it, and strangely, the toy shimmered.

Ariel’s eyes sparkled at the fascinating object she had never seen before.

For someone like her, where everything was usually presented to her, this was a rare experience.

What kind of reaction would ordinary children have in such a moment?

They would typically nag their mom to get it for them later or beg the girl to let them touch it just once, right?

But that would pertain to children with a typical mindset.

– “Can’t you give that to me?”

– “No. It’s something I treasure.”

Ariel didn’t know why she said that.

Though she was merely eight years old, she wasn’t a fool.

She knew that taking someone else’s belongings without permission was wrong.

Still, her hand instinctively reached out and seized the girl’s toy, pulling it hard towards herself, causing the girl to lose her balance and start crying.

– “Mommy…!”

– “…”

The girl cried out for her mother.

Soon after, the girl’s mother heard the cries and rushed over, learning the circumstances.

Ariel calmed her racing heart at the sight of the girl complaining that her toy had been taken from her.

At that moment,

– “It must have startled you because of our child. That toy is fine, so just take it. Now, you stop crying, too.”

As her mother wiped away her daughter’s tears, she looked at Ariel with a gaze that seemed to imply she wanted her to disappear.

She didn’t want to be associated with her, nor did she want to cause any unnecessary noise regarding this incident.

It was as if she was saying if you got the item you needed, hurry back and don’t make a fuss.

Ariel felt something heavy drop in her chest.

Why wouldn’t she blame me?

This was clearly my fault. Why did she seem to blame her daughter instead?

– “Mommy, that was my treasured item…!”

– “Now now, I’ll get you a new one, okay?”

After that mother and daughter left, Ariel returned to Helene’s side, holding the glowing toy.

Hearing her mother’s gentle voice asking where she got that from made her heart race again.

– “Uh, a girl gave it to me!”

– “Really? What a good girl. Did you say thank you?”

– “Um, yeah!”

Thank you? There’s no way she did that.

She couldn’t even manage to give an apology.

But amidst this, she also looked forward to the meeting with that friend next week.

That girl would surely light up just like herself upon seeing this fascinating toy.

Just that thought alone was enough to help wash away her guilt, she believed.

After a week passed, Ariel visited Edgar’s family home.

He always seemed bothered yet was always willing to grant her requests.

Even when she threw a tantrum to play with him or demanded he fetch the fruit that grew in a place unreachable for a child her size, or even asked him to deal with the creepy spider.

Today, she wanted to reward him by giving him her cherished toy.

Although it was almost like she had stolen it, she figured he would surely forgive her for it.

Hardly anyone had ever failed to forgive her behavior until now.

– “Ed! Look at this!”

– “Oh, what is it? It glows when the lights are off?”

– “Isn’t it amazing?”

As she expected, Edgar showed interest.

Ariel felt a sense of pride that her thoughts weren’t wrong.

Yet then, Edgar asked where she had gotten it from.

– “I went somewhere with mom before, and I got it from a girl back then!”

– “You mean you took it from her?”

– “Um…?”

His voice suddenly turned cold.

Ariel sensed that something was off.

It was exactly as it sounded. She had taken it.

From the girl’s perspective, it had felt cruel and merciless, even bordering on violence.

– “Tell me. Did you take it?”

– “Actually… yeah. You’re right, Ed.”

– “Sigh. Have you told your mother?”

With a deep sigh, he questioned her story.

Ariel carefully put the toy down and shook her head slightly.

Could she have possibly said that? Even telling the truth wouldn’t justify her actions, and she had put on a brave front and lied.

When she relayed the truth, he silently held the toy and placed it back in her hand.

Then he said,

– “Make sure to return it to that friend next time.”

– “This, I wanted to give to Ed…”

– “I don’t want something taken away.”

That was the coldest, most emotionally detached, and most painful tone Ariel had ever heard from him.

It felt like words were slicing her skin.

She felt tears were about to pour out immediately.

– “Don’t cry. If you do, I won’t care.”

– “Hic… I’m sorry, Ed… I won’t do it again… Hic. Please don’t do this, okay?”

With a look that seemed like he would never look at her again, Ariel started to cry and cling to him.

She acknowledged her wrongdoing, saying she had taken it without permission.

As she honestly voiced her feelings, Edgar’s expression softened a little while later.

– “Return that toy and apologize. In whatever way.”

– “Okay… got it. Hic.”

He didn’t ask how.

If he had, it seemed as though he would stand up at once and leave forever.

– “And tell Lady Helene the truth. Then she’ll probably help you find that friend.”

– “Okay…”

That meant she had to admit the truth to her mother, be scolded, and then with her borrowed hands, find that girl.

Perhaps this boy wanted to cleanse himself of every wrongdoing he had ever committed, seeking confession from everyone he had wronged.

Thus, he must have mentioned this way of resolution intentionally.

– “I won’t be your friend until you apologize to that girl. Got it?”

– “Wait a moment! I’ll be right back to see my mom!”

Suddenly imposed with a threat, Ariel hurriedly rose from her seat, holding the toy as she sought her mother.

When Helene found her daughter sobbing, she asked what had happened, and Ariel spilled all the things she had kept hidden.

The incident of taking another girl’s toy without permission not long ago.

The lie she told her mom about having received the broken toy as a gift.

And how her current situation had led her to almost lose a friend.

After hearing all of this, Helene neither scolded nor blamed her.

No matter what she said from now on, the girl’s words would probably take deeper root and sprout.

What a good friend she had.

– “I will find that child, so let’s go look for her together next time, alright?”

– “Okay, Mom…”

– “Now, stop crying and let’s go to Ed. Until we find that girl, let’s ask him to pretend you two aren’t no longer friends.”

– “Will Ed get angry?”

Pfft.

At her childish worries, Helene gently patted her beloved daughter’s head.

She was sure that he had deliberately set the high stakes like this.

In case Ariel would show signs of stalling and trying to find a way out, he wanted to ensure she would at least speak the truth to her mother.

– “It’s okay. Have I ever lied to you?”

– “Uh… no.”

– “So, shall we go together?”

Returning to the room, Ariel managed to secure Edgar’s temporary truce with Helene’s assistance.

It took about three days after that for her to finally find the girl whose toy she had taken.

With the toy she’d stolen as well as one of her own cherished toys, Ariel offered it as a token of apology.

In that way, she learned a lesson she would never forget in her life thanks to one friend.

Even if everyone around her forgave her, there would be those who could scold her.

That realization gradually bloomed the name Edgar in the depths of her heart.