I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 162

Edgar was dumbfounded by the sudden reunion.

He had wondered why Ariel was trying to put someone he had no real connection with beside him, but when he opened the lid, he somewhat got a hint of the reason.

Collecting his shocked heart, Edgar guided Leonel to his seat and asked how he had come to be back here.

From what he had heard recently, Leonel, despite being at the bottom of the ranks, had joined the Royal Knights.

So why did he come to Robeheim Castle?

“Long time no see, Leo. Just treat me casually now.”

Even though Leonel came as an Aide-de-Camp, Edgar didn’t want to cling to rank during a moment meant to rekindle their friendship.

Seeing this, Leonel, looking as if it was what he wanted, shook Edgar’s hand and smiled brightly.

It was the same mischievous smile Edgar remembered.

“Right. It’s been a while, Edgar. By the way, have you greeted His Highness…?”

“Oh, I totally forgot that. Sorry, I missed the context…”

Regardless, even though Ariel’s official position was much higher, Edgar felt like he had unintentionally left her out, so he quickly turned his head.

Meanwhile, Ariel, who was already listening to the two, shrugged her shoulders with a bored expression, tearing her gaze away from the pile of documents.

“Enough. Just catch up. It’s a reunion of friends, right?”

Of course, Ariel was aware that formality mattered.

However, before nitpicking about formalities, she didn’t feel the need to force herself to observe courtesies she wasn’t interested in.

Moreover, this gathering was not only about introducing an Aide-de-Camp but also about a long-time friend reuniting privately, so she didn’t want to make it too heavy.

On the other hand, Edgar, amidst Ariel’s nonchalant attitude, asked again for confirmation.

Since she was always not straightforward, he was worried she might be sulking.

“Are you okay?”

“What’s there to be okay or not? You think I’m that petty?”

In fact, Ariel was somewhat dissatisfied.

Right when they were about to enjoy themselves as lovers, that guy showed up, ruining the mood, and since it was a long-awaited reunion, he would surely be stuck with that guy for a while.

Moreover, Edgar would have to leave for other matters as soon as this conversation ended, so there would be no chance to talk today.

They might only be able to meet again at the dinner feast.

But she vowed to be more mature after the recent events at the villa.

Although she was confident and didn’t think of herself as a lacking woman, her principle was not to be a burden.

Though, given that a woman’s heart can waver like a reed, she sometimes would say things she didn’t mean, but sometimes she just wanted to show a grown-up’s composure.

In summary, while she pretended everything was fine, she was actually quite stretched.

“Hmm… since Ariel said so, let’s just greet later. Oh, did I say we already met?”

“Right. There were three chosen, including me, but His Highness picked me out of those three. Honestly, it was a bit surprising. I thought maybe you chose me just because we’re friends…”

Leonel heard that quite a few people had volunteered to be Edgar’s Aide-de-Camp, and it had taken significant time to narrow down the list.

Though he felt a desire to participate, he was somewhat mentally preparing to give up thinking it would be even more competitive than joining the Royal Knights, but Ariel choosing him was bewildering.

Most importantly, during their first meeting, when Ariel happened to recognize his face and asked if he was friends with Edgar, he had answered affirmatively by accident, leading to his swift appointment. He felt a bit uneasy, thinking he had gotten in purely thanks to his connection to a friend.

“Don’t be silly. He may seem a bit clumsy, but he prioritizes ability just like his predecessors. The fact you became an Aide-de-Camp is purely due to your own merits.”

“Right?” Edgar asked Ariel, seeking her agreement.

She, however, lifted her gaze from the paperwork, glanced at the two, and shook her head firmly.

“Nope.”

“…What?”

“It’s not. You were chosen because you were friends.”

Caught off guard by her unexpected response, Edgar blinked and looked at Leonel, who was sitting opposite him and had a somewhat gloomy expression as he chuckled.

Seeing that expression, Edgar sensed the atmosphere growing tense.

Ariel found their reaction amusing and leaned back with her chin propped up, adding words to clarify and elaborate.

While Edgar felt he wanted to see Leonel get flustered, he also knew that prolonging the awkwardness wouldn’t be productive.

“However, it’s not that you were chosen purely for being friends. That merely played a role in the final decision.”

“What do you mean?”

Ariel’s response seemed somewhat playful, making Edgar tilt his head in confusion.

Leonel, intrigued by her words, leaned in closer, focusing on what she was saying.

“The abilities of the three I heard about at the time were quite similar. Sure, there were subtle differences, but it was rather ambiguous when asking who was superior.”

“So the last deciding factor was how comfortably I could work with you. Just like with Elin, you tend to care about that kind of thing.”

While Ariel leaned towards being an ability-first kind of person, Edgar was more towards the opposite.

Of course, he prioritized ability, but if the differences weren’t substantial, he preferred someone with whom he could feel more at ease and develop a friendly rapport.

Thus, Ariel simply picked people suited to his preferences.

The other two had no shortcomings in terms of ability, but they were complete strangers to Edgar and some were considerably older.

So rather than that, he thought someone of the same age and with whom he had a connection would be easier for him when he was issuing orders.

In other words, it didn’t imply that Leonel was lacking in ability, rather that the final decision was swayed by their friendship.

“Then, you… it was Leonel, right?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“At least from my perspective, you’re not an incompetent person. Sure, there may have been someone better among those two, but that’s my standard, not Edgar’s.”

If Leonel was deemed a useless individual by Edgar, he wouldn’t have made it this far in the selection process anyway.

He had his own capabilities, and Ariel believed that managing that effectively was now Edgar’s task and Leonel’s duty.

“So if you think you got in thanks to your friend, instead of feeling self-deprecating, you should work harder. If you’re called incompetent, it only reflects poorly on me, and it’s an insult to Edgar, who is your friend.”

“Got it?” Ariel asked again, and Leonel sat straight, responding with firm energy.

“Ed, sorry, but let’s continue this conversation later. I have a schedule soon.”

“Oh, right? If you need something, just call me. I’m on the second floor like everyone else.”

The second floor usually housed the rooms for most of the attendants and offices.

This time, Leonel was given a room up there as he joined Edgar, but he hadn’t finished unpacking yet.

“Got it. See you later.”

As Edgar sent Leonel off quite early, Ariel, who had been watching this scene from afar, raised an eyebrow in question.

It seemed they hadn’t finished catching up, so she was curious why he was sending him away.

“Is the talk over already?”

“We can talk later. Besides, I need to leave soon myself.”

“But there’s still plenty of time left.”

Ariel heard that his time to leave was just a little past five o’clock.

Even if they took their time, there was still easily an hour left, so she wondered why he was being so hasty.

At that moment,

“What’s going on? Why behave like this?”

“I thought since there’s still some time left, we could play before you go.”

“Play? What does that have to do with this—AHHH!?”

Suddenly, Edgar came striding over to her, lifting her legs and back and dragging her toward the sofa.

Ariel was bewildered by the sudden turn of events, and Edgar sat her beside him, grinning as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

“Really, if you wanted to send Leo off, you could’ve just said so. No need to sulk.”

“W-Who’s sulking!? I wasn’t thinking anything!”

“Okay, okay. Let’s just stay like this for a bit before we leave.”

Edgar leaned Ariel’s head against him, closing his eyes while soaking in her warmth.

Ariel, caught with her thoughts exposed, seemed as though she would resist at first, but she quickly tucked her pouting lips back in and gently closed her eyes.

“Anyway, thanks. You must have worried a lot because of me.”

“Not really… Compared to how much you struggled, it’s nothing…”

“What’s this? Saying such things?”

“I’m not stupid enough to not know how much you’ve worked hard.”

Just accept it, she thought, but this guy always had to add one more comment, making her lips curve down again.

That was always something Ariel found frustrating about him.

While they enjoyed a warm moment leaning on each other, Ariel suddenly broke the silence, cautiously speaking up.

“But isn’t there something… more?”

“Pfft, what more are you expecting?”

“I-I’m not expecting anything, but it feels a bit disappointing to end things like this…”

Her face crimson and eyes darting around, she looked so cute and adorable that it was hard to believe she was the mistress of a grand family. At least in Edgar’s eyes.

He knew perfectly well what she wanted, but the timing was tricky.

He’d have to leave for work soon, and Ariel also needed to get back to her duties.

But feeling bad about leaving her hanging, Edgar gently pressed his lips against her forehead, soothingly stroking her hair.

“Let’s hold off on that for now and save it for later.”

“Hmph, you’re trying to dodge again, aren’t you…?”

“Really? What can I do to make you believe me?”

Looking up at him, scratching his head in confusion, Ariel hesitantly brought her lips forward.

Not too aggressively, yet not too aloof either.

“I-I want a more concrete proof.”

“…Really?”

Edgar raised an eyebrow, grinning slyly as he brought his lips to Ariel’s…

“…Huh?”

But instead of kissing, he just placed his fingers on her lips, pretending it was a kiss.

However, the sensation felt so different that Ariel opened her eyes and immediately caught on to the reality, and suddenly, lava began to bubble in her volcano of emotions.

“You, you idiot…!”

“Haha, I’ll do it when I come back. See you later!”

“Where do you think you’re going? Come back and do it! Hey!”

In the end, Ariel spent the day in her office alone, not even receiving a kiss from Edgar before he left.

It was a day that clearly demonstrated that even becoming the mistress of the grand family, her relationship with him hadn’t changed much.