I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 176

Sonia was feeling really great today.

She got to play and spend time with her favorite big brother and pretty sister.

Most importantly, she was delighted to see that the number of fish swimming in the pond had increased since the last time she was here.

“Yay!”

“Sonia, feeling good?”

“Yeah! Totally awesome!”

When Edgar casually asked Sonia, who had a constant smile on her face, she replied without a single moment of hesitation.

This made Ariel, who was holding Sonia’s other hand, smile as well.

“Big brother, can I go over there?”

“Where? That big flower area?”

“Yeah!”

The distance to the spot Sonia pointed at wasn’t far.

Edgar and Ariel could see her well enough, so there was no need to worry about losing her.

Being a child, it was nice to hold on to the hands of those she liked, but she probably wanted to run around and enjoy her freedom to the fullest.

Ariel understood that well, so she spoke up instead of Edgar, who was asking her with his eyes what to do.

“Then how about you go while big sister and big brother wait here?”

“Okay!”

“But you can’t pick the flowers, got it? Flowers get hurt. Understand?”

“Mom said so too? I promise!”

With that, Sonia pinky promised Ariel and then released their hands, dashing towards the other side of the garden.

Watching her go, Edgar spoke to Ariel in a tone of surprise.

He thought she would tell Sonia to just go ahead and do whatever since she could always grow flowers again in the garden.

“That’s unexpected. I thought you’d let her pick flowers or something.”

“Actually, I was thinking that. But our mother—no, I mean, my mother taught me that when I was little.”

Ariel felt quite embarrassed for almost calling her mom again, her cheeks turning a light shade of red.

Even though it was a memory from long ago, it still stayed vividly in her mind.

“Don’t pick flowers?”

“Yep.”

“That sounds just like your mom.”

Normally, being the only daughter of a noble, especially a duke, parents might indulge her.

They could have taught her that picking a flower didn’t matter, but Henelene’s teachings were quite the opposite.

“At least I learned something that I can’t tell Sonia in that way.”

“You’d probably raise your own kids well someday.”

“Already thinking about kids? We haven’t even had a wedding yet!”

“So what? It’s just a thought.”

When Edgar teased her, Ariel made a pouty face, saying it was mean to ask if he already knew.

How could she not think about a future with him?

She had played that scenario out dozens or hundreds of times since she was young, and it had never been boring.

It was always a new experience that was fascinating.

“Waah-!”

“What!?”

In the brief moment when the two of them took their eyes off Sonia for a second, a sorrowful cry was heard from a distance.

Startled, they both quickly turned their heads to see Sonia on the ground, crying loudly, and beside her stood a hefty man.

“Hey, you! What did you do to Sonia!?”

Ariel stomped over to cover Sonia and confront the man, who, despite his massive size, looked visibly flustered as he waved both hands in a hurry.

“Ah, no… I just went out for a breath of fresh air, and the child got startled when she saw me…”

He was none other than Kelrag, the leader of the Carvita Tribe, who was temporarily staying at Robeheim Castle.

* * * * * * *

After setting aside a place to hear the details, it turned out that Kelrag had done nothing wrong.

According to a soldier who had been keeping an eye on him, Sonia had suddenly burst into tears when she saw Kelrag.

“I had no idea. I’m sorry. As soon as I saw Sonia crying, I just lost it.”

Ariel quickly apologized for raising her voice.

It was true she hadn’t properly assessed the situation before escalating her tone, regardless of the fact that he was an enemy leader.

After all, she wasn’t twisted enough to ignore her own faults just because he was the enemy.

“I didn’t expect to be getting an apology myself. Well, considering my face is quite ugly, it’s understandable a child would be startled.”

Kelrag waved his hand in a nonchalant manner.

Just looking at the scars and marks on his face was enough for kids to be frightened.

If anything, Sonia’s reaction was pretty normal.

“Maybe just being allowed to go outside while being a guest in enemy territory is a bit much.”

“You don’t need to think that hard about it. Either way, I allowed it.”

“I sincerely appreciate that.”

After all, Kelrag was staying under the hospitality of the Robeheim Family.

Even if he had benefits to gain from them, in terms of position, he was still close to being a prisoner.

Still, Ariel treated him fairly without any discrimination.

From basic meals and lodging to his activities.

Of course, there were restrictions on his movements and surveillance since he was technically the enemy, but as long as he didn’t leave the castle, he was quite free.

“By the way, you look like you’re feeling better.”

Meanwhile, listening to their conversation, Edgar subtly chimed in, noticing Kelrag’s complexion.

He remembered how pale Kelrag had looked just walking around earlier.

“Yeah. It seems continuous injections of magical power have helped a bit.”

The curse afflicting Kelrag was quite severe.

It was so bad that even Minette, one of the sages of the Mage Tower, called it malicious.

Nonetheless, he was currently receiving magical power from the wizards of the Robeheim Family, including Minette, to slow the pacing of the curse.

The problem was that this wasn’t a complete solution, so they needed to hurry and create a dispelling magic spell.

“The wizard said it was a fight to prove whether my body collapses first or the spell is created first.”

“What can you do? You knew what you were getting into. Just hold on.”

Ariel’s words were a mix of encouragement and a warning, making Kelrag smile bitterly, but he vowed to hang in there somehow.

At least he didn’t know much about this woman named Ariel.

But judging by the personality he had seen so far, rather than wanting him to die because he was the enemy, she seemed more inclined to help him survive.

“Looks like you must have really caught the ire of the children. You don’t even want to show your face…”

Hiding behind Edgar’s back was Sonia, holding onto the hem of his clothes and peeking out nervously like a timid rabbit wary of a wild beast.

Ariel didn’t care whether Sonia liked him or not, but since Sonia wouldn’t come out from Edgar’s embrace, she figured she had to come up with a solution.

Or maybe she just hoped that Kelrag would leave.

“It’s all because your face looks so scary. You have to do something about it.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Since he couldn’t just change his face on the spot, Kelrag decided he’d try to ease their wariness in another way.

So, to begin with…

“What’s your name, miss?”

“S-Sonia Billhark…”

Even though she was hidden behind Edgar, Sonia’s responses were clear and precise as usual.

Kelrag may have remembered her name, but he deliberately initiated this conversation to bridge the gap, and seeing Sonia react, he smiled faintly.

“Sonia… that’s a pretty name. Do you know how to use magic?”

Shake shake.

If a girl her age could use magic, she would be more talented than most of the mages at the Mage Tower, including Ariel.

Still, knowing this, Kelrag threw out the question, and Sonia reacted as if it were a given.

She didn’t even know this was a bait Kelrag was casting.

“Then let this old man show you some magic. Come here for a second.”

“Alright, Sonia.”

“Waa…”

As Edgar brought forth the trembling Sonia who was still peeking from behind him, she produced a whimper while bravely stepping out.

Though her hands were still fidgeting nervously.

“Since you said you can’t use magic, you’ve never flown in the sky before, right?”

“Fly… in the sky?”

Sonia, having used informal speech in her cautiousness, hurriedly added the polite ‘yo’ since she had been taught to use formal language with strangers.

With a smile, Kelrag apologized for what he was about to do next, gently grabbing Sonia around the waist.

Then he said,

“Uhp!”

“Wow!”

And lifted Sonia up to his chest level.

It was as if she was truly experiencing the feeling of flying.

“How does it feel? Flying in the sky.”

“Yay, this is fun!”

Sonia’s initial trepidation disappeared in a flash, and she radiated pure joy with a bright smile, as if all her worries melted away.

Kelrag could only nod respectfully, smiling in response to her compliment about how strong he was, despite being the chief of a warrior tribe.

After all, it was a sight to behold—one that was both amusing and awkward.

“Surprisingly, you manage well with children.”

Though Edgar had thought he would be the type to struggle with kids or be cold towards them, he was shocked by the unexpectedly warm interaction.

“Exactly. As the leader of the Carvita Tribe, all of my tribe members are like my children. It’s no wonder I have many chances to interact with them.”

While many might think the position of a tribe leader was distant and unmatched, the leader of the Carvita Tribe maintained close ties with his people.

Kelrag was particularly close with the children.

“Okay, Sonia. That’s enough for now. Let’s get you back down. Big brother will take over now since I can’t keep doing this for long because my body is hurting.”

As Edgar reached out his hands with concern, Sonia, obeying his gesture, tilted her head curiously as she was gently brought down.

“Are you hurting, mister?”

“Not too much, just a little.”

Sonia looked up at the massive Kelrag and asked worryingly, which made him chuckle lightly, shrugging his shoulders.

After all, boasting about being ill in front of a child felt wrong.

“Uhm… you shouldn’t be hurting… Mom said eating tasty things helps you get better.”

Sonia had reverted to casual speech again, but Kelrag decided not to point that out.

In fact, it was a lot easier for children to understand.

“Yeah. I’ll manage.”

Patting Sonia’s head with his large hand, Kelrag realized it was about time he should head back.

Even if Ariel had granted him some freedom, he still had to show a sense of propriety and couldn’t be wandering around the castle aimlessly forever.

“I’ll play with you next time we meet. Think about what you want to do with the old man.”

“Hehe, okay! It’s a promise?”

“Sure.”

With that, Kelrag vanished alongside the soldier watching over him, while Sonia who had been watching them snuggled into Edgar’s embrace and said,

“Big brother! I want to play with that uncle again next time!”

“Then should we decide what to play together?”

“Yeah!”

Sonia nodded brightly, switching over to Ariel’s embrace this time.

Despite the scary first impression, he was actually a pretty warm and fun uncle.

That was how Sonia felt when she first met Kelrag.