I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 193

Albrecht succeeded in infiltrating Edgar’s room with a user disguised as Ariel, and a sly smile crept across his face.

It was a flimsy scheme involving just two steps, yet it seemed to be quite successful.

‘Not using too much of the drug was the clever move.’

The maid assigned to Ariel was none other than one of his own agents.

Thus, Albrecht had instructed her to mix a small amount of sleeping potion into the drink served to her.

For someone of her caliber, if too strong a drug were used, she could quickly sense something was off and use magic to dispel it.

But conversely, if a mild sleeping potion could just induce natural drowsiness, there would be no grounds for suspicion.

Moreover, even if the effect was minimal, it was still a sleeping potion, so as long as she was allowed to sleep soundly, she would likely be out cold till dawn.

With that much time, getting rid of her pesky lover would be a piece of cake.

Additionally, the fact that a maid was waiting outside the man’s room was something Albrecht welcomed.

If there were no witnesses, it wouldn’t matter, but in this situation, it meant that someone would see Ariel as the last person to enter Edgar’s room tonight.

To make matters worse, the real Ariel was currently asleep in her own room.

If Edgar were to be found dead tomorrow, she would naturally become the prime suspect.

Yet she had no way to explain herself.

The only way out for her would be for the maid waiting outside her room to provide an alibi, but she was an agent planted by Albrecht.

In fact, if that situation arose and she falsely testified that she had seen Ariel leave, it would corner her even more.

‘It’s a pity, though. I would’ve preferred to take care of the business after returning to the castle.’

Still, one thing made Albrecht uneasy: he was in the Imperial Palace.

He could handle simple manipulation magic from the Bertus family castle, but this spell was on a whole different level.

Instead of turning her into a soulless tool, he had to manipulate her with such precision that it required close proximity.

If he could pull off such a feat from the castle, he could argue that it was impossible if he were to be accused of being behind Ariel’s actions.

However, that was only applicable if there were someone willing to listen to her side of the story, so he wasn’t overly concerned.

The only area of concern was that—just that.

‘By the way, he seems surprisingly dull-witted. I was worried he might catch on.’

Albrecht had felt Edgar’s gaze was oddly sharp during their initial meeting.

Therefore, to ensure he was fully prepared for this, he had magically disguised the user and even stolen some of Ariel’s perfume to apply to their form.

He had also gathered tidbits of her speech and titles by observing their conversations through his agents.

Realizing how easily access was granted, it only confirmed that they were nothing more than pathetic sheep.

In the middle of the night, the arrival of a lover would hardly raise a flag in his mind.

After all, despite Edgar being smarter than the average human, compared to someone who dwelled in the depths of magic, he was disappointingly dull.

‘Here we go.’

Seeing the user he manipulated reach the bed with Edgar, Albrecht smirked, one corner of his mouth curving up.

It would be nice to kill him outright, but allowing this woman to have relations with him before he dies wouldn’t be so bad either.

It was the least he could do to show respect to an adversary who had hindered his grand plans.

‘Farewell, outsider.’

With that internal farewell to the intruder, Albrecht raised his wine glass and smiled in satisfaction.

Thus, the one who could disrupt his grand ambitions and prophecy was vanishing.

And at last, he could grasp what he desired and reach the truth of magic.

* * * * * *

Edgar welcomed Ariel into his room as promised.

His somewhat squinted gaze fixed on her, but Ariel seemed oblivious to it.

“You came early.”

“Why? Is that a problem?”

“I just thought you’d take longer since I always say women need time to prepare.”

Seeing it as a playful jab common among lovers, Ariel responded with a smile and a cheeky tone.

“I missed you.”

“Great minds think alike. Anyway, don’t just stand there, sit down. Want some wine?”

Although Ariel wasn’t particularly fond of alcohol, she did enjoy a little indulgence at night when they were alone.

So when Edgar presented a bottle of wine he had prepared just in case, she shook her head slightly in refusal.

“No, it’s okay.”

“This coming from the person who said it was embarrassing not to drink?”

“Th-That was in the past. You fool.”

As Ariel blushed softly and pouted, Edgar playfully apologized while ruffling her hair.

With that decided, Ariel naturally sat lightly on the bed and patted the spot next to her, inviting him to talk.

It wouldn’t take a fool to understand the implications behind such an invitation, especially when the other party wasn’t just a regular friend, but a lover who had seen each other’s flaws.

“Aren’t you tired? You wandered the garden for quite a while.”

“Not really…? What? Do you want me to go?”

“Why would you say that? I was just asking.”

Apologizing for potentially offending her, Edgar ruffled her hair again, making Ariel giggle and squirm.

To any third party, it would simply appear as a sweet display of affection between couples.

“What time did we decide to leave tomorrow?”

“Well, honestly, it doesn’t matter what time we go. Do you want to leave early?”

“Just go at your convenience. You can stay another day if you’d like.”

From Edgar’s perspective, the Robeheim family was more convenient, but getting to be a guest here, enjoying their hospitality, wasn’t too shabby either.

Though the true meaning behind this question lay elsewhere.

“In that case, let’s take our time. I’d like to explore the capital a bit.”

“Sounds good. Any particular places you want to visit?”

“Anywhere’s fine, as long as you’re with me.”

Such sweet, heartfelt words he had often heard from Ariel.

However, just as those words reached his ears, Edgar’s eyes momentarily narrowed.

As if he had heard something he’d rather not.

As they were enjoying a cozy conversation, Edgar suddenly realized Ariel’s outfit was quite different from her usual attire and brought it up.

“By the way, that outfit looks great on you.”

“Really? I’m glad. I just got it and thought it might be a bit daring, but I wanted to show it to you.”

While she had draped a thin outer coat when entering, the dress beneath was rather provocative.

It was hard to imagine Ariel wearing something so revealing normally.

There were parts that were quite sheer, too.

For most men, they might feel pleased that their partner would wear such clothing for them.

The reason why someone typically didn’t like their partner revealing their skin was usually because they didn’t want others to see it; it wasn’t just the exposure itself that bothered them.

Edgar seemed to represent this sentiment, giving a gentle smile and complimenting her appearance.

Ariel’s face blossomed with a flower-like smile.

But that smile didn’t stem from joy.

“…Hey, Edgar.”

“Yeah?”

In a shy tone, Ariel carefully called out to Edgar, pointing to the lamp on the table.

“Could you turn off the light?”

“…Sure, I understand.”

As Edgar extinguished the light as she requested, he cautiously embraced Ariel.

In response, she nestled even deeper into his arms, shifting her body to straddle him.

It was a rather overt position.

For most men, by this point, they would have been captivated by her alluring figure, but Edgar was rather scanning her head’s back intently.

Unbeknownst to him, Ariel seemed to struggle with her hair, trying to tie it up with a hair tie she had bitten into, gathering her locks with both hands.

Just then, something small and thin nestled between her hidden hands behind her head, and Ariel’s lips curled into a subtle smile.

Then, looking down at the man beneath her, she switched her previously sweet gaze to one filled with fervor as she pressed her upper body down to merge with his.

However, this wasn’t merely an act of seduction directed at her partner; it was a ploy to conceal the sharp weapon hidden behind her.

Shing!

It was a split-second moment.

As the small dagger that had been concealed behind her head plunged into Edgar’s heart, she gasped.

“……!”

No, precisely speaking, the dagger stuck between his index and middle fingers, halting any further progress, and in that instant, his hand struck hard at the back of Ariel’s neck.

With a sound like two stones colliding, the noise echoed as Ariel murmured softly, fading into unconsciousness.

“W-What…?”

With her slumped body lying atop the bed, Edgar observed the dagger tumbling to the ground and carefully placed it on the table before rising, a smirk creeping across his face.

He then kindly responded to her, who would no longer hear him.

“What kind of idiot doesn’t recognize their own lover?”

With those words, the magic was undone, revealing the true appearance of the user who had been disguised as Ariel.

A woman his memory did not recall.

That meant she was either Albrecht’s agent or an ordinary person unrelated to this incident.

‘Using such dirty tricks.’

Edgar guessed it was likely the latter.

In the former case, if the plot were to be revealed, it was highly likely he would be implicated.

However, in the latter case, if her memories were suitably manipulated with magic, there would be no way to catch her.

It was an incredibly meticulous yet cowardly tactic.

Knock! Knock!

‘An enemy?’

Soon after, Edgar’s sharp gaze turned to the door upon hearing someone knock, as he rose to his feet.

The possibility of an additional assassin coming for him in case of a misstep could not be ruled out.

Creak.

As Edgar silently stared at the door without opening it, the other party, impatient, swung it open.

Just as Edgar reached out carefully toward the dagger on the table…

“…Ariel?”

As the intruder’s figure came into view, confusion filled his eyes.

At that moment, he suddenly realized.

Even if it weren’t an enemy ambush, Ariel was supposed to come tonight.

“…Why didn’t you open the door? Who is that girl?”

“…What?”

And on his bed lay a complete stranger in revealing clothing.

Naturally, Ariel had no way of knowing the circumstances behind this situation.

What that meant was……

‘She’s dead.’

Finding the enemy’s mastermind was irrelevant now; he had to prioritize explaining this scenario.