I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 199

Heavy air settled in an instant.

The weight of it was incomparable to when the two mentioned the events that transpired in the Imperial Palace just moments ago.

Edgar had anticipated this already, but he hesitated to break the long silence that lingered much longer than he had thought.

In place of him, it was none other than Yulken who opened the conversation.

“I believe you are aware of the meaning behind your words.”

“Yes, Father.”

As Yulken confirmed the weight of what he had stated, Edgar nodded in agreement.

He was well aware of it. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have needed to hide it from Ariel until now.

Even if this speculation were true, he would either face a major incident, or if wrong, he would bear the heavy sin of insulting the royal family.

Neither scenario offered a bright path ahead.

Still, Edgar felt compelled to speak on the matter; he considered himself the one best able to look at the situation with a level head.

“I don’t know what prompted you to say such a thing… but given it’s you, I doubt it was said without thought.”

“Can I honestly answer that?”

“Go ahead.”

Though it might be an act of betrayal against Yulken’s trust, Edgar believed it was essential to address both the certainties and uncertainties carefully.

Even if it meant hearing cold words from the Robeheim family.

“To be honest, there’s no concrete evidence. Even the intuition I have is filled with uncertainties.”

“That’s unexpected. You just placed His Majesty on the same level as an enemy. You mean to say you said that lightly?”

There was no anger in Yulken’s voice; it came purely from genuine curiosity.

He wanted to ask Edgar, who had always been more cautious, why he had made such an unexpected choice.

“To put it bluntly, it’s because I don’t have the luxury of time.”

“No luxury?”

“Yes, at least under the assumption that my inference is correct, the Robeheim family will find themselves in a considerably disadvantageous position. Even the time we spend leisurely exchanging opinions here could be used more wisely.”

As Edgar pointed out, if the Emperor truly favored Albrecht, their side would hold no real advantage.

And with the Emperor’s backing, Albrecht could act even more recklessly without concern for those around him.

The ambush that had occurred in the Imperial Palace might simply be dismissed as a trivial matter.

“Therefore, I thought it necessary to inform you at least if there’s even the slightest chance. If it turns out His Majesty is innocent, feel free to take my head.”

“Ed, such words are not to be taken lightly. None of us here wish for that.”

Edgar attempted to express his resolve, but Helene shook her head and gently took his hand.

Insulting a member of the royal family was indeed a crime worthy of execution.

However, his mention of such a suspicion did not stem from a desire to belittle the Emperor or harbor jealousy.

It was merely to voice the worst possible scenario that could arise just before things reached a disastrous end.

And that scenario just happened to include the Emperor.

“Right, Mom is right. It’s not like anyone is listening to this, after all; it’s merely an assumption.”

Ariel hurriedly chimed in, agreeing with her mother, causing her old speech patterns to slip out.

Normally, either Edgar or Helene would have pointed it out jokingly, but the mood didn’t allow for such playful banter at that moment.

In fact, the atmosphere was far from it.

“Anyway, I understand what you want to say. Now, could you share the reasoning behind the intuition you have?”

“It might be a long story, but if you’re fine with that…”

After arriving, having eaten, and spending some time, the day had already turned to dusk.

Upon hearing Edgar’s words, Yulken glanced out the window, his lips curling slightly, before he shifted his gaze to his wife, exchanging looks before responding.

“That sounds fine. Neither my wife nor I can sleep soundly after only hearing this sort of story… and I believe our daughter feels the same.”

“Hehe, that’s right. We can’t just sleep like this.”

“If the story is going to take a while, should I brew some coffee to keep ourselves awake?”

As Helene made a light-hearted remark to lift the atmosphere, Ariel casually moved a teacup aside and asked.

Though there weren’t many people in the Robeheim family who enjoyed coffee, they occasionally indulged in it, especially when a burst of energy was needed for long tasks.

Edgar and Ariel had had the opportunity to drink it recently for various reasons, but it had genuinely been ages for Yulken and Helene.

By duration alone, they hadn’t touched it in a year.

“Um, sounds good. It’s been a while since I last had it.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t sound bad to drink it again.”

Once given permission by their parents, Ariel immediately picked up a small bell from the corner of the table and shook it.

Given the seriousness of their conversation, they had ensured that no one wandered nearby in the halls, thinking it would take a while for a servant to return.

Knock, knock.

“…That was fast.”

“At this speed, it must be Shuri?”

Of course, there are always exceptions here and there.

“Did you call for me, Miss?”

When alone with Ariel, Shuri’s speech took on a slightly more relaxed tone, but when others were around, she maintained a polite demeanor, bowing deeply as she appeared before them.

“Yes, I’d like to ask for some coffee.”

“Is that about coffee? Are all four of you having it?”

“That’s the plan.”

“I will prepare it right away.”

After receiving a simple confirmation of her request, Shuri bent again and left the room.

Watching her leave, a soft smile appeared on Helene’s face.

‘It’s heartwarming to see how, despite being a child who used to shed many tears, she now holds her own beside my daughter.‘

It wasn’t just Ariel who had grown.

As the master grew, so too did those who watched by her side.

Otherwise, Shuri would have struggled to keep up with Ariel, let alone support her.

Though she had become dulled to the years passing by, Helene found moments like these reminded her of time’s passage.

Each time, her heart swelled with emotion.

Anyway, with Shuri’s departure, the atmosphere eased, and the ongoing conversation came to a halt.

It was not the uncomfortable silence from earlier; instead, it was a break to relish the short reprieve from tension.

A short while later…

“You’ve been waiting for a while.”

Before long, Shuri returned, accompanied by two maidservants.

On the trolley lay coffee, along with some savory snacks, sugar, and lemon wedges.

“Hmm.”

As soon as they reached the table, Yulken picked up a lemon wedge and bit into it.

Indeed, that lemon wedge served as a kind of stimulant that Yulken consumed when exhausted or mentally drained.

It was quite a well-known habit in the castle, and Shuri had specifically prepared it knowing that.

Beaming with satisfaction, Yulken took another bite of lemon and praised her.

“That’s very considerate of you. Thank you.”

“You’re too kind.”

Completing the setup with her maidservants, she turned on her heel, moving quietly to leave the room.

Simultaneously, the four of them lifted their cups without waiting for anyone to signal, and the warming coffee filled their mouths, bringing some clarity to their minds.

“Actually…”

“Hmm?”

Just as Yulken savored the aroma of the coffee, Edgar suddenly opened his mouth.

Though he hesitated for a moment, realizing it was pointless to hesitate after he had already started to speak, he nodded and continued.

“I hope this doesn’t come across the wrong way, but I had a bit of suspicion towards His Majesty from the beginning.”

“…Is that so? What prompted it, then?”

“Yes, it started after the incident in Whitewood. When I received the Emperor’s decree and reached the Imperial Palace. To be precise, that event merely set the ground for my suspicions, but the actual doubts began later.”

At first, seeing his name inscribed on the Hero Stone and receiving a precious award directly from the Emperor had filled him with pride.

However, after encountering Albrecht, he soon learned the Emperor was not one to frequently show himself in the palace.

That’s when he started feeling an unsettling sense of discrepancy.

Primarily, Edgar had been summoned to the palace around the time when the incident had started to fade and people began to forget little by little.

That alone seemed unusually delayed compared to how most accolades were typically dispensed immediately after the event had taken place.

However, considering that there had been a succession ceremony held during that time, it made sense when looking at the overall schedule.

Yet, the unease didn’t stop there; with Albrecht showing up at the palace afterward, his doubts only deepened.

As it was, Albrecht’s involvement steadily placed Bartheus in the frame of suspects as well, once Edgar’s suspicions regarding Albrecht solidified.

“I later heard from Ludric, the leader of the Royal Knights, that Albrecht had been curious about my presence even before I arrived at the Emperor’s palace.”

That was certain information Edgar obtained from Ludric.

Of course, Albrecht could also be in on this plot, but if that were the case, there was no reason to feed Edgar misleading information, so he could be considered uninvolved in this incident.

“That’s where the first seed of suspicion sprouted. The timing just felt too convenient.”

“I see. If Albrecht were indeed behind all the events, then he would have seen you as quite the thorn in his side for solving the incident in Whitewood. So of course, he would want to meet you once.”

If the two were genuinely in cahoots, Albrecht would have likely convinced the Emperor to summon Edgar for that very reason.

Indeed, as Edgar suggested, the timing was too coincidental for it to simply be an accident.

Especially the way Albrecht, known for avoiding the palace, personally came to the banquet just to see Edgar— that was also quite odd.

“Up until then, I merely considered it suspicious without truly thinking it was anything. However, my doubts intensified after this recent visit to the palace.”

“You mentioned earlier that there was nothing out of the ordinary, but could you elaborate on that once more?”

Yulken had already heard much of the details regarding the incident in the palace.

Yet, he had failed to sense any peculiarities surrounding the Emperor.

This meant only Edgar had perceived some kind of incongruity. Yulken wanted to hear more about it now.

“It all started when Ariel cornered Marquis Bertus.”

“I remember that. It was thwarted because His Majesty coughed up blood, right?”

“Yes, while we could write that off as mere coincidence… at the very least, when I met the Emperor previously, he appeared entirely healthy.”

Assuming everything was simple happenstance could be a valid position.

However, if you assumed the two were indeed working together, then it began to appear suspicious that both situations were so plausible.

Was it coincidence? Or were they orchestrating their scenarios to appear like coincidences?

To prepare for the worst, Edgar leaned towards the latter.

That was all that mattered.

Yulken contemplated his thoughts, stroking his chin, and shook his head slightly.

He acknowledged Edgar’s perceptiveness, but by itself, this was still insufficient to reach any definitive conclusions.

“You can’t mean that those two reasons alone account for your suspicion towards His Majesty?”

If that were truly the case, then even though whoever the opposing party was Edgar, it would be difficult to lend credence without more evidence, Yulken asked with concern.

To this, Edgar shrugged, as if to say, ‘How could it not be?’, then shifted his gaze to Ariel.

“Of course, doing so would have the lovely Ariel ready to pounce on me.”

“Hmph, well aware.”

Ariel, who had been quietly observing the situation with thoughts akin to her father, snorted.

While even she was prepared to stand by Edgar, she knew very well that it wouldn’t be sufficient to convince the other two.

“Perhaps this will be my last line of evidence. Ariel will explain this part instead.”

“Huh? Me?”

Ariel blinked in surprise as the focus shifted unexpectedly to her, as she had nothing particularly vivid to recollect.

“Right, you remember what I discussed with the Emperor before I silenced you, don’t you?”

“Talked with the Emperor…? What about?”

Though it was just a few hours ago, the two-day journey to arrive here made the memory feel more distant.

Moreover, during that time, Edgar had suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth, leaving her confused, so the events leading up to it felt hazy.

Nevertheless, Ariel squeezed her brain, trying to recall that day’s events.

Before Edgar had clamped her mouth shut, he had mentioned a letter sent to him by the Emperor the day before, and afterward, she had…

“…Ah.”

“Did you remember something?”

Upon hearing Ariel’s surprised exclamation, Helene abruptly asked what it was that caused such a reaction.

What could it have been?

“The Emperor mentioned the letter he sent me the day before, saying he would personally handle the matter between the Robeheim family and the Bertus family…”

“To handle, huh… then it doesn’t bode well…”

Ariel’s muttering had caught Yulken’s attention and his brows furrowed as he too began to connect some dots.

And he had come to the same realization.

The implication behind “to handle” meant that he intended to investigate the Bertus family entirely through the influence of the royal family.

If the Robeheim family took even a moment’s respite from the incident based solely on his words and the royal court failed to act, what would happen?

“… So, are you saying this isn’t a commitment to take charge, but rather a way to get us to back off?”

“At least that’s my supposition.”

As Yulken continued to covertly shake his trembling fist while considering the implication of Edgar’s deductions, Ariel’s pupils dilated slightly.

Finally, it dawned on her.

Now she understood why, immediately after hearing that statement, Edgar had chosen to remain silent about the prior day’s events to the Emperor.

It was not mere indecision but indicative of a growing certainty that has transformed doubts towards the Emperor into solid convictions, prompting him to adjust his plans.

At this point, the Robeheim family was confronted with options.

They could merely overlook this as yet another coincidence and let it slip by, or they could reinforce their hypothesis that the two were accomplices and label all previous coincidences as deliberate acts of deception.

“…I have shared everything I know. Now it falls to you and Ariel to decide.”

Perhaps, upon hearing those words, their answers had already been predetermined.