I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 211

Back to the present, Edgar stepped out of the Imperial Palace and headed somewhere.

It was an ordinary house not far from the palace.

There sat Ariel, who had arrived first.

This was a hideout secured for the occasion, a place that Edgar requested to borrow since the Robeheim Family’s Villa might be a target for Albrecht.

“I’m back.”

“…Hmph.”

It was a rather light greeting for someone who just pulled off the dangerous feat of infiltrating the palace.

Ariel turned her head, snorting in response.

She wanted to hug him for returning safely, but she couldn’t overlook the fact that he had engaged in such a risky endeavor.

“Why are you still sulking?”

“I don’t know, you idiot.”

“Honestly… Come here.”

Despite the years passing by, the ever-pouty little princess… or rather, the spoiled grand princess, brought a bitter smile to Edgar’s face as he opened his arms.

Ariel, pretending to relent, slowly drew closer and embraced him.

“Oh, I might smell like sweat.”

After all, he had covered himself head to toe in black attire to blend into the darkness, causing the heat to rise and accumulate inside.

Realizing this a bit too late, Edgar tried to step back, but Ariel hugged him tightly as if to say, “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Fine. Not that I care anyway.”

“Really? Anyway, I’m glad you made it back safely. I didn’t want to live my whole life locked up in the castle.”

Aside from whether the mission was successful, Edgar had truly worried about that point the most.

At just over twenty years old, he didn’t want to spend his vibrant youth merely eating leftovers in the castle.

Above all, it was only more terrifying to think that Ariel would actually go through with such a life.

“Is that why you worked harder?”

“Well, that’s part of it… Ah!”

“I knew you’d add one more thing.”

Ariel grumbled back, saying what was wrong with feeding him, tucking him in, and dressing him, but for Edgar, that only sounded scarier.

He realized that she was not joking.

“By the way, was everything all right outside?”

“Yeah. I was keeping an eye out just in case… and it was ordinary.”

In truth, Ariel hadn’t come here just to keep an eye on him; she was there to lend a helping hand.

The palace had strict security not only inside but outside, and with Ariel putting all those guards to sleep, it allowed them to get in quite easily.

Moreover, she could keep watch while remaining invisible outside with magic, helping Edgar navigate his way out.

However, not just anyone could do everything Ariel managed to pull off.

Thus, Edgar scratched his head awkwardly and gave a sheepish smile as if to say he was utterly at a loss.

“By the way, you’re really something. I didn’t think you’d follow me all the way here when I told you to stay in Hespania…”

Originally, Edgar planned to ask Minette or others who could use magic for assistance with the mission.

However, when Ariel heard that, she declared she could do it too and insisted on tagging along, leading to a bit of a tussle at first.

Edgar attempted to convince her that a family head couldn’t just abandon their post.

But she was stubborn and outright refused to allow him to infiltrate the palace unless she came along, so he had no choice but to concede.

On the other hand, whether or not Ariel knew his true feelings, she confidently replied with a smile, “What did I tell you? From now on, every time you do something dangerous, I’m coming with you.”

“Come on, what are you, a dog or a cat?”

It was absurd considering she was once saying she was the master and now she was scampering after him.

Wasn’t the situation reversed?

Yet, Ariel stood her ground against his teasing and boldly retorted.

“You once said I was like a cat. You could just think of me as a cat that you take along.”

“That’s not something the master of the Robeheim Family should say…”

“Hmph, what’s the problem with that?”

She wouldn’t say such things in front of others anyway.

Knowing it was limited to just this man in front of her, she could say those things without worrying about her pride.

“Anyway, now that the work is done, relax and eat.”

“At this hour?”

As Ariel slipped away from Edgar’s embrace towards the kitchen, a question mark popped up over his head.

That was only natural since it was already around one in the morning.

He thought she might have prepared a simple snack as a late-night treat, but based on her mentioning a meal, it didn’t seem so.

“Well, when you’re tense, you get hungry easily. So, I prepared something.”

“Prepared… a meal? Who?”

There are only two people in this house.

Although she had brought in some others to help, they were spread out so they wouldn’t raise suspicion.

That meant there was no one to prepare a meal for them in the household.

Thus, Edgar raised a justifiable question, but Ariel was simply frustrated he didn’t grasp the implicit meaning behind her words.

“You idiot. Who else here is going to prepare a meal besides me?”

“Well, that’s true… but you can’t cook.”

Edgar stumbled and blurted it out, shocked by Ariel’s spicy retort.

After all, why would someone who usually had their meals served in the grand hall ever learn to cook?

Unless, perhaps, she was like Silvia, who enjoyed cooking and took the time to learn a bit, but he knew better than anyone that Ariel had no interest in such things.

So how could she…?

“Come here. But I don’t want you to be disappointed when you see it, okay?”

“O-Okay.”

Ariel led him to the kitchen, figuring it was only a matter of time before he found out for himself.

As the house was generally sized, it only took about ten seconds to get from the front entrance to the kitchen, leaving both of them feeling an odd disconnect.

When they finally reached the kitchen, an unbelievable sight unfolded before Edgar’s eyes.

It wasn’t a feast that would break the sideboard, but neatly arranged soups, bread, and a few pieces of meat and vegetables had been laid out.

“You did this? What kind of wind blew through you?”

“Remember how you told my mom… no, my mother that you wanted to try the food I made someday…?”

“I did say that… but…”

That had simply been a joke taken out of whimsy.

In a conversation he had with Helene, he had slyly asked if she had any wishes, and he had said, although he had none particularly, it would be nice to try the food she made at least once.

It was nothing but a jest, really.

After all, there was no way Ariel could find the time to learn cooking amidst all her duties, not when the castle had excellent chefs ready to serve gourmet meals.

But to think she actually remembered that.

Edgar was stuck speechless, flabbergasted.

Among all the surprising things Ariel had done for him, this had to be the most unexpected.

“Sorry I couldn’t prepare something grand. I was hoping to try making a little more, but I’m still lacking in skill.”

As Edgar stood there dumbfounded, staring at the set table, Ariel thought he was disappointed by the simple food and offered an apology.

If she was going to surprise him, she wanted it to be fancier than what the castle chefs made, but her skills hadn’t allowed her to do so yet.

Edgar hurriedly waved his hands as gratitude came pouring in late.

He knew that complaining about a table set for him by someone was foolish.

“No, I’m not exaggerating, I’m really happy.”

“Oh, really? That makes me glad.”

Ariel averted her gaze shyly and scratched her cheek.

Pulling her hand, he guided her to a seat, and they positioned themselves across from each other at the table.

A peculiar feeling stirred in his heart.

“Heh.”

“Why are you laughing?”

“Oh, nothing. It just feels like we look like an ordinary couple.”

Of course, the fact that they were in a normal home rather than a castle contributed to that sentiment.

It was a scene where a husband, having returned from work, shared a warm meal with his wife who had waited up late. Such a moment would be hard to capture if they had stayed in Hespania.

Although if they were to marry in the future, that scene would undoubtedly shift, thus they decided to cherish this moment.

The master of the grand family and her dearest, though of a lesser house, the eldest son of a noble family.

When would they get to experience something like this again?

“Come on, eat. Aren’t you hungry?”

“I didn’t think much of it until a moment ago, but now that the food is here, I’m feeling hungry.”

“You were tense earlier, so you’d definitely be hungrier. You always overdo it.”

Who would have thought to leap over the palace walls to hear the story of a man who might be an enemy?

Ariel could undoubtedly think that the only person capable of such a feat was the man standing right in front of her.

“I’ll eat well. By the way, if I have the chance later, can I get another meal?”

“That depends on how you behave.”

“So that means you’ll make it for me.”

Now Edgar was familiar enough with the language Ariel used.

She had always been adamant about not doing things if she didn’t genuinely mean it.

For her to say something like that meant she was indeed inclined to do it, but was merely testing the waters.

“I said it depended on how you behave. Idiot.”

“What do I have to do for you to do it?”

“I don’t know! You should think hard about it yourself!”

Frustrated, and claiming she wouldn’t make it again, Ariel snapped back while cutting a piece of meat and putting it in her mouth.

Watching her closely, Edgar gently wiped the sauce from her lips with a napkin and quietly spoke.

“Well then, shall we take a stroll around the imperial road before the flags go up tomorrow?”

“Are you crazy? What if that guy finds out?”

“Just don’t get caught. Last time I came with those two, this time let’s enjoy ourselves quietly.”

No amount of anxiety would change the outcome.

Besides, even if they disguised themselves a bit, it would be hard to find two specific people in the bustling imperial road.

Given that she had just suggested it, he intended to offer her a gentle bribe.

“If we go to sleep now, it’ll be hard to wake up early….”

“We won’t be going that far. Just a nice little stroll or a date.”

“Okay, I guess I’ll have to eat quickly and hit the sack then.”

Requests for dates initiated by the lover typically induce nervous excitement in the girl.

Unless they were in a dull period, that didn’t apply to this pair.

“So how does it taste…?”

“It’s delicious. It suits my palate even better than what I had in the castle.”

“Oh really? So, you’re just buttering me up now. You’re getting sneakier every time.”

Though Ariel scoffed, saying flattery won’t work, it was clear from her twitching lips that she didn’t truly mean it.

After all, feeling delighted to receive a compliment for the first meal served by her beloved was inevitable.

Even someone with no interest in cooking like her began to think that perhaps learning more wouldn’t be a bad idea.

“Here, eat more.”

“I’m fine with this much. What about you?”

Seeing Edgar happily eat, Ariel, with a smile, took some of her meat and handed it to him. Edgar, who was stuffing his face, raised his eyebrows.

That was simply because the bowl in front of Ariel was almost empty.

“I had a little taste earlier, so it’s fine. Besides, you did all the hard work.”

“We all did it together. Anyway, I’ll eat well.”

“Okay.”

Normally, Edgar would’ve returned Ariel’s helping of meat, but today, he decided to gratefully accept this gesture.

Because it was likely what she genuinely wanted at this moment.

Sometimes, accepting a favor can be more fulfilling for both parties than refusing it.

Thus, a cozy time passed between the master of the grand family and her beloved within this common household.

Though a storm might someday arrive, they chose to relish the precious time before that, conversing softly about everything that had happened today and what might transpire in the future without mention of any of it.