I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 216

The next day, Kelrag immediately issued a summons to the scattered members of the tribe in the northern regions.

Most of the Carvita Tribe should gather within three or four days at the latest.

Having already received word from Edgar about what was to be done, I first informed Burik of the general situation before sending him to join the others.

“That’s something. I thought you’d sneak away, claiming the tribe wouldn’t manage without you.”

Ariel muttered in surprise before Kelrag, having received this news.

Since the curse that was weighing on him had been dispelled, there was no reason for him to remain bound to the Robeheim Family.

So if he were to make an excuse to go join his people, I had intended to understand it as betrayal and immediately break the contract, but it didn’t seem to be the case.

“If I disappear now, that would be a problem in itself. I’m not that foolish, you know.”

“Hm… I’m glad to hear that.”

Recognizing the situation, Ariel turned her head away indifferently.

The reason she had come here today wasn’t because she had business with him, but for another purpose entirely.

“ONI!”

As she was looking around busily for something, the purpose of her visit finally made an appearance.

Sonia, who had been playing with toys in the next room, rushed toward Ariel with a bright smile, and she opened her arms wide to embrace Sonia tightly.

This soft sensation felt addictively comforting, no matter how many times she experienced it.

“Hey, Sonia. Were you having fun?”

“Mm! Today, Uncle gave me a piggyback ride and showed me fish!”

While Kelrag was busy carrying out orders from Burik, it appeared he took good care of Sonia.

Ariel smiled with satisfaction, thinking that perhaps Kelrag was turning out to be quite useful after all.

At this point, it wouldn’t be bad to keep him as Sonia’s dedicated nanny, but doing so would reduce the time she could spend with Sonia, so it wasn’t necessarily the best option.

‘Recently, Sonia seems to enjoy being with that man.’

It seemed that ever since Sonia came to the castle, Kelrag had been assisting her a lot, partly due to Ariel being busy.

Taking this opportunity to win back Sonia’s heart, Ariel decided to focus her day on her.

Today, Edgar was caught up with a guest who had come to visit him, giving Ariel a perfect excuse to spend some time alone with Sonia.

“Really? Aren’t you hungry?”

“Hungry? A little…”

Well, she’d been running around all morning with Kelrag and had just now arrived in the room.

No matter how plentiful her breakfast had been, she was a growing child who couldn’t help but feel hungry.

“Then shall we go eat something delicious? There are plenty of treats that Sonia likes.”

“Treats? I want some! Hehe.”

‘Alright!’

With that bright response, Ariel silently cheered inside and clenched her fist.

Thanks to Shuri’s prior advice about Sonia likely being hungry by now, she was fully prepared.

Now all she had to do was take her to the reception room where tasty treats were prepared, and the score was practically in the bag.

Just as Ariel was about to lead Sonia out of the room by holding her hand, Sonia suddenly stopped in her tracks.

And then,

“Uncle! See you later!”

Raising her hand high, she offered a cheerful farewell to Kelrag with an innocent expression.

Surprised, he widened his eyes for a moment before nodding and gesturing for her to go.

“Yeah, eat a lot of delicious food.”

“Hehe, if it’s tasty, I’ll bring some for you too!”

“Don’t worry about that. Just eat plenty yourself. Adults live on delicious things.”

Rejecting Sonia’s goodwill outright, Kelrag casually turned his head away.

It was unclear how the famed warrior of the Carvita Tribe ended up playing the role of a nanny, but it didn’t seem to bother him too much.

Seeing her innocent expression strangely warmed his heart.

With that, after the door closed, Kelrag quietly got up and started tidying up the messes that Sonia had left behind.

At this rate, he might deny it, but he was undeniably playing the role of a nanny.

* * * * * * *

Upon arriving at the reception room, Sonia was welcomed by the sweet treats she loved and a kind User sister whose name she had forgotten.

“Welcome, young lady Sonia.”

“Hi! Um…”

As Shuri bowed and greeted her politely, Sonia momentarily hesitated, forgetting her name as she raised her hand to respond.

Noticing this, Shuri smiled, as if charmed, and introduced herself.

“My name is Shuri. I would be delighted if you remember it for the future.”

“Oh, right! Sorry, Shuri onni.”

“Hehe, no need to worry about it.”

Still, Sonia’s habit of politely apologizing showed a mature side for a child.

Having stayed here and seen many young guests come and go, Shuri noticed that Sonia had a unique vitality that brightened the space around her.

‘Like Master Edgar.’

Is it true that like brother, like sister?

Honestly, while she couldn’t see a strong resemblance in their appearances, this bright trait was strikingly similar.

According to what she had heard from her mother, Edgar hadn’t been as bright as a child.

With her momentary thoughts set aside, Shuri resumed her duty by explaining the assorted treats laid out for Sonia.

Food like this often had a significant difference between knowing what it is and just casually eating it.

Especially since she had heard from Edgar that Sonia enjoyed these little stories, she believed Sonia would appreciate it.

“Sister, is this filled with chocolate?”

“That’s right. Do you like chocolate, young lady Sonia?”

“Mm, but Mom says not to eat too much…”

Sonia had a sweet tooth. In terms of taste, she was the complete opposite of Edgar.

So, the dark chocolate cake in front of her was more than capable of enticing her taste buds, yet there was one slight concern: Katria’s presence.

Her mother had always limited her sweet treats to just one a day to prevent tooth decay.

Even if she were to sneakily eat, there was a way for her to find out, since Katria had even warned her not to hide them, making Sonia hesitate before the chocolate cake.

Seeing that adorable concern, both Ariel and Shuri couldn’t help but chuckle simultaneously.

Who would have thought that even with no one watching, she’d think her mother would find out and hesitate to reach for it?

Was she pure-hearted, or did she just have a heightened sense of caution?

“Sonia, whatever happens here is a secret, so you can eat without worry.”

“A secret…?”

“Yeah, our little secret. Got it?”

As Ariel brought her finger to her lips and winked, Sonia’s expression brightened instantly.

Then copying her, she put her finger by her own lips and shouted innocently, “Secret!”

The two watching this couldn’t help but smile as well.

After promising to keep the secret, a delightful snack time ensued.

Sonia was happy to eat all the delicious cake and cookies she loved, and just watching her made Ariel and Shuri feel the sweetness linger on their tongues as well.

“Is it good, Sonia?”

“Mm-hmm, it’s delicious! You should eat too, onni!”

“I’m fine. This was prepared for you, after all.”

Unlike Sonia, who had run around and was now hungry, Ariel was not particularly famished yet.

But she recalled that Sonia had been raised under Katria’s strict etiquette training.

“Mom says that you must always share with the person who gives you delicious things!”

Though it was well past the point of when that was required, Sonia firmly picked up a cookie and brought it to Ariel’s lips.

“Is that so? Okay, then I’ll just have one.”

“Mm!”

Not being able to refuse cute Sonia’s request, Ariel took the cookie and munched on it.

Since she instructed them to make the treats as good as possible, it truly tasted wonderful.

If Sonia ends up praising these treats today, maybe she could reward the makers somehow.

“But, onni, where’s Brother?”

“Brother is meeting someone right now. Why? Do you want to see him?”

She had heard that Sonia hadn’t seen Edgar yesterday either.

And it made sense because Edgar had been busier than Ariel lately.

The problem was that from the perspective of a young sister, she couldn’t comprehend the situation and was only feeling disappointed about not seeing her brother.

“A little…”

“Not just a little, right? You miss him a lot, don’t you?”

As Sonia fiddled with her hands and carefully replied, Ariel read the depth of her feelings.

Deep down, she knew that in Sonia’s heart, her brother was always number one.

Given that she hadn’t seen him even for a day, it was only natural to feel this way.

“Hehe… I really want to see him.”

“Don’t worry, Sonia. I’ll talk to Brother and ask him to come see you every day, okay?”

Ariel patted her sister’s head affectionately. But when she didn’t receive the expected joyful reaction, she became somewhat startled.

She thought for sure that Sonia would respond with a brightened face saying, “Really!?”

Was there some reason behind it? She leaned in a bit closer to examine Sonia’s expression.

“What’s wrong, Sonia? Aren’t you happy?”

“Mm… I’m happy. But now I can’t play with Brother…”

“Why can’t you play with Brother? If you live here, you can play every day.”

Ariel asked back, not quite understanding what Sonia was trying to say.

But even with her favorite treats in front of her, Sonia’s face was shadowed, and she looked up at her with a timid voice as if she was reluctantly revealing a concern that had been pressed down inside her.

“Onni and Brother are getting married, right?”

“Uh-huh, that’s right.”

Although the date was still undecided, it was an established fact.

But she couldn’t grasp how this was related to Sonia’s downhearted mood.

Was Sonia opposed to them getting married? But she had heard from Katria that Sonia welcomed their marriage as much as Ransel did, so that didn’t seem likely.

“I like that you and Brother are getting married. But Dad said if you two marry, Brother will become your husband.”

“…Huh?”

Unexpectedly, a reason poured out of Sonia’s tiny mouth, and Ariel was momentarily stunned.

That meant she thought she would lose her brother to someone else if they got married, which meant they wouldn’t be able to play together anymore.

It was indeed a pure yet heavy thought; for someone like Sonia, who cherished her brother above all else, this was no trivial matter.

If anything, Ariel felt relieved to hear it now rather than later.

“Listen, Sonia. Will you hear me out?”

“Mm… I will.”

Gently hugging Sonia as if she were a precious piece of art, Ariel quietly began to share her true feelings into her ear.

“Although I’m going to marry your brother, it doesn’t mean he won’t be your brother anymore.”

“Then…?”

“Your brother will always be your brother, and whenever you want to play, you can do so just like now.”

As she gently patted Sonia’s small back, Ariel conveyed the truth.

Thinking back, she might have always presumed nothing would happen concerning Sonia.

She had thought that since she was just a child, she would be happy at the prospect of their marriage.

Those naive thoughts felt incredibly remorseful now.

“Can I still play with Brother…?”

“Of course! Even if he becomes ‘my husband,’ he will always remain ‘your brother.’ So don’t worry.”

Ariel tightened her embrace a little more, continuing to soothe her by patting her back, and Sonia began to quiver a little.

The warmth started to gather in Ariel’s chest as well, but she didn’t mind the feeling.

Shuri carefully offered her a handkerchief from the side, but even that was declined as Ariel silently continued to pat her sister’s back.

Right now, Sonia probably didn’t wish to show her tears to anyone.

In this situation, it was better to help her hide her tears rather than to dry them.

Once the trembling subsided, the most appropriate choice would be to welcome that little girl with a smile just like usual.