I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 23

Ariel had her eyes set on the performance of the traveling troupe, which was still in full swing.

She was struggling to see from a distance, hopping up and down among the crowd.

Before long, Edgar approached, holding a paper bag in one hand, and tapped her on the shoulder.

“From far away, it looks like there are no rabbits at all, huh?”

Edgar, munching on something he pulled from the bag with a mischievous grin, poked fun at her mood.

“Are you teasing me right now?”

“Of course.”

Sigh.

Once upon a time, they were on equal footing, but now he had grown so tall that he was at the same level as her mother, Helene.

If he managed to poke his head above the crowd, he would definitely be able to see the performance.

It was a different world from the one where she could only see a fleeting glimpse from her spot, bouncing around.

“It’s gonna be tough to get through. There are just too many people.”

“I know that. That’s why I’m doing this.”

In street performances like this, there was no such thing as order or consideration among the audience.

Since they hadn’t paid anything to get in, their mindset was probably just to enjoy themselves.

Watching Ariel sulk, Edgar seemed to come to a decision and squatted down.

Then, casually patting one of his shoulders, he asked her to hop on.

“Climb up. I’ll show you something.”

“Are you crazy? That’s dangerous.”

He was certainly stronger than other boys his age, but asking to ride on his back was a whole different level.

If she fell, it could lead to a disaster.

Besides, with her skirt on, was he really expecting her to climb on like that? Was this guy completely thoughtless?

“Even if you fall backward, I won’t let you get hurt, so don’t worry and just get on. Wrap this around your waist first.”

“What’s this…?”

What he casually tossed to her was a thin vest he had draped over his long coat.

Was he concerned that her skirt might show?

She never imagined this dull guy would have such considerate thoughts.

“The performance is about to end. Decide quickly.”

“I-I can just get on, right?!”

Feeling a sudden surge of determination, Ariel stepped forward despite the casual look in his eyes.

Following his advice, she wrapped the vest around her waist to avoid showing her skirt and threw her legs over his shoulders.

Finally, Edgar extended the paper bag he had in his hand towards her.

A delicious smell wafted from inside.

“Enjoy that while you watch. It’s tasty.”

“Uh, okay.”

Holding it while riding on his back, she was afraid she might lose her balance but took it anyway.

He urged her to hold on and keep her balance, so without hesitation, she clutched the back of his head and pressed down.

“Woah…!”

In an instant, they stood tall among the crowd.

When all eyes gathered on them, Ariel lowered her head shyly.

“Hey, the poor guy is putting in so much effort to entertain. At least look ahead.”

“I got it! I’m looking, I’m looking!”

Not even considering how he felt… he really was thoughtless.

As she complained inwardly, when Ariel looked up, a breathtaking scene unfolded before her.

“Wow!”

“Daddy, did you see that just now?!”

“It’s amazing… how can a person move like that?”

With her admiration, cheers erupted from all around.

Someone’s legs sprang upward, flipping over without even touching the ground, doing a full rotation as if they were a monkey.

How could a human body be so light?

“Ed! Just a moment ago, that person flipped backward like this…!”

How should she even put that moment into words?

She flailed her hands in excitement, but couldn’t find the right way to express it.

Edgar should have seen it! It was truly sad that they couldn’t share this experience.

Meanwhile, noticing the brightness in Ariel’s eyes, Edgar smirked, feeling delightfully amused.

She had turned fourteen and seemed a bit more grown-up, but this side of her still looked quite childish.

But that just made him like her even more.

“You don’t need an explanation; just enjoy the performance. I’ve seen it a few times before.”

“R-Really?”

Ariel, who had been staring down, lifted her head awkwardly to watch the show.

It was a shame she couldn’t share this incredible sight with him, but since he had seen it too, maybe they could at least talk about it once the performance ended.

After that, with all kinds of tricks being pulled off, the performance ended amid loud applause.

She had seen a few fancy plays held by her mother, but this colorful performance had awakened her childhood spirit for the first time.

Ariel was so engrossed in applause that she suddenly realized she was still on Edgar’s back and called out to him.

Seemingly oblivious to the noise around them, Edgar took a moment to react after the performance was over.

“Ed, you can let me down now.”

“Already over? I guess we came a bit late.”

Carefully bending down, Edgar lowered Ariel to the ground, then lightly rolled his shoulders to stretch.

Noticing the slowly dissipating crowd, he looked around in puzzlement, searching for a clock.

He remembered that the troupe’s performances usually lasted longer than this.

They must have caught the tail end because they had wasted time earlier.

“That’s enough; we enjoyed it sufficiently. But is there a way to give something back to them?”

“The performance fee can be dropped in the box over there. It doesn’t have to be a lot.”

Ariel had a personality that insisted on returning what she received, whether for revenge or gratitude.

Knowing this, Edgar didn’t stop her, and he pointed out a small box at the end as they walked together.

Digging through a small bag slung over her shoulder, it seemed she had brought a little money with her.

Though he hadn’t enjoyed the performance much, standing around made him feel awkward, so he was just about to drop in a few coins…

“Hey! How much are you planning to put in there?!”

Suddenly spotting an outrageous amount of gold coins in her purse, Edgar hurriedly urged Ariel to stop.

What the heck? Why would the daughter of a duke be flaunting her wealth in public?

First off, why was there a platinum coin in the purse of a mere fourteen-year-old?

“Uh… why? Is this too much?”

“……”

Was this a difference in values stemming from wealth?

It looked like she was trying to buy the entire troupe rather than just paying for the performance.

Yet there she stood, blinking innocently, as if to ask if something was wrong.

Fortunately, the troupe members were too busy organizing their things and didn’t notice this, but it was a close call for a disaster.

“This will do. Put the rest away.”

“Isn’t that too little? This is barely….”

She fought to keep her purse, but Edgar took out two silver coins from his own and dropped them into the box.

Ariel opened her mouth to argue but was quickly silenced by a swift flick to her forehead.

“Ow! Why are you hitting me out of nowhere?!”

“Just keep quiet and listen to me. Two silver coins are already quite a lot.”

Most people who attended this kind of street performance were usually commoners.

Even a silver coin was valuable to them.

That’s why most just enjoyed the free show and left, or maybe dropped in a few copper coins at most.

“I wanted to give them more because it was so much fun.”

“Forget it; it’s in the past, so don’t dwell on it. I told you, two silver coins is plenty from their perspective.”

“Ugh.”

While accepting this, Ariel still seemed to feel regret, constantly glancing sideways at Edgar as she walked behind him.

It probably felt like she hadn’t paid an adequate amount considering the joy she experienced.

“So, did you enjoy the performance?”

“Yeah! It was really amazing! They were jumping on each other…! I’ve never seen anything like it before!”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

It seemed all the effort he put into carrying her paid off.

Now they just had to grab a quick meal and head back. Even though he told her to have fun, they couldn’t stay out too late.

“Then let’s just have a bite to eat and go back. Anything you want?”

She had always been accustomed to eating only the finest food made from carefully selected ingredients.

There might be a fun experience in trying some street food this time.

He could find a nice restaurant if he wanted to, but today he thought it would be better for her to have an experience she couldn’t normally get.

But something seemed to cause a look of confusion on Ariel’s face.

It was as if she were questioning whether that was all there was.

“Are we just going to eat and go back?”

“Of course! Lady Helene will be waiting for us. It seems like you had fun enough as it is.”

Naturally, Helene probably wasn’t really waiting, but it seemed rude to just wander around with guests visiting.

At the very least, sharing some updates and having a chat would be the minimum courtesy to show toward visitors.

Ariel stood silently, pouting, as Edgar’s reasoning left her speechless.

She looked like a child who had been told to head home in the middle of a long-awaited family outing.

“Ah, not yet!”

“What?”

With a sudden outburst, Edgar was caught off guard by Ariel’s exclamation.

Irrespective of that, she started shaking her head like a ten-year-old stubbornly throwing a tantrum.

“I’m not satisfied yet! To be honest, the performance wasn’t as good as I thought, and the cotton candy was just okay…! I’m not going home until I’m satisfied! I won’t!”

“……”

Wow.

A sigh, or a gasp, escaped from Edgar’s mouth without thinking.

If she lay down right there on the street, she would genuinely look like a four-year-old.

Unfortunately, such a rare scene didn’t unfold, but he had a vague understanding of why she was throwing such a fit.

“Sigh, alright. Let’s at least stay until sunset then.”

“Are, really?!”

“Do you really think you’re someone who would listen just because I said so? I’ll entertain you until you’re tired, so lead the way.”

At his assurance, Ariel felt like she could fly, but she quickly put on a nonchalant demeanor and turned her head away.

“Hmph. I didn’t expect that much, but since it’s your escort skills we’re talking about, I’ll humor you.”

“Oh, thank you very much, Lady.”

“D-Don’t talk like that; it’s annoying!”

She’d rather hear insults than have him adopt this overly dramatic tone toward her.

It was enough to give her goosebumps.

“Alright, now stretch out your arm.”

“Wait, are you going to pull me?”

“Seriously, you don’t know the basics of being an escort!?”

How is it even possible to be this clueless?

If she didn’t start teaching him the fundamentals from scratch, someone might call him a stray dog.

Here, she needed to show how a lady should behave.

Phew.

Taking a small breath, Ariel calmed herself and grabbed his arm, making a space for herself, then slipped her arm into the gap.

“There, done.”

“Is this really necessary? I feel awkward like we’re at some ball… oh no! I get it! Just let it be!”

No matter how much he trained his body, it seemed pinching skin still hurt.

Ariel joyfully ended her small revenge and haughtily turned her head away.

While there were several points that didn’t sit well with her, she believed that embracing such things was essential to developing the kind of generosity befitting the Master of the Robeheim Family.

Truly, without a doubt, she swore to heaven she would never want a guy like him, but every now and then, when her side was empty, it wouldn’t hurt to borrow a hand once in a while.

Glancing sideways.

“What? Do I have something on my face?”

“I don’t know, just walk, you fool.”

His nonchalant face irritated her even more.

His innocent expression made her even angrier.

Just an utterly useless guy.

If he triggers her mood even once more from now on, she’ll be exacting her revenge right away.

This was merely a facade to evaluate his escort skills, after all.