I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 235

Bartheus prepared the dining table and invited Yulken into the room.

Memories of a friendship that had been cut off for nearly 20 years.

Yet, there was no particular sense of awkwardness. It was as if the two were simply continuing a conversation as if they had paused in that time.

“Long time no see.”

“Yeah, should I call you Your Majesty now?”

To lighten the mood, Yulken threw a joke right from the start.

Bartheus smiled bitterly at the words of his friend, who was clearly not being sincere, and personally filled his wine glass.

As the red wine poured in, filling the glass, it felt like something was filling the empty space in his heart.

“Since it’s just us, let’s drop the formalities. By the way, I didn’t expect you to come.”

“I passed the seat to my daughter, but it was a pretty big event.”

The reason he came wasn’t because he was the former head of the Robeheim Family.

He was just here to share stories he hadn’t had the chance to discuss with an old friend.

“She’s grown beautiful. She has a good man now.”

“Right. Despite being raised by an ugly father, she’s grown up so beautifully that I almost feel sorry for her.”

Bartheus chided Yulken for his self-deprecating remark.

“If you’re an ugly father, then what does that make me?”

“Then we’re both ugly fathers. Most parents probably think of themselves that way anyway.”

“True, can’t argue with that.”

Nodding as if he was convinced, Bartheus clinked his glass with his friend.

As the refreshing sound of the toast echoed in their ears, they both tipped their glasses without hesitation.

Although both were decent drinkers, something about today made it feel like they would get drunk quickly.

“I was skeptical when I first heard your words from my son-in-law.”

“What did you say?”

“He said you might be related to Albrecht. In the old days, I would have laughed that off, but now, I couldn’t deny it.”

At least the Bartheus Helbenior in Yulken’s memory wasn’t the kind to easily fall for temptation.

However, recalling the letters Beatria had sent every now and then and the changes he had undergone, he couldn’t strongly refute the possibility.

He thought maybe it really could be true.

That such a brilliant friend had fallen for the devil’s whispers, forsaking his family and country.

But the truth was completely different. He had his own unavoidable circumstances, and he hadn’t changed at all.

“Actually, before coming here, I met Beatria.”

“What did she say?”

“She only expressed her gratitude. I had no choice but to watch a friend, who was once so proud, weep endlessly.”

If Helene, Yulken’s wife, was close to a celestial being, Beatria was more like a strong-willed and stubborn heroine.

Her demeanor had softened a bit since taking on the role of Empress, but the Beatria he saw at that time was very different from the Beatria Yulken remembered.

“It must have been tears of joy. Don’t overthink it.”

“Yeah, I figured as much. So I let her cry. I could only stay by her side during her release.”

“You have good friends. Just like your wife and me.”

There were various emotions woven into Bartheus’ words.

Self-deprecation for trying to distance himself from such a grateful friend.

And gratitude for coming all the way, not letting go of his hand until the end.

With all those emotions rolling from his head to his heart, Bartheus casually tossed a suggestion to his friend.

“Have you ever thought about becoming the Emperor?”

“That’s a pretty poor taste—asking a question when you already know the answer.”

“Well, you would respond like that.”

Despite being coldly rejected by Yulken, just like he had been by Ariel, Bartheus didn’t feel too disheartened.

He had expected as much.

In fact, it brought him joy that his friend still seemed to be the same.

After putting some heavy topics aside for a while, the two shared brief conversations about their past while they hadn’t seen each other.

Discussing what had happened during that time apart.

And talking about future plans and desires, too.

“You mentioned how much your daughter has grown. Until recently, I thought she was still a little girl.”

“Until recently… So your thoughts have changed lately.”

“Oh, they’ve changed a lot. Unlike me, who only wanted to maintain the land passed down from my predecessors, that girl is leading a transformation.”

“Whatever direction it takes, it’ll be a tough road to walk.”

Anyone who tries to instigate change, regardless of time or place, must face storms.

Those who fall behind and kneel become losers, disappearing into the depths of history, while only the victorious are remembered as revolutionaries or reformers.

Bartheus both applauded and felt worried for his friend’s daughter’s choice to walk that thorny path.

As a fellow parent, part of him wished she would just take an easier road and live peacefully.

He figured Yulken probably felt the same.

“You’d probably think it impossible if you heard what I’m about to say.”

“What is it?”

“Coexistence with that tribe.”

“……”

When Yulken spoke, Bartheus instinctively started to say it was impossible, but he closed his mouth.

That’s a really hard road.

The harm they’ve suffered from conflict with that tribe and the level of animosity the citizens had towards them was beyond imagination.

Yet, to think they would try to head down that path!

“At first, I thought it was impossible too. Especially since she’s my daughter.”

“Did you think she learned to hate from her parents?”

“That’s right. All I taught her was that the other tribe is our enemy.”

Perhaps those teachings were fitting for a child who would someday become the head of the Robeheim Family, defending the north.

But that was just his own value judgment.

In fact, Yulken had never once asked Ariel what kind of head of house she wanted to be.

“Actually, there was an interaction with the Carvita Tribe in the process of eliminating Albrecht.”

“…Interaction, you mean, you received help?”

“We helped each other, in a sense. Apparently, there was prior negotiation between their leader and Albrecht. If he comes tomorrow, we’ll learn the details.”

Hearing there was still much to know left Bartheus in a state of shock, unable to react with joy or sorrow.

He simply tilted the glass on the table and calmly listened to his friend’s words.

“It seems they learned a lot through that process. My daughter said she wants to seriously consider interacting with the Carvita Tribe once this is over.”

“Do they accept that?”

“You’d find it funny. Their chief has been thinking about the same thing for a long time.”

In other words, it meant that the new leaders of the two groups, who had clashed the most, shared similar values.

At that moment, Bartheus thought, if change was to happen, now was the time.

“If that’s truly possible, then so much could change.”

“Do you think it would be easy?”

“Well, it’s complicated. My head is definitely telling me it’s impossible, however….”

Yet, his heart was saying it was possible.

When he honestly expressed this to Yulken, he clinked their glasses and happily snapped his fingers.

“Then it’s possible. This is my doctrine: usually, when the head and heart are shouting simultaneously, it’s the heart that speaks the truth.”

“Have you become a poet while I wasn’t looking?”

Because he remembered that he wasn’t the kind of guy to say things like this.

To put it nicely, he was a man of few words and serious; put it harshly, he was blunt and had poor conversational skills.

Seeing such a reaction, Yulken smiled knowingly.

He had heard the same thing from his wife recently.

Pondering why that change occurred, only one person came to mind.

“I learned it from my son-in-law. Unlike me, he’s quite eloquent.”

“What kind of person is he? I’m curious, since I’ve only exchanged a few words with him.”

“A man who taught me a lot and helped us. He’s practically a benefactor to our family.”

It was a rare sight to see Yulken praise someone to that extent, something Bartheus had hardly witnessed in the past.

Generally, hearing such words would raise some suspicion, but Bartheus found himself nodding in agreement without realizing it.

“Right, I did think he was extraordinary. For the first time, I genuinely envy you.”

“Don’t even think about trying to take him away. Besides, my wife and daughter might threaten you with a knife.”

“Oh no, that wouldn’t do at all.”

Deep inside, Bartheus still wasn’t ready to give up on his ambition to connect Edgar with his daughter.

Because Yulken’s words implied it was genuinely dangerous.

“The mage of our family assured me they’ll dispel the curse as soon as possible. So you can rest easy and wait.”

“Speaking of which, how’s Robert doing?”

“Apparently, he’s doing well.”

Actually, Bartheus’ son Robert had gone to the Robeheim Family a few days before this major event, under the guise of a trip.

The reason was to interpret the curse; ideally, he would have struck Albrecht right after the curse was resolved.

However, upon hearing this, Beatria insisted that time was of the essence and urged him to eliminate the threat quickly without worrying about her husband and child, prompting a swift action.

“To be honest, I had given up on him. I thought that guy, when he dies, would take our family to hell with him.”

“Do you think there’s a reason he hasn’t?”

“I don’t know. Whether it was his last shred of mercy or simply that circumstances didn’t allow it, I can’t say.”

It remained just a question.

However, Bartheus didn’t feel the need to dig into the details.

What mattered was that all his loved ones survived and the evil had been dealt with.

“As I listen to this, I really want to see my son after a while.”

“Are you planning to catch up on the conversations that were left unsaid between father and son?”

“That might be nice, but I’m worried it’ll feel awkward.”

“I’ve experienced it, and it wasn’t bad. He’ll likely feel the same way.”

Curious about the unusual things his friend had experienced during their time apart, Bartheus asked what on earth had happened.

Yulken, having polished off the remaining drink, smiled subtly and began to grumble.

“Looks like we’ll be up all night.”

“Well, isn’t that fine? The night is long, after all.”

Indeed.

Tomorrow, morning will come again, but the night stretches endlessly.

And today wouldn’t be the last night; the same will continue the next day, night, and morning.

It took Bartheus far too long to realize this, but he now thought it important to live on, knowing that fact, even if belatedly.

Swoosh.

Before they knew it, the two had opened another bottle of wine and filled each other’s glasses.

All trivial conversations.

Stories of when their daughters took their first steps, or when they went on a trip and discovered delightful treats.

Yet, it was joyful. Everything was delightful just from being able to sit down again and converse with a friend.