I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 236

The Bertus Family threatened the Imperial Family!

Starting from the next day, this news quickly spread throughout the country.

Some raised conspiracy theories, while others sympathized with the Emperor, who had to live as a puppet with his family taken hostage, and some voiced that he was also a sinner.

Who can say what is right or wrong?

But one thing is certain: the people are not as cold-hearted as one might think.

It is clear that the Helbenior Imperial Family’s efforts significantly contributed to the stability of this country over the years, so not everyone turned their backs on them and pointed fingers.

About a week passed in this chaos when Bartheus declared that he would pass the throne to his son.

Just as new wine must be poured into new cups, he realized that his existence was no longer needed in the Helbenior Empire that would change from this point on.

Initially, Robert vehemently refused this, but upon recognizing that this was a heartfelt request given to him by his father for the first time, he ultimately decided he could not refuse and accepted the throne.

When this news was delivered, the one who was the happiest was none other than Yulken.

“Father, you seem to have a huge grin since this morning.”

In the everyday hustle and bustle, Ariel tilted her head when she saw her father who rarely visited the office.

It was hard to believe that such a serious Yulken could sport such a frivolous smile.

If it could be expressed with sound effects, it would be a snicker.

She was dumbfounded that he could wear that expression even when Edgar teased her.

It was as if Edgar, wearing Yulken’s skin, was simply standing there.

“Yes, Bartheus is about to step down, so we were planning a trip together.”

“…But your daughter is here struggling?”

“You have a son-in-law by your side. This father too needs to catch up with old friends once in a while.”

Edgar, who was listening to their conversation while seated on the sofa, wore a bitter smile.

How could they be so shamelessly taunting right in front of Aida, who was complaining about never getting a break since this morning?

Even Yulken, the great one of the world, should be fearful of his daughter’s revenge; he seemed to be blinded by his joy.

“If you two are going together, you’ll need at least a thousand guards.”

“Hmm, that’s a concern indeed. Do you have any good suggestions?”

Even though he had resigned from active duty, this was a trip for the former Duke and the former Emperor.

There could be ill-intent lurking along the way, with people sharpening their blades and waiting.

Yet, since this was a rare journey with a friend, Yulken didn’t want to go with too much commotion, leaving him in deep worry.

“Ugh, I don’t know. The matter we started this time is so large that it’s giving me a headache. Ask Edgar instead.”

Ariel wanted to give some decent advice too, but with the mountain of work piled up today, she found no leisure to spare.

Thus, she slyly passed the role to Edgar sitting next to her and went back to concentrating on the paperwork.

Naturally, Yulken’s gaze also returned to him.

“Looks like you are busy as well. Hope I’m not being a bother.”

“It’s fine. This is still better than my first day back from the Imperial Palace.”

That wasn’t exactly a lie.

On the day he returned to Hespania after the great event, upon seeing the office, he thought, ‘Perhaps I should just give this up and do it tomorrow.’

“Right, that day was hell. I can still vividly picture my daughter screaming the moment I opened the office door.”

“Dad! Please stop warping my memories!”

Ariel, already having a headache from the mountain of papers in front of her, could no longer hold back and yelled at her father’s antics.

“‘Dad’… it’s nice to hear that after a while. You can say it more often, you know?”

One would expect to be hurt by such remarks, yet Yulken instead beamed, pleased to hear ‘Dad’ after such a long time.

Watching this scene, Edgar was reminded once more that Yulken was no ordinary man.

Isn’t that the blood of the Robeheim Family showing through?

“It… slipped out! Just go talk to mom… I mean, mother!”

“Alright, the meddling parent must disappear now. It seems you have a lot to do, so don’t get too distracted.”

Rumor had it that strange sounds from the office were heard at night, and within the castle, almost everyone knew about it.

As Yulken casually mentioned this while leaving, Ariel’s face turned as red as a ripe tomato again.

Why was her father so desperate to pounce on her today?

“Just go out already!”

“Cough…”

If the final warning didn’t get through, it seemed she’d resort to more assertive measures as her red mana flared around.

Realizing that this was no longer a situation to take lightly, Yulken patted Edgar’s shoulder a few times and left the office.

A playful side of him that couldn’t be observed in the past was showing now.

“Why does it feel like father is getting more playful?”

Only after Yulken disappeared, Edgar casually threw in a remark.

This made Ariel finally unleash the pent-up anger as she jumped up from her seat.

Why was he treating this like someone else’s problem when he was the reason?

“It’s all your fault, you idiot!”

“My fault?”

“Who else would it be? It’s definitely because you keep playing pranks on me that my father has turned this way!”

Helen had remarked at times too, “It seems your father is picking up habits from Edgar.”

It’s utterly ridiculous that Edgar, the one who spread this, remained oblivious to it.

At first, she thought he was just pretending to be unaware, but seeing the wandering eyes that couldn’t find their focus, it was clear; he truly didn’t know.

Realizing that further discussions would be pointless in this situation, Ariel marched angrily toward Edgar.

She irritably grabbed his leg, organizing the paperwork he’d finished, and plopped down next to him.

“Hey, let go of my leg!”

“What are you, a ghost? Why suddenly grab my leg…?”

“Just let go!”

Pushing Edgar aside, Ariel leaned back against his thigh, exhausted after staring at papers since morning.

With her head already buzzing from the paperwork, this interruption dashed her motivation to work any further.

Call her a tyrant if you will.


This day, she would only relax like this.

“Got a lot of work but you wanna rest?”

“Don’t care. Today, I will rest no matter what. You join in too.”

“Is that something a superior should say…?”

Edgar, too, was not overflowing with enthusiasm today.

It had been a busy time recently, and he was thoroughly exhausted from running around.

But if both of them just slacked off, who would finish the final review?

In situations like this, should not the leader, Ariel, step in and say, “Let’s just power through today and take it easy tomorrow!”?

Watching the roles reversed in this way, Edgar couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Hey, isn’t it a subordinate’s role to inspire a demotivated superior?”

“A subordinate just needs to do their tasks well… Ouch, quit pinching me.”

“I just never back down in words.”

Though she was pleading for some motivation, it was clear Edgar wasn’t getting it.

Ariel pouted at him, wondering if he was pretending not to understand or truly didn’t comprehend.

In any case, as the one holding the sword, it mattered little to her. Let him keep enduring.

“Are you really that tired?”

“Do you think I’ve been running for days?”

“…Yeah, it has been a bit long.”

It had been a continuous, ordinary life, but that moment had changed everything, leaving her with no time to breathe.

Even Edgar found it slightly excessive.

Not only did they need to tackle the backlog, but adapting to the changing reality made everything much busier.

Still, Edgar knew her statement was not wholly her true feelings.

Of course, being busy and having no time to enjoy moments with each other was frustrating, but he could see her faint smile whenever she handed him stacks of paperwork.

“Yet, aren’t you feeling good?”

“…It’s more annoying that you notice. How do you know?”

“Because it’s what you’ve always dreamed of.”

Ariel had always dreamed of a northern region no longer fighting against other tribes, more precisely, the Carvita Tribe.

Once a long-lost ambition, she was now finally witnessing a glimmer of hope.

Though she would say it wasn’t that great, deep down, it was clear she was excited.

“Hey, Edgar.”

“What?”

“Do you think it’s really possible?”

“Pff, you’re asking that now?”

Edgar couldn’t help but chuckle at her unusually insecure tone.

It wasn’t mockery; he found this rare side of Ariel to be too cute.

“It’s a path I chose, but it feels like it’s going to be extremely tough.”

“So you think that’s a reason to give up?”

“Not exactly… but I feel like if I get a little support, I could pull through.”

Could it be that this whole situation was crafted to lead to a significant breakthrough?

Ariel always elongated her words until she got what she wanted. It had been her longstanding habit.

Then, what exactly was she longing for this time?

If it’s something like wanting a hug or a kiss, she could easily request it from him.

Of course, wanting versus asking for it was a different matter; she might be dropping hints for him to act first.

Seeing her unclear request, Edgar bent slightly to listen to her as she rested her head on his thigh and whispered.

“Tell me. What is it?”

“…Will you really listen?”

“Have I ever refused your requests?”

Of course, there were instances when he denied her wishes, but those were when she made unreasonable requests.

Most of the time, he would accommodate her, even if it meant some difficulty.

Thus, it was only logical that Edgar, who was soft towards Ariel, would also bend for her.

“That’s true but…”

‘What in the world could it be?’

Seeing the northern Duke hesitating like this only piqued Edgar’s curiosity about her request.

He wanted to find out what it was, regardless of whether he could grant it or not.

Nothing is more uncomfortable than someone leaving their words half-spoken.

“…I want.”

“What? I didn’t catch that.”

As if forming a little ball with her hands on her chest, with a shy voice, Ariel finally spoke up.

But myriads of voices barely crawled into Edgar’s ears.

So he leaned in closer to hear.

Her cheeks flushed; seeing that made him feel slightly stern, but he withheld himself.

“I… want a baby.”

“…Huh?”

The request that came next was enough to momentarily freeze his thoughts.

“I think if I envision this world for our child to see, I can push through… Is that not okay?”

“…”

With such an adorably brash request unsuitable for the ruler of the north, he was left speechless for a moment.

There had been an understanding to not have children before their wedding, but now she was suddenly throwing in this request.

“There’s still time before the wedding, though?”

“It’s fine. I already talked to… um, my mother…”

She even did some prior research?

Edgar, feeling utterly defeated by her tactics, sighed and inquired about Helen’s thoughts.

“What did she say?”

“She said she wants to see it as soon as possible. She doesn’t care if it’s a grandchild or granddaughter.”

“…Is that so?”

Then there really was no reason to hold back.

It was indeed good news for Edgar, who was already struggling to restrain himself while watching Ariel act all suggestive on his thigh.

Suddenly, he picked up Ariel and stood up, causing her to flinch and squirm.

“Wait! What are you doing?”

“You said you wanted to take a break today, right?”

“Ah, it’s still daytime, you fool!”

When did he ever bother about the time of day?

Though he felt the urge to say something, Edgar quietly grasped the door handle to the small room beside the office.

Due to the busy schedule, it was a makeshift room built next to the office for emergencies.

There were hardly any furnishings apart from a bed for two, but it suited their current purpose perfectly.

Initially, Ariel struggled but as soon as they crossed the threshold into the room, her attitude began to shift.

Her hands, once grasping tightly around his neck, became more private, and her face, once leaned on his shoulder, gradually moved toward his neck.

Thunk.

The moment the door closed, any sounds came to chart the space, with Ariel’s magic preventing any sound from leaking outside.

Shuri, who had entered the office with a delivery just in time, raised her head in a quiet room and quickly noticed the door to the adjacent space closing, hastily retreating from there.

She ensured that no one could enter the office until dinner.

Having a perceptive companion has always been a great boon.