I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 243

Time flies like an arrow.

Especially after having a child, the couple felt the days passing by at an incredibly rapid pace.

Around nine months after the birth of their twins, Serina and Evan had grown enough to babble and even share smiles.

Seeing them still crawling on all fours around desks and beds made it seem like they had a long way to go, but despite that, they couldn’t shake off their proud feelings.

After the twins were born, life in the castle underwent various changes.

Once, when the noble families gathered, they would usually flock to the reception room or sit in their own places, but recently, they were all huddled together in a special room created for Serina and Evan.

This place was equipped with all kinds of playthings for the kids.

The floor wasn’t made of marble or other hard materials but rather of layered soft materials designed to ensure that no one would get hurt.

“Pwaah-!”

“That’s right, good job!”

In the playground and bedroom created with great care by the nobles, the two kids bloomed with smiles every day.

Especially the eldest, Serina, was somewhat shy, while the younger one, Evan, was full of energy, busy exploring the spacious room on all fours.

Sometimes when Evan raised a toy in his hand, as if to show off his strength, Helene would cheer him on with applause.

How adorable they looked.

Watching from one side, Shuri approached her master with a beaming smile and spoke up.

“Hehe, you two seem to have played all day yesterday, but you’re not tired at all, are you?”

“I know, right? Edgar passed out first!”

Two remarkable figures who made even the national hero faint from exhaustion—imagine if this got out to the palace and throughout the country; they might be hailed as geniuses sent by the heavens.

“Should we prepare a meal in advance?”

“It’s fine. If they get hungry, they’ll signal us on their own. Then it won’t be too late to prepare.”

“Looks like you’ve learned a lot in these nine months.”

“Well, when they fuss around all day, it’s impossible not to learn.”

Ariel realized for the first time just how troublesome babies could be.

The babies she had seen from a distance always seemed cute and would smile brightly when approached.

But now that she had opened the lid and was directly raising her own, she found it quite taxing.

Even with nannies and servants to take on the hard tasks.

Though she was reminded of the hard memories ahead, she couldn’t help but complain a little, knowing that many tough days were still to come, and Shuri noticed that this wasn’t her true feeling.

“But you don’t dislike it, right?”

“…Yeah, it’s quite strange. If it were the old me, I would’ve been too busy grumbling.”

Of course, dealing with crying and wanting to be held all the time wasn’t without annoyance.

But even more so, she realized that the little lump of feelings in her heart was gradually growing in significance the more she took care of the kids.

Is this what they call maternal love?

Even during her workdays, while scribbling through piles of documents, she found herself silently wondering if there was anything she could do for the kids, realizing just how much she had changed.

“When you give birth one day, you’ll know how it feels, right?”

“It feels like a distant story, especially since I haven’t even had a wedding yet.”

“Then hurry up and get married. How long have you been dating already to still be hesitating?”

Silvia and Shuri had been dating their respective partners for much longer than Ariel had.

But ironically, it was Ariel who had arrived at the finish line of marriage first.

At least Silvia had held a wedding ceremony, but Ariel was still curious about why Shuri hadn’t done the same.

At first, she thought maybe Shuri had grown distant from Ronan, but watching them share sweet moments in the garden sometimes made her rethink that.

‘Could it be that she’s intentionally postponing the marriage?’

If there was no rift between them, that was the only reason that came to mind.

Feeling bold, Ariel decided to ask for the details.

Since Helene was currently taking care of the children, she felt it was fine to slip away for a moment.

“Oh, miss? Why suddenly…?”

“No, it just came to mind, and I wanted to ask something.”

Still using the honorific ‘miss’ even after the birth of Serina and Evan, Ariel moved to a corner of the room, brought two chairs over, and sat facing Shuri.

“Is there any reason? Even when the topic of marriage came up before, I felt like you were avoiding it.”

“R-reason? Not at all…”

Shuri hurriedly shook her head, but Ariel could clearly see she was lying.

How could she not catch on to something this obvious after all the time they’d spent together?

Though it should also be noted that Shuri was very bad at hiding her true feelings.

“Is someone against it?”

“Not at all. It’s just…”

“Just?”

Finally feeling like she might speak up, Ariel listened cautiously.

It would be good if it were a manageable issue that she could help with, but usually, in such cases, the problems were too intricate for someone else to give advice on, which tugged at her heart.

“I just want to focus on my work for now…”

“…What?”

Wanting to focus on work?

That unexpected answer made Ariel blurt out in disbelief.

“So you’re saying… you want to postpone marriage to concentrate on maid duties?”

“Y-yes. But I didn’t say it honestly because I thought it might discomfort you…”

“…Sigh.”

That explained something.

Shuri, who would usually come to her immediately for advice, was instead holding back this time, only telling her because she was close to her and didn’t want to upset her.

But that she had concealed the reason this whole time because it was Ariel herself was kind of ironic.

People and their relationships could be quite tricky sometimes.

“What’s marriage got to do with work? Just do it.”

“B-but if I’m going to have kids, I’ll have to take a break from work eventually, right?”

“Sigh, let me touch your forehead.”

Suddenly, what about her forehead?

Taken aback by Ariel’s request, Shuri hesitated but complied, moving her hair aside and slowly presenting her forehead.

Thwack!

“Ah!”

At that moment, Ariel unleashed a slap—one that she had learned from her husband—right on Shuri’s forehead, causing her head to tilt backward slightly.

Not exaggerating, it hurt enough to bring tears to her eyes.

Watching Shuri clutch her red forehead and squirm, Ariel sighed.

As a master, her feelings were commendable, but that didn’t mean she intended to stand in the way of her subordinate’s future.

If Shuri was the one who helped her, then as her master, she should open paths for her in return.

“Alright, let’s get the meal prepared. I’m no longer a child you need to take care of.”

“But, miss…”

Shuri was frantic to protest, but Ariel’s next words came out quicker.

“Let me finish. If you really want to work, it’s fine to have kids later. Whatever you want to discuss with Ronan is up to you. Just hear me when I say you should hurry up and have that wedding.”

Though marriage might seem like a mere formal procedure, it definitely wasn’t so from Ariel’s experience.

Noble, spouse—it was a clear distinction that approached a unique bond.

Besides, all things considered, Ronan and Shuri couldn’t be around each other too often due to their circumstances.

So, solidifying their relationship would mentally support them greatly.

“Did you get that?”

“Yes…”

Shuri replied in a dispirited tone after the sharp lecture, but on the other hand, she felt genuinely grateful.

From the beginning, Shuri didn’t want to postpone the wedding.

She just thought it was better to wait for the time to be right, given the preparations needed and what was to come afterward.

Yet her master saw the bigger picture and didn’t hold back her advice.

Even though it would be much easier in many ways if Shuri delayed the wedding and stayed by her side a little longer.

“Just remember. Bring me the wedding invitation later.”

“Don’t worry. I plan to give it to you before anyone else.”

“Of course you should.”

Realizing there was no more conversation to be had, Ariel promptly stood up.

At that moment, the door suddenly burst open with a loud bang.

“Oops, sorry. I got caught by Count Edelbert and ended up late.”

Edgar entered with his disheveled red hair, breathing heavily.

Seeing this, Ariel looked at him with concern, immediately arranging his hair for him.

She knew he was busy with work lately, especially since she had been so focused on child-rearing, and appreciated that he’d drop by to see the kids, which made her feel both grateful and sorry.

“If you’re busy, you don’t have to come. Your mother’s here already.”

“I wasn’t here for work anyway. I can’t just let my kids be alone while I chat away.”

With a bright smile meant to ease her worries, Edgar turned to face the end of the room, where the most precious son and daughter awaited.

He seemed more focused on Serina, who was alone, as Helene took care of Evan.

“Pwaah-!”

“Hmm?”

As soon as their eyes met, Serina suddenly let out a loud “pwaah” and crawled eagerly toward Edgar.

Though the nine-month-old baby couldn’t crawl very fast, her enthusiasm carried a strong presence.

Ariel flinched involuntarily.

“Oh, our daughter. Did you miss Daddy?”

“Goo… Paa!”

“Yeah, yeah. Daddy missed you a lot too.”

Edgar beamed as he petted Serina, who raised her hands as if to show how much she adored him.

It was truly a heartwarming experience for a parent when a child so young could recognize their face and come over.

Especially since Serina had just started to put simple words together about a week ago, with the first one being “Daddy.”

Even if she was only able to say the “pa” part clearly, it made Edgar feel like he owned the world.

“…”

Meanwhile, Ariel, watching from the side, felt her eyelids narrowing from an inexplicable sense of rivalry with her daughter.

Whether it was the mommy genes having transferred to her or not, Serina seemed to overwhelmingly favor Edgar over Ariel.

At times, it even felt like there could be another woman’s spirit possessing the baby, one who was infatuated with Edgar.

‘I’ll have to keep an eye on her.’

Struggling with jealousy for her daughter, who hadn’t even yet turned one, Ariel’s heart flared with feelings.

What if her daughter later said she wanted to marry Daddy? That question never crossed her mind.

No matter how precious her daughter might be, there were certain things she could never relinquish.