I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 253

It was a truly intense night.

Thanks to that, the next day, the two of them had no choice but to rest completely stretched out at Edgar’s house.

It’s only been two days left, so it’s a shame to waste them, but what can you do?

Ignoring Edgar for a moment, Ariel was in no shape to go out at all, practically disabled.

“Ed, I’m so bored.”

Ariel, who had been rolling around on the bed, finally expressed her boredom.

Of course, it’s always fun when they’re alone together.

But maybe because yesterday’s unique day was so enjoyable, today, shut up in the room, felt unbearably dull in contrast.

As fortune would have it, Edgar was also thinking that he needed to come up with a plan, so he made one suggestion to Ariel.

“How about we watch a movie?”

“A movie? What’s that?”

“It’s basically a novel made into a video like on that TV.”

As Edgar pointed to the wall-mounted TV in the living room, Ariel’s eyes lit up.

The idea of watching a novel in video form was nothing short of cultural shock for her, especially since she would often watch romance novels when bored in her previous world.

“Why are you only telling me about such a great thing now?”

Feeling wronged, Ariel stamped her feet in protest.

Knowing how much she adored romance novels, Edgar should have immediately introduced her to this wonderful concept.

However, Edgar also felt a bit wronged about this.

Originally, he had planned to take her for a walk after dinner last night and then go to a movie, but she had suddenly seduced him, throwing off the schedule.

“Yesterday was a tricky time, and I didn’t know we’d go to a motel. So, what do you think?”

“I want to see! Are there romance movies too?”

“Of course, there are.”

Edgar quickly accessed the menu and searched for the latest trending movies.

Choosing romance in the genre filter didn’t yield a huge selection, but a few options popped up.

Among them was a movie Edgar had his eye on yesterday.

He heard it wasn’t a heart-wrenching romance but rather depicted a realistic love between men and women with a bright atmosphere, making it enjoyable to watch due to the good chemistry between the leads.

The problem was that the vibe might be entirely different from the romance novels Ariel enjoyed, so Edgar decided to ask for her opinion first.

“Should we go for something sad? I heard this one’s kind of funny.”

“I don’t care about that. Actually, I’d prefer something funny since it sounds fresh.”

“Really?”

Edgar found it quite surprising, considering he had seen Ariel tear up over romance novels before.

So she didn’t only like sad, heartbreaking stories, huh?

“The only reason I’ve been watching sad stuff is that those are the only kinds of novels there are. If I can enjoy something while laughing, that would be even better, right?”

“Hmm… That also makes sense.”

Of course, both sad and funny stories have their pros and cons, but somehow Edgar found himself agreeing.

Still, it was merely a one-dimensional thought that being better off laughing than crying.

Anyway, after deciding to watch the trending romance film, Edgar stood up.

When watching a movie, there’s always something essential to have.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m just grabbing some snacks. Do you want anything?”

He had brought back a bounty of food on his way home exhausted that morning, so they had plenty to munch on.

If worse came to worse, they could always order more.

As Edgar casually asked, Ariel hesitated for a moment, then made one suggestion.

“How about some alcohol?”

“Alcohol?”

Her sudden request made Edgar’s eyes widen.

It was just about 2 PM, and she was talking about drinks.

Of course, it wasn’t that she couldn’t have any, but coming from someone who supposedly didn’t prefer alcohol, it struck him as odd.

“I want to try what you mentioned yesterday.”

“What I mentioned? Oh, you mean chicken and beer?”

“Was that its name? Anyway, you said it was something you eat with beer.”

“Right. Now that you mention it, that wouldn’t be such a bad idea.”

Chicken and beer.

It felt pretty far from the sophisticated food of the northern lord, but since it was a popular dish even for rich tycoons, Edgar decided on that menu.

Still feeling it was a bit bland, he ordered chicken for delivery and decided to bring out some more snacks from home.

“Let’s order plenty, just in case we have leftovers.”

He completed the order from the chicken place he used to frequent while checking the fridge.

Fortunately, it seemed the delivery wasn’t too busy during that time, as he got a notification saying it would arrive in 40 minutes.

It might even arrive earlier, so he hurried to finish the rest of the preparations.

“So, can you drink beer?”

“I can’t say I can’t. I usually drink wine, so I just don’t.”

In her previous world, there were beers, and Ariel had occasionally tried some.

She just preferred the sweet grape scent of wine more than anything.

But today, curiosity was piqued as Edgar was excitedly introducing something commonly eaten in his world.

Wine could always be had when she went back to her previous world, so wouldn’t it be better to enjoy the iconic food of this world instead?

“Ugh.”

As he was setting the table, something suddenly flopped down on his back.

Exhausted from yesterday, Ariel let out a groan and leaned her head on his shoulder.

After placing the beer on the table and reaching out to pat her head, Edgar let out a wry smile.

Even though he had said he’d let it go without much care yesterday, it seemed a bit excessive in hindsight.

Even with healing magic, if she felt this worn out, the fatigue was likely more substantial than the pain in her back.

“Let’s take it easy and watch movies today. If you feel a bit better at night, we can head out then.”

“At night…? Won’t there be nothing then?”

“It’s a bit different from your previous world.”

Edgar smiled, urging her to trust him.

Before long, a notification arrived saying that the chicken had arrived.

Stepping outside to grab the bag left at the door, Edgar returned with a big smile as he opened the packaging.

How long had it been since he last had chicken?

Although he wasn’t particularly fanatic about chicken, there was an inexplicable magical power in that unique smell that lured people in.

“It smells great…”

“Right? Just try it. If you don’t like it, just let me know.”

As Ariel leaned forward, sniffing toward the table, Edgar grinned and started the movie.

He had deliberately ordered from a place that offered various types of chicken, so he hoped one would suit Ariel’s taste.

Crack.

Worried Ariel might be uncomfortable, he carefully poured beer into a glass from the opened bottle.

Just then, she tentatively got off the sofa and settled next to him, leaning against his shoulder.

“Shall we make a toast?”

“Sure.”

As Ariel held out her glass first, suggesting the toast, Edgar lightly clinked his glass and smiled.

As they started the movie, Ariel’s gaze shifted to the table filled with assorted chicken.

Hesitating over the various types, she finally settled for a piece of chicken.

Since Edgar ordered it boneless out of consideration for her, she could bite into it vigorously without the trouble of picking out bones.

“Nom.”

Taking a bite of the crispy coating, Ariel’s eyes widened.

After briefly hesitating, she chewed again, and the hot juices and savory fragrances rose up.

There was a slight spicy flavor, but it was nothing like the intense tteokbokki she had eaten yesterday, just enough to whet her appetite.

“How is it?”

“It’s d-delicious.”

Suddenly snapping back to attention at Edgar’s casual inquiry, Ariel became flustered, feeling embarrassed for being astonished by a single dish after having experienced various delicacies from her previous world.

It wasn’t that it boasted deep flavors or divine tastes like food made with a myriad of spices.

Yet somehow, it had an instant appetizing umami flavor.

Savory and spicy, combined with the rich juiciness of the meat.

Those three factors intertwined to superbly stimulate human instincts.

“Make sure to sip the beer while eating.”

“Uh-huh.”

At Edgar’s suggestion, Ariel cautiously took a sip of the beer filled to the brim in her glass.

To be honest, the beer didn’t have a particularly distinct flavor, but it complemented the chicken remarkably well.

It was like how wine pairs with cheese, filling each other’s deficits.

As Ariel kept munching on the chicken, she slowly became engrossed in the movie.

Although the backdrop was set in the contemporary world Edgar lived in, the feelings of love didn’t change much regardless of the time or universe.

In that respect, picking a romance movie seemed entirely appropriate.

– “What a jerk. Can’t you move in when I need you?”

– “Hey, I’m tired too. What do you think I am? A dog that runs around to please you every time you want something?”

– “What? Did you say all that?”

The actors, portraying lovers, were bickering over a rather silly reason on screen.

But for Ariel, the silliness of the reason made it all the more relatable.

After all, when she occasionally sulked at Edgar, it had never been for a significant reason.

Most of the time, it was about trivial, minor things.

She would get hurt over each little issue and fret over it, making a fuss about him.

Then, at some point, she grew accustomed and realized they couldn’t consider every little thing about each other.

Little by little, those small experiences must have combined to create a more mature relationship.

“Pfft.”

As she watched the on-screen couple, who had just fought but were now reconciling and playfully bickering again, a smile crept across Ariel’s face.

Though with some differences, it resembled her and Edgar’s past routines remarkably.

In that movie, unlike the romance novels she had read, there were no heroes who magnificently defeated enemies, nor was there a beautiful princess, nor were there adversities separating the two.

Yet, still, it was enjoyable. Perhaps it was because of that very fact.

For someone who had always thought of fiction as a mere fiction, it felt subtly like this was a story relevant to someone else too.

It might have enabled her to immerse herself further into the narrative.

Swoosh.

As she cautiously leaned her head against Edgar’s shoulder, he silently stroked her head, gently resting his hand.

Is this what unspoken communication feels like?

Underneath that mere physical closeness, it felt as if their thoughts and feelings were being conveyed to each other.

“Is it fun?”

“Yeah, very much.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

A short conversation passed between them, and they both fell back into the movie.

Another special yet uneventful day in this other world passed just like that.