I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 255

The day for the two to leave this world came quickly.

At the stroke of midnight tonight, the portal to their original world would open, and the two would have to bid farewell to this realm.

Despite this, there was no trace of sadness or regret in their eyes.

Of course, to say they weren’t a bit disappointed would be a lie, but since it was all preordained, it seemed more appropriate to view it with indifference.

Today, having ventured out a bit earlier than usual, the two were bustling about outside from the morning.

They weren’t just looking for sights or treats for one last memory, but rather, gathering a few gifts before heading to the other world.

“Is this good enough?”

“Yeah, I think it’s not bad.”

When Edgar sought her opinion on a mug that changed its appearance with temperature, Ariel readily agreed.

Though they had plenty of money, the reason they couldn’t buy everything that caught their fancy was due to one condition Ariel insisted upon before buying gifts.

That condition was to only choose items that wouldn’t have a significant impact when taken to the other world, and that would be acceptable within the bounds of common sense.

After all, among the items from this world, there were quite a few that could quickly become subjects of study if taken carelessly.

Or rather, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say most of them fell into that category.

Thus, Ariel was on the hunt for gifts that, while commemorative, could also bring some freshness within that condition.

It wasn’t an easy task, but pondering over it proved quite enjoyable, and they lost track of time.

“I could spend all day and still not choose everything.”

“Tell me about it. But I think we found a few good ones.”

Edgar shrugged as he pointed to a thick paper bag, and she smiled as if to agree.

Indeed, they had encountered some struggles, but thanks to that, they’d managed to find things they liked.

There were even items that brought a smile to her face just imagining them, making her eager to whisk them away to the other world.

After bustling around shops all day, the two decided to take a break and headed to an ice cream shop inside a store.

“I picked the most basic one, but I’m not sure if it will suit your taste.”

Edgar returned to their table with ice creams for both of them and reached out, offering her a cup.

Inside was an ice cream studded with strawberry pieces.

As Ariel took a spoonful, a satisfied smile spread across her face.

“It’s just right! It’s delicious.”

The distinct aroma of strawberry was pleasant, and more than that, the juicy bits were a delightful surprise.

Ice cream in the other world only came in one flavor with topping variations, so this was a nice change, alleviating her previous dissatisfaction.

“What flavor is that?”

“This? Chocolate. Want to try?”

“Sure.”

Edgar held out his cup as if urging her to take it.

But instead of reaching for the cup, Ariel leaned forward and slightly opened her mouth.

A clear signal of wanting him to feed her.

If it were the old Ariel, she would never have behaved this way, and Edgar couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

‘It feels like she’s becoming more childlike.’

Though Ariel had shown moments of pouting or acting cute in the past, he wasn’t particularly fond of such behavior.

But somehow, since they became a couple, her displays of affection had increased, and now she was even asking him to feed her when her own hands were perfectly fine.

Edgar found it baffling but also delightful.

It felt as though she had truly become someone who could lean on him, and that realization warmed his heart.

“Should I coax you like we do with our kids?”

“Quit the chit-chat and serve it up.”

“Yes, ma’am. Right away.”

Today, Edgar played the prankster as always, but in front of her, he dialed it back a notch.

As the pink spoon he offered smoothly slipped into her mouth, she began to chew, and something crunchy crunched in her teeth.

It seemed to be chocolate-flavored snacks that paired surprisingly well with the ice cream.

Even though it was just ice cream, Ariel admired the efforts of the residents of this world who found such perfect combinations.

“If only I could bring all the delicious food from this world to the other one.”

“For example?”

“This is tasty, and the chicken you bought for me? That was really good too… just everything?”

‘Except for tteokbokki,’ Ariel’s firm interjection made Edgar chuckle.

The memory of that day seemed to have left a strong impression on her.

“Have you finished eating? Shall we get back to work?”

“Ugh, honestly, I don’t want to move…”

Ariel, who had polished off her ice cream, was sprawled over the table, letting out a whine.

After having spent nearly half a day out since morning, it was no wonder she felt tired.

With a sight reminiscent of melted slime, Edgar approached her with a bittersweet smile and took her hand.

Despite her complaints, he knew better than anyone how excited she had been about selecting gifts.

Once he dragged her back to the store, her eyes would be shining as she eagerly chose items.

The gift hunt wrapped up ahead of schedule, surprisingly.

Everywhere they wandered, they stumbled upon quite a few decent-looking items, and before they knew it, their hands were filled.

Naturally, they didn’t only buy gifts for others but also picked up a few things for themselves.

At one point, Ariel, who had separated from Edgar, bought something on her own, but she kept it a secret for later enjoyment, causing him to have to stifle his curiosity.

With the trunk and back seat stuffed to the brim with various items, the car carrying the two of them was heading somewhere.

Perhaps because they had just finished an early dinner, Ariel could feel the drowsiness creeping in, but she forced herself to stay alert, not wanting to bore Edgar who was sitting next to her.

“We’re almost there. You can take a nap if you want.”

“Uh-huh… I’m okay. By the way, where are we going?”

“We’re going to where you wanted to.”

“Ah…”

At Edgar’s reply, Ariel let out a quiet sigh, her eyes sharpening.

After all, there wasn’t exactly any place she’d know of in this world.

It would only be locations akin to mountains or seas that could also be found in the other world.

Yet where could it be that she wanted to go?

It stemmed from a question she’d asked Edgar the moment they arrived in this world.

Before long, the car pulled up to a location.

Outside, there were neatly arranged grass and flowers that weren’t too extravagant, and the ground was made of neat marble.

Edgar took two flowers, which he had tucked away in the corner of the car, and stepped outside.

Ariel followed him solemnly.

Beside where they parked the car, a sign read ‘Bongho Mortuary.’

“I didn’t ask you to come for no reason, did I?”

“No, I had thought about dropping by too, but I didn’t want to bring the mood down before I left, so I was going to skip it.”

Edgar answered with a gentle smile to Ariel’s worried question as he moved toward the interior of the mortuary.

As they headed to the designated area, they could see two urns placed in a chamber that was relatively spacious compared to the others.

“This feels strange. I’m meeting you both again after over 20 years, but for you, it might not feel like long at all.”

“I guess you must’ve visited before heading to that world.”

“Yeah. I can’t remember exactly, but I think I came by about three months ago.”

With a smile, Edgar placed one flower in front of each urn.

“It must feel really strange for you. Since your son suddenly came back with red hair.”

“Heh, that’s true.”

Ariel took a step back and bowed respectfully toward the urns.

Though Edgar suggested she didn’t need to be so formal, she just wanted to offer her greetings.

Even though she didn’t know their names and might be parting again today, she genuinely wanted to express her gratitude to the ones who cared for this man.

“Don’t you have anything you want to say to your parents?”

“Not particularly. I don’t think I could say anything right now.”

Edgar originally didn’t plan to come to this place today.

He thought it was bound to stir up too many emotions and only bring heaviness to Ariel.

Most of all, he didn’t have the courage to leave a promise to return again or say farewell as this might be the last time.

Thus, he tried to move on without acknowledging it, but suddenly, her words from earlier came back to him.

“Why did you want to see your parents?”

“Just because. I didn’t really have a reason. If I had to outline one, it would be that I wanted to greet them, but considering I might never see them again, that feels like a slight.”

First meetings shouldn’t also be the last.

That was hardly a behavior befitting a daughter-in-law.

Yet somehow, Ariel wanted to meet them.

Though she recognized their faces only from the photo Edgar had recently glimpsed, she still wished to convey, “I am the woman who married your son.”

“Truthfully, I would have liked to see you cry, but that’s probably not going to happen.”

“Is it even possible? It’s been ages since you let them go.”

If one included the time that Edgar Billhark had lived, then it would be well over 20 years, almost nearing 30.

Once upon a time, there were moments of crying and sorrow, but now, even those had dried up, leaving behind only the remnants of melancholy.

Still, she felt a deep gratitude toward Ariel, who had brought her back to this place.

Thanks to her, she could walk forward empty-hearted before eventually returning.

Perhaps there was still a small burden that had unknowingly lingered in her heart.

“Do you think they would be happy to see me?”

“Of course. Especially your father will be so delighted he might even start singing.”

He had always been keen on bringing home a beautiful daughter-in-law, so Edgar felt confident about that.

He could almost picture his father-in-law venting his frustrations about not being able to hold his daughter-in-law’s hand while watching this scene.

With a demure smile, Ariel once again bowed towards the urns.

She then cautiously revealed her reason for wanting to visit today.

“I’ll come again, so don’t worry. Next time, I’ll try to show up with the kids too.”

That was nothing short of a promise for another visit.

Edgar had known that he wouldn’t be able to utter such words, yet Ariel stated it without changing her expression.

“Isn’t that too much to promise?”

“If we make it happen, it’s not impossible, right?”

“…Ugh, I don’t know.”

Edgar shrugged and turned his head slightly.

But internally, he felt gratitude toward Ariel for offering a somewhat fanciful promise that he had lacked the courage to make for both of them.

Thus, the closing time for the mortuary soon approached.

“Let’s go. They close early here.”

“Right. Aren’t you going to say goodbye?”

“No need. I’ll greet them next time when I come with the kids.”

“Right, that makes sense.”

Trying his best to appear indifferent and casual, Edgar exited the mortuary without looking back.

If he had come alone, his steps might have felt heavy, but perhaps due to Ariel’s earlier promise, he found it easy to move on.

Now, just a little over six hours remained.