I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 257

About half a year had passed since the two had visited the world where Edgar lived.

This is the story of an utterly ordinary day.

“Serina, are you coming into this grandma’s arms?”

Katria, having finally returned to the children’s playroom, spread her arms wide for her granddaughter, who was so precious she felt she couldn’t even bear to look at her.

Serina, shaking her black hair that she inherited from her mother, approached Katria, making adorable sounds with the little shoes on her feet.

Those were the baby shoes they bought when they visited that other world.

Recently, the two kids had started walking skillfully on their own, so they tried them out, and it turned out that the bystanders loved those peculiar shoes even more than the kids who received them.

Especially when the two kids first wandered around the castle in those shoes, the servants struggled to focus on their work.

Thanks to the combination of the baby waddling and the cute sounds, the impact was doubled.

“Hamuni, hamuni.”

Serina approached Katria and snuggled right into her arms with a squeaky sound.

Watching this, Sonia puffed out her cheeks and made a sulky face.

She also wanted to hug her adorable little sister and play with her, but there was no room for her.

“Brother, I want to hold Serina too.”

“Just a little while longer. Mom hasn’t seen Serina in a long time, you know. Got it?”

“Umm…”

Katria had just returned from a trip with the ladies around her, including Helene, so it was really a long time since she held Serina.

Realizing this a bit too late, Sonia pouted her lips but nodded as if there was no other choice.

After all, if she could just hold off for today, starting tomorrow, she could play to her heart’s content with her cute little sister.

Moreover, she was now not just a younger sister but an older sister; she had to show an attitude befitting that.

“Fine! Sonia is the big sister!”

Sonia puffed out her chest and squeaked confidently, causing Edgar to get playful in an instant.

That brat probably wouldn’t lose that habit even when he went to his grave.

“Big sister? Then Evan’s sister won’t do it? Evan would be sad.”

“Huh!? No way! Evan’s sister will do it too!”

Sonia suddenly thought of Evan, who was probably strolling in the garden with their grandfather, and her eyes widened as she waved her hands in panic.

That was a strong gesture of resistance, indicating that it absolutely must not reach Evan’s ears.

That being said, both of them were precious younger siblings to Sonia.

Serina was a bit shy and had a lot of modesty, but it was visible that she liked it when approached, which made her adorable.

Evan was lively and full of energy, so playing with him made her happy too.

Though in reality, even she herself was still seen as a little child by others, which only added to her cuteness.

“Trying to do both? You greedy little thing.”

“Hehe, people say having greed is a good thing!”

“…Where the heck did you hear that?”

That was quite a mature statement coming from a kid who had just turned five, and Edgar asked, dumbfounded.

He had a hunch about the source, though.

There was only one person in this castle who would give Sonia such practical advice.

“Yep! My sister said so!”

“…….”

What in the world was Edgar’s wife teaching his sister-in-law?

Edgar placed his palm on his forehead and shook his head.

Even though he had suspected it, hearing it confirmed still came as a shock.

Just then, the door to the room flung open, and a sturdy-looking man appeared from the other side.

It was none other than Kelrag.

“Oh, sorry about that. It’s a habit…”

Apologizing for his abrupt entrance while awkwardly standing at the door, Kelrag surprised Katria, who then turned around and belatedly greeted him.

It wasn’t really a situation where he needed to apologize, so Edgar guided him to his seat and released Sonia from his arms.

“Well, it’s fine. By the way, have you met Minette?”

“…Yeah. I went to the workshop as soon as I arrived.”

Kelrag no longer pretended to hide anything as he scratched his cheek with his thick finger, though he was still a little embarrassed about it.

“Uncle!”

Sonia dashed over to Kelrag, who had just returned after a while, and threw her arms around his waist.

Kelrag skillfully lifted her up and playfully poked her forehead, scolding her.

“You’ll get hurt doing that, little one.”

“Umm, Sonia is a big girl now, so I’m okay!”

“Whoa, looks like you don’t know your limits.”

The kind of words that a five-year-old shouldn’t be saying, yet Kelrag humorously retorted, playfully pinching her cheek.

“I’m sorry every time I come here because my little sister causes trouble.”

Edgar, offering a brief apology with a sheepish smile, felt a bit bad.

Kelrag met Sonia more often than anyone else after Minette whenever he passed through Robeheim Castle.

Although he was here for work, he felt somewhat guilty for wasting time being stuck with someone else’s little sister.

He understood better than anyone how tough it was to take care of kids, especially since Sonia was so cheerful that just playing with her could be quite a challenge.

“You don’t have to worry about it. I’m doing it because I want to.”

However, Kelrag always answered the same way.

The truth was, playing with Sonia wasn’t out of any feeling of debt towards Ariel or Edgar, nor was he being coerced into it.

Simply put, if he had married earlier without taking on the role of a warrior, he thought there might have been a child like this, and it made him feel affection and a bit worried.

“Is it fun to play with Sonia, Uncle?”

“Yeah. The flower ring I learned last time, I taught it to the other kids, and they liked it.”

As Kelrag gently patted Sonia’s head with his big hand, explaining briefly about the things that happened while he was away, a big smile quickly bloomed on her face.

Meanwhile, noticing something, Edgar lightly snapped his fingers and spoke up.

“Wasn’t that the flower ring you made for her before?”

“Yep! My sister and brother liked it, so I taught it to Uncle too!”

The thought of a leader of a warrior tribe making flower rings was hard to imagine, and Edgar couldn’t help but give a strange smile.

Thinking that it could lead to a pretty amusing situation if he casually passed it on to Minette later.

“Anyway, just play for a bit before bringing her back. Is it okay to have meals outside?”

“That’s fine. Oh, but if Ariel finds out, she will make a fuss, so you’ll need to take guards with you.”

“Wow. If someone saw, they’d think she was my daughter, not my sister-in-law.”

By this point, Kelrag mused if there was some bloodline pulling Ariel into the Billhark family.

Just as he stepped outside with Sonia, something lightly brushed against his leg.

Looking down, Edgar found a little princess with chubby arms reaching out shyly.

“Daddy. Daddy.”

Serina, who still struggled with other pronunciations, clearly said ‘Daddy’ like it was her favorite word.

To Edgar’s eyes, that sight was simply adorable beyond measure.

She was the only daughter who could call him by name properly; she was indeed the dream of all fathers.

“When did our daughter get here?”

Lifting Serina to sit on his thigh, Edgar gently pinched her chubby cheek.

The soft feel of her cheeks reminded him of freshly made sweet rice cakes, and a content smile spread across his face.

Katria, watching from the opposite sofa, chuckled as well.

Seeing the once tiny child now embraced in his arms warmed her heart every time.

“Sonia must have just slipped out, so she quickly came over.”

“Really?”

“Of course. She might know it’s her turn to be held now.”

“That’s a bit strange, though.”

Even though they thought it was too much for a mere 20-month-old baby to understand, it might be possible that there was a sort of unspoken connection between parents and children.

“Does Serina like Daddy?”

“Daddy. Daddy.”

Being repetitive instead of nodding, Serina just kept saying ‘Daddy,’ but Edgar was thrilled and turned to Katria for confirmation.

“Mother, doesn’t this mean she likes me?”

“Of course.”

As her son seemed to be getting more and more clueless, Katria couldn’t help but chuckle to herself.

But still, she felt it was better than having no affection for her child at all.

“I can already picture you turning out just like your father in the future.”

“Father?”

Edgar, who was busy pulling funny faces at Serina to make her giggle, stared wide-eyed at the unexpected comment.

He wondered if Ransel had said something about that.

“Yeah. Just the other day, was it Allen? After he got close to Sonia, I was worried sick.”

“What did he say?”

“Well, I don’t clearly remember. Maybe Sonia said she had no plans to go to anyone else?”

“Father, you’re a bit over the top.”

While saying that, Edgar also partially understood.

In the past, he and Katria would have teased Ransel about being silly, but now that he had gotten to be a father, he found himself sympathizing a little with those feelings.

Wanting to raise a child like a potted flower, sheltered and protected at home, worrying that this small precious child might get hurt somewhere or by someone.

It might just be a natural feeling for a parent.

“Serina only comes close to you. I wonder if she knows you are her daddy.”

“She doesn’t seem to go to Ariel much. On the other hand, Evan gets close to Ariel often.”

“Are you sure she’s not jealous because I might be taking away her father?”

“Haha, no way.”

A child not even yet 20 months old being jealous?

Edgar chuckled lightly at Katria’s joke, brushing it off.

After all, he knew well that Ariel’s jealousy was strong, so he figured that was why she made such a joke.