I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 258

It didn’t take long for the toddlers who had just started walking to grow up and be able to run, eat food, and freely engage in conversations.

Seven years.

In that short yet long time, the now much taller Robeheim Siblings have been attending the elementary division of the Academy, which was founded four years ago.

“I’m back!”

Today, just like any other day, Evan came home from school and immediately looked for his mother.

Ariel, who was having a cozy tea time with her mother-in-law, calmly spoke to her son without a hint of scolding for his sudden entrance.

“Welcome home. But where is your sister?”

Not seeing Serina, I casually asked, and as expected, the bright Evan replied.

“She went to the training ground where Dad is!”

“Ugh, that girl…”

It’s not unusual for a daughter to cling to her dad in a happy family.

However, for some reason, Ariel slapped her forehead and shook her head as if she had given up.

And it was understandable; Serina’s love for her dad was a bit overboard, as she stuck to Edgar like a cicada to an old tree.

That would be one thing if it ended there, but her possessiveness was so strong that she would even stop him from going near others.

“Evan, I just happen to have some snacks. Want to eat?”

“Really!? Yes!”

Meanwhile, cheerful Evan, regardless of anything else, rushed over to the sofa at Katria’s invitation and began munching on snacks.

Since it was early enough that the Academy didn’t provide lunch, he was probably just hungry at this growing age.

Ariel, who was about to leave the room, stared at his back and then called out to Shuri beside her.

“Shuri, prepare a meal for the kids.”

“Yes. How about you two?”

“I’ll ask him and let the kitchen know.”

Upon Ariel’s reply, Shuri bowed politely as she saw her off.

It was obvious where she was heading, so there was no need to ask.

With that, Ariel flung open the door and left with a smile, heading to the training ground Evan mentioned.

“Serina!”

“Eek!?”

As soon as she barged into the training ground without notice, a shrill scream echoed.

Turning her head towards the source of the voice, Ariel spotted a pair of her husband and daughter.

“Didn’t I tell you not to disturb me while I’m training?!”

“Ugh… Daddyyyy!”

With Ariel’s scolding, Serina burrowed into Edgar’s arms.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, he approached Ariel with a bitter smile, holding Serina.

“I’m fine, so don’t worry. You’re going to make her cry.”

“Ugh… I can’t stand it. Anyway, you’re too soft on her.”

“Not just her.”

With a playful smile, Edgar leaned in and stole a kiss from Ariel’s lips.

Her cheeks flushed red as she blinked dazedly.

“Ugh, you’re trying to get away with this again…”

“It’s always been this way. Why act surprised?”

Ariel wanted to say something more, but the previous act had already melted her annoyance away.

“I-I don’t know. Anyway, what are we going to do about the meal?”

“We’ll eat. What about you?”

“I’m going to eat! That’s why I’m asking.”

Despite having been married for over eight years, their way of addressing each other still seemed to belong to that time.

Although they often referred to each other as ‘he’ or ‘my wife’ when the other party wasn’t present, it was difficult to say ‘you’ or ‘honey’ when they faced each other.

So, this is how strong habits can be.

In the midst of their natural conversation, Serina peeked from behind her dad’s head.

With her lips moving as if she had something to say, she then—

Grrrr.

Instead of speaking, her stomach chimed in.

“Pfft, looks like our daughter is really hungry, huh?”

“No, no! That wasn’t Serina’s stomach!”

If it had been Evan, he would have proudly admitted he was hungry, but boys and girls are different.

Serina protested loudly against her dad’s teasing remark.

For her, it was more important to hide the fact that her stomach was growling publicly than to admit she was hungry.

“Really? Our daughter isn’t hungry?”

“Of course not! It’s true!”

As Ariel stepped in to verify again, Serina puffed out her chest in a show of confidence.

However, there was one thing this little girl hadn’t realized.

“Really? Good thing I only prepared three servings for the meal.”

“Eh?”

Ariel, while not as mischievous as Edgar, still had a playful side.

“Actually, Evan said that today you weren’t hungry, right?”

“What? Evan?”

Caught off guard by an unexpected twist, Serina wide-eyed as if to confirm again.

She definitely hadn’t said anything like that while hanging out with Evan today.

Then which world did her brother come from to say something like that to Ariel?

“So, I told the maid to only prepare food for Dad, Mom, and Evan. It looks like our daughter isn’t hungry, so she doesn’t have to eat.”

“Ugh… th-that…”

Serina suddenly realized she was in a tight spot.

One of her parents’ constant admonitions was never to lie, and if she revealed the truth here, it would mean breaking that rule.

However, if she didn’t admit it, delicious lunch would drift away far.

The only possibility left was to ask Shuri or Elin, the maids, to bring her a meal instead. But then, the chances of those two hearing it were high.

Feeling trapped and unable to act, Serina pouted her lips, and Edgar noticed he needed to intervene and signaled to Ariel.

Realizing she had no choice, she smiled while nodding and gently cupped Serina’s cheeks.

The sudden sensation made an odd sound escape Serina’s mouth.

“Huh?”

“But you have to eat on time, so even if you’re not hungry, let’s eat together. Got it?”

Ariel’s smiling words caught Serina off guard as she looked up at Edgar, who held her.

He was subtly giving her the nod to agree.

“…Yes!”

Unaware they had played her perfectly, she simply expressed her joy over how smoothly things had unfolded.

That day, the four of them were able to sit together at one table, chatting happily as they enjoyed a meal together.

—

The only educational institution in the Helbenior Empire, the Bastea Academy, is where noble children from all over the country enroll.

As the nation prospered, the influence of the Dimensional Stone, which had been established in various remote places, made it possible to commute anywhere in a day, as long as it wasn’t the polar regions.

It’s a place where all sorts of noble offspring gather, but revealing one’s family name is taboo here.

In other words, whether you’re the Emperor’s daughter or the daughter of a baron, everyone receives an education on equal footing.

“Evan! Let’s play!”

“No way! Evan is going to play with us!”

In such a place, Evan Robeheim was like royalty among his classmates.

Boys and girls alike enjoyed playing with Evan, leading to frequent fights between the genders.

Evan liked having friends who stayed close to him, but at the same time, he couldn’t quite understand it.

What exactly did they find appealing about him?

It was a rather mature question for an eight-year-old.

“Hey, Lily, why do you like me?”

Unable to suppress his curiosity, Evan questioned a female friend he often hung out with.

Just like someone from a noble family, she mirrored his cluelessness regarding girl’s feelings.

“Huh!? W-What do you mean…!?”

“Huh? But you’re always nice to me, so I’m really curious.”

“W-Well, it’s because you’re cool and brave… and you don’t bully us like other boys.”

“Is that so?”

For Evan, it was quite a surprising answer.

After all, he had never thought of himself as particularly cool, thanks to the proud presence of his father Edgar beside him.

‘My dad is cooler than me.’

If Serina was a daughter who loved her dad more than anything, then Evan was a son who respected his dad above all.

That’s why he always felt the urge to boast about that dad he adored around others.

“I wish Lily could meet my dad.”

“Then shouldn’t you ask him to come to the Academy?”

When Lily blinked, seemingly not understanding why that would be difficult, Evan replied with a visibly disappointed tone.

“But revealing the family name is prohibited, right?”

“Eh? That’s about the family, not your dad, though?”

“…Huh?”

After hearing that unexpected response, Evan felt his mind momentarily blank.

Thinking about it, that was true. It wasn’t forbidden to bring parents into the Academy; it was just forbidden to reveal lineage.

Plus, it was likely that even if he brought his dad, the friends here wouldn’t recognize him like the adults did.

So, wouldn’t there be no problem at all?

“Wow, Lily! You’re a genius!”

“Uh, thanks…”

With Evan excitedly clapping his hands up and down, Lily’s expression grew shy.

Not that Evan noticed, though.

“I need to ask Dad as soon as I get home today!”

“I want to know what your dad is like.”

“He’s super cool! I don’t know much, but Mom said he appears in some history book!”

“…A book?”

What book could it be that he was talking about?

As Lily tilted her head in confusion, Evan racked his brain trying to remember what he’d heard.

“Uh, it was called… a history book? But it’s complicated, so I haven’t seen it yet.”

“Oh, I see. So Evan’s dad is amazing, then.”

“Right?”

Evan would never dream that his father’s face and name graced the pages of a history book, his eyes shining brightly as he looked forward to the day he could showcase his cool dad to his friends and teachers.