I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 262

The school dismissal time was fast approaching.

This meant that Edgar needed to start getting ready to return to the castle.

Whether the Chancellor Boldwen realized this or not, as soon as the first-year students’ dismissal time came, he sought out the Robeheim Siblings’ classroom.

With a warm smile, he bent at the waist to Edgar.

Edgar felt a bit uncomfortable with the older-looking man bowing to him, but given the circumstances, he extended his hand first.

“Thank you for your visit, Edgar Billhark.”

“Not at all. I am truly sorry for causing you trouble.”

“Please don’t think of it that way. Though it may not strictly align with the Academy’s regulations, it was a meaningful time for both us and the children.”

Boldwen, with his white mustache that seemed more for show than substance, responded with seasoned charm.

He was quite adept at flattering without overdoing it.

Yet, Edgar found it fascinating that he didn’t come off as a slippery person at all.

“If you happen to visit again, please give me a heads up.”

“I’ll try to refrain as much as possible… but if it does happen, I’ll let you know.”

Somehow, Edgar anticipated that if he were to drop by the Academy next time, he’d probably spend more time chatting with Boldwen than playing with the kids.

Not that it meant Boldwen was a snob; usually, people in such positions of power tended to want to cultivate strong connections with higher nobility.

“Evan, take care!”

“Bye, Serina! See you tomorrow!”

“You two take care as well!”

“Uh-huh, bye.”

Meanwhile, the two were handing their bags to Elin while saying goodbye to their friends.

The methods were quite contrasting.

Elin, who was watching this scene with a maternal smile, soon approached the now-finished conversation of Edgar.

As soon as she did, the two kids quickly turned their heads and jumped into Edgar’s arms.

“Dad! Can we stop by somewhere before going home?”

Evan, who hadn’t gone out with his father in a long time, began to whine.

Though Serina had some influence on this, Evan also felt a sense of disappointment at the thought of heading straight to the castle.

“Shall we? Is there somewhere you want to go?”

Upon leaving the classroom, Edgar asked, and the two immediately fell deep into thought.

They had intended to suggest something, but they hadn’t really thought of a place.

“Master, perhaps you should board the carriage first and have a conversation…”

“Ah, I forgot about that. Shall we talk while we go?”

At Elin’s suggestion, Edgar casually picked up Serina and began to walk.

When these three walked together like this, it felt almost like a preordained outcome.

In reality, there was a hidden backstory here.

Previously, Katria had hinted at him that it was not good to treat the children differently and advised him to hold Evan as well.

So when Edgar had picked up his son during their outing, Evan hadn’t seemed too pleased about it.

When he later asked him why, he sheepishly admitted that being cradled like a baby in his father’s arms was embarrassing.

It was a statement that seemed to demonstrate even a young boy had some pride.

“Take care!”

With that, the three, escorted by the Chancellor and Academy staff, finally exited the main building and boarded the carriage.

Since it was still early, they could stop by anywhere they wanted along the way.

“If we’re not going straight to the castle, we should have a meal outside. Is there anything specific you feel like eating?”

“I want meat!”

“I like anything.”

“Hmm. Then shall we go for our son’s preference today?”

While they typically ate at the castle when hosting guests, Edgar also enjoyed dining out. He had made reservations at some nice restaurants and often went out with Ariel.

Thanks to that, he was well acquainted with the popular restaurants in Hespania, and there were plenty of good places to eat.

Among them, if there was a place known for delicious meat that was suitable for bringing children…

‘That would be a good choice.’

As a suitable restaurant came to mind, Edgar smiled and gathered the kids to his sides.

With a destination in mind, they chatted as they moved.

Although the two kids quickly fell asleep less than ten minutes into the journey.

* * * * * * *

The place where the three arrived was a restaurant located in a tall building in the center of Hespania.

From here, they had a clear view of Hespania, and with the bourgeoisie and nobility as its primary customers, the quality of food was quite high.

“Is that Edgar Billhark! It’s been a while since I’ve seen you!”

As Edgar entered the restaurant with the kids, the head waiter personally came out to greet them.

Considering it was a restaurant in Hespania, and the Robeheim Family had helped a lot, plus, the head waiter personally admired Edgar, his attitude was even more respectful.

“How have you been?”

As Edgar smiled and extended his hand, the head waiter quickly bowed, receiving his hand with both of his.

“Thanks to the grace of the Robeheim Family, it’s always bustling here. But may I ask why the Count is not accompanied by the Grand Duchess today?”

“Oh, we just stopped by the Academy that the kids attend, so we came only the three of us. My wife is likely meeting some guests,” Edgar replied.

At the same time as Edgar’s words, the two kids, previously hidden behind him, revealed themselves.

“Hello!”

“Hello…”

“Ah, today we have some special guests with us! I must inform the chef to put extra care into your meal.”

While one could call this a typical greeting reserved for nobles and high-ranking individuals, it wasn’t just that when it came to the Robeheim family.

To prove this point, the head waiter beckoned a nearby server and immediately sent the message to the kitchen.

The tardy server, having just realized Edgar was present, rushed to the kitchen and delivered the message with a trembling voice.

Thus, Edgar led the kids to a private room where only VIPs could sit.

This room was entirely separate from the outer seating and allowed one to enjoy the meal and the scenery in peace.

“If it’s not too much trouble, may I recommend today’s meal?”

“Sure, please do. By the way, my son loves meat, so please tailor that to his taste.”

“Then I assume exquisite dishes would be to your liking. Allow me to prepare something I deem worthy,” said the head waiter as he quietly closed the door and left.

Just then, Elin, who had taken a seat next to Edgar, spoke up in a cautious tone.

“Um… Master. You really don’t need to consider me…”

As a User, she felt quite uncomfortable dining at the same level as her master.

But her master was no ordinary person himself.

“It’s mealtime, so what’s wrong? Everybody has to eat to work or not, right?”

“Right! Let’s eat together, Elin!”

With the father-son duo’s combined efforts, Elin soon succumbed and agreed to join the meal.

Though she didn’t seem to realize what was going down her throat or mouth for that matter.

“By the way, how was it when dad went to the Academy? I forgot to ask this.”

“It was amazing!”

“So fun! I hope dad will come again.”

“That might be hard though?”

While it would be possible for him to visit, the issue was that there might be an emergency summon for all Academy staff.

Of course, it was great for a father to see the environment his kids were in, but Edgar didn’t want to intrude on that.

Unexpectedly, it was Serina, not Evan, who expressed more disappointment.

“I was happy that my friends praised dad.”

Just like how Ariel used to feel, Serina felt proud to see her father admired by others.

While she always thought of him as her special daddy, there was a strange satisfaction in seeing others envy and praise him.

The moment when the young girl first realized that keeping something precious to oneself wasn’t always the best approach.

“Instead of having dad go to the Academy, maybe next time, you could invite your friends to the castle.”

“Can we do that?”

“I don’t think there would be any issue. That part is something the Academy can’t control.”

The very idea of revealing one’s family was indeed a rather vague regulation.

Especially true for heirs from renowned families who often cross paths with children from other families from a young age; reuniting with friends from the Academy later on was common.

So Edgar thought it would be a good idea to invite the children he befriended at the Academy to the castle and let them play together.

“Wow! Then I have some friends I want to bring over!”

“Really? What about Serina?”

“I, I want to bring one too.”

Though quiet, Serina wasn’t without friends; she blushed as she decisively picked one.

This was a kind and outgoing friend who often approached Serina, sharing conversations and stories while she was reading alone.

“In that case, bring them to the castle later. It’d be fine to sleep over and play.”

“Yay!”

As Evan cheered, Edgar smiled contentedly. Suddenly, there was a knocking sound.

Turning to see if the food was ready, Edgar looked toward the door where the head waiter reappeared.

But he seemed to have a somewhat pale complexion.

“Um… Edgar Billhark. There’s a guest looking for you outside.”

“A guest?”

How the guest found him here was a separate mystery, but in general, it was rare for anyone to approach him while he was having a meal with family.

Thus, as he began to tilt his head in confusion…

“Why are you hanging out with some girls and not crawling back to the castle?”

“Oh, Ariel?”

In strode the Grand Duchess, embodying the appearance of a fierce spirit.

At that moment, Edgar realized he didn’t know what he had done wrong, but he felt something was very off.