I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 263

There was quite a ruckus in the dining room, but somehow we managed to finish our meal together.

After that, we took a quick look around the village, and by the time the sun was setting, we returned to the castle.

“You follow me. Let the kids play among themselves.”

“Um… okay.”

As soon as we arrived at the castle, Ariel grabbed Edgar’s hand and dragged him off somewhere.

The Robeheim Siblings looked on in shock at that scene.

They thought their mother’s anger would surely have faded after they shared a meal and toured the village.

“Elin, what do we do? Is Dad going to get scolded again?”

As soon as the two disappeared, Evan started pacing nervously and asked Elin, who was standing nearby.

He knew better than anyone how scary Ariel could be when she was angry.

Especially when it had to do with their dad.

Seeing his worried face looking up at her, Elin couldn’t help but chuckle.

To her, it seemed that the earlier situation had settled down quickly.

That meant there must be another reason for Ariel dragging Edgar away.

“Well… I doubt anything bad will happen. Don’t worry, young master.”

“But just a moment ago, Mom was looking at him with those terrifying eyes…”

“Hahaha…”

Not knowing how to explain, she found herself in a bind.

It was obviously unacceptable to tell the truth, and she couldn’t think of a suitable comparison to soften the blow.

After all, she was aware that her communication skills weren’t exactly top-notch.

“Hey, what are you all doing just standing there?”

“Ah, Grandma!”

Was it a stroke of luck that Helene appeared to rescue Elin, who was deep in trouble?

With Helene’s arrival in the hallway, attention was diverted, allowing Elin to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Right. Our dear grandchildren. Did you have fun with your mom and dad?”

With a gentle tone, Helene wrapped her arms around the two and patted their backs.

Her precious grandchildren, like jewels one wouldn’t even flinch to put in one’s eyes.

Every time she saw them, a rush of love compelled her to lean forward.

“Yes! Today, Dad came to the Academy and bragged to the kids!”

“Dad also bought us delicious food.”

“Hoo, is that so? Did you remember to say thank you?”

“Yes!”

This time their voices overlapped.

With a warm smile, she gently stroked the Robeheim Siblings’ cheeks and praised them.

Even among family, expressing gratitude was essential.

Her educational policy was clear: despite their familiarity with each other, they should never neglect such small expressions of appreciation.

With the children’s hands firmly in hers, she quietly called out to Elin, who was standing awkwardly nearby.

“Elin, take care of the kids for me while I attend to some work. Don’t you still have tasks left?”

“Yes, I will do that.”

It wasn’t the first time Katria or Helene took care of the kids.

So she didn’t hesitate to bow and excuse herself from the room.

Of course, she didn’t forget to wave goodbye to Evan and Serina as they enthusiastically waved back.

“Perfect timing! Sonia is waiting, how nice!”

“Sonia, sister?”

“Wow!”

The two little chicks, holding onto Helene’s hand and following her closely, squealed with surprise at the unexpected good news.

Sonia, who was hardly seen around the castle due to having so many friends to play with, was waiting for them.

Serina, who usually called out “Sister, sister” to Sonia, had quite an animated reaction this time.

Once they arrived in a large parlor perfect for the kids to play, they spotted Sonia sitting on the sofa and springing up when she saw them.

Next to her was a blonde girl whom they had never seen before.

“Hey there, guys!”

“Sister, hello!”

“Sis!”

Serina rushed towards Sonia, letting go of her beloved grandmother’s hand in the process.

“Squish!”

Proving that age differences do matter, Sonia effortlessly wrapped her arms around Serina and rubbed their faces together.

Even though they lived just steps apart, it felt incredibly special to see each other again after a long time.

“Ugh, sis. It’s so hot…”

While Serina appreciated the warm welcome, she hadn’t expected this level of affection and could only weakly protest with her squished words.

“That’s all because Serina is so cute. Whose little sister is this adorable?”

Strictly speaking, she wasn’t a little sister but a niece, but young children didn’t really know those details.

To them, anyone younger was just a little sibling.

So Sonia tried to lay the blame on the victim for her affection.

In that moment, Serina peeked out from Sonia’s embrace and tilted her little head adorably to respond.

“That’s because you’re my sister!”

“Ugh, really! Where did you learn such sweet words?”

“Wuw… I can’t breathe, sis…”

Having dug her own grave, Serina found herself punished first by “face rubbing” and then by a “tight hug” before she was finally set free.

By that time, Helene had already arrived beside the sofa, leading Evan in tow.

“Okay, you two should say hello. That’s Claire, Sonia’s friend over there.”

She pointed directly to the blonde girl next to Sonia and introduced the two.

Helene had seen Claire a few times before and found her to have a relatively calm demeanor, unlike Sonia’s lively personality.

“Hi. You must be Evan and Serina, as Sonia described. I’m Claire Marinet. Nice to meet you.”

“Hello. I’m Serina Robeheim.”

In response to Claire’s greeting, Serina politely replied while holding onto her dress.

Even for a little lady, her graceful demeanor made Claire smile brightly while extending her hand for a handshake.

“Oh, hello. I’m Evan Robeheim.”

“Nice to meet you, Evan.”

Claire smiled sweetly as she waved at the somewhat shy Evan.

“Hmm? Evan, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

In a flash, Evan’s confident demeanor disappeared, and he hurriedly hid behind Helene.

Noticing this unusual behavior, Helene blinked in surprise while alternating her gaze between Claire and Evan.

Claire didn’t seem like a bad kid at all, so what could be the reason for this?

On the contrary, Claire’s charming looks and gentle voice suggested she was only gaining points and posed no risk of losing any.

Evan seemed to struggle with something to say, his cheeks flushed.

Watching him, Helene’s thoughts wandered until she reached one conclusion.

“Could it be?”

Though she lacked solid evidence, looking at Evan’s demeanor, she felt a strong suspicion arise.

“How sweet!”

Was spring coming even for an eight-year-old who had just enrolled in the Academy?

Especially since young kids often find older siblings to be particularly cool, it was entirely possible.

“I’m sorry. Evan is surprisingly shy.”

“It’s okay, Lady Helene. I was just surprised by how different he seemed.”

When Evan suddenly retreated, Claire, who had been looking confused, hurriedly waved her hands at Helene’s apology.

She wasn’t feeling bad at all.

It was just that based on what Sonia had said, Evan was friendly with everyone and had a bright personality, so it was curious to see this other side of him.

“Okay, Evan. Since Claire will be visiting often, try to befriend her, alright?”

“Yes, yes…”

As Helene playfully pulled Evan, who had been hiding, to the front and winked at him, he nodded, caught off guard.

Though it would be challenging, he knew he had to give it a try.

“Did you have fun today?”

“Yeah. Dad came to the Academy and played with us!”

“Your brother did?”

Sonia, who hadn’t heard that news, tilted her head in confusion.

She didn’t attend the Academy and thus was not well-informed, but she knew the general rules about it.

Also, she was well aware of how remarkable Edgar was, unlike Evan or Serina.

Of course, her knowledge was only based on rumors, but she had a good sense of how impressive he was.

So, she could imagine the impact Edgar’s appearance would have when he showed up at the Academy and was sure a huge stir must have happened today.

“Did everyone play together?”

“Yup. Dad told us old stories, and the kids loved it.”

“I think I can guess what those stories were.”

If Edgar shared old tales, they were likely heroic stories from his prime.

When Sonia was young, she too used to wonder if those stories were true, so one could only imagine how amazed the kids in that room must have been.

“But Dad got scolded by Mom after giving a reward to a guard.”

“A reward?”

“Yup, about that…”

As Serina animatedly explained the day’s events with her hands, a smile spread across Sonia’s face.

She could vividly picture Ariel’s furious expression.

“So is your brother with your sister now?”

“I think so. Mom took Dad’s hand and led him away.”

That should mean her anger had subsided, but where could she have taken him?

Sonia suddenly felt curious and pursed her lips in thought.

“Did they go to a room?”

If that were the case, it wouldn’t be bad to bring him along and have a chat.

After all, she wanted to introduce her friend who had just come to see her.

“Serina.”

“Yeah?”

“Should we sneak a peek at what those two are doing?”

“Um… sure.”

With that, Sonia couldn’t hold back her curiosity and started moving forward, momentarily leaving Evan to play with the others while holding tightly to her precious little sister’s hand.

* * * * * * *

As Ariel pulled her husband into the bedroom, her earlier cold demeanor melted away as she clung to him.

Although she was mildly annoyed that he had just been flirting with another woman, she decided to let it slide.

In fact, once her anger dissipated, the desire she’d kept bottled up exploded, coaxing her into a more flirtatious tone.

Thanks to the wonderfully created atmosphere, Ariel smiled victoriously.

It had been two busy days where they hadn’t had any intimacy, and she felt particularly eager for connection today.

Some might think just two days was nothing, but to her, it felt like an eternity.

“Ed…”

Ariel grabbed Edgar’s face and pressed her lips against his in a deep kiss.

As she moved down to nibble at his neck, the provoked Edgar pushed her back onto the bed.

She sprawled out seductively on the bed, her captivating smile beckoning him to come closer.

In response, Edgar reached for his shirt buttons, slowly shedding his clothes one by one before leaning over her.

Just as he was about to bury his face in her chest and let his hands wander—

Bang!

“Brother! Sister! What are you doing!?”

“Eeeeeek!?”

“S-Sonia!? Serina!?”

The sudden interruption from the intruders made them hastily pull away.

What in the world was this sudden calamity?