I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 264

Edgar let out a sigh of relief as he calmed the potentially disastrous situation.

Thankfully, the two witnesses of the scene were pure souls unaware of the deep relationship between a man and a woman.

“Dad, what were you and Mom doing?”

However, being described as pure souls also means they can innocently poke at tender spots without malice.

As proof of this, Serina looked up at her father with an innocent face and asked about the earlier situation.

In her eyes, it seemed like Dad was wrestling with Mom.

“Uh? Well, you see, we were just having a sparring session.”

“A spar? Like the ones you have with other uncles?”

“Y-yeah.”

It was a rather flimsy excuse, but Serina accepted it right away.

After all, Dad had always been a trustworthy figure who only spoke the truth to her.

However, Sonia tilted her head, looking somewhat puzzled, as if she had some questions.

“If it’s a spar, couldn’t you have done that in the training yard?”

“Ahem. It’s a bit iffy to go outside at this hour, you know.”

“Ah, I see.”

In truth, Sonia’s thoughts weren’t much different from Serina’s, so she quickly dropped the question.

“B-but, Serina, why did you come here?”

Ariel’s tone was surprisingly gentle, given she had just been interrupted in her time alone with Edgar.

It wouldn’t have been appropriate to get angry at kids who didn’t know anything, even if the intruders had been users or other adults.

“I got worried because Mom got really mad earlier…”

“Really? Don’t worry. Mom’s feeling much better now.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

As Ariel opened her arms invitingly, Serina scampered over and hugged her tight.

“Oh my, were you worried about something like that? Our daughter is so cute.”

Sometimes, her daughter seemed like a little brat trying to steal her husband away, but no matter what, in Ariel’s eyes, she was just an adorable and precious girl.

Especially whenever Serina would show such a cute side after trying to act a bit too grown-up for her age.

It seemed unbelievable that such a cute child had come from her own womb.

As the situation calmed down a bit, Serina recalled another reason for coming.

“Did you and Mom meet Claire, big sister?”

“Claire? Who’s that?”

Edgar blinked in surprise at the unfamiliar name, while Ariel quickly recalled and gave his thigh a light pat.

“Wasn’t Claire the name of the friend Sonia mentioned before? You know, the one with the blonde hair who’s good with instruments.”

“That’s right! You really remembered, big sister!?”

Sonia rushed to Ariel, who had answered immediately and correctly.

Unlike a certain bad older brother who had been neglecting her ever since he had his own kids, Ariel still showed great interest in her, as evidenced by her earlier actions.

“Oh, then that girl has come to the castle now?”

“Yes. She was with us until just a little while ago.”

Serina, who had been handed over from Ariel to Edgar, nodded quietly.

Sure, Mom’s embrace was cozy and nice, but for her, nothing felt more reassuring than Dad’s arms.

If Mom was a solid 10 out of 10, then Dad might be 15 out of 10.

“Well then, it wouldn’t hurt to go check it out. Ariel, what do you think?”

“There’s no reason we can’t go. We still have some time.”

Although it was getting dark outside, they still had plenty of time before bed.

Especially since Hespania sunsets a little early, they would need to consider that as well.

“I’m curious about what kind of girl she is. Is she nice?”

“Well, she’s my friend, so of course she’s nice!”

“Seriously. You’ve become pretty brazen now that you’re older.”

Edgar pinched Sonia’s nose lightly with a wry smile at her arrogant response.

Still, it was quite amusing how he somehow found it understandable.

And so, the couple set aside their precious alone time for a moment and quietly stepped out of the room.

Once they spend time with the kids, there would be plenty of opportunities for just the two of them later.

—

After meeting Claire for the first time, the couple felt an overwhelming impression of “grace.”

It might not be the most fitting expression for a child who hadn’t even graduated from the Academy’s lower division, but that was at least how they felt.

“So, Claire is really into musical instruments?”

“Yes. She’s still learning a variety of things.”

Children of this age often freeze or can’t speak properly when meeting someone of high status, but Claire didn’t show any signs of that at all.

Though she stumbled over a few words from nervousness, she confidently expressed her thoughts and led the conversation, making her seem almost like an adult.

“Impressive.”

Evan was watching Claire from a distance, developing a sense of admiration.

Having seen many older brothers and sisters, he had never encountered someone like Claire before.

At such a young age, she didn’t shy away from speaking to Edgar and Ariel about her dreams and hopes, which he found incredibly cool.

It wouldn’t take long for this budding admiration from an 8-year-old boy to blossom into a crush.

In fact, he might have already been infatuated with her from the moment he blushed at their first meeting.

As a brief inquiry took place about Claire, Edgar suddenly turned his head and casually tossed a remark at Evan.

“Evan. If there’s something you want to ask Sister Claire, go ahead.”

“Uh? I, I…”

Caught off guard by the unexpected invitation, Evan’s eyes went wide as he stammered.

There were definitely a lot of questions he wanted to ask.

Like what foods she liked, what she usually did in her free time, and more.

Though those were all typical, mundane questions for a young boy to ask, they represented something deeper.

Ultimately, what Evan wanted was to convey his interest in her rather than simply ask questions.

“Doesn’t seem like it’s not true, huh?”

“Yeah, it does seem that way.”

Meanwhile, as they watched Evan, whose cheeks turned crimson as he tried to phrase a question, Edgar and Ariel were in hushed whispers.

They weren’t fools, and they had quickly picked up on the fact that their son was acting a little differently today.

And they understood it was because of his interest in Claire.

Though he had previously been a boy who would treat girls like they were made of stone, seeing his current attitude confirmed their suspicions.

Especially Ariel, who was reminded of her own feelings towards Edgar from her younger days, even found herself feeling nostalgic.

“Should I help a little?”

“How are you going to help?”

“There are plenty of ways. Just watch.”

Ariel gave Edgar a confident smile and winked, while he crossed his arms and stepped back.

Figuring it would be better to leave it to her for this matter.

“Well then, it seems Claire likes flowers too.”

Ariel naturally joined the conversation between Evan and Claire.

Claire’s eyes widened, but she merely nodded her head quietly after that.

“Yes. That’s why Sonia showed me around the garden of Robeheim Castle today.”

“Oh really? Did you see everything?”

“No, not yet…”

As she had arrived a bit late, and wasn’t fully rested, it was impossible for her to cover everything.

Therefore, she had only seen a few of the most notable spots under Sonia’s guidance before returning to the castle.

“Great.”

When she got the answer she had hoped for, Ariel’s eyes gleamed with sharpness.

“Then how about tomorrow you take my Evan around the garden? He might just know a lot about flowers.”

“Um, Mom?”

“Really?”

Evan’s voice, which was filled with confusion as he called for his mother, got drowned out by Claire’s response that entered Ariel’s ear.

“Really? Isn’t that fascinating?”

“Yes, it’s fascinating. It’s rare for boys around me to have an interest in flowers…”

“Of course, he might not know as much as the boys in your age group, but he’ll know plenty about the garden here. How about you let him act as your guide?”

Despite the unexpected suggestion, Claire nodded eagerly in agreement.

She had been feeling a little disappointed not being able to see the whole garden yet anyway.

Besides, given that such a cute little gentleman would personally guide her, there was no good reason to refuse.

“Well then, can I ask you, Evan?” Claire said with a gentle smile as she turned her gaze to him.

Though Evan showed a moment of surprise, he quickly exchanged glances with his mother and hastily nodded in affirmation.

“Y-yeah!”

“Thank you. I’m looking forward to a wonderful escort!”

As Claire’s smile blossomed like a flower, Evan’s face turned deep red, and he lowered his head.

Watching that scene, everyone except Claire had smiles of satisfaction on their faces.

Even little Serina could immediately sense what kind of feelings Evan held.

“Sister, I think Evan likes Sister Claire.”

“Right? Let’s keep it a secret, okay?”

“Okay!”

And so, the arrival of spring for one boy gently warmed up his surroundings.