I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 271

The morning after Sonia’s birthday was fading away.

Dressed in a scruffy outfit for his routine walk, Allen slipped out of Billhark Hall and headed towards the backyard, where he spotted a man’s broad back.

He hesitated for a moment but soon recognized the figure and cautiously approached to say hello.

Noticing Allen, the man turned around, cheerfully raised his hand, and initiated the greeting.

“Good morning. Your name was Allen, right?”

“Oh, yes. You’re definitely Kelrag, aren’t you?”

In the past, he would have been too shy to respond properly, but after long efforts, Allen could now answer normally even to someone like Kelrag, who had a distant demeanor.

“That title is too formal; just call me Mr. Kelrag.”

Kelrag nodded in agreement, attempting to correct the somewhat uncomfortable formality.

At first, Allen showed signs of reluctance, but in the face of Kelrag’s insistence, he had no choice but to nod in compliance.

After all, it did seem like it would be more disrespectful to add ‘Lord’ when he himself had said to just call him ‘Mr.’

“It’s still early. What brings you out here?”

Kelrag casually took a swig from his water flask and posed the question.

Normally, he wouldn’t have asked, but for some reason, today, it felt as if his mouth opened first.

Perhaps it was because he thought of Allen as a boy harboring feelings for Sonia, which sparked an unexpected curiosity.

“I always take a walk at this time from my family home.”

“That’s an admirable habit. Picking up good habits at a young age will make life easier later on.”

Nodding in satisfaction, Kelrag tossed a stone into a small pond in front of them.

It wasn’t intentional, but perhaps because the stone was flat, it skipped on the water, bouncing perfectly to the other side.

“Wow, you’re good at that!”

“It’s just luck.”

Kelrag shrugged, picking another rock from nearby and offering it to Allen, hinting that he should try it too.

Caught off guard, Allen took the stone, paused to think, then nodded, preparing to throw it at the pond with all his might.

**Splash!**

But the stone, having never bounced on the water, sank straight to the bottom.

Witnessing this, Allen felt an inexplicable sense of defeat and slumped down in disappointment.

“Ah, that didn’t work.”

“It seems it’s your first time trying. Your form looks a bit awkward.”

Usually, when skipping stones, one tends to lean sideways so that the flat side meets the surface. However, Allen had thrown it from a standing position, prompting Kelrag to speak up.

“Yeah… I’ve seen my father do it, but I never tried because I was afraid of failing.”

“There’s no need to make a big deal out of a single failure. Who’s going to punish you for messing up?”

“Well, it’s not that! It’s just…”

Scratching his cheek awkwardly, Allen held back the rest of his words.

Through these exchanges, Kelrag could begin to surmise what kind of person the boy was.

‘Looks like he’s the type who is afraid of failure.’

There are such types.

Not those obsessed with success or who are perfectionists, but rather, individuals who fear the aftermath of failing so much that they hesitate to attempt things at all.

This might just be about skipping stones, but people like that are usually heavily influenced by the perceptions of others.

They can’t treat even a minor failure, that might bring just a laugh, lightly.

Kelrag had seen a few of this type before.

From a third-party perspective, one might feel frustrated and think, “What’s the big deal?”

However, he had never once given such advice to anyone of this nature he had come across.

After all, people’s value systems are hard to change, and if it doesn’t harm anyone, that might just be their way of living.

He felt there was ample reason to respect that alone.

Yet even he, who disliked interfering in others’ lives, always did one thing whenever he met someone like this.

“Watch closely, Allen.”

Kelrag stood up and found another flat stone, stepping forward.

Allen’s eyes widened in surprise.

“What? Watch…?”

“Watch how I do it. I’ll show you how to skip stones, so learn with your eyes.”

“Ah, okay!”

Bending down to get into proper stance, Kelrag slipped the stone between his thumb and index finger, swinging his arm with all his might.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

“The water’s surface is key, keeping as much of the stone’s area touching it as possible.”

“Correct. Now it’s your turn.”

Kelrag picked up a suitable stone and handed it back to Allen.

Allen accepted it with a puzzled look in his eyes, but Kelrag placed a hand on his shoulder and led him to the pond, speaking encouragingly.

“If it doesn’t work the first time, keep throwing it ten times, a hundred times. Don’t be afraid to throw it.”

“…Okay!”

For some reason, Kelrag’s words felt reassuring to Allen, and he puffed up with newfound determination and adjusted his posture.

Just like Kelrag had shown him, he leaned forward, spread his legs, and leaned back.

Then, with all his strength, he swung his arm.

SPLASH!

But once again, the stone sank below the surface, becoming merely a decoration at the bottom.

With his shoulders sagging, Kelrag quickly retrieved another stone and handed it to him.

“Try again. Don’t let it get you down.”

“……”

This time, without a word, Allen just nodded and set to position once more.

Under normal circumstances, he would have given up after two failures, but for some reason, he felt a strong desire to keep trying.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The stone skipped across the surface of the pond this time, bouncing three times before eventually sinking.

Allen felt a wave of pride wash over him at the sight and clenched his fists in triumph.

“Wow! Did you see that?”

“I did. Not bad.”

Kelrag smiled with apparent pride and ruffled Allen’s hair.

“See? It’s not like I was going to say anything for just one failure, right?”

“N-No…”

Feeling as if his internal thoughts had been exposed, Allen replied in a trembling voice.

Kelrag’s smile widened even more as he removed his hand from Allen’s head.

“Exactly. A small failure doesn’t change anything. Keep that in mind as you live your life. I won’t say to change your way of life, but…”

Scratching his nose slightly, Kelrag placed his hands on his hips, looking down at Allen as he added.

“At least wouldn’t it be a shame to give up after just one failed attempt when it comes to a girl you like?”

“Ah…”

His eyes inadvertently drifted towards Billhark Hall, where someone might currently be fast asleep.

Upon seeing this, Allen caught a glimpse of Kelrag’s inner thoughts and let out a soft gasp.

“…Thank you! I’ll do my best!”

“Good.”

With Allen’s hearty response, Kelrag smiled in satisfaction once more and messed up Allen’s hair again.

Despite still having childish aspects and appearing somewhat weak, Kelrag felt that this boy had an admirable spirit in his gaze.

* * * * * * *

After finishing a hearty lunch and returning to her room, Claire found herself alone.

Just moments ago, Sonia had suddenly been called away by someone due to some urgent matter.

Wandering around her friend’s home without her company felt somewhat awkward, so Claire quietly retreated to the guest room and sat on the bed.

Several minutes passed.

Suddenly!

– Claire! Claire!

Someone outside urgently called for her.

Without needing to guess the owner of the voice, Claire hurriedly approached the entrance and opened the door.

Bam!

“There you are! You’re alive!”

Sonia, as if she had just escaped from some monster, came in, breathless and on the verge of collapsing.

Quickly shutting the door behind her, she shoved Claire’s back and moved towards the bed.

This all happened in about three seconds.

“What’s all the commotion about, Sonia?”

“L-Let me explain! We’re in big trouble right now!”

Though Sonia was typically composed, it was rare to see her flustered like this, so Claire couldn’t help but feel her curiosity pique.

However, curiosity aside, she needed to calm her breathless friend first.

Claire was genuinely worried that Sonia might faint before she could even explain.

“Just calm down and catch your breath. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Okay, okay… Huuff… Phew…”

Although that wasn’t an indication for her to breathe like a pregnant woman in labor, somehow, after some effort, Sonia regained her composure quickly.

“So what happened? I thought you went out for something else earlier…”

“Well, about that… Allen called me out.”

“Allen?”

Claire raised an eyebrow at the unexpected name.

It was understandable because she was aware of Allen’s feelings for Sonia.

Hence, she also knew that he got quite awkward around her and had trouble maintaining a conversation when they were alone.

But Allen called Sonia out alone?

Claire couldn’t help but assume there was an air of romance about it, a soft smile forming on her lips.

“Yeah. Allen suddenly asked if I could come out for a bit, and then… suddenly…”

“Did he confess or something?”

“Uh, how did you know?!”

Sonia’s eyes went wide in shock at Claire’s anticipatory words.

Had Claire been watching them all this time?

If that were the case, Sonia couldn’t comprehend why she’d had such a peculiar reaction just moments before.

That could only mean one thing.

“Wait, are you saying you knew…?”

“Yes, I knew. I mean, I know that Allen likes you.”

“So I was the only one who didn’t know?”

Sonia blinked in disbelief.

“It’s common not to notice when someone else has feelings for you.”

“Ugh, that’s just so embarrassing…”

Eventually, Sonia, her face flushed red, hid her head under the bed covers.

With a disguise that could rival that of a hermit crab, Claire couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

“So, did you give him an answer?”

“Ah, not yet… I asked for a week’s time to think about it.”

“Hmm, that doesn’t sound like something I’d expect from you?”

Claire had anticipated that Sonia would immediately declare her answer, but that guess had been far off base.

But, surprisingly, Claire felt pleased for some reason.

Allen was a friend to Claire as well, and she appreciated that Sonia didn’t take his feelings lightly.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve postponed giving an answer too.’

While watching her friend squirm with a flustered red face, Claire suddenly recalled the face of the younger boy and smiled gently.

It seemed that his crush was still alive, but who knows.

Once some time passed and he grew into a handsome young man, would he still harbor interest in a woman four years his senior? That didn’t seem too promising.

He merely decorated another page in the memories of his little sister.

Just being satisfied with that thought, Claire nodded contentedly.

At just fifteen herself, she was still merely a girl.

“Ugh, Claire, how should I face Allen from tomorrow on?”

“You can meet him normally. If you avoid him because of this, it’ll only make Allen more upset.”

“It’s so hard…! Is love always this complicated?”

Patting her whining friend’s back, Claire wore a wry smile.

What route this might take was entirely up to Sonia’s heart, but she genuinely hoped both dear friends could amicably find a way through without either getting hurt.

That was all she wished for.