I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 283

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Gathering

There were quite a few distinguished individuals at Robeheim Castle.

Well, it’s hardly surprising. It would be more unusual for the imperial Duke’s residence to have a lack of esteemed figures.

However, for those familiar with the internal affairs of the castle, it’s interpreted a bit differently.

In some sense, these individuals are even more precious than the Duke himself—no perspective shift is necessary. This is a place where the Duke himself once stated, “Treat them with more care than I.”

“Brother! Where are Serina and Evan?”

Suddenly, this mischievous girl barged into the office where the Duke’s husband was seated, and she was one of those notable figures.

Edgar was about to say something to Sonia, who had entered without knocking, but then thought better of it. What could he possibly say to his much younger sister? He just rubbed his forehead and gave a wry smile.

Even Elin, the maid standing beside him, merely smiled faintly and didn’t say much.

“They’re probably playing in the room with the nurse right now. Why do you ask?”


“Thanks! I’m gonna go play too!”


“Uh, okay….”

*Thud!*

With a loud bang, the door shut behind her. Edgar felt as if a storm had swept through the room.

At that moment, he realized he was staring at an important document that now had a diagonal line scratched across it because of the little lady’s invasion. Fantastic, now he’d have to rewrite it from scratch.

“It seems like the little lady and the young master are getting along really well, especially since Sonia seems to be even more cheerful after learning to ride,” the astute maid noted.

Edgar sensed the longer he stayed at his desk, the more time there would be wasted. The cheerful presence of that girl was surely what brought life to this somewhat desolate castle in the north. Anyone who could argue against that would be considered brazen.

“Who would object to that? You don’t seem to get tired of seeing them multiple times a day.”


“Isn’t it similar to how you look at them? They’re very precious to Sonia too…”


“Well, I appreciate that thought. Though it is a bit excessive sometimes. Ah, thanks for the tea.”


“Not at all. It’s my duty.”

*Thud!*

Just as Elin smiled softly, the office door burst open again with an abrasive sound.

At this point, it seemed ridiculous to Edgar that he had no privacy at all. He certainly couldn’t voice that to the person who came through the door.

“Ed! Are you very busy?”

With a pose eerily similar to Sonia’s, Ariel appeared, sporting an overly excited expression.

Shuri, who stood beside her, nodded politely on behalf of her master, but it seemed she wasn’t the focus of his attention.

Edgar decided to acknowledge Shuri’s hard work at least and lightly responded, “Uh, I mostly finished the important stuff. If it weren’t for Sonia, that is.”


“What did that cute kid do wrong? If there’s a fault, it’s with you, Edgar.”

Edgar’s mind went blank as Ariel suddenly defended his little sister.

Now that he thought about it, he had forgotten. If Sonia was the number one priority for Robeheim siblings, then for Ariel, Sonia held the same rank.

Of course, Edgar himself was at the zero position, but amusingly enough, when both were on the same level, Sonia would end up taking precedence. Edgar decided to name this phenomenon the “Sonia Priority Law.”

“You favor your sister-in-law over your husband…?”


“That’s not it, but if I have to choose between the two, it’s obviously Sonia.”

Wasn’t that the same thing? Edgar thought of countering but forced himself to hold back. Challenging Ariel on that logic would be pointless.

He had no desire to engage in such childish power struggles with his little sister, who was so much younger than him.

“So why are you looking for me? Is there some urgent matter?”


“Oh, right! This isn’t the time! I’ve got urgent news!”

“Urgent news?”

If Ariel was making a fuss like this, Edgar raised an eyebrow, wondering if a meteor had crashed into the imperial palace, but her expression seemed too bright for something like that.

As he frowned in confusion, Ariel approached and grabbed Edgar’s arm.

With her delicate grip, it felt surprisingly forceful.

“Just come and see! You’ll definitely be surprised!”


“Is it that big of a deal?”

If the ever-great Ariel was so confidently boasting about it, then it must be something significant in one way or another.

In the end, unable to resist his curiosity, Edgar got up from his chair, leaving the papers he was working on behind, and followed Ariel out of the office.

Elin, left behind, calmly collected the empty teacups as if the master’s work didn’t phase her at all.

Just another typical day at Robeheim Castle.

***

Edgar was led to none other than the workshop.

Specifically, it was a research lab primarily used by Minette, the magical research advisor, who had rumors associated with the Carvita Tribe’s chief visiting every night.

Not just rumors, but a cold hard fact.

*Thud!*

“Minette!”


“Oh, you’re back! Where were you in such a hurry to go?”

In the room, Minette sat calmly sipping her tea, undisturbed by the loud noise, as if it was an everyday occurrence.

On the other hand, Edgar felt he might develop a neurosis from hearing the door being flung open for the third time today. Why couldn’t the women of Robeheim Castle just open doors normally?

“So you were in the workshop after all?”


“Yeah, it turns out Minette desperately needed to see me.”


“Minette?”

With a raised eyebrow, Edgar looked at her with a ‘what’s going on?’ expression.

It was the same as when he developed the dimensional door leading to the world he used to inhabit. Minette never sought out Ariel unless she had made a significantly remarkable discovery.

She always preferred to drop hints to Shuri or those around her so that Ariel could visit only when she wasn’t busy.

So if Minette was eagerly searching for him, something significant must have happened.

“First, can you take a look at this?”

As researchers often do, Minette took joy in showcasing something she created. She held something out with an unusually proud expression, unlike her usual demeanor.

Inside a transparent and sturdy box, there was a glowing red stone-like object.

Edgar’s eyes widened at the sight.

It was none other than the Symbol of Dominion, the relic that had allowed Hespania to flourish and the first treasure of the Robeheim Family.

“Why is this here, Minette?”


“Well, the prince asked me to conduct some research on it. I’ve just kept it here for a bit.”

“Research?”

Edgar tilted his head, wondering what kind of research might be conducted on something whose principles and identity were notoriously mysterious since the days of the first head of the Robeheim Family. The original owner, the Carvita Tribe, was also clueless about it.

That was to be expected. When it belonged to the Carvita Tribe, it was nothing more than a shiny rock.

Anyway, what kind of research could you possibly do with such a relic?

“Do you remember, Edgar? The territory protected by the Symbol of Dominion has been shrinking more and more.”


“Of course.”

Nodding in response to Ariel’s prompt, Edgar remembered it all too well.

Although it was a long-ago memory, he couldn’t forget how Ariel herself explained it to him when he first arrived in Hespania.

The unfortunate fact that the protective realm of the Symbol of Dominion, which safeguards the city from the cold northern climate, had been decreasing over time.

In fact, compared to when Edgar first came here, that range had indeed narrowed. It wasn’t an extreme reduction, but many people living on the outskirts of the city had suffered.

Ultimately, the Robeheim Family had to spend their own resources to help those people relocate to a safer area.

Further proving this, the light of the Symbol of Dominion had gradually faded, inch by inch over the days.

“…Huh?”

As he reached that realization, Edgar was struck by an odd unease.

Somehow, the brightness emanating from the stone seemed even more vivid than before. Or rather, should he call it an aura?

Feeling that subtle change, Edgar wore a blank expression for a brief moment, leading Ariel to grin widely.

“Got it? Actually, we managed to restore the Symbol of Dominion. All thanks to you, Edgar.”


“My credit?”

Edgar was taken aback by Ariel’s unexpected declaration of gratitude.

Then, as if they had rehearsed it, both women nodded simultaneously and smiled at him.

This only confused Edgar more.

Not only was it surprising that the Symbol of Dominion had been restored, but why did he get credit for it? All he did was slay a wyvern whenever possible and hunkered down in the office, staring at papers or occasionally looking after the kids.

“I’m about to explain everything right now, Hespania’s Savior.”


“…Can you at least let me off the hook?”

He could tell she was just teasing him, so Edgar earnestly requested his wife not to use that embarrassing title.

It was already burdensome enough to be called a national hero, and now he was being given yet another nonsensical title.

Hoping it was nothing severe, he resolved to listen carefully to Minette’s subsequent explanation.