I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 42

Since the incident that night, Edgar had suddenly become a celebrity in the castle.

Ten days later, he would move from his quarters in the backyard to the main building of the castle.

Leonel and Enya, who had shared many moments with him during that time, expressed their sadness over the sudden news.

However, as he wouldn’t be too far away and would still be receiving lessons from Creed, it wasn’t a big deal.

After promising to meet every morning in the backyard, Edgar bid a not-so-final farewell to the two.

A funny situation arose in between as well, when the two showed their surprise upon discovering that Edgar was of noble birth.

They added that his behavior was so down-to-earth and open it didn’t seem noble at all, but Edgar couldn’t suppress a strange bitterness.

Thus, Edgar’s morning routine changed quite a bit with the move.

Originally, he would head straight to the backyard for lessons with Creed, but nowadays, he found himself visiting Ariel’s room first.

Though they were friends privately, he was officially in the role of a servant while he stayed there, which came with its own set of responsibilities.

“Shuri, good morning.”

Today, he was greeted by her personal maid, Shuri, who had arrived early at Ariel’s door.

“Hello, Young Master… Oh, I mean, Edgar.”

“Still not used to the title yet? I feel the same way.”

Although he was originally a friend of the lady, while staying here, he was undeniably in the same position as Shuri in the role of a servant.

Thus, there was an order to change titles— it was merely a petulant demand from the childish young lady— but perhaps still not being accustomed to it, Shuri occasionally blurted out the old title.

Edgar chuckled as if to say he understood her feelings and immediately received a basket from Shuri.

Inside the basket were various items Ariel used to groom herself, from combs to perfumes.

Although these were things that should’ve been in Ariel’s room, Edgar heard that she had passed them off to Shuri, saying they were a bother.

So now, it had become a habit to bring them whenever he visited her room in the morning.

“Sorry, but this is my job.”

“Don’t worry about it. Besides, it’s better for me to do it than for you to wake her up, risking getting yelled at.”

He had often heard that when Shuri went to wake Ariel, she would resist vigorously.

It wouldn’t be easy to wake a sleeping master as a servant, especially for someone like Shuri, whose temperament wasn’t confrontational.

So Edgar’s clever idea was simply to wake Ariel under the guise of a greeting.

Though he hadn’t attempted it many times yet, it had proven to be quite effective.

“Oh, and Ronan is also out in the garden right now. Why not go check?”

“Really?”

As soon as Edgar’s name slipped out of his mouth, Shuri’s eyes widened in surprise and she hastily turned her head toward the window.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t a spot where she could see the garden clearly, so she couldn’t confirm his presence.

“I’m serious. Leave it to me to wake Ariel.”

“But it’s working hours now…?”

“Who cares? There’s someone to cover your duties.”

Edgar shrugged casually, nodding toward the window, and catching the cue, Shuri quickly bid farewell and hurried off somewhere.

‘This is perfect timing.’

Watching her go with satisfaction, Edgar turned and knocked on the room door.

Knock. Knock.

He knocked a bit harder to make sure he wouldn’t be misheard, but there was no response.

In this case, there could only be two options.

Either she was already awake but intentionally ignoring him, or she was still sound asleep.

Of course, neither option posed any challenge for Edgar.

“Excuse me.”

Without waiting for explicit permission, the servant boldly entered the room after casually uttering a few words.

As expected, Ariel was still away in dreamland on her bed.

Though people often said she looked like an angel while sleeping, all Edgar could see was a malevolent tyrant taking a brief rest.

“Miss, the sun is high. Time to wake up.”

“…Zzz.”

Standing there with one hand at her waist in a somewhat defiant manner, he was trying to rouse his master.

Yet, Ariel continued to sleep with no sign of waking, her soft breaths filling the room.

Watching this scene, a vein started to bulge on Edgar’s forehead.

She had asked him to wake her up when she went out for morning training, but here she was, sprawled out asleep without even starting to get ready.

He couldn’t help but wonder if she even remembered their agreement.

“Ariel, wake up. You invited me to train together this morning.”

“Uhh… Shuri, just a little longer…”

“Shuri’s frozen out there.”

It hadn’t been just a few days, but over that time, Edgar had realized how genuinely tough Shuri’s job was.

How much had Ariel complained every morning to elicit such an instinctive response?

As much as he wanted to give her a playful flick on the forehead, doing so would just escalate things once she woke up.

And he couldn’t keep engaging in pointless banter, so Edgar made a drastic decision.

“Gotcha.”

Like he was lifting a heavy sack, he rolled up Ariel in her blanket and hoisted her up.

At that moment, her tightly closed eyes flickered open, just a bit.

“Uhh, Shuri… what? Huh?”

Confused and looking for Shuri’s presence, Ariel peered out from the cocoon of blankets and quickly scanned her surroundings.

For some reason, she found herself hovering in the air and was greeted by a boy’s face that she definitely shouldn’t see.

After about three seconds of unexpected silence, a shrill scream resonated in the room.

“AAAAAAAAAAK!”

“Ugh, will you stop yelling? Keep it down!”

Edgar grimaced at the ear-piercing scream, but without regard for his discomfort, Ariel’s shrill outcry continued.

“W-What the heck are you doing! Are you crazy?! Where do you think you are…!?”

“Don’t act all ladylike. Is drooling and gaping open like that what noblewomen do?”

“What!? If you put me down, I swear I’ll kill you!”

So what if he didn’t put her down?

Edgar received a splendid hint and nearly set her down in front of the vanity, but thought better of it and took another lap around the room instead.

“Seems like you should’ve just woken up gracefully when I tried to wake you. This is all your fault, you know?”

“Fault? What…! Why are you even here! Where’s Shuri? Where’s Shuri!?”

Ah, of course, that comment came out.

Having anticipated that reaction, Edgar just smirked, providing a relaxed response.

“She had other urgent matters to attend to, so I volunteered to wake you up. Some extra consideration, huh?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! I bet you just wanted to find Ronan!”

“Yeah, okay, but what are you touching right now?”

Why was she so upset about being touched when she was the one who struggled to escape?

Why would anyone find a cocooned caterpillar pretty enough to touch, anyway?

“Don’t blame others. Why would I touch your body? Am I a pervert?”

“Of course you are! You came into a lady’s room without permission and—what are you doing with my body…?!”

“Geez, just stop it. Someone might think I’m forcing myself on you.”

Eventually conceding defeat, Edgar placed her back on the bed and flopped down in a nearby chair.

Finally freed from the blanket, Ariel puffed out angrily, releasing her frustration.

“What is this, you idiot! My hair is a mess now!”

“It was messy to begin with. Quit whining.”

“Well, maybe it was, but… anyway!”

Honestly, how tidy could a person look after waking up?

Moreover, Ariel’s hair was longer than that of many girls, making it prone to tangles.

Ultimately, unable to refute Edgar’s words, Ariel huffed and angrily tossed the blanket aside.

Edgar then felt it necessary to explain the situation that had unfolded and began to point out her faults.

“You asked me yesterday to train together in the morning, right? But instead of getting ready, you’re just sprawled out, sound asleep?”

“What, you couldn’t wait just a bit longer? You slug.”

“I already waited long enough before coming in. And what? Slug?”

After all, the time Shuri entered to wake up Ariel was still relatively late for a morning routine.

At this point, everyone else in the castle had already begun their day.

That’s to say, this whole situation arose because of that sluggish, childish young lady. Edgar insisted it wasn’t his fault.

“You always act like this. Would it really hurt to be a little nicer?”

“Yeah, I might be nice to others, but not to you.”

“Geez, irritating!”

In the end, Ariel flipped the blanket over herself again and lay back down.

The lady who had just been complaining about her messy hair seemed to have vanished, replaced by someone displaying a stark contradiction in behavior.

“Quit pouting and get up. We have to eat.”

“Ugh, no! My hair is still a mess!”

“Ugh.”

No way she was acting like a three-year-old.

Where had the poised young lady from just a few days ago gone?

Yet again, Edgar sensed that he would have to relent and gently tapped her back.

“I’ll help you fix your hair, so get up.”

“…Really?”

“Who am I to lie about something like this? Now get up quickly, we’re running out of time.”

Because she had been dragging her feet, they were already running late for morning training.

By now, Creed was probably looking at his watch, wondering why his trainee hadn’t shown up.

He would undoubtedly have to start with an apology upon meeting him.

“Alright, hurry it up.”

“What kind of request is that?”

“Hmm, if we’re late, only you are going to get in trouble with Creed. If you don’t want that, go back to bed.”

Seizing the opportunity, Ariel began humming happily while bopping her body in front of the vanity.

Edgar sighed deeply, but what could he do? For now, he was trapped in this role.

“Yes, Miss. So, do you have a hairstyle in mind?”

“Do you even know how to do it?”

Edgar considered giving her a smack based on her dubious look.

It seemed this brat had completely forgotten their shared memories.

“Hey, I tied your hair a few times when we were younger! You think I can’t do this?”

“Really? I don’t remember.”

“Then what do you want me to do?”

After thinking for a while, Ariel requested a style she usually never wore—neatly tying it back long and loose.

Edgar fetched the comb he had gotten from Shuri, brushing through her hair with care as he began to style it.

He’d make sure not to let any strands get caught in the comb, parting it every few moments to keep it neat.

“You’re actually pretty good at this. I might want to request it every day.”

“Why the heck would I do this every day? Am I crazy?”

“If you’re a servant, you have to obey your lady’s orders. Isn’t that right?”

Whack!

“Ouch!? Why’d you hit me?”

“Shut your mouth and go look in the mirror, my lady. Before I smack you again.”

Eventually, unable to hold back any longer, Edgar gave her a light tap on the head with the comb and resumed his duty.

Wasn’t he seriously starting to worry that he’d chosen the wrong path in life?

“Oh, right. Did you hear the news?”

“What news?”

Edgar’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as discomfort began creeping up.

Whenever she abruptly brought something up like that, it was always some shocking news.

And it seemed today was no different.

“There’s a ball coming up soon! You’re going with me.”

“…What?”

The only ball she could be referring to, given that she hadn’t even entered society yet, was the debutante ball.

In other words, it was the gathering where young ladies took their first steps into society.

It wasn’t just any ball; it had a significant meaning, especially for women.

As a consequence, when news spread of esteemed young ladies preparing for their debutante balls, families would compete to send their children along with them.

“I haven’t heard anything about this. When was it decided?”

“Yesterday. You said you’d stay by me at my initiation ceremony, remember?”

Sure, she may have said that, but he never expected it would be decided so quickly.

By then, other noble families would have begun vying for a spot next to her.

Thus, despite the Duke’s house being influential, they would naturally push for whatever would benefit their family the most.

Who would have thought they could secure a spot without any forewarning?

Even if he were to take part, he thought such matters would only be finalized just before the ball.

“So just prepare yourself. This is a monumental occasion for me, Ariel Robeheim.”

“…Yeah, how would I ever compete with that?”

Puffed up with pride, Ariel boasted to the point that it would leave anyone blushing.

Ultimately, Edgar couldn’t help but chuckle as he finished arranging her hair, resigning himself to continued subjugation under this tyrant.