I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 57

About two years.

It might not be enough time to clear away all the misunderstandings and sadness that have built up between the family, but it was sufficient for them to change their perceptions of each other and gradually return to their places.

During breakfast, they shared updates about each other and later gathered to enjoy tea together.

It was a common scene that could be seen in any household, but for the Robeheim Family, even this mundane routine felt refreshingly precious.

“Did you hear what Edgar said yesterday? It’s too much even for a father to see, right?”

While they were sitting together for tea and chatting, Ariel suddenly voiced her complaint.

Since her grievances were mostly about a particular person, the Robeheim Couple had become quite accustomed to it by now.

“Haha, I see. Should I call him in and give him a good talking to?”

“W-Well, I don’t actually want that much. Anyway, he won’t budge at my single word.”

Hearing that it was none other than Yulken who would give him a talking-to, Ariel quickly backtracked.

Helene, who was watching this unfold, wore a gentle smile. The idea that her daughter could hold such sway over that boy was just too cute a lie to refute. She must have witnessed dozens of occasions that could contest that claim, but today, she decided to keep her mouth shut in order to uplift her daughter’s spirits.

“Hmm? Speaking of which, time’s already flown by. Didn’t you have an appointment?”

“Ah, yes… Though I wouldn’t exactly call it an appointment.”

Recently, Ariel had been learning martial arts, including swordsmanship, from Edgar whenever she had free time. Though there were many talented instructors around, Edgar was the one she felt most comfortable learning from. Plus, she had indeed been seeing some rewarding results, so it wasn’t bad at all.

“You’re really working hard these days, my daughter. Is it thanks to Edgar’s good teaching?”

“T-That fool? Good teaching? I’m just putting in effort because I’m seeing some progress!”

Even though she had vowed to be more honest with herself, she still tended to speak rather snippily in front of others.

Meanwhile, Helene, observing with sharp eyes, decided to speak up again in a teasing tone. She had noticed her daughter being more candid lately, but if this continued, she had plans of her own.

“Oh my, really? Then how about trying to learn from a new teacher this time, our daughter?”

“A-N-New teacher?”

“Yes. I’ve heard that Creed has quite a bit of time lately. Since you know him well, it should be easy for you to learn from him, don’t you think?”

Caught off guard by this unexpected suggestion, Ariel blinked rapidly. Indeed, Creed was someone who definitely matched the criteria she had in mind for a mentor.

Having known him for a while, it wouldn’t be awkward, and as a former leader of the Royal Knights, his skills were beyond reproach. In fact, he was the very one who had trained Edgar.

You could say he was a teacher of a teacher—a step above her current instructor.

“What do you think? If you want to, I can give Creed a heads up.”

“T-That is…”

Just then, as Ariel found herself stuck between a rock and a hard place, a savior-like voice echoed softly in the room.

*Knock knock.*

– It’s Edgar. May I come in?

“Come in.”

The person in question appeared personally, bringing a wave of tranquility. Yulken wore an intrigued smile, enjoying his favorite salty biscuits.

“Sorry for bothering you. I thought I’d stop by since Ariel wasn’t showing up.”

“Nothing to apologize for. I had something to talk about, so I kept her here, sorry.”

Now approaching eighteen, Edgar’s demeanor was gradually maturing, with his voice sounding quite like a proper adult’s. Helene, however, missed his earlier, more friendly way of speaking, but she didn’t comment further since this serious tone wasn’t bad either.

“Why don’t you take a seat?”

“Ah, I appreciate the offer, but I should stick to Ariel’s schedule.”

“Well, it can’t be helped then.”

Yulken’s lips curled in disappointment. Although his daughter was precious and beautiful beyond compare, he had always secretly hoped for a son, so chatting with Edgar brought him a good amount of joy.

However, as a father, he couldn’t ruin his daughter’s schedule, so he gave a light nod and encouraged Ariel to get going.

Ariel stood up carefully and headed towards the door.

“Well then, I’ll be off.”

“Alright, don’t overdo it.”

“Yes, Mother.”

At first, she had flinched awkwardly at that title, but she had grown accustomed to it now. After all, she couldn’t keep calling her parents by their names like a child forever; she had decided to change that when she turned seventeen.

Having bid her parents farewell, Ariel left the reception room with Edgar. She was still in her casual clothes, so she needed to go back to change first.

* * * * * * *

Recently, the training grounds in the castle were one of the places Ariel frequented the most.

Edgar preferred the backyard for its fresh air, but Ariel chose this place because she didn’t want to show off an embarrassing side of herself to others.

Though there was another reason as well.

“No, you’ve got too many extra movements. Swing like this.”

Edgar’s instructions were extremely easy to understand and concise. It seemed his former master was exceptionally skilled, but he also had a knack for tailoring his lessons to his pupil’s level.

When he struck a pose to demonstrate the correct shape of legs and arms, Ariel followed suit, cocking her head.

“Like this?”

“No, it’s a bit different.”

Though her posture looked quite fine, it didn’t capture the feeling Edgar was aiming for. Getting the stance right from the outset with fewer extraneous movements was essential to smoothly transition into the next actions in actual combat. He knew this well since he had laid a solid foundation when he learned from Creed.

“I don’t really get it… Can’t you just show me?”

“Ah, um… Okay.”

Recently, Edgar found himself faced with a dilemma. Ariel was sincerely trying to learn, which was commendable, but whenever he taught her something, she would want him to directly correct her posture when she got even the slightest thing wrong.

If one were to ask what was wrong, it inevitably required some physical contact to correct her posture.

Edgar was a proper young man, after all, and he couldn’t help being aware of the situation.

However, refusing to help her directly when she was the noble lady who usually snapped at him was quite an ambiguous obligation.

He was truly stuck in a challenging predicament—unable to move forward or retreat.

“What do we do about the legs?”

“Uh, um… like this…?”

“Idiot, if you do it like that, it doesn’t make any sense. Just tell me properly.”

“…”

Still, this was a bit risky when it came to the legs. It wasn’t just any leg; he was talking about the thigh around the midsection.

Though it was covered by trousers and thus not bare skin, there was a line to be upheld even among close friends.

‘Was I this conservative?’

No, Edgar could firmly assert that this wasn’t the case. It would be more accurate to say that Ariel had become unusually open about it.

In the past, she would have been quick to yell at him for even misplacing a hand on her head, but he suspected there had been some change in her heart.

Anyway, what mattered now wasn’t to lay out theories on what might have changed in her sentiments—he was there strictly to help with Ariel’s training.

He needed to act accordingly.

“First, you have to do it like this. How does it feel? Can you feel the muscles tightening here?”

“Ugh, yeah. It feels like it’s pulling from the inside.”

“That’s right. That’s how you build the tension for the next move to flow smoothly and cleanly.”

After awkwardly correcting her position by gripping her thigh with a dismissive glance, it soon resulted in a compelling stance.

“Alright, let’s take a little break now. You’re all sweaty.”

Starting with basic training, moving onto a simplified spar, and wrapping up with a brief review of what they practiced that day, Edgar sprawled out on the floor of the training ground.

“Yeah. Ah, water…”

“I brought it. Just a moment.”

Since Ariel seemed pretty worn out as well and plopped down on the ground, Edgar had no choice but to get up and fetch a small bag.

Inside were a water bottle, emergency medicine, and some spare clothes just in case her outfit got torn.

“Why are you lying down? Going to sleep?”

“I don’t intend to, but I’m a little tired. I had drinks with Creed yesterday.”

“Are you an idiot? And you still woke up so early this morning?”

Today, Ariel was also up early, but Edgar had woken up even earlier to greet her. He had risen almost right at dawn.

‘If you’re tired, just sleep a little longer before coming out.’

Ariel looked at her childhood friend lying on the ground with closed eyes, feeling a twinge of concern.

It was good that he was accommodating her schedule, but she wondered if he was overdoing it.

“Ed, are you asleep?”

“…”

Noticing that his breathing was growing shallower, she called out in case he might be asleep, but it seemed he had indeed dozed off.

Ariel turned her head, scanning the empty training ground around her, then quietly approached Edgar.

‘Looks like he was really sleepy.’

Today was the day her friend Silvia would visit, so she couldn’t afford to waste time.

However, the thought of waking him up made her feel guilty.

At the same time, she wanted to keep watching him as he slept.

‘Ugh, this is so frustrating.’

Ariel pouted as she watched him breathe softly.

Whenever he was next to her, she felt unnecessarily tense, making it hard for her to sleep, let alone act as casually as before.

The way she had acted just a moment ago had almost made her heart race.

Ariel leaned over his sleeping face, getting closer without being too near or too far—an oddly delicate proximity.

While she wanted to sneak in a playful jab at him while he was defenseless, he would never notice, so even revenge felt futile.

Swish. Thump.

At that moment, a strand of Ariel’s hair, slick with sweat, brushed against Edgar’s face.

Perhaps because it brushed against a sensitive area like his eyes, Edgar frowned, rubbed his eyes, and sat up abruptly.

In her surprise, Ariel hurriedly tried to pull back her face, but her reaction came a bit late.

At last,

“W-Wait a second… Ahh!?”

Her high-pitched scream echoed throughout the training ground as their lips met for a fleeting moment.

And just like that, for a brief time, everything around them came to a standstill.