I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 61

When Ariel woke up from her deep slumber, Edgar was already gone.

Meanwhile, Silvia, who had been quietly reading a book she seemed to have brought from somewhere, noticed her friend had awakened and put the book away.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Uh-huh… How long did I sleep?”

“About four hours? Dinner’s soon.”

Perhaps because it was right after waking up, Ariel felt rather fuzzy, unlike her usual self.

Especially the way she rubbed her eyes made her look just like a sleepy cat, which made Silvia, watching her, feel adorably overwhelmed.

With a gentle smile, Silvia got up and moved to sit beside Ariel.

She wanted to tidy up her friend’s disheveled hair and clothes from her sleep.

“I was surprised earlier, Ariel. I never imagined you’d react that way.”

“Don’t even mention it. My face is still burning from it.”

The memory of snuggling up to Edgar and putting on all her charms just before she dozed off was still vividly fresh in her mind.

At least she managed to draw a line with some pathetic excuse; otherwise, she would have probably resolved to end her embarrassment right there.

“So, how long does this effect last, anyway?”

“It should last until tomorrow morning.”

“I hope I won’t have to run into that guy.”

As Ariel sighed deeply, feeling her world go dark, she leaned against Silvia, who was arranging her hair.

‘What kind of candy does that even?’

Having thought the effect of the candy would wear off before dinner, this false hope felt like a thunderclap to her.

Yet somehow, it seemed that in front of Silvia, she couldn’t spew any nonsense; perhaps the effects varied each time.

Or maybe the emotions she had long bottled up for Edgar had left her particularly uncontrolled.

Whichever it was, since the moment she ate that candy, Ariel’s day was bound to take a rocky turn.

“So, how was it? After confessing to Edgar.”

“…Don’t ever do that again. I’m really angry.”

Ariel shot a cold glare at her friend, who was teasingly asking, like she was about to spit fire from her hands.

Silvia, faintly smiling, nodded her head in acquiescence, admitting her wrongdoing.

In the beginning, she might have acted with good intentions, but looking back now, she realized how shortsighted it had been.

“Yeah, I actually regret it a bit too. Sorry, Ariel.”

“What? Why are you apologizing so easily? You’re not that kind of person.”

“You know I like to joke around, but I don’t like crossing the line, right?”

“…True.”

Ariel nodded, unable to refute as she saw Silvia shrugging her shoulders and jesting around.

In her eyes, Silvia always walked that fine line, just teetering on crossing it with her jokes.

In some sense, she was more of a genius at jest than Edgar, as she could amuse others without making them feel bad, but when the tables turned, it could be infuriatingly annoying.

From that perspective, today’s actions didn’t seem like her at all.

Silvia, who always thought ahead when pulling pranks, had pulled a rather provocative and dangerous one that disturbed someone else’s feelings today.

Perhaps it pained her to see both of them clumsily dancing around each other’s feelings without understanding them.

“Well, what’s done is done. I can’t help it now. But next time, if you pull something like that again, I’ll make sure to throw a fireball at you.”

“Sorry, it won’t happen again in the future.”

“Hmph, how can I believe you just like that?”

Ariel pouted, clearly showing her irritation.

After all, this was part of Silvia’s predictable pattern.

She always said, “I won’t do it again next time,” only to pull another prank the very next day.

It was a classic story of the boy who cried wolf.

But contrary to Ariel’s skepticism, Silvia felt certain that for the first time, she truly meant it.

Next time there wouldn’t be an opportunity like this again.

“Huh? Speaking of which… where did that candy go?”

Ariel asked, noticing no sight of the jar where she had kept the candy, neither on the table nor near where Silvia had been sitting.

Surely, none of the others would have eaten such a bizarre candy, and if they attempted to, Silvia wouldn’t let it happen if she had any conscience.

“Oh, that? I threw it away. Just in case someone might find it and cause a stir.”

“Good call. If I saw it again, I was ready to smash that jar.”

As the memories of her first taste of the candy swirled in her mind, Ariel gritted her teeth and released her frustration.

The burst of energy was so fierce; it made Silvia’s knees weak just watching.

“I’ll bring you a proper gift next time. Look forward to it.”

“I won’t be expecting anything.”

“Hehe, just believe me one more time.”

“Ugh, fine! Just don’t cling to me, you fool!”

In the end, having managed to win her a chance once again, Silvia let out a small cheer and finally let go.

Hoping to bring a proper gift that would make her friend smile brightly next time, Silvia carried that small wish in her heart as she heard the news that dinner was ready and left the room with Ariel.