I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 62

After finishing dinner, Ariel, who requested Shuri to bring tea, sprawled out on her bed like a dried fish hanging on a line.

Shuri, who had returned to the room, witnessed this and smiled softly.

This was a sight Ariel occasionally showed, and in that state, it was clear she could barely lift a finger.

Shuri knew better than anyone that the best course of action was to quietly prepare only what was necessary and then leave without disturbing her.

“Shuri, prepare yours too.”

“Me? If it’s for me…”

As she was setting the teacups and snacks on the table, Shuri expressed doubt at her master’s sudden command.

It implied that her master wanted to have tea time together.

However, Ariel, whom Shuri had observed, was surprisingly strict about the distinction between master and servant.

Though it was common for her to engage in conversations with those beneath her, she rarely asked to share tea or meals with them.

Surprised, Shuri blinked a few times, then smiled gently and nodded without further words.

She somewhat understood her master’s intentions.

“Now, Lady, you should get up before the tea gets cold.”

“Ugh… Since I requested it, it would be a shame not to drink it, so I guess I have no choice.”

Seemingly very reluctant to get up, Ariel rolled side to side on the bed before finally sitting up and sluggishly moving toward the table to sit down.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and sit.”

“Oh, right.”

Feeling anxious as to whether it was truly acceptable to sit with her master, Shuri stood awkwardly by, prompting Ariel to huff and point to the opposite chair.

“What tea leaves are these? They taste nice.”

“It’s called Dalia. It was just released recently, and I’ve heard good reviews about it in the market.”

“Oh, really? Hmm…”

Ariel wasn’t particularly fond of tea, but there were certain leaves she enjoyed when they matched her taste.

Among the teas she had tried, this one was especially delightful, leaving a refreshing aftertaste with a unique fruity acidity she couldn’t quite name.

“Please keep this one for the time being. Do we still have some left?”

“Yes, of course.”

“That’s good.”

Even if it were scarce, given the connections of the Robeheim family, no matter how precious the tea leaves might be, they could certainly be brought to her.

Ariel had likely never wanted for anything she desperately desired.

Well, to be precise, there was one thing she had.

“But why are you so quiet?”

“What do you mean…?”

“We’re both just sitting here silently. Isn’t it the role of a lower servant to start a conversation at times like this?”

Indeed, it was a typical tyrant move acknowledged by Edgar.

Ariel, who had called Shuri over as if she had something to say, was now shying away from speaking first, daring to place the blame on her servant.

However, Shuri didn’t visibly show any signs of being flustered by the situation. Instead, she calmly apologized and carefully began to speak.

“If it’s not a bother, may I start first?”

“Do you have something to say?”

“Not in that sense. I just think I might have a vague idea of what you’d like to say.”

“…”

Shuri believed she knew Ariel well enough, as she’d been by her side longer than anyone else, except for family and Edgar.

Her master, who had always been somewhat overbearing and curt with her servants, was now creating an opening, which likely meant she wanted help for something in a rather desperate way.

Recalling the recent events that had occurred with Ariel, the answer began to appear.

Whether she would openly voice it or not, that would be up to the lady she served.

“I was just a bit curious about you and Ronan. I have asked before, but I wasn’t honest then…”

“Back then…?”

“What, what kind of tone is that?”

Ariel’s flustered expression arose from Shuri’s tone, which seemed to suggest, ‘Are you saying you’re being honest now?’

However, from Shuri’s perspective, this response could be deemed quite natural.

In those earlier moments, Ariel had outright denied feelings of ‘liking’ someone, while now it felt like she was saying, ‘I like him, but it’s not enough to confess.’

From her point of view, Ariel’s attitude toward Edgar hadn’t really changed much.

With her now claiming, ‘Now I’m being honest,’ it was no wonder that good impressions would be hard to garner.

“Do you want to fall in love? Or do you want to compete…?”

“I-I don’t know! I’ve never experienced it before…”

“Oh.”

Right, that was true.

Shuri realized her misconception and let out a sigh.

Thinking back, the lady she served was merely a girl who would soon be eighteen and had fallen for her first love.

She had just needed to mature earlier than her peers and hone her abilities sooner; she was an ordinary girl.

Her understanding of love likely came solely from books, literature, or perhaps eavesdropping on others.

It was natural for such a girl to feel anxious about how to handle the emotions she felt for the first time.

Especially since these feelings, unlike magic, martial arts, or the family’s political affairs, weren’t things she could learn simply from theories, making it even more confusing.

‘Thinking about it this way makes her seem really cute.’

Shuri knew her master had always been quite adorable, but when considering that all her actions stemmed from purity, her cuteness multiplied.

“You might think differently, but Ronan and I didn’t just suddenly fall for each other and start dating.”

“Really? You said you became a couple just because you were childhood friends.”

“Well, yes. Being childhood friends often led us to realize our feelings, but at first, I was confused too.”

If they’d met while being conscious of each other as romantic partners from the start, the story could’ve been different.

But Shuri and Ronan hadn’t met through something like an arranged meeting or an introduction; they were merely childhood friends who played together since they were little.

Therefore, when Shuri first looked at Ronan as someone more than a friend and felt her heart race, she had no idea how to act.

If Ronan weren’t her friend, and if her confession had led them to end their friendship entirely, she would have probably acted more boldly then.

However, for Shuri, Ronan was an irreplaceable friend, and that very aspect became her blind spot.

Was the affection he felt truly the same as hers? What if rejecting her confession resulted in an awkward situation between them?

Being reduced to a state where they were not even friends anymore was something Shuri couldn’t even bear to think about.

“So I get why you feel the way you do. When I came to realize Ronan had feelings for me, I hesitated as well.”

“You too…? Is that so?”

“Of course. I couldn’t be sure, since I hadn’t entered his heart, even if I suspected.”

There is a saying about the ‘chance of a lifetime.’

If you were to express Shuri’s feelings at that time and Ariel’s feelings now, it would fit perfectly.

Is that person likely to like me? Is he conscious of me as someone of the opposite sex?

With those speculations swirling around, the moment one reaches out, doubts creep in.

Am I right? Could this whole thing fall apart due to my misinterpretation?

Thus, love is complicated.

Until one of them conveys their true feelings, both inevitably find themselves in a standoff, not knowing anything.

Moreover, it wasn’t caused by anyone’s fault.

It was merely a comical situation that arises because both valued each other so much.

“You said, didn’t you? That you think confessing to the young master first feels like losing.”

“Uh, yeah… I did.”

“But is that truly how you feel? To me, it seems like just a way to avoid the issue.”

With Shuri’s pointed remark, Ariel’s body jolted momentarily.

Hearing the unspoken truth she had kept from everyone—even from herself—brought a pang to Ariel’s heart.

“…How did you know?”

“I told you, I’ve been through a similar experience.”

Shuri and Ariel were rather alike.

The only significant difference was that while Ariel had deceived even herself continuing with those actions, Shuri had vowed to become honest with herself.

“You were simply afraid. You believed the young master liked you, but because you weren’t sure if it was real, you hesitated.”

“…If someone saw this, they’d think I was an open book.”

“Though not for an excessively long time, I’ve been watching you closely. I know at least this much.”

At the very least, the Ariel Robeheim that Shuri had seen until now was like that.

Though she certainly had her untruths.

She was a girl who wouldn’t engage in actions that her pride couldn’t accept.

Nonetheless, before that, she was a girl whose possessiveness exceeded all else.

Could such a girl hold back from pursuing the one man she desired the most all because of pride?

Shuri could only tilt her head in bewilderment.

“When you came to realize the young master had some feelings for you, that must have made you happy.”

“……”

Ariel quietly nodded without giving an answer.

Shuri’s words were spot on.

She had, until now, merely leaned on the kindness of that boy named Edgar.

She undoubtedly figured he would approach her first, so rather than reaching out and trembling in anxiety, she thought it better to wait for him.

In a way, it was like hoping for a relationship to progress while relying on an uncertain future instead of looking toward the more reliable certainty ahead.

Whether or not he truly loved her as a woman was uncertain, but she was quite clear about her own feelings for him as a man.

If he were to approach and whisper sweet nothings in her ear, there would be no clearer happy ending for her than that.

“Your reason for not speaking frankly to the young master about the candy today…must’ve been related.”

“Oh, you knew?”

“Sometimes I feel like you think I’m quite foolish. Sure, I do have my naïve moments but…”

Shuri acted miffed and puffed her cheeks slightly.

It was an absurd story from the onset.

If someone who knew Ariel’s true feelings witnessed that scene, they would never have believed her words.

That she would say ‘it’s not time yet,’ was merely a clumsy girl’s excuse to hold back on confessing.

‘Maybe…’

Shuri thought of one particular man’s face, letting out a faint, deflated laugh.

If anyone knew Ariel better than she did, that person had a strong possibility of understanding.

“I’ll tidy up the teacups and dishes and return. You do have more to say, right?”

“Yeah.”

‘Well, I suppose she would have plenty to say tonight.’

Shuri nodded as if she understood, then wheeled the empty teacups and the plate that once held snacks out of the room.

When she returned, she was determined to hear every adorable detail from her master.

Just as the door swung open, she found herself face to face with the very man whom they had just been talking about.

“Oh.”

“Uh… Hello?”

He stood awkwardly, raising his hand just as had been discussed.

“Ha ha.”

Shuri couldn’t suppress the laughter that spilled out, covering her mouth before gesturing toward the room where Ariel was.

“The lady is inside. Why don’t you go in?”

“Is it alright if I go in uninvited?”

“I’ll say it’s the maid’s discretion. I’ll handle the repercussions.”

“…Thank you, Shuri.”

As she shook her head slightly at his gratitude, Shuri wheeled the cart out of the room.

From her position, it appeared the corridor was a right angle, so she figured Ariel wouldn’t be able to see Edgar.

Once he entered the room, there would probably be screams or at least a great commotion.

‘Lady, hang in there.’

Without turning back, Shuri reached back and quietly closed the door, then straightened her back as she walked down the corridor.

Silently cheering on her master.