I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 72

The day Edgar and his party were leaving Ardenum was fast approaching.

With the thought that it would be hard to see my younger sister’s face for a while after we leave, Edgar carried her around all day.

By his side, there was Ariel, who was following along, looking a bit less irritated than before.

“Paaah!”

Sonia, still babbling incomprehensible sounds, grabbed Edgar’s finger, spinning around in front of him.

It was hard to believe that the strength of a child just a few months old could be so fierce.

“Wow, this little one is strong! Look at her holding onto my finger.”

“Isn’t that because she takes after you? Who knows, she might grow up to be a tough girl.”

“Somehow that suits her, though. I just hope she grows up well, whatever that means.”

“Geez, you’ve already become such a softie.”

Ariel shook her head with a sigh, but a faint smile was playing on her lips.

It was somewhat annoying that he was so enamored with his sister that he barely paid attention to anyone else, yet at the same time, it made her think.

Maybe when he eventually gets married and has kids, he would shower that same kind of love on his future children.

Even though Ariel had recently cleared up misunderstandings and reconciled with their father, the fact remained that they hadn’t spent much quality time together when they were younger.

So, the thought of giving a lot of love to any child they might have was always on her mind.

While they were spending their dwindling moments with Sonia, Katria suddenly burst through the door.

“Ed, are you in here?”

“Yes, Mother. What’s the matter?”

“I just wanted to check if you’ve packed everything. We’re leaving soon, aren’t we?”

At her mother’s question, Edgar nodded nonchalantly.

He’d gotten help from the servants in the mansion, but he had packed most of his things without missing a single item.

“It would be nice to stay just a little longer, but now that you’re busy, I suppose you can’t.”

“Haha, I can always come back. I’ll visit as often as I can.”

Ariel, listening to the mother-son exchange from the side, felt an unexpected pang of guilt and kept her mouth shut.

She always stayed at the family home, so parting from her parents was something she only experienced when her father went off to battle, unlike these two.

She painfully felt how sad it was to not be able to see someone you long to meet, especially during the last few years when she couldn’t return to Ardenum.

This meant she understood this feeling better than anyone else.

Sometimes, she wondered if she was taking this good man away from his kind mother, but since Edgar had become an essential part of her life, she had no intention of letting go.

So, all she could do was reassure this woman who would one day become her mother-in-law and try to visit as often as possible with Edgar.

That was the least she could do for the couple who had given her this precious man. Ariel was convinced of that.

“Thank you, Mother.”

“Thank you? What have I done?”

Katria tilted her head in confusion at the unexpected expression of gratitude.

With a gentle smile, Ariel straightened her back and began to recount the reasons she was grateful.

“You sent Edgar to be by my side four years ago. You even willingly allowed our relationship to grow.”

“…I see what you mean. But that was simply this child’s choice, so you don’t need to thank me.”

In fact, at that time, Katria had wanted to prevent her only son from heading off to Hespania.

While it was true that gaining knowledge and better experiences could be beneficial, it was clear that tough times were ahead.

However, it was Edgar’s own will that he wanted to be beside his friend, putting aside any worries.

Looking back now, it seemed her son had some feelings for Ariel as well.

Otherwise, how could he have traveled such a long way, driven only by the bond of friendship?

“Moreover, I’m not sure we should call it permission, but I’m aware that you two are no longer just kids. That’s why I didn’t say anything.”

When the Robeheim Family and Billhark Family formed a familial tie, it was likely that the Billhark Family would benefit more from this union.

However, Katria had never considered that complicated matter; she simply didn’t want to interfere with her child’s deep relationship.

Of course, she had been somewhat surprised at first, but that was about it.

Now that her son was old enough to make his own decisions, it would be inappropriate for her to meddle any further.

Moreover, she doubted these two would enter into this relationship solely based on feelings without thinking things through.

As a mother, all she could do was quietly pray from a distance.

“I know it’s not my place to say this as a mother of a girl, but please take good care of our son, Ariel.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make him so happy that he won’t even look at other women.”

Despite the line sounding a bit like the roles had been swapped, Edgar, watching from a distance, merely smiled faintly and said nothing.

‘Other women.’

He didn’t have any reason to look, but if that day came, knowing Ariel’s personality, she wouldn’t hesitate to blind him to keep him from seeing anyone else.

Considering how plausible that was, Edgar shivered briefly and shook off the thought.

He vowed not to entertain such nonsense.

* * * * * * *

Vincent had recently been wracking his brain over things that weren’t going his way.

It was as if an innocent loach had found its way into the ocean, trying to stir things up, which left him scowling more than once.

He firmly believed that a hierarchy existed among people.

Others might call it elitism, but Vincent’s worldview was even more unyielding and degrading than that.

He was already over sixty years old, but what he had accumulated over the years wasn’t knowledge or wisdom.

It was merely a thicker and more grotesque essence of humanity.

In a sense, it could be seen as more greedy than a thirst for power or material wealth.

In fact, what he wanted wasn’t power or wealth, perhaps making it easier for him to reach this point compared to others.

Even when colluding with someone to pursue mutual goals, he was quick to hand over most of the benefits to the other party.

What he desired was simply to exclude those who shouldn’t be in his space.

In that sense, he and Yulken, the current head of the family, were like water and oil.

Yulken had a strict meritocratic view, noticing potential over family background or standing.

However, Vincent was the opposite.

Of course, he didn’t like incompetence either, but what he detested even more was those of lowly origin aiming high with their trivial abilities.

“Trash should be thrown in the garbage bin.”

Vincent sighed in discontent.

Holding the wine glass that had been sitting on the table, he rolled it around in his hand, observing the marks it left on the rim, quickly erasing the thought that had emerged in his mind.

“Was it Edgar Billhark?”

He naturally did not remember the names of those whom he didn’t consider worth his time.

However, that particular name had etched itself so deeply in his mind that he found it hard to erase.

Recalling the invisible mental battle he fought with Yulken over that good-for-nothing a couple of days ago made his teeth grind.

“Well, Yulken has never sat right with me. Wanting to take that filthy whore and make her the hostess of the Grand Duke’s household was ridiculous.”

The current hostess of the Grand Duke’s house, Helene, wasn’t from particularly prestigious origins either.

The man Vincent was most troubled about at the moment was similar or perhaps even below her standing.

He couldn’t outright denounce Edgar’s lowly background in front of Yulken, as it would come across as disparaging the current hostess, Helene.

As much as he would like to do so, he wasn’t ignorant of the lines he needed to maintain.

To put it precisely, he was a man who was good at preserving his own life.

The cunningness that developed as one ages was meant for moments like this.

“It’s complicated, it really is.”

It was merely youthful arrogance.

He thought it was merely a result of being cooped up in the castle, not having met many better and more impressive men out in the world.

But knowing that merely wishing for a split between these two and sitting back to watch would be a foolish act.

Ariel’s coming-of-age ceremony was approaching, and it would be less than a year before she could marry.

If she could get through that year without facing significant challenges, Yulken, with his temperament, would likely rush into the marriage, making it impossible to intervene then.

“Indeed….”

Would it be quickest to eliminate him?

Vincent muttered in a low voice and gently tilted the wine glass he brought to his lips.

Moreover, among his other vassals who shared his views, there were those who were keeping an eye on Edgar for the sake of marrying their own sons to Ariel.

From their perspective, Edgar seemed to be an even bigger thorn than Vincent himself.

At times like that, they might just reach out to lend a hand.

Even if the plot were to be discovered, as long as he prepared a way to pin the blame on them, he could slip through unscathed unless there was clear evidence.

“Sounds good.”

As vague plans began to click into place in his mind, Vincent set the empty wine glass down on the table with a sly grin.

First, it was crucial to form a connection with him without anyone knowing.

Until then, he needed to keep a low profile, avoiding any clashes with Yulken.