I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 75

This year, Ariel was permitted to enter her father’s office.

There were mainly two reasons for this.

The first was that Yulken often left the castle.

The second was to prepare Ariel, who would be an adult next year, to engage in official duties.

In other words, it also meant that whenever Yulken was away, she would soon be the master of this castle.

At those times, Elpelt did not follow along according to the master’s schedule but stood next to Ariel to assist her with her tasks.

Even though she had learned from a young age, she was still inexperienced in practical matters.

Perhaps in the future, if Edgar could learn the ropes and take over Elpelt’s position, he’d be more suitable for the role than she was right now.

“You already exude the dignity of a future head, young lady.”

“It’s still awkward, so please don’t say that.”

As Elpelt playfully brushed some gold onto her face, Ariel subtly averted her gaze and chuckled slightly.

There was still much to learn.

Far from exuding the dignity of a head, she hadn’t even thought that she had the qualities of a successor.

What she had seen in Yulken was truly the kind of presence befitting the master of the Robeheim Family.

It was like an innate charisma.

To reach that level would take a considerable amount of time, but Ariel wanted to hasten the arrival of that day even a little.

“Are you feeling impatient?”

“A little. I heard that my father started heading into battle from the age of seventeen, fulfilling his duties as a successor.”

The very reason Ariel wanted to follow Yulken to the front lines starting this year was precisely because of this.

She believed she had to at least be capable of following in his footsteps closely if she wanted to get any closer to him.

However, Elpelt shook his head with a gentle smile.

At that time, the North was in such turmoil that Yulken had not gone to battle by choice, so there was no need to be overly anxious about that fact.

“Your Highness, you are you. There’s no need to rush yourself by comparing with others. I’m sure the same goes for His Highness.”

“…When you say it, I feel like I can trust it more. You probably know my father better than I do.”

Ariel had heard that Yulken and Elpelt, while appearing to have a master-servant relationship, were also comrades who had shared the battlefield together.

That lengthy bond formed over time was something that could not be easily touched just because she was his daughter.

Thus, she felt she couldn’t claim to know Yulken well in front of Helene and Elpelt.

It was akin to folding wrinkles before a caterpillar.

“Isn’t that how it goes? Excuse me for saying this, but I believe Edgar knows you better than His Highness knows you.”

“I wonder how my father would react if I told him that.”

“What if I said, ‘My father’s aide said that my lover knows me better than my father!’?

Would he chuckle with a wry smile since he’s done something wrong, or would he call Elpelt to have a word with him? Ariel was quite curious.

On the flip side, Elpelt couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat, praying for mercy.

“Just grant me one favor.”

“I’m joking. The conversation we had ends here. Right?”

Winking playfully, Ariel soon grabbed her pen and started scanning the documents.

There were still many points she didn’t know well enough to sign off, and there were matters that Yulken needed to decide himself.

So Elpelt packed away things that he could manage while asking Ariel how she should view those matters, and little by little, she was learning the practical side of things.

“By the way, did you greet the young master’s parents well?”

“You knew, Elpelt?”

“Well, given your personality, you wouldn’t visit that far to Ardeanum without a reason.”

Basically, Ariel was someone who needed to have a purpose to move.

Unlike leisurely Edgar, she leaned toward a more pragmatic personality.

Of course, if her reason to go to Ardeanum was to be with Edgar, then there would be no complaints.

However, having watched her for a long time, Elpelt guessed there was another reason.

And one of those guesses was this.

“Yes, I had a good visit. They were quite surprised when I told them.”

“They couldn’t help but be surprised. If I were in their position, I’d be grateful not to faint.”

“Was it that shocking?”

Ariel suspected the other party would be surprised, but not being the person involved, she couldn’t gauge the level of their shock.

However, upon hearing Elpelt’s words, she realized again that she had brought back quite a shocking piece of news.

That said, if someone asked whether she regretted it, she’d say no.

“You’ve been a part of the Robeheim family since your birth, so it’s natural that you can’t comprehend their feelings.”

Her perspective on the Robeheim family’s status was limited to that of a family member.

She might know it was marvelous, but she was a stranger to the impact it had on those around her.

But how could one blame her for that?

If she had understood the Billhark family’s stance more accurately, it would have been impressive, but it didn’t mean she was foolish.

Moreover, Elpelt even considered this aspect a small gain.

Those at the top find it hard to look down, and this naturally leads to differences in perspective.

However, it seemed that due to this incident, Ariel had become more acutely aware of the stature of the Robeheim Family and the position of its successor, so she would likely be more careful in her actions moving forward.

“Mistakes are acceptable. What matters is what you realize from them.”

“You’re saying the same thing as Edgar.”

“Has he said something like this before?”

“Yeah, I was so young that the details are a bit blurry.”

“Since I was busy scolding you when you were young, that fool…” Ariel added, a smile forming on Elpelt’s face.

“Indeed, you had a good companion.”

While it was easy to point out a friend’s mistakes, it was quite difficult to give advice for them.

Especially when they were too immature.

In that sense, Edgar was fulfilling his role not only as her lover but also as a guide in life.

“As a potential husband for the young lady, he seems just as good as being an aide. How regrettable.”

In an instant, Elpelt genuinely thought so.

Of course, he wasn’t sure how Ariel would react if he voiced such thoughts, so he kept them to himself.

“Oh right, Elpelt. I have something I want to ask, can you answer me honestly?”

Her head turned, finally locking eyes with Elpelt, who was standing next to her.

The playful atmosphere that had been there moments ago had completely vanished from her gaze.

For Elpelt, the chill he felt was reminiscent of the icy stares Yulken used to give his enemies on the battlefield.

It felt as if invisible blades of ice were about to pierce his skin, causing him to swallow unconsciously and nod.

“What could I possibly lie to you about? Ask me anything.”

“Alright? Then I’ll get straight to the point.”

As if she had gotten what she wanted, she raised one side of her mouth mischievously and directly pierced into the most sensitive subject for Elpelt.

“Are there any in the family who are uncomfortable with Edgar’s presence?”

“……”

He had anticipated the question to an extent, but it was hard for him to maintain his composure when it came at him like this.

Above all, even though he knew he had to convey the truth, he was reluctant to reveal it right in front of Ariel.

“It was bound to come out sooner or later.”

He hadn’t expected it to come out this quickly. The information source was likely the maid, Shuri.

With her intelligence, she could have inferred the truth just by observing, but if she had such conviction, that changed the situation.

“Didn’t I say you could ask anything? My memory must be failing me.”

“Ah, I didn’t mean to. I’m just sorry to have to tell you this….”

“It wasn’t even your doing, so what do you care? I just asked if such people exist.”

Even while saying this, Elpelt realized the question carried the undertone of, “Were you a part of that opinion?”

“…I apologize. There are indeed a few among the retainers who show such signs, but other than a few extreme cases, most are positive, so please don’t worry.”

“I trust you won’t be included in that small minority, Elpelt.”

“Of course not.”

Elpelt also wasn’t from an exceptionally prominent family.

However, he had caught Yulken’s eye with his achievements on the battlefield and had been recognized for his abilities, allowing him to rise to his current position.

Therefore, it was nonsensical for him to look down on Edgar just because of his background.

It was as if a frog couldn’t remember when it was just a tadpole.

He wasn’t that foolish.

“Well, alright then. I can’t say I don’t understand those guys.”

“Excuse me? What do you mean by that….”

Elpelt’s eyes widened at the tone that sounded as if Ariel also agreed with their opinions.

But Ariel was able to see through his thoughts, responding with a scoff that seemed to say, “That’s ridiculous.”

“Just because I can understand them doesn’t mean I forgive them. Of course, if they were only opposed through words, it might be a different story.”

Ariel wasn’t an idiot. She knew she couldn’t just oust the influential members of the family for such reasons.

Thus, she had been pondering how to resolve the information she’d received from Shuri, and today those opportunists had handed it to her on a silver platter.

If only they’d stayed back, flapping their mouths while clinging to their corners, they might have kept their lives.

But she was far from gentle enough to overlook those traitors who dared bring a blade to someone precious to her.

“First, I need their names. Would that be difficult?”

“…It’s something His Highness specifically requested.”

Even before the inspections began, Yulken had ordered that Ariel be kept in the dark about this until she returned, and even if she found out, the details were to be withheld from her until Yulken was back.

Elpelt had to follow that edict, but looking into the eyes of the girl sitting in front of him, he questioned whether she would understand that.

“Your father said so? Then there’s nothing I can do.”

“Phew.”

Contrary to his worries, Ariel surprisingly relinquished her pursuit calmly, allowing Elpelt to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

However, he soon realized through her subsequent words that she wasn’t giving up; she was merely biding her time for a more concrete move.

“Anyway, there are things that can’t be done without my father’s permission.”

Calmly murmuring this, Ariel lightly twirled her pen and wore a bright smile.

It was a smile so bright, one would think she was excitedly anticipating what dinner would be like tonight.

Watching her, Elpelt found that even more peculiar.

Her eyes showed no emotion, and the smile seemed to signal only that she was okay, lacking any intention or meaning.

It was an unmistakably ominous sign.