I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 76

Ariel ultimately didn’t explain today’s incident to Elpelt.

Since it was about none other than Edgar, she thought about mentioning it at first, but then worried that it would complicate matters quite a bit.

First of all, it was safe to say that the enemy was indeed within.

However, there were a few differences compared to fighting external enemies in such cases.

That difference lied in the perspective of the enemy.

For instance, let’s assume houses A and B are at war with each other; A knows B sees them as enemies, and B knows A sees them as such too.

Yet, when it comes to an enemy hiding within, while A views this hidden group as enemies, the hidden group hardly considers A as enemies.

Of course, if they realize their tail is long, the situation changes a bit, but those who have been lurking in the shadows tend to exude confidence.

This was precisely what Ariel was keenly aware of.

If she informed Elpelt of this fact right now, he, being no fool, would quickly gather that there were conspirators within.

And he would certainly want to disclose this somehow.

However, she viewed that as a bad idea.

In fact, since there was no concrete evidence, revealing this would only make them immediately retract their tails and fade back into the darkness.

Even if Yulken returned later to commence a search, there would be no way to catch the tail.

Of course, it was possible to keep this from Elpelt and secretly seek help.

But her more candid feelings were that she couldn’t trust a single soul in this situation.

‘Have I become too sensitive?’

A bitter smile appeared at the corners of Ariel’s lips as she lay alone on the bed with her eyes closed.

She felt it was regretful to doubt the right-hand man who had served her father since before she was born.

However, the thought that Edgar’s life was hanging in the balance left her no room to feel at ease.

Honestly, she didn’t see anyone around her as an ally.

‘At least Shuri is decent.’

She thought she could fully trust her, thus issuing a discreet command to her.

Not sure if it would be useful, but it was better than having nothing.

“Ugh…!”

Stretching in the same position on the bed, Ariel suddenly sat up straight.

With worries piling up, she felt a strong desire to see his face.

Having finished dinner, it was likely she had some time to spare, and just seeing him for a moment would bring her solace.

After making that decision, instead of heading out of the room, she approached her vanity and glanced at her reflection in a mirror she rarely looked at.

To be precise, it was an object she had only started looking at fairly recently.

And by ‘recently’, she meant since she began dating Edgar.

After all, a woman in love always wants to look beautiful.

“…Ah, right.”

Having almost finished tidying up, she suddenly remembered and grabbed a thin shawl that was draped over her chair.

Her outfit displayed a bit too much shoulder for her liking.

In truth, she didn’t really care about modesty.

The problem was that surprisingly, Edgar didn’t easily overlook that aspect.

Normally, she wouldn’t allow others to dictate her choices, but for some reason, she was glad he was concerned about this.

It felt like proof that he regarded her appropriately as a lover.

Thinking back to about a month ago, she smiled as she left the room.

Since Edgar’s room was right next door, she could see him anytime.

Knock knock.

“Edgar, can I come in?”

– Uh, come on in.

A very brief entry procedure.

In the past, she might have barged in without asking, but since becoming lovers, Ariel had changed her behavior a little.

“You’re still awake.”

“It’s not that late. Besides, I still have things to think about.”

When she figured out what he meant by ‘things to think about’, she nodded slightly and sat down near him.

“What is it?”

Recalling the assassin she had brought in a sack earlier, she asked discreetly, and Edgar responded, lowering his voice a bit.

“He’s in the basement.”

“No one else noticed?”

“Seems like it.”

A satisfied answer brought a warm smile to Ariel’s face as she scooted closer to him.

“I’m sorry for my part in this.”

“Don’t blame yourself.”

Edgar merely chuckled at Ariel’s brief apology.

He wasn’t a fool either; he could piece together much of what had happened that day.

Though it would require Ariel’s detailed explanation to reach definitive conclusions, he already knew that the incident was no simple assassination attempt directed at a noble lady.

Who could he possibly blame for this?

Edgar believed that neither of them had done anything wrong.

The real problem lay with the identity of the shadowy figure who had orchestrated this plot.

‘It’s coming at me harder than I expected.’

When he had firmed up his feelings for Ariel, he had anticipated some external interference.

However, he hadn’t thought it would be this gruesome.

Their intentions remained shrouded in mystery, but one thing was certain: they wanted to eliminate him, even if they had to resort to severe measures.

And while the first attempt might be easy, he couldn’t guess what they would resort to in subsequent attempts.

“Though, you’ve surprised me.”

“Really? How so?”

As Ariel tilted her head at Edgar’s unexpected remark, he answered back with a playful smile, as if the serious demeanor he wore moments ago was all an act.

“I thought you would ask if I regretted dating you or something.”

“Sounds foolish. Of course, I have questions… but…”

“But?”

When Edgar echoed her unfinished thought, Ariel’s smile widened.

She reached out, wrapping her smaller hand around Edgar’s larger one.

He silently placed his left hand over hers, encircling it.

“Such a question would be rude to the current you. And if you really regretted it, you would have grabbed me by the collar the moment we met.”

She added that it wasn’t worth asking because she already knew the answer.

Indeed, she was growing in more ways than one, and realizing this put a proud smile on Edgar’s face.

“Oh right, Edgar. As you said, from tomorrow onward, I plan to ensure there will always be escorts when we leave the castle.”

“Really? Made a quick decision, huh?”

Unlike Edgar’s expectation that she would hesitate and drag her feet, she came to a surprisingly quick conclusion.

That meant today’s events made a deep impression on her.

“I wouldn’t want to lose your life, even if mine is at stake. I’ve already mentioned it to Elpelt.”

“Good thinking. No matter what happens to me, it was something that eventually needed to be done.”

“But I didn’t want that… I wanted it to just be the two of us. Why should we have to deal with escorts? How awkward is that?”

It seemed the only reason she disliked the idea was the thought that someone else would witness her secret time with him, which left Edgar both amused and helplessly petting her head.

If he’d known, he could have used another persuasion method.

He thought it was simply a dislike of feeling restrained by others, but the reason was quite different.

“Still, let’s be cautious for now. Once the situation settles, we can go out just the two of us when it’s not too far. How does that sound?”

“If that’s the case… sure.”

It didn’t affect their earlier discussion, but it would be wise to consider this precaution for Ariel’s sake.

That was the result of nearly 20 years of experience he had accumulated while being around her.

“You’ve been snuggling longer than usual today. Was work hard?”

Ariel had buried her face in Edgar’s chest, showing no signs of wanting to fall from her perch.

It was a sight comparable to a cat showing affection.

However, this time, Edgar didn’t tease her but let her do as she pleased.

“Uh… I wouldn’t say hard, but it was a bit scary.”

“Scary how?”

“Just earlier, when we were attacked. Realizing they were targeting only you hit me hard; I couldn’t help but think, what if you were to die…”

Ariel knew about Edgar’s prowess and was aware of her own skills too.

Yet, knowing how fragile a life could be, like a flame in the wind, she was struck with anxiety that it could suddenly end.

“Don’t worry. I’m still right here, alive, right?”

As Edgar gently patted her back to reassure her, she looked up at his face, then planted a soft kiss on his lips.

Smack.

With a delicate sound, their lips parted, and she nestled her face against his shoulder, her eyes shimmering.

She missed this warmth.

This sensation that she almost lost thanks to those ridiculous bastards—his warm voice and solid presence.

She absolutely couldn’t afford to lose him. Even if the heavens took him away, she would defy fate.

Just as he had protected her when he was young, now was her time to protect him.

She simply wanted him to remain right here, unwittingly holding on to his peaceful smile.

Because she didn’t want to soil his hands with the task of exterminating bugs.

‘I wish he could stay like this forever.’

As someone who remembered her as an innocent princess, she wanted to remain in his mind as that pure childhood friend, no matter how much blood she might stain her hands with.