I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess

The dishes were good enough to satisfy Ariel's palate.

In particular, her tongue was delighted that the dishes didn't contain too much spices and that the overall taste was clean and subtle.

They were full, and it was good that the wind was blowing just right, so the two decided to sit outside a little longer and then move on.

And, share a story that a certain someone is itching to share so much.

“Did you like the meal?”

“Huh, heh… Well, your choice of place isn't bad. ”

Would it hurt her pride to just say that it was delicious?

It seems that the pride of the daughter of the Grand Duchess is too high for him to measure.

Although she said so, a faint smile on her face still gave her away.

And Edgar, who confirmed this with a sidelong glance, also drew an arc one after another.

It's not fun to go on like this, so it would be okay to tease her a little.

"Oh right. I talked to your family guards on the way today.”

"About what?”

When the two of them meet, it is usually Ariel who brings up the topic, so her ears perk up when he suddenly brings up a daily life story.

“You know I practice every morning, right?”

"hmm."

“Actually, at that time, men who were on patrol or had a little free time came to watch.”

The content of the story afterward was something she already knew.

She often watches Edgar train through her window or she heard it from Shuri, but this is the first time she is hearing about this from Edgar.

So Ariel responds with small nods as if this is the first time she hears, not wanting to give herself away.

Edgar was eager to make fun of her, and didn't notice it because of his excitement, so he just continued his words calmly.

“Usually, when the sparring is over, I often sit there and chat with the men and then return to the dorm late.”

"And?"

“So today, as usual, I was sitting there, and Sir.Creed told me with a wink. I heard you asked to meet me today.”

It's not wrong, but Ariel was embarrassed to hear that for no reason.

She suddenly feels like a frivolous woman flirting with a man who is in the midst of training.

‘No.'

This all happened because that man hadn't come to see her for nearly three days.

She wasn't in the wrong.

“Anyway, I was about to come over after receiving the signal, but the men were busy asking where I was going. They asked if I was going to meet my girlfriend. "

“Hey, girlfriend… … !?”

With one word that jumped out, Ariel's face turned as red as her current hair.

Which foolish guard dared to say such a thing?

A girlfriend, he has a degree of overflowing confidence.

‘Ofcourse, if he begs me, I might consider it at least once.'

However, that is still only

‘consideration', not consent yet.

Couldn't it be that the opportunity to welcome the proud Lady of the Robeheim family as his life partner could come so easily?

If she ever found out the guard's name, she would summon him right away and punish him severely.

It was a truly unpleasant experience.

“That, so… What did you say?”

She bet that he didn't confirm with the guard's words.

Ariel asked him in a tone mixed with anxiety——it was definitely not anticipation, it was anxiety——.

If he even expressed an ounce of affirmation, she promised that she would turn him into porridge right away.

[T: Isn't it usually ‘ turn him into a meat pulp?']

The heat that had risen around Ariel, who was looking at Edgar with such burning eyes, cooled down in one short reply.

“What do I say? Of course I said no.”

“… … .”

There was really only one thought in her head.

‘That's right.'

How to name it, jt was neither anger, nor contempt, an emotion that is neither one nor the other.

If she had to express it, would it be close to despondency? No, it didn't seem like that either.

Only the thought that the answer came out as she expected dominated her mind.

“… Phew, so what did you say after that?”

“Is there anything wrong? He asked me if she was pretty, so I actually did say something.”

“Heh, it is obvious what you would have said.”

He must have said all sorts of evil things, such as asking how she could be pretty, and saying that she looked like a slob.

In the first place, Edgar hadn't said that she was pretty since she was ten years old.

Even she received it stabbed in her side, he said.

Ariel didn't even ask what he said at tht time because she wasn't expecting the answer.

She just turned her head and took a sip of the tea she ordered separately after dinner.

A mischievous smile formed on Edgar's lips as he looked at her actions.

It's true that he didn't say she was pretty, but he didn't particularly curse either.

He seemed to have to tell the truth.

“Actually, I didn’t say she was pretty, I just said she was kind of cute.”

“Ehh, cute… … !?

Ariel swallowed her afterward words with a face as embarrassed as when she heard the words ‘girlfriend'.

Again, her fresh red face was showing her emotions.

“Puha, what are you so surprised about?”

“Who, who is cute! I told you not to treat me like a child!"

How is the word cute related to a future ruler of the North? You are cute and your whole family is cute!!

There was a limit to spouting nonsense and if she let it go like this now, he will say even more outrageous things the next time.

Ariel rushed at him, spewing steam in all directions as if to take this opportunity to uproot Edgar.

But who is Edgar?

“But if I just say, ‘She's pretty,’ the atmosphere is too cheap. So I put it in moderation.”

He was a boy who had taught this immature princess for nearly 13 years. Truly, a soul that is well equipped to soothe a child.

He could easily find a way out in this situation without blinking an eye.

"I'd rather you say ‘pretty'… what is ‘cute', it's annoying."

“Still, isn’t praise better than cursing?”

“Sir, it’s worse than swearing, you idiot!"

To be honest, if she divides it into a bad mood or a good mood, her mood definitely swings to the good side.

After all, she had been praised, and she was happy but still embarrassed to hear that she was cute.

But for some reason, displeasure tickled a part of her heart.

The bizarre sense that even Ariel, the person in name herself, could not express, made her so confused.

Meanwhile, Edgar was busy giggling in spite of her rants.

If Edgar was an ordinary friend of the opposite sex of the same age, even the thought of her being cute would cringe, but for him, it was not too difficult to say that she was cute, perhaps because Ariel still felt like an immature younger sister to him.

Ariel would probably have a spark come out of her hand if Edgar said that to her.

“Okay, okay. In the future, if someone asks me that question, I'll tell you that you are pretty. So, let go of your anger.”

“It annoys me more because I think I’m patronizing… … !?”

Originally, it is a natural law that praise must come from the heart.

What's the point of giving compliments that aren't sincere?

As Ariel's tone of voice, which was beginning to calm down, the thought somehow drove her anger even further, she slammed her hand down on the table.

‘Anyway, just keep your visuals high.'

She feels sorry for the woman who will marry such a man.

Even so, since she was young, whenever she would go somewhere holding her parents' hands, 100 out of 100 times, she would definitely have been teased by boys her age.

That's why Ariel was well aware of how much her own appearance was, and how much it affected her opposite sex.

Even so, this man always approached her indifferently, without the slightest flutter.

Did his tastes diverge? Maybe his standard of beauty is different?

A thousand thoughts raced through her head, but none of them felt right to her mind.

“Stop pouting and get up soon. I will take you to play hard today.”

"No thanks. Do you know what kind of child I am?”

Anyway, it's always like this.

Does he expect to relieve her anger by simply cajoling her saying ‘woo-jju-jju' ?

Of course, she can't say that she wasn't bought by such words before, but she has to tell him properly that it's not worth half a penny now.

Ariel, who uttered her blunt words, turned her head away and, without even meeting her gaze, pouted her lips.

It was a kind of declaration of war that she would not deal with him.

‘See if I forgive you.'

Now, if she tries to win favor by saying that she is pretty or something, she will probably burn and kill him.

She wasn't the type to fall for flattery which are just empty words anyway.

“Hey, Ariel. Would you like to see me?”

“… what."

With her firm determination, Edgar, who had rounded the table toward her, kneeled with one knee on the floor and tried to meet her gaze.

Ariel somehow averted his gaze and tried not to fall for his deception, but the words that came out of nowhere shattered her firm resolve in an instant.

"You don't think I'll be pretty, do you?"

“… … ?”

What is he talking about? Did she hear wrong just now?

She tilted her head swiftly toward Edgar at his tone, thinking if he really thought she was pretty.

“What, did you really think so?”

It was Edgar who was taken aback by the red eyes staring at him silently.

She's such a stupid girl.

Did he think that he was blind, and that he wouldn't have the ability to tell whether she is pretty or not?

“Well, then… Even in your eyes …am…..I …..pretty?"

“Oh, I guess it's right. But you are you."

Edgar, who had been giggling without a clear answer, stretched out his hand to Ariel.

Embarrassed by his sudden outstretched hand, she hesitantly placed her left hand over the boy's.

Then, the smile on Edgar's lips drew thicker.

“How do I tell my friend that she is pretty? I know you're pretty, but I just don't express it with words.”

“Gee, really… Do you think I am pretty…I?"

Seeing her lips tremble in disbelief, Edgar couldn't help but laugh out loud.

“You have no conscience. Hey, if you’ve looked in the mirror at least once in your life, you shouldn’t worry about that.”

“Chi, it’s because you’ve never said anything like that… … !”

Who is she blaming for this now?

If he had told her that she was pretty at least once a year, if not every time they met, the current situation would not have happened.

Even so, Ariel was speechless at the act of passing the guilt on to herself.

Of course, they're not lovers, but isn't it possible to praise that much for a childhood friend who has been together for nearly 13 years?

It wasn't that she was open-minded about her thoughts, but it was because the man's consideration was not as good as rat poop.

“Yeah, sorry. Even though we're friends, I could have said at least once that you are pretty. yes?"

“Look, knowing everything… ! You idiot!”

Tears were about to come out of resentment, but she managed to hold it back.

To be honest, right now it was harder to control the muscles in her lips that are trying to grin at someone saying that she was pretty than crying.

“Come on, don’t shed tears on a good day at best. We don't have much time, so let's go out and play, pretty immature princess."

“Again, again… ! You put something weird on it!”

If he just calls her a pretty princess, what's the point?

However, she thought that this was also a means to overcome her own embarrassment, so she endured the anger that was about to boil.

Giving herself to Edgar's attraction, Ariel stood up and followed him with her head bowed.

It was because she was so ashamed when the image of herself from a moment ago was pictured in her head.

“So, pretty princess, you already had dinner, would you like to go for something sweet?”

“… it's okay. After all, you can’t even eat sweets.”

"And don’t call me a pretty princess." Ariel cut off his mischievous title with a single knife.

Edgar, who shrugged his shoulders at her, said he would understand and treat her as usual, then she belatedly grabbed his right arm and said..

“But at least once a year… Can you tell me, even as friends.”

Edgar seemed dazed for a moment at the sudden request she made with his eyes wide open, but he quickly regained his usual form and smiled.

He wonders why a person who hears the word “pretty” dozens of times a day is making this request to him.

That's what he thought', but it wasn't particularly difficult to fulfill her request, so he nodded his head coolly.

“If you use your heart, it’s possible once every three months.”

“… That's enough for now. There is no point in listening to it often.”

Now? To Edgar's ears, that line sounded as if she would ask more often in the future.

‘It’s a bit embarrassing.’

He wondered if she had said it for no reason, but Ariel's head was lifted before she knew it, and the bright smile on her profile completely dispelled those thoughts.

He guesses he will have to try harder.

In the future, in order to somehow appease this immature princess.

[T: I would have blush hard the whole chapter if not for my dark skin LOL😍

I am caught up with something , so the translation will be halted for a while but fear not as I will come back with aload of translated chapters. So stay tuned. And thank you for your understanding 😘

Come join me on discord to dispel my loneliness, pls? – https://discord.gg/arPpjtnZ]