I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess

Translator : Idris

The two, who greeted each other politely after the dance, burst into laughter without anyone being the first.

As expected, setting such an example does not seem to suit them.

Nevertheless, it was refreshing on one hand.

Even if you were a childhood friend, it was a rare sight to see this side of the other person.

"That's good. I was surprised that you danced better than I thought."

"Of course. I had a hard time learning it because of you."

When Edgar said it was because of her, she felt a lump in her chest.

In fact, she didn't hear that Edgar had learned to dance particularly before the ball.

However, after it was decided that he would accompany her to the debutante ball, she was later told that he had asked for a teacher to teach him dance separately.

Honestly, even though he didn't need to go that far, she was really grateful that he had stepped up and tried his best.

"I'm grateful for this time, so I'll allow you to go to those women especially earlier."

"Allowed? Ugh, thank you so much."

"Being sarcastic, huh? ."

As Ariel raised her fist and made a threatening gesture, Edgar hid behind the pillar with an exaggerated look of surprise.

It's too much to brag about.

Ariel smiled in amazement and gestured toward him as if to come here quickly.

She doesn't want to put this off, so it's better to finish it quickly and continue with the next schedule.

"Where did you say they were?"

"They were just right behind us a moment ago… Maybe there."

Edgar, who was somewhat tall, poked his head out and found the two women mixed among the crowd.

Fortunately, one of the two women was the rare owner of light purple hair, so he could find it quickly.

It didn't seem too difficult to talk to because there were so many people around.

Passing by through the crowd, they soon arrived near the two, and the two turned around wondering as they felt someone approaching them.

Then they took a step back in surprise and opened their mouths blankly as if they had witnessed an unbelievable scene.

"You are Princess Dwalose and Princess Gerin, aren't you? My name is Edgar Bilhark, we just met not long ago."

"It's Ariel Robeheim. I was rude earlier."

Edgar skillfully talks to the girls and he even memorized their family names.

Ariel was dissatisfied with his performance, but she greeted them lightly without showing her distress. Including an apology for what happened a while ago.

They must've not expected them to talk to first.

The two women, who were stunned by the sudden greeting, turned their heads and looked at each other, and belatedly came to their senses and greeted each other in a hurry.

"Oh, yes…! I remember that. My name is Sally Dewalrose. We're sorry to bother you…….”

"It's Gria Gernin. I wanted to apologize for what just happened, but I'm really ashamed to let you come in person."

Sally is the woman who keeps lowering her head with her yellow bobbed hair.

It was Gria, a woman with light purple hair and a relatively calm impression that came over her shoulder.

Earlier, Ariel suddenly took Edgar away, so the four of them finally made a formal statement and checked each other's faces.

The ballroom was a bit cluttered for a conversation, so the four parties decided to move around for a proper conversation.

Fortunately, there were a few rooms suitable for conversation around the ballroom.

As soon as he sat down in his seat, Edgar smiled awkwardly at the awkward silence, and the two women sitting across from her blushed.

PUT!

At the same time, Ariel's fist struck Edgar's side.

He wondered what he had done wrong, and Edgar gave her a pensive look, but as she glared back at him, he quickly turned his head away.

“I-over there… Are you two in a relationship?”

“Because of the reaction of Princess Robeheim earlier… Can I ask if you don't mind?”

The two women, who were watching this short skirmish, soon expressed their curiosity.

It is well known that there is only one heir in the House of Robeheim, but they have never heard that she has a lover or a fiancé of her own.

Earlier, they had assumed that Ariel was with her lover because of the reaction she had shown, but now that they saw it, their mood was quite different.

It should be said that rather than being between lovers in a sweet atmosphere, they have a strong feeling of a friend of the opposite sex whom they have known for a long time.

In response, Edgar cleared his throat and made his presence known.

“Oh, actually we are not lovers. It's just that Ariel and I are friends privately, but in public it's close to a master-servant relationship.”

“If it’s a master-servant relationship… Oh, come to think of it, you said you were the heir to the Billhark family, right?”

Surprisingly, if you pick two families that are in the position of master-servant relationship, there are not as many as you think.

That's why the Bilhark family, subordinate to the Robeheim family, naturally became known, and Sally and Gria were well aware of this.

“Yes, that's right. That's what Ariel said a moment ago, but she didn't have a chance to explain, so the misunderstanding occurred.”

“So that's what you said. We didn't even know that… … .”

Sally nodded her head as if she finally understood.

Then it wouldn't be too strange for her friends to say such a thing.

From Ariel's point of view, Edgar could be seen as a similar concept as her friend and her possession.

“It is a very unusual relationship. Did the princess of Robeheim give permission?”

“That’s it. I don't need her family's position to stay with her friends.”

“You have a great mindset… … ! It's just respectful.”

To Gria's question, Ariel shamelessly said that she was the source of this mysterious relationship.

Gria and Edgar's reaction to this was appropriately described as polar opposites.

Even though she is the heir to the grand duke's family, Gria was moved by Ariel's broad generosity, who did not care about her family's reputation and relationships and treated the boy as a friend.

On normal days, Ariel used to say it was his honor to be a friend of the daughter of the Robeheim family, and Edgar was shocked by the lie of his childhood friend who was condescending.

Meanwhile, like that or not, Ariel did a good job with her sweet, fake smile, and she somehow led the conversation.

“Are you fifteen? He looked very mature, so I only thought he was older than us.”

"Then, Young Master Bilhark must also be fifteen, too. Wow…."

When the two revealed some personal information, including their age, the two girls were surprised.

Even if Ariel looked a little more mature because of the makeup, Edgar never looked 15 years old in terms of height or physique.

In particular, it was even more interesting for Gria, who had a brother above her.

Edgar's atmosphere felt more mature than her 18-year-old brother.

"Then have you two already had a fiance?"

"Nahh, I'm not very interested."

Ariel's thick eyebrows wriggled for an instant at Sally's words, but she tried not to express herself and responded in a calm tone.

Not because the question bothered her, but because Sally's eyes glanced at Edgar.

Including her, she referred to her as "two of you" and asked Ariel a question, but in fact, Ariel recognized that the party Sally wanted to ask was not her.

However, since she cannot openly flirt, she seems to have asked in a subtle tone.

"Do you have any plans after the ball today?"

"Not exactly. I don't really like walking around."

Ariel answered Sally's question again in a rather determined tone this time.

She's so sure the girl wanted to ask someone else a question.

However, Sally must have recognized the relationship between herself and Edgar, so she changed the direction of the arrow.

Even if it's just a friend, it's likely that the future schedule will be governed by Ariel's opinion because they're in the relationship of a master-servant in public.

"Then does the Young Master have a schedule, too? It's a fate that we met, but I want to introduce you to our friends and talk with them."

"Well… I came as a companion, but I am in the position of Ariel's attendant. I don't have the authority to set my own schedule."

Edgar's schedule is very simple.

If Ariel wants to go around, he goes around together, and if Ariel wants to rest, he also takes a rest. That's all.

Then Gria looked at Ariel, who was sitting next to her, with a subtle look.

It's as if asking if she can spare Edgar some time later.

Recognizing this, Ariel raised her left hand and put one of her hair strands behind her ear.

Meanwhile, Edgar's eyes narrowed as he watched it from the next seat at that moment.

As if something on his mind was caught in sight.

"Ed, I'll go rest as soon as the ball is over, so you can walk around. It's been a long time for you, so it's good to meet people around."

"Thank you, Princess Robeheim. It was too much for us to ask…….”

"It's okay because he doesn't have anything to do anyway. You don't need someone next to you to rest."

Ariel, who smiled casually, glanced at Edgar and gave him a wink as if this was enough.

Edgar, who was watching her with a strange expression, raised one corner of his mouth and shook his head as if it were impossible, and opened his mouth to Gria, who gave him the proposal.

"I'm sorry, Princess Gerin, but I promise to meet with you guys next time."

"Ahh? Oh, is it possible that the proposal was so sudden that it was rude… … ?”

Gria eagerly looks at him with the momentum to burst into tears at any moment.

When Edgar laughed at the awkwardness, Ariel, who had been watching, scolded Edgar by stabbing him in the side.

"Why are you like this? Are you going to pass up this great opportunity?”

But Edgar, who laughed without answering her, shook his head low and put his hand on Ariel's head.

“My master suffers from loneliness a lot. Even if she says this, I'm sure there will be trouble later, so I'll ask for your understanding just for today.”

“What nonsense are you talking about in front of others… … !?”

Ariel shook his hand and vehemently denied the behavior of her childhood friend who brought up herself into the topic out of nowhere.

On the other hand, Gria, who had dimly noticed the behavior of the two of them, quietly rose from her seat with her friend.

“We have bothered you. Then let's meet up later, we will be going first. I wish you a happy ball.”

“Thank you for your generosity, Princess Gerin.”

Edgar got up and bowed his head, and Sally and Gria responded and left the room.

An awkward air flowed between the two people who were left behind, and in the end, Ariel was the first to open her mouth in frustration.

“Why didn't you go? I was fine.”

“It’s okay. It's not like I don't know you.”

"What are you talking about? When did I even lie?”

At his blunt reply, Ariel asked back, stepping back a little as if her conscience had been pricked.

Soon, her red eyes met his golden ones in the air, and Edgar smiled and pointed at her left shoulder.

“You put your hair behind your ears. Don't you know that's a habit you only do when you're really in a bad mood?"

“I, I… did I?”

"Uh. Sometimes when you lie or feel bad. Of course, you don’t always do that every time, but when you put your hair behind your ears, it is always on or the other.”

Ariel never thought someone would be aware of even such an insignificant action, because she was afraid that someone might not be her childhood friend.

This is a fact that even the involved party, Ariel herself, did not know.

“It's stupid. Why don't you just pretend you didn’t see that.”

Be sincere and get away from strange places.

Ariel spoke in a sullen tone, but her lips smirked as if she couldn't hide her delight.

To be honest, she was very delighted.

The fact that he had been watching over her so closely all this time, the fact that he would have refused even if she had given her permission, but despite that, he had stood up for her steadfastly.

That he even knew that she felt very lonely even if she pretended not to.

And,

"It's already over anyway. Okay, let's go out and watch the ball. LHow many times will I come to a place like this? We should enjoy it to our heart's content.”

For someone like Edgar, who doesn't know how to break through such awkward air, even to the point of extending his hand first, taking the initiative to break down this silence.

Truly, these actions can only be done because he knows the girl Ariel Robeheim better than anyone else.

If that's the case, he'll have to get along with the wind.

So that this awkward air he was trying to break somehow couldn't continue anymore.

“… fool, yeah… As a reward for your hard work, I will be with you until you collapse from exhaustion today.”

“Oh, I am so motivated. Ugh, come to think of it, is there any food here? I'm hungry right now."

“It will be prepared separately in the back. Just follow me.”

Ariel, who got up and left the room first, did not ask for an escort this time.

In order to do that, he would have to be by her side, but if he did, he would find out what was going on with her face

‘Dear face muscles, why aren't you guys listening? Idiots.'

Ariel put her hands on the muscles in her face that didn't listen to her control, and she struggled to somehow get back to her original calm expression.

If possible, she should be back on track until she gets to the food display.

If he saw her uncontrollable upturned corner of her mouth, he might misunderstand.

She is just happy because of the anticipation of what kind of dishes will be prepared that will please her own palate.

There's no other reason.