I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess

Translator : Idris

Editor : Aizen

Fade! Fade!

There appeared to be three shovels, but Ariel remained alone, observing the other two as they dug into the soil.

The two of them didn't expect her to help anyway, so they continued their silent work, wearing bitter smiles on their faces.

Naturally, Ariel's attire wasn't suitable for digging into the ground, which also played a role.

"If you had known it would be like this, would you have put it in a box?"

"Yeah."

Edgar chuckled and mumbled, and Ariel strongly agreed, stomping aside.

Perhaps the two of them could have passed by without noticing, so it was their intention to lend their eyes.

Seruk… Tick.

"Oh, here it is."

"Did you find it?"

After digging the ground for a while, they heard something catch on the tip of the shovel.

Edgar carefully excavated the pile of dirt where the sound came from, and finally, two round spheres emerged.

Even though they didn't contain anything valuable, the two somehow felt a mix of emotions.

"Is this what you two were talking about?"

"Right. Originally, I was planning to open it next year, but the timing turned out to be a bit earlier."

When Edgar glanced at Ariel and said so, she approached without knowing and picked up one of the spheres.

"It's exactly as it was, no damage whatsoever."

"Yeah. The durability seems pretty good."

"Is there any magical treatment on the outside?"

Despite it being 8 years already, the sphere remained intact, with only a little dirt on it and no damage anywhere.

The three of them momentarily forgot the original purpose of retrieving the sphere and began discussing the function contained within it.

Realizing belatedly that there was work to be done, they decided to extract the contents inside.

"What should we do? Shall we read each other's letters?"

"Can't we read both? I'm curious, you know."

"That works."

Edgar had anticipated that Ariel's personality wouldn't allow her to read just one letter.

He nodded lightly and handed the red orb to Ariel first.

Conversely, Edgar held a black sphere in his hands.

Each of them placed their letters inside a sphere that matched the color of the other's hair.

"Did your mother tell you to infuse magic into this?"

"Yes, did yours say the same?"

"Okay, let's open them at the same time."

When Ariel affirmed, the two of them drew closer to each other, closed their eyes, held the spheres, and channeled their mana.

Then, just like eight years ago, small particles of light covered the spheres.

Eventually, the spheres lost their original form and disappeared into the air along with the group of lights, leaving only tightly folded paper in the hands of the two.

"Do you remember what you wrote in the letter?"

"Do you remember yours?"

"Actually, I do."

Ariel began unfolding the paper carefully, while revealing an uncharacteristically gentle smile.

Of course, the two of them had been quite busy for the past 8 years.

It might be more accurate to say that it wasn't because they didn't particularly value the existence of this object, but rather because they didn't have enough space for it.

Moreover, there was no need to remember the contents of the letter they were planning to open someday.

In fact, if they had remembered, their expectations would have been somewhat diminished at this moment.

Both of them held the letter they had sent to their future selves eight years ago and read it slowly.

Shuri busily peeked at the contents, slightly turning her head from the side so as not to disturb the two.

"Shit."

"Why are you like that, Bocchan?"

In contrast to Ariel, who read the letter with a serious expression, Edgar suddenly burst into laughter and couldn't stop giggling.

Shuri, who leaned forward and approached Edgar, showed her curiosity.

"Just… The contents I wrote 8 years ago were so absurd. Do you want to see it too?"

"Are you sure?"

"Why not? It's not a letter I sent to someone else, it's a letter I sent to myself."

If he had written a love letter to Ariel, he might have felt a bit embarrassed showing it to others. But Edgar, at that time, was still in a state of love.

Perhaps he wasn't fully aware of it.

That's why showing it to Shuri wasn't too difficult.

After finishing reading the letter, he extended his hand with the paper and Shuri quickly took it, beginning to read it.

Meanwhile, Ariel was still engrossed in reading her own letter, not engaging in the conversation about what was so serious.

"Hehehe…"

"It’s funny, isn't it?"

"I see. It's more like an old man's letter."

"I've heard similar things before."

Edgar playfully applauded the girl who gave the correct response and returned the letter.

What was written there was truly inconsequential.

Asking his future self how he was doing, inquiring about his health, wondering if Ariel was still as immature as ever.

There was nothing particularly meaningful.

It was simply a letter asking about your well-being.

On the other hand, Shuri considered it more like an old person's letter.

Normally, if a 10-year-old sent a letter to their future self, there would be many more meaningful words they would want to write down.

For instance, did they confess to someone they liked?

In the past, they had dreams like that, but now they had achieved those dreams.

That's because the younger you are, the more you look forward to your adult self and the future.

However, the contents of the letter didn't reflect the self from nine years later; they were just everyday words that could have been written in a letter to a friend who was a little far away.

It wasn't that he had no expectations for the future, but rather he had a carefree attitude towards life, going with the flow.

Shuri decided to call it "Old Young."

"That guy has always been like that since he was little."

Ariel, who had been listening to the two of them while reading her letter, finally interjected and bluntly spoke up.

"Well, since you two were always together, you should know."

"Yeah, he was always teasing me, but when it really mattered, he was quiet and composed… He had a very peculiar personality."

"Are you saying that about your boyfriend?"

"Well, it's the truth."

Just because they had become lovers didn't mean the two of them no longer argued, unlike eight years ago.

But they had become slightly more open in expressing their feelings to each other.

Shuri also had no doubt that even if the two of them spoke like this, they emitted a sincere atmosphere when they were together.

Because she always felt the same way with her own lover, Ronan.

"Come on, Ariel. Let's exchange and read them."

Amidst the usual banter between the two, Edgar offered his letter first and suggested they read them interchangeably.

However, for some reason, Ariel's reaction seemed somewhat hesitant.

She avoided eye contact, trying to conceal the paper in her hand behind her back.

Observing this, a big question mark appeared above Edgar and Shuri's heads.

"Yes, it should be…?"

"Um…?"

"I mean… Can't we just agree to read our own letters…?"

Her uncharacteristically passive behavior.

Edgar, who had been observing Ariel for almost 18 years, suddenly sensed something off.

There was a distinct scent of mischief in the air.

As he grinned mischievously, Ariel instinctively took a step back.

"That's what you said. Let's exchange the letters," Edgar reminded her.

"Yeah, but… I started thinking, maybe there's no need to taint each other's memories," Ariel hesitated.

"Are you saying I would taint it?"

"No, that's not what I meant!" Ariel quickly clarified.

When Edgar murmured, revealing his blatant offense, Ariel hastily raised her hands in denial.

She ultimately ended up digging her own grave with her own hands.

I would prefer to remain silent until I have read the letter, and it wouldn't be too late to speak up after reading it.

If this were to happen, it would be difficult to reverse, thus putting him in a situation where he had to show Edgar the letter in his hand without being able to remove or hide it.

"Ugh… Instead, there are conditions."

"It's merely a condition to read a single letter…"

"Mmhhmm, if you don't like it, i won’t show it!"

"Alright. What are the conditions?"

Edgar couldn't help but wonder how great the contents were that caused such a commotion.

In the end, Edgar accepted it with the notion that all he had to do was read the letter, even if it was somewhat unreasonable.

In response, Ariel covered the bottom of her nose with the letter and recited the conditions in a voice that felt as if ants were crawling inside.

"Read it and refrain from laughing…"

"… Is that a condition?"

"Yes."

Contrary to Edgar's expectations of grandiose conditions, the condition was so empty that it made him uneasy.

On the other hand, it could also imply that the content was so amusing that it would be hard to suppress laughter.

Shuri couldn't help but wonder, "Can I read it too?" She asked, but Ariel firmly shook her head, denying her request.

Edgar quietly handed over the letter, leaving Shuri slightly sulking.

As soon as he unfolded the paper and began reading the written sentences, Ariel, who had been observing the scene, felt a surge of nervousness.

It was because I was very nervous.

"Fah…"

"Oh, I told you not to laugh!"

"Well, I didn't laugh… Big deal!"

Did you read it halfway through?

In the end, when Edgar couldn't hold back his laughter, a strange sound escaped from his mouth, and Ariel became angry.

Edgar protested, claiming that he didn't laugh in the end, so it shouldn't be a problem. However, the subsequent events eventually broke him down.

"Hey, give it up! You idiot! I didn't mean to show you!"

When Ariel snatched the letter away, Edgar suppressed his laughter with one hand and earnestly extended the other hand to request the letter back.

"Sorry. Please let me finish reading what I've already read."

"…I knew it."

After having read almost half of it anyway, Ariel realized that there was no point in taking it away.

She glared disapprovingly at him, then reached out and handed the letter back.

Edgar, who accepted it again, expressed his gratitude and lowered his gaze to the final unread sentence, causing a dark smile to form on his lips once more.

I would describe it as cute rather than funny.

It was a letter from Ariel eight years ago addressed to her present self, filled with encouragement and, in a sense, like a bombshell.

"I am not an adult now, I apologize. I suppose I still lack the courage.

I wanted to tell Ed the story of the star, but I couldn't bring myself to do it yesterday either.

So please! In nine years from now, you must tell Ed the story of the star!

And tell Ed! I love you very much!

Ed is an idiot, so he may not believe it, but when he does, tell him a hundred or a thousand times!

Do you understand? I wish you all the best!

-Ariel from 9 years ago-"

"Ariel, did you hear? You want me to tell you a hundred or a thousand times?"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous! I don't even remember making such a promise!?"

"Hey, is that too much? It's not someone else; it's a promise we made eight years ago. Have you forgotten?"

"Then there must be something wrong with me! If that's not the case, why am I feeling so embarrassed…!"

Ariel protested, shaking her head and turning red-faced.

When Shuri, who belatedly glanced at the letter in Edgar's hand, also burst into laughter, Ariel couldn't bear it any longer and jumped up from her seat.

"Give it to me, I'll tear it up right now!"

"Why tear it up if it's so bad? I will keep this."

"Give it to me!"

In the end, because of her actions eight years ago, Ariel once again found herself in trouble with Edgar today.

Why can't she even take her own side?

In this distressing reality, there was nothing she could do but unleash her anger.