I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess

Editor : Aizen

The day of Edgar and his party's departure from Ardenum was rapidly approaching.

If he left now, it would be difficult to see her face for a while. With that in mind, Edgar carried Sonia around all day, determined to focus on his baby sister for the day.

By his side, Ariel, who now had even fewer horns than before, faithfully followed him.

"Bah!"

Sonia, who still made incomprehensible sounds, grabbed Edgar's finger as he hovered it in front of her eyes.

It was unbelievable that such strength came from a child of only a few months old.

"Wow, little one, you're strong. Look at how you're holding onto my finger."

"Maybe it's because you look like me? Who knows if she'll grow up to be a heroine in the future."

"Does it really matter? I just want everything to go well."

"Ugh, my arms are already getting tired."

Ariel smiled slightly as she shook her head as if conceding defeat.

It was embarrassing that Edgar was so absorbed in his sister that he didn't even pay attention to her. But on the other hand, she understood his intentions.

She thought that when she eventually got married and had a child, they would become a loving parent who showered their child with affection.

While Ariel now had a good relationship with her father after resolving the misunderstanding, it didn't change the fact that they hadn't spent much time together when they were younger.

That's why, if she were to have a child, she always had the desire to give them as much love as possible.

In the midst of spending the remaining little time with Sonia, Katria entered the room in a hurry.

“Ed, are you here?”

"Yes, Mother. What's going on?"

"I came to ask if you've packed everything. How much time do we have before departure?"

Edgar casually nodded in response to his mother's question.

Although the servants in the mansion had helped with the packing, most of his belongings were packed by his own hands.

"It would be nice to stay a little longer, but I have many things to attend to now, so I won't be able to stay."

"Hahaha, you can always come back. I'll also make sure to visit as often as possible."

"… …"

Ariel, who had been listening to the conversation between mother and son, fell silent and felt a sense of guilt for some reason.

She had always been with her parents, so the only time she had to part from them was when her father went off to the battlefield. But Edgar and his mother weren't like that.

She understood all too well the sadness of not being able to see her loved ones, even though she desperately wanted to. She had experienced that feeling each time she couldn't find Ardenum over the past several years.

She could empathize with that feeling more than anyone else.

She wondered if she might be taking this precious man away from his beloved mother, but Edgar had become irreplaceable to her, so she had no intention of letting him go.

The least she could do was reassure this woman, who would one day become her mother-in-law, and make a point to visit more frequently with Edgar.

It was a gesture of gratitude to this couple who had entrusted her with this precious man. Ariel was certain of it.

"Thank you, Mother."

"Thank you? Did I do something?"

Katria tilted her head in confusion at the sudden expression of gratitude.

Ariel smiled softly, straightened her back, and listed the things she was grateful for, one by one.

"You entrusted Ed to me four years ago. And you were willing to accept the relationship between the two of us."

"…What do you mean? It was Ed's choice, so there's no need to thank me."

In fact, Katria had initially tried to dissuade her only son from leaving for Hespania at the time.

Of course, Ariel had expanded his knowledge and had likely been a positive influence, but the difficulties along the way were clear to see.

However, it had been Edgar's determination to overcome those obstacles and be by Ariel's side.

Looking back now, it seemed that her son had already developed unrealized feelings for Ariel back then.

Otherwise, would it have been possible for him to endure such a long journey based solely on friendship?

"Besides, permission… I don't know if I should say this, but I'm well aware that you two are no longer children. That's why I didn't say anything."

When the Robeheim family and the Billhark family established a relationship through marriage, it was true that the Billhark family was more likely to benefit.

However, Katria put aside such complex matters and didn't dwell on what to do with this relationship in the first place. She simply embraced the fact that her child had a relationship with the person he loved.

Of course, it had been quite embarrassing at first, but that was all.

Now that he was at an age where he had to take care of himself, she had no desire to interfere.

Above all, she didn't believe that these two individuals had entered into this relationship without careful thought, relying solely on their feelings.

As a mother, all she could do was silently offer her prayers from afar.

"I have nothing to say to you, young lady, but I ask you to take good care of our son, Ariel."

"Don't worry. I'll make him so happy that other women won't even be noticed."

For some reason, the roles seemed to have been reversed, but Edgar, observing from a distance, only smiled faintly and didn't say anything more.

‘Other Woman.’

There would be no need to keep an eye on him, but if he claimed that day would arrive, Ariel's personality would render him blind, even if she were to sear his eyes with fire.

Contemplating the possibility, Edgar shuddered momentarily and wiped away his thoughts.

"I promise that I will never do anything foolish."

*********

Vincent has been facing considerable challenges as things don't seem to go his way.

He frowned not once or twice when a nasty loach flowed into the ocean instead of a pond and attempted to navigate the water somehow.

He firmly believed that people have certain ranks or statuses.

While some might describe this as pure-blooded, Vincent's values were more grounded and subdued.

He was an elderly man who had already surpassed sixty years of age, but what he had accumulated during those years was not merely knowledge or an understanding of life.

The nature of a human being is just thicker and more repulsive.

In a sense, it can be seen as greedier than a thirst for power or material possessions.

However, he may have been more content than others in attaining this position because what he desired was neither power nor wealth.

Even when colluding to achieve a common purpose with someone, he easily relinquishes most of the gains to the other party.

His only intention is to exclude those who simply shouldn't be where they are.

In that sense, the current head of the household, Yulken, and he could be likened to water and oil.

Yulken, who practices thorough meritocracy, pays attention to a person's potential rather than their family or position.

In contrast, Vincent was the opposite.

Certainly, he disliked the incompetent, but what he hated even more were people of humble origins striving for the top with little ability.

"Since ancient times, garbage should be stuck in a cesspit."

Vincent expressed disapproval with a hint of disdain.

As he held the wine glass in his hand and rolled it around, observing the traces on the rim, he immediately erased it from his memory as it depicted a picture of the tabletop he did not wish to recall.

"Did he Edgar Bilhark?"

Bah! Such garbage never had the right to hold a place in his head.

However, despite wanting to erase that name, it proved difficult because it remained intensely engraved in his mind.

Reflecting on the invisible war of nerves he had several times with Yulken over the past few days because of that person, he felt his teeth tremble with uncovered rage.

‘Well, I didn’t like Yulken from the beginning either. Trying to take a slut who had to be put into a brothel as the hostess of the grand duke’s family.’

Helena, the current hostess of the grand duke's family, also came from a less prominent background.

He couldn't determine whether Vincent would be similar to the man he was currently struggling with or somehow inferior to him.

The reason he couldn't openly dismiss Edgar's existence in front of Yulken, as being of low birth, was because it would also disparage the existence of Helena, the current mistress of the Grand Ducal.

Though he wished to express his feelings openly, he knew he had to tread on this line carefully.

To be precise, he was a man who knew how to save his own life.

Cleverly using the advantage of the white hair, which grew whiter as he aged, in times like this.

"It's difficult, it's difficult."

At best, it's just a fleeting moment, like the innocence of youth.

Vincent believed that it was merely a coincidence that he hadn't encountered many better and kinder men outside the castle, being confined within its walls.

However, he knew it would be foolish to merely observe and hope that things would resolve on their own between them.

Ariel's coming-of-age ceremony and readiness for marriage were less than a year away.

If that time passed without any complications, Yulken's impatience might lead to a hastened wedding ceremony, which would be troublesome.

"Also…"

Is resorting to murder the quickest solution?

Vincent mumbled in a low voice, gently tilting the wine glass he held to his lips.

Furthermore, among the other vassals who shared his sentiments, there was one who sought to have his own son succeed Ariel.

From that man's perspective, Edgar would be more of a thorn than Vincent.

At that moment, if he were to extend his hand discreetly, it might be perceived as appropriate to seize the opportunity.

Even if the killer were apprehended, if Vincent orchestrated a means to shift blame onto someone else, it could be swept under the rug unless clear evidence surfaced.

"Good."

As the plan began to take shape, albeit faintly, in his mind, Vincent placed an empty wine glass on the table with a sly smile.

First and foremost, it was crucial to establish contact with that vassal without arousing suspicion.

Until then, he would need to tread carefully, avoiding any confrontation with Yulken and keeping his intentions well-hidden.