I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess

Editor : Aizen

Since the beginning of this year, Ariel has been granted permission to enter her father's office.

There are two main reasons.

The first reason is that Yulken, her father, is often away from the castle.

The second reason is to provide Ariel, who will officially become an adult next year, with advanced experience in handling official duties.

In other words, when Yulken, the current head, is absent, Ariel would temporarily assume leadership and manage the affairs of the castle in his place.

In such situations, Elfred stays behind instead of following Yulken to assist Ariel.

Although Ariel is knowledgeable from her studies, she still lacks practical field experience.

It remains uncertain whether Edgar will replace Elfred after gaining experience in the field, but for now, Elfred is the most suitable for the position.

"Young Miss, you already possess the demeanor of the next head of this household."

"Please don't say that. I am not yet fully prepared for this position."

Ariel smiled and evaded Elfred, who playfully blew rainbow farts at her.

There are still many things she needs to learn.

Let alone the demeanor of the head of a Grand Ducal, she had yet to think of selecting her vassals after being officially selected as the next in line.

Yulken, the current leader, possesses a powerful aura and demeanor befitting his position.

It could also be called innate charisma.

It will take considerable time for Ariel to reach that level, although she would love to expedite the process as much as possible.

“You seem impatient, Young Miss. ”

“I have heard that my father jumped into the battlefield at the age of 17 and fulfilled his duty as the heir."

Initially, this was the reason why Ariel wanted to accompany Yulken to the front line this year.

She believed that if she wanted to get closer to her father, she should at least be able to follow in his footsteps.

However, Elfred smiled softly and shook his head.

Back then, the north was even more chaotic than it is now, and Yulken didn't want to go to the battlefield, so there's no need to look up to that fact.

"Your Highness, you are a lady. There's no need for you to push yourself so hard by comparing. I am sure My Lord shares the same sentiment."

"Efred spoke with confidence, I think you probably have a better understanding of my father than I do."

From what Ariel had heard, Yulken and Elfred had a master-servant relationship on the surface, but they were also comrades who shared the joys and sorrows of fighting through the battlefield together.

The bond they built over time must hold something special that goes beyond a mere father-daughter relationship and cannot be easily explained.

Therefore, Ariel does not dare boast about her understanding of her father, Yulken, in front of two people, Helena and Elfred.

Because wrinkles aren't worthy of comparison to a chrysalis.

[T: I can't find the original proverb, but chrysalis is a cocoon that wraps the worm before it becomes a butterfly. After the butterfly leaves, the left cocoon is left wrinkled which is named chrysalis. Since chrysalis is all wrinkled up that it even has a different name, wrinkles can't compare to the chrysalis. Phew.. out of breath.]

“Isn’t that what a bond is? It’s a shame to tell Your Highness, but Master Edgar probably knows you better than His Highness. It is a similar case.”

“Huh, I wonder what the reaction would be if I told my father about it.”

‘My father’s aide said my lover knows me better than my father!’ What if she said that to Yulken himself?

Ariel was very curious as to whether he would smile bitterly because of the sins he had committed or whether he would call out Elfred separately and shout in unison, outraged.

On the other hand, Elfred, who said this, had no choice but to break out in a cold sweat and beg for mercy.

“Please have mercy just once.”

"It's a joke. Let's end the conversation we had here, shall we?"

Ariel playfully winked and immediately picked up a pen, scanning through the papers.

There were still many things that needed to be understood before any decisions could be made, and there were other matters that Yulken had to decide on his own.

Thus, Ariel was methodically learning about the practicalities, seeking perspectives and only handling matters that Elfred's expertise could manage.

"By the way, have you greeted the young master's parents?"

"You knew?"

"That's right. Considering your personality, you wouldn't just go all the way to Ardenum without a specific reason."

Ariel tends to act with a purpose.

Unlike Edgar, who is laid-back, she possesses a utilitarian personality.

Of course, if she had journeyed to Ardenum simply to be with Edgar, there would be nothing to discuss. But since Elfred had known her for a long time, Ariel surmised that there must be another reason.

And one of those guesses was this.

"Yes, everything went well. They were truly surprised when I told them"

"It can't be helped. If I was in their position, I would be pleased if I did not walk backwards."

"Is it that much?"

Ariel expected that the other person would be surprised, but not being directly involved, she couldn't gauge the extent of it.

However, when she heard Elfred's response, she realized that the news she brought was quite shocking.

But if you ask whether she regrets it, she doesn't.

"Since the young lady has been a member of the Robeheim family since birth, it is only natural that she might be unable to fully grasp their feelings."

The way she evaluates the status of the Robeheim family is from her perspective as a member of the family.

Even though she knows it is exceptional, she might be unaware of its impact on the people around her.

But how can we blame her for this?

In the first place, it would be wonderful if she could have more accurately understood the position of the Bilhark family, but she is not foolish.

Moreover, Elfred even considers this to be a minor achievement.

Those who are in a position of power often find it difficult to understand what lies below truly, and this naturally leads to differences in their perspectives.

However, due to this incident, it seems that she has become more aware of the Robeheim family's position and the level of their successor. She will now pay more attention to her actions in the future.

"Everyone makes mistakes. What matters is what you learn from them."

"You say the same things as Ed."

"Has he ever said these words to you, Young Miss?"

"Yeah, my memory is a bit hazy, it is from when I was very young."

‘He's been scolding me since I was young, that fool.' Seeing Ariel's remark, Elfred smiled happily.

‘Indeed, you have a good person by your side.'

Although you can point out your friend's mistakes, giving them advice can be challenging.

Especially when it can't be said straightforwardly.

In that regard, it must mean that the man named Edgar played a role not only as her lover but also as a guide in her life.

‘He's suitable for being a husband to the lady, but it seems like he would be perfect as an aide. Too bad.'

For an instant, Elfred sincerely thought so.

Of course, he didn't know how Ariel would react when confronted with this, so he hesitated to say it aloud.

"Ah, Elfred. There's something I want to ask you. Can you answer me honestly?"

As she scanned the stack of papers with her eyes and turned her head, not making eye contact.

Then she looked up at Elfred, who was standing next to her, but the mischievous mood from a moment ago was gone from her eyes.

For Elfred, it was the first time in a while that he felt this chilling sensation.

It was reminiscent of the coldness he felt when facing an enemy he had to eliminate while on the battlefield with Yulken.

As if an invisible blade of ice was ready to pierce his skin at any moment, he involuntarily swallowed and nodded.

"How could I lie to you, Young Miss? Please, ask me anything."

"Really? Then I'll get to the main question right away."

She raised one corner of her mouth ominously as if everything was going according to plan and immediately struck at Elfred's most sensitive spot without hesitation.

"Are there any members of the family who are reluctant to accept Ed's presence?"

"…"

He had expected it to some extent, but controlling his expression was difficult as he was hit with such a direct question.

Though he knew he had to tell the truth above all else, he found it tough to say it to Ariel's face.

‘It's something that will come to light someday.'

I never thought it would come out so quickly. The informant is probably Shuri, the handmaid.

Though Ariel could have noticed it just by observing, her level of confidence implies that there's more to the story.

"I think I was going to ask you something… I must have misremembered."

"Oh, no. It's just that I feel sorry that I have to inform you about this…"

"You didn't do anything wrong, so it doesn't matter. I just wanted to know if such people exist."

That's what she said, but inside, she wondered if Elfred held the same opinion as those vassals. Realizing that her question was ambiguous, Elfred nervously licked his lips.

"… Sorry. Some vassals do show signs of disapproval, but apart from a few, most of them are supportive, so don't worry."

"I believe you won't be among those few, Elfred"

"Of course not."

In the first place, Elfred wasn't outstanding either.

However, he caught Yulken's attention with his performance on the battlefield and earned recognition for his skills while sharing joys and sorrows, which led him to his current position.

Therefore, it was absurd for him to look down on someone like Edgar just because of his birth, like the others.

It is as if the frog is not thinking about the tadpole.

He wasn't that foolish.

"Well, good. I don't blame them for understanding their position."

"Yes? That remark…"

Elfred's eyes widened, thinking Ariel might agree with those vassals' opinions.

However, Ariel, already aware of what he was thinking, responded with a sneer, implying that such a thing was impossible.

"To understand doesn't mean to forgive. Of course, the situation would have been different if they had merely confronted the issue."

Ariel was no fool either. She knew she couldn't simply dismiss high-ranking officials from her family for this reason.

That's why, since she heard this information from Shuri, she had contemplated how to address the issue. But today, their actions had crumbled her justification away.

That person, his life could have been spared if he had stayed in the background, boasting about their pride quietly.

And she wasn't lenient enough to tolerate disobedience when it came to someone she cared for.

"First, give me the names of those individuals. Is it going to spell trouble for you?"

"… But His Highness requested …."

Even before departing for the inspection, Yulken had sternly ordered to keep Ariel's return a secret and not to divulge any details until he returned, even if Ariel knew about it.

As Elfred had to follow that order, but looking into the eyes of the girl sitting in front of him, he wondered if she would understand.

"My father said that? Then there's nothing I can do."

‘Phew.'

Contrary to his worries, Ariel's resigned attitude surprisingly put Elfred at ease.

However, he realized from her following words that she hadn't given up; she was simply biding her time for a more decisive response.

"It was something I couldn't do without my father's permission anyway."

Ariel muttered calmly and smiled brightly, lightly twirling the pen in her hand.

It was a very radiant smile as if she anticipated something delightful for dinner tonight.

Observing this, Elfred felt even more perplexed.

The emotion in her eyes appeared lifeless, and her smile seemed to convey the message that everything was fine without any real meaning.

It couldn't be this bad, could it?