I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess

Translator : Idris

Hello 😍

Edgar headed to the room Helena used alone.

Normally, she sleeps in the bedroom shared by the couple, but he heard that she stays here when she wants to be alone or have some personal business.

“Welcome, Young Master. What are you doing?”

“I want to see Madame Helena. Is she inside?”

“Of course. Please wait a moment.”

Sheffy, who had to ask for her mistress's consent, excused for a moment and then turned around and knocked on the door.

Hearing Helena’s voice asking who he was from inside, Sheffy told her that Edgar had arrived.

– Allow him in.

Edgar thought Helena would be reluctant to meet him, but fortunately, the permission was soon granted.

Sheffy opened the door personally and guided him inside, revealing a room Edgar had never seen before.

‘This room suits Madam Helena's temperament well.’

If Ariel’s room feels as if it lacks the appearance of a room with an owner, this place could be said to be the exact opposite.

The panoramic view of the room fills his vision, and at the same time, it feels like the temperament of the owner of the room can be seen through this. 

The room has a calm atmosphere with golden embroidery decorating the beds and a mixture of white and beige throughout.

It felt like the decoration is not so excessive but also not lacking at the same time, and that the arrangement and appearance of the furniture paid much attention to harmony rather than splendor.

“Welcome, Ed. Come to think of it, this must be your first time here.”

As she said, Edgar had been living with the Robeheim family for quite some time, but this was the first time he had ever visited this room.

In the first place, he often got to see Madam Helena face-to-face even on a normal day, and he tends to talk to her to the point where it’s not enough.

And it would be fair to say that there was no need to visit her room specifically.

“Yeah.. Actually it's because there was no need to visit before.”

“Yes it was. Then, can we say that today there is something important reason that is enough to visit me especially?”

As Helena’s soft gaze reached Edgar, he was overcome with a feeling of his inner thoughts bare naked in front of her.

He has felt it a few times before, but he could never really get used to it.

There are times when a person who normally laughs freely and looks like a chaste and discreet woman stabs him(with stares) sharply like this from time to time.

And from those infinitely soft eyes, he felt a strange sense of pressure, making him unable to tell a single lie.

“… Yes, I am sure you already know.”

“Huh, I thought that would be the case. Since the story will be long, shall we have a cup of tea?”

“That’s good. Especially if it's tea personally made by Mrs.Sheffy .”

The tea Sheffy skillfully brewed could be in top among the teas Edgar has ever tasted.

As Edgar smiled and sat down with an unexpected request, a smile was also engraved on the lips of Sheffy, who was listening from behind.

“I’m glad that you complimented, unlike my mistress."

“Geez, Sheffy. If you say that, don’t you think I’m a person who is stingy with compliments?”

It’s not that Helena didn't like to compliment, but it’s a fact that’s not uncommon for her anymore, so she just didn't bother to say it often.

Trying to embarrass her by distorting this in front of Edgar, it seems that her personal maid is totally misguided.

“Excuse me. However, because it is true.”

“Ugh, anyway, you never lose with words.”

Knowing that it was Sheffy’s occasional prank, Helena said nothing more.

The fact that the two of them are nominally master-servant, but in reality they are close to friends also played a role.

As Sheffy bowed her head and left the room, Helena glanced lightly at Edgar, who was sitting across from her.

She knew that he is a daredevil when it comes to things related to Ariel, but she didn't expect him to come find her this quickly.

“Is it because of her that you came?”

“Exactly because of Ariel.”

“… I got the question wrong. Well, his(Daddy Duke) appearance would have nothing to do with this case(with Ariel's treatment by daddy).”

When Helena realized her mistake, she laughed and corrected her words.

Even though the meaning was similar, there was a bit of an ambiguity.

If Yulken had treated the same to someone else, Edgar wouldn’t have reacted this way.

What he really wanted to ask was not about Yulken's behavior to the end, but ‘why did he treat Ariel like that’.

How can he be so preferential!? 

This was also a play that showed how sincere he is about his friend.

It was a joy for Helena to have someone cared for her daughter, but it was also bittersweet to have to reveal this fact.

‘I should let him know though.’

She thought that if there is a child who would wholeheartedly take care of her daughter, it would be this boy.

In a way, shr wondered if announcing this fact would be an extension.

.

.

.

Of course, she also desired to step out for her daughter. 

However, in a sense, she might not be so different from her husband, she felt guilty and couldn’t take that one step forward.

In the meantime, she thought that this boy who arrived before them might be the rope that came down for the Robeheim family.

“Madam, young master, the tea is ready.”

At the moment when such a subtle silence flowed, Sheffy, who had left the room for a while, returned with tea cups and other refreshments in the trolley.

Being quick-witted, she immediately noticed that the air between the two was different from usual, but she didn’t bother pointing it out.

“Ah, thank you. Sheffy. We have something to discuss, so will you please standby outside?”

“Yes, I will leave after this.”

Since that was what she intended to do anyway, Sheffy calmly nodded and finished setting the table.

Then she got up, bowed her head, and led the trolley out of the room as quietly as possible.

As the fragrant aroma of tea wafting from the teacup gradually began to fill the room, it was Helena who opened her mouth, quietly removing her hand from her thigh.

“Remember what I said before? That Ariel looked a lot like her father.”

“Yes, I remember.”

“You must think that he is different from what you have heard after meeting him today. And that there is no resemblance at all between the father and daughter.”

“A little bit… … .”

To be honest, he felt there is a lot of difference, not just a little bit.

The appearance of Yulken that he had just seen earlier made Edgar feel that Yulken really had no fatherly love for his daughter, rather than feeling that he was being dishonest like Ariel did.

In response to Edgar’s answer, Helena weakly nodded and took a sip of tea.

There will probably be a lot to talk about, so it would be better to quench her thirst in advance.

“Looking at it from the side, he is originally someone who looks a lot like Ariel. No, to be precise, I guess their personality is not that much different now.”

For some reason, in Edgar's ears, Helena sound as if Yulken was just dishonest with his feelings and was infact full of affection for his daughter.

If that was really the only inside story, he felt relieved to go straight away and punch him(Daddy Yulken) in the face.

It is said that there is a sincerity that can be communicated without having to convey it in words, but there is a certain amount of goodness.

There was no example Edgar would show to his friend’s father, who treated her coldly, thinking that his daughter would understand his feelings.

“There are a lot of questions that need to be answered. It will take a little long, then will you listen to me?”

“Actually, Ariel asked me the same thing too. What do you think my answer was?”

“haha, at least you have said ‘ I would listen until dawn'.”

“Yup.”

Helena, who lightly saw through his actions, was given a playful little applause by Edgar, and she smiled softly as pushed the refreshment from the table towards him.

“Even if you don’t like sweet things, this will be fine. They are his favorite sweets too.” 

[T: the ‘his' here probably refers to Yulken and if so, me here really didn't expect the iron-cladded duke to have such hobbi, ah-pui, such taste.]

“Unexpectedly, he seems to like Jujeon buri."

“ahh..one can't tell that he likes this by looking at the appearance.”

It must be difficult to eat such sweets with his status openly.

At first glance, one could tell that he wasn’t just talk, he was a man with flesh and muscle that was honed on the battlefield.

However, since he couldn’t argue with her funny smile, Edgar smiled silently and took a bite of the sweet that was brought out to him.

It was quite good with a moderately bitter taste.

“Ed, did you say you have heard of the ‘story of the stars’ from Ariel before?”

“Yes, but I haven’t heard the exact details though.”

“That story is like a folk tale passed down in our family. You are supposed to tell only two people in your lifetime.”

Only two in a lifetime.

It was a conclusion that Edgar came to alone after thinking about it, that only two people in a lifetime probably refers to one's spouse and children.

The only question he had is why did she mention it's ‘two people’?

Even if it’s a spouse, you don’t know how many children you’ll have, so why two?

Wouldn’t it have been more correct to call it ‘spouse and childrens’ instead?

And the story Helena was going to tell from now on was also to put an end to his doubts.

“Actually, my maternal family, that is to say, the lineage of my main family has a peculiar quality.”

“Peculiar quality?”

“Yes. Actually, that’s the reason why ‘The Story of a Star’ is handed down orally to only two people.”

Helena tilts her head as if she understands what that means.

Continuing his thoughts, Edgar came to a conclusion.

“It means you can only have one child!?.”

“… right. It’s not a matter of weakness, it’s like a fate that has been passed down like a curse to the women of this family.”

“Are there any exceptions?”

“No, not even one.”

Seeing Helena's resolute reply, Edgar put on a sad expression.

At that point, it deserves to be called a curse.

Although in reality, it is not known whether there is a chronic disease that is passed down through the blood, or if it is just because the family history is weak.

However, as long as they can’t figure out the detailed cause, it wouldn’t be a strange phenomenon to call it a curse for them.

“He proposed to me even though he knew about this. As long as one is a head of a family, you know what it means to have only one child.”

“ah… … .”

Well, even those from ordinary, petty aristocrats, they inevitably pay attention to the issue of the heir.

Especially so for one of the most prominent families in the empire.

Nevertheless, it means that at that time, Yulken promised to be with Helena for the rest of his life even though he knew about Helena’s inner circumstances.

It must have been a difficult decision, to him or to the Robeheim family.

“At that time, I was just so happy that I accepted the marriage proposal… Now that I think about it, I wonder if I did something terrible to my child who will be born later. The same goes for him(Yulken).”

“Is it because of the pressure as the heir?”

“If it was just that, it would be fine. Does Ariel look like a child who would be swayed by such pressure?”

At her question, Edgar smiled wryly and shook his head slightly.

Well, Ariel being defeated by the pressure is hard to imagine easily.

At one time, he had thought that the pressure as the heir might be the case, but through this incident, he realized it painfully.

That she was not feeling the pressure of being the successor, but the pressure of not being able to meet her father’s expectations.

Perhaps it had more binding power than any metal chain.

“Come to think of it, it is better to see once than to be told a hundred times. Wait a minute.”

In the middle of the conversation, Helena suddenly got up from her seat and started rummaging through the desk drawers to the right.

After one or two thin notebooks appeared , a thick book came out.

Edgar was able to quickly recognize its identity.

“diary… Are you?”

“Yes. I’ve never shown it to anyone, but if it’s you now, I can show you this. It’s a diary I’ve been writing since I was still a young miss.”

Edgar seemed to know why she had brought out this diary.

Perhaps what is written in this is not a simple daily routine.

From the moment that the honest man and the pitiful woman began their life, what happened between them, and even the back story that even Ariel wouldn’t know.

Everything may be contained in this.

“Oh, before you open that diary, I want to ask you something, is that okay?”

“Yes, ask me anything.”

He has already received these things, so of course he has to answer whatever it may be. 

As he nodded calmly, the corners of Helena’s lips moved up.

Now she can ask the truth about what she has been curious about since the boy came to visit her today.

“To put it a little coldly, this is just a story about someone else’s family affairs. There is no reason or justification for you to intervene. But why do you want to do this?”

“… … .”

“I am not blaming you. I’m just curious. Just because you're friends, why… … ?”

This was just a simple curiosity. It was.

She didn’t want him to have a plausible justification for his actions, nor did she want to unravel a huge meaning behind his actions.

Just, why is he doing this for his own daughter?

She just wanted to know why.

Helena’s sky-blue eyes stared at him, and after a long time passed. 

Edgar took the diary silently and tucked it between his arms.

It’s not even a difficult question to answer. Because he already know the answer 

He just put it off lightly because he didn’t have a chance to tell anyone, and he had no reason to tell anyone either.

“What can I say… I just want her to smile.”

“People can’t always be happy, can they?”

“Yes. Even I think it’s pretty stupid. How can a person stay happy every day and live without any worries?”

Edgar was no fool.

He knew that there were things that he could not help in this world, and that there would be times where she would be sad.

Nonetheless, this was a mere obsession.

Even though he knew that there would come a moment when a man would sometimes have to break his stubbornness, it was a path he wanted to follow.

“ Nonetheless, I still want to make her happy. At least I won’t let her shed tears. Because I’ve been thinking that way for a long time.”

Even he doesn't know what kind of feeling this is. 

Why do you want a girl to not cry so much?

Even so, one thing is certain: the source of this emotion and the irrationality of the world are not his business.

The girl who can’t be honest, who's always ticklish, and sometimes looks like an idiot, but still has a pretty smile.

He just wanted it to stay that way.