I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess

Translator : Idris

After accompanying Helena to calm down and talking for a while, the night was already right around the corner.

Edgar, who decided to put off his meeting with Yulken until tomorrow, was lying alone in his room.

It was a particularly bright moonlit night, so he decided to come out to the backyard, the patrolling guards who were vigilant quickly found Edgar and asked him about his business.

As he explained with a laugh while showing them the wooden sword in his hand, Edgar’s acquaintance nodded and let him go.

Then he settled down in the yard where he often practiced with Creed, and started to practice without saying a word to clear his mind.

Whiik. Whiik.

The wooden sword swung through the wind, reached the target point, then retrieved it and swung it again.

By the time he repeated this move dozens or hundreds of times, a few drops of sweat began to form on the nape of Edgar’s neck and forehead.

“Whew.”

Since he didn’t even bring a towel, Edgar let out a short sigh and directly lay down on the grass.

When the cool grass touched his body in the night air, he felt his body temperature cool down a bit.

“Huhh!?”

At that moment, something soft landed on Edgar’s face, blocking both his vision and breathing.

Uncharacteristically, as he struggled awkwardly, waving his hands in the air, the young girl, who was approaching him, burst into laughter.

“Puf, what are you flailing about like an idiot?”

“Why are you here? It’s already dark, and you came all the way here just to do something mischievous!?”

“I was looking down from the balcony, and thought it was a pity that you came out without a towel or a water bag.”

As expected, a small leather bag was clutched in Ariel’s hand.

After a brief silence, Ariel tossed it towards him and made sure he received it, then carefully sat down on the grass next to him.

“Because of you, the guards are only looking at this way.”

As the heir of the Grand Duchy came out this late at night, their anxiety was indescribable.

However, despite Edgar’s point, Ariel pouted and shrugged her shoulders as if to say something.

“Then, are you saying that I shouldn't have come out to meet you?”

“It’s not… Well, it’s nice to see you returned to your usual self.”

“… … .”

When Edgar, relieved, raised one corner of his mouth in response, Ariel stared at him without a word.

And then stride.

In a sitting position, she only moved her upper body and moved a little closer to his side.

Maybe it was because he had swung the wooden sword around for a long time. He smelled like sweat.

“Hey, I’m sweating right now, so don’t come near me.”

“What did you say. When do I even care about these things?”

“But, I do care.”

It doesn’t matter if you meet with your hair messy, but the smell of sweat is definitely different.

As if Edgar was running away, he moved his body to the side about one step away, and Ariel quickly followed him.

Her behavior was quite different from usual, but her expression was so calm that Edgar wondered why she was like this today.

“What, you have a knack for smelling other people’s sweat? Come on!”

“You think I am crazy? I said that I don’t care, why would you think that I like to smell your sweat? Geez!!”

“So you do care? Oh I am so frustrated!.”

In the end, Edgar, who gave up fighting Ariel, hung his head as if he had lost.

Then, a winner’s smile formed on her lips.

Ariel often lost in verbal fights with Edgat, but she felt good that her win rate had improved a bit recently.

“So why did you come out? The night wind is chilly.”

“I brought my coat and came out… are you okay. In addition to this, I also have something to ask you.”

“Ask away then?”

Edgar also had something he wanted to tell her, but it was getting late, so he was about to put it off until tomorrow.

For now, it seems that her business seems more urgent, so he should try to talk after answering her question first.

“What? Tell me.”

“You talk first! .”

“me?”

She said she had something to ask, but what is she trying to do, telling him to speak first?

He didn't even convey the fact that he had something to say.

Then why?

Seeing Edgar’s questioning eyes, Ariel laughed and let out a windy sound.

‘Does he think I really don’t know? This man!'

“Did you think only you knew me well? And vice versa, you fool.”

‘‘You look like you have a lot to say right now.'’ said Ariel.

Then, she gave him a soft smile that he had never seen before and tilted her head cutely.

“My question could be next, so tell me now.”

“Are you ready to listen? Is this the reason you came down for.”

“Yeah, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to be a listener sometimes.”

When the two of them met, it was mostly Ariel who poured out the stories.

However, for today, let’s switch between the listener and the speaker for a while to pass the time.

Edgar’s eyes, which had widened at her words, returned to their original state.

To be honest, he thought a lot about whether he should bring this up now.

Without even listening to Yulken’s side story, could this matter be passed on to her as if it were the truth?

But before he met Yulken, he wanted to hear her confirmation again.

After hearing all of this, he wondered what she really wanted.

All he has to do is to help her a little from the side.

“Looks like it’s going to be a long story.”

“Right.”

“Don’t worry. I will listen to you until dawn.”

Ariel gives a big smile after requoting Edgar’s lines.

Feeling relieved for some reason, he nodded slightly and opened his mouth belatedly.

It wasn’t until around the time the moon rose in the night sky tilted one step further to the side that the story finally came to an end.

* * * * * * *

The story she heard from Edgar was quite surprising.

He added that it was not a confirmed fact yet, but judging from her mother’s reaction and the contents of her diary, it seemed safe to say that what he just said is an established fact.

But for some reason, emotions such as anger or discouragement did not come.

On the contrary, at the same time, she was happy. Just the fact that her father doesn’t hate her makes her elated.

That alone made this story worth more than anything else she had ever heard.

After a moment of silent thought, he patted her on the back as if he felt she was depressed.

The hand on her back was a rough hand with calloused from swinging a wooden sword all day, but it particularly felt warm and soft to her.

Was it because she could feel the emotions he had through his hands?

“Aren’t you angry?”

“Yeah, surprisingly I’m not angry. Rather, I feel relieved.”

“Oh, you are a great person, you have a big heart.”

‘A great person' At that word, she tilted her head.

There are many times when he jokingly praised her for having a big heart, but in reality she knew very well that she was more of a narrow-minded person.

She thought that this matter does not just center on her having a big heart, because it was a reasonable response.

If she recalled his reasoning, the weight of the burden on her father’s shoulders must have been heavier than the burden on her heart.

Of course, it’s unfortunate that he did so without conveying any opinions to her, but she wondered if her father was cornered as well.

It must mean that there were difficult challenges even for her father, who seemed to always stand strong and decide everything calmly.

Even if not all of the questions that had accumulated so far were resolved, she suddenly became curious.

How did mom think of telling Ed all these facts?

No matter how much mom looks at Ed well, Ariel is sure that Helena needs a justified reason to tell him all about the inside details of the family.

“By the way, Ed, did my mother say anything else?”

“What do you mean?”

“If I were my mother, I would have asked. ‘Why are you doing this?' ”

“… I get goosebumps at you mother and daughter duo's like mindedness.”

As if it wasn’t acting, Ed smiled wryly as he stroked his arms with dilated pupils.

It seems that Ariel's prediction was correct.

But somehow his reaction was oddly awkward.

“Um… Do I have to tell you?”

“If not? You only planned to tell me what you wanted to say? ”

“Hey, when you say it like that, I look like a garbage person.”

Is it fun for him to tell her what he just wanted to tell and then scram?

Ariel felt like she had to listen to everything that happened, even the conversations he shared with her mother.

But what kind of conversation is it that makes him react like this? Her curiosity was piqued.

“…She asked me this before showing me the diary. ‘You have no justification or reason, so why are you doing this?' ”

“What did you reply?”

‘As a friend, he must have made excuses bla bla bla, saying that he couldn’t stand his friend sad.' Ariel thought.

It was completely expected, so she didn’t feel any tension or anticipation.

It feels like unfolding the last chapter of a novel with a fixed ending.

But eventually, when Ed, who was scratching his cheek in embarrassment, opened his tightly closed mouth, she was put to revise her thoughts.

“I said I wanted you to laugh.”

“… uh?”

‘Wait, did she just hear it wrong?'

Ariel lost consciousness for a moment at the line, which was like a confession.

She wondered if he was joking around waiting to see her reaction, but seeing as he hesitated while avoiding her gaze, it seemed to be the truth.

“I’m shy too, so don’t react like that and just listen. So, why are you curious about this?”

Ed’s grunting cheeks caught a glimpse in the moonlight, and they seemed oddly red.

Seeing that this idiot, who spoke out for her boldly, blushed and even began to feel ashamed.

‘Who is curious about what!? ‘

She just asked, expecting a totally different reaction from reality.

Well, come to think of it, this idiot has always been prone to attacks that defy her expectations.

She is the one who forgot about it and ended up digging her own grave.

On the other hand, Ed tried to hide his shyness and continued talking while trying to put on a nonchalant expression.

“Honestly, I don’t know why. Just when you cry, my heart hurts too. When you laugh, I am happy… So I just want you to laugh. Coz I don't want to cry along with you.”

“What, so it's for your own sake!? .”

Ariel was also affected by Edgar's shyness, spoke in a brusque tone, but she could see that the last sentence was a way to hide Ed’s own shyness.

It must be that he is trying to escape on his own, emphasizing that it is not for her.

Anyway, this idiot can’t be very honest. And this is not the time to have a good chat about ‘his honesty' yet.

“Hearing this, it feels like a confession.”

“What confession? Go back and get some more sleep.”

“It’s an impression of what you just said, isn’t it? It’s funny, really."

As she turned her head excitedly, she felt heat rising from her stomach.

He is like a piece of wood, if she confesses her feelings now, even as a joke, what's the point when he can't understand it?

Ãrîél's pövs-

On a night with a beautiful moon like this, no matter how much I clear headed, I might want to get drunk with the atmosphere and accept it.

‘I’m happy, but somehow annoying.’

I’m not stupid either.

Every time I see this idiot, I’m not stupid enough to not know what causes my heart to pound or my cheeks to turn red.

But this was my own stubbornness.

I want to win at the last moment, even if it’s unfair that I was always defeated by this idiot in the past.

With this resolution, I’ve been trying hard not to recognize him as much as possible until now.

Lying to myself and not telling the truth to the people around me.

That’s why there was a question I wanted to ask today, but it seems like it's fate to keep it hidden.

‘I wanted to ask you ‘what am I to you' .’

I wondered if this fool, who is as disingenuous as I am, would recognize my feelings if I asked him this question.

I wondered if this guy who always treated me like an immature little sister would recognize me as a genuine woman.

But it would be against the law to ask Ed this question now.

Maybe he’s more stupid than me who lies to himself, so he doesn’t even know what his own feelings are.

If so, I could give him a little grace period.

Until the moment comes when this idiot brings me the wine of victory himself, and can’t live without holding me in his arms.

That’s what I am going to do for myself.

And it would be an easy feat to make such a stupid man mine.

As the successor of the Robeheim family, she would be able to overcome this ordeal.

“Ed.”

“What?”

“Look at me.”

“… … ?”

At my declaration of war, he looked at me with blank eyes and tilted his head.

Anyway, what a stupid man. But it would be a waste to live this long without knowing such an obvious fact, isn't it?

This is the fire of war you ignited, Ed.

At least, if I had known that you had no feelings for me, I would have been able to lie forever.

But a moment ago, you showed a gap through your remarks. And it motivates me.

If that’s the case, then you should be rewarded accordingly.

Of course, I wouldn’t directly seduce you coquettishly.

You will still remain my stupid childhood friend, and the situation where I suddenly embrace you will not happen.

But at least it’s okay to change his perception of myself from a friend he wants to protect to a woman he wants to cherish.

It's not a frivolous thought, rather it's the normal behavior of a lady.

It is to give off a fragrance so that he will come first. Like the relationship between a flower and a bee.

“Ed.”

“What is it again?”

His voice rose slightly, probably because I called in the same way.

My words that followed quickly faded away.

“Thank you, no matter how this ended… I really wanted to tell you this.”

“… It's okay.”

I melted into the atmosphere and quietly put my hand on his hand that was on the grass.

Up to this point, it is an action that a friend can do, and now, it is something that must be done.

Besides, it’s meaningful just to have him see me again up close like this.

Hopefully, in the end, I can stand as the winner.

I entrusted my consciousness to the wind that blew with earnest hope.

Even after hearing such an amazing story, somehow my heart beat was very calm.

BA-DUM. BA-DUM.

“Why are you shaking like this? Are you cold?”

“Puf, noisy! you idiot!”

… It was calm anyway.

[T: So…Bee Ed, when are you going to give us the first kiss scene? Oh, I guess it's right around the corner he he he.]