I Became a Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess

〈 Episode 11 〉 The Hidden Side of the Grand Duchess

***

Perhaps because it was the eldest son’s birthday.

The variety of dishes decorating the table in the hall clearly showed the effort put into their preparation.

‘What should I try first?’

Edgar had always had a good appetite.

Even in the body of a ten-year-old, he could eat almost as much as his father, Ransley, so that said enough.

As he wandered around with a plate in hand, the plentiful food on the table noticeably diminished before everyone’s eyes.

“Edgar, you really eat a lot.”

“Why aren’t you eating? Don’t you like the food?”

“I’m eating plenty, okay? You’re just eating too much.”

Is that so?

Edgar wasn’t particularly aware of it. He had simply been eating whatever he saw in front of him.

But seeing Ariel’s exasperated expression made him realize that he had indeed eaten quite a bit.

Of course, he still had room for more.

“By the way, do you like the birthday present?”

Edgar, who was chewing on a piece of steak cut into a bite-sized portion, nearly choked at the sudden question but managed to compose himself.

If she meant the birthday present, she must be referring to that ridiculous mountain.

He found it absurd that she called that a present, but looking back now, he couldn’t understand Helene even more for allowing it.

What on earth made her think it was okay to give such a gift to a ten-year-old?

“Uh… I don’t know.”

“Geez, what kind of reaction is that? I went through so much effort to pick it out, and you’re saying you don’t like it?”

He had expected words of praise, yet the response was lukewarm, warmer than the southwesterly winds of midsummer.

Ariel, immediately annoyed, glared at him with crimson eyes and began huffing indignantly. Edgar quickly tried to calm her down.

“No, I didn’t mean I dislike it… it’s just, how should I put it? Getting such a huge gift feels a little strange.”

“What? So you do like it?”

“…I guess?”

Edgar replied evasively, tilting his head slightly.

If someone were to hold a sword to his throat and demand he choose whether he liked it or not, he would have to pick the former.

Setting aside the question of what practical use a mountain could have, how many people in the world could say they had been gifted one?

Just the satisfaction of being one of the rare few was enough to make him like it.

He was merely curious as to why she had chosen such an extravagant gift.

“But why did you give me that, anyway?”

“When you went to the mountain last time, you said, ‘If all the plants here were mine, I’d never go hungry.’ Remember?”

“…Ah.”

Now that she mentioned it, he vaguely recalled saying something that absurd on a whim.

He had heard from his parents that the mountain was home to medicinal herbs and some rather valuable trees, so it was probably something he blurted out based on that information.

Still, to actually give him an entire mountain, what kind of out-of-this-world thinking was that?

Wasn’t a mountain supposed to be state property in the first place?

Edgar still had a lot to learn about the laws and rules of this world.

He didn’t know whether the mountain was imperial property or a private estate that had always belonged to the Löweheim family. One thing was certain: it wasn’t part of the Bilhark family’s assets. If it had been, Ariel wouldn’t have been able to gift it to him.

‘I have no idea.’

But so what? In the end, it was his property now.

Maybe, when he got older and found himself with nothing else to do, he could build a house on that mountain and live there. It didn’t sound like a bad life.

There was even a time when he admired the so-called ‘naturalists’ who lived in the mountains.

“Anyway, thanks. I didn’t properly thank you back then.”

“Hmph, if you’re grateful, treat me well! I’ll be keeping an eye on you!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

He couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic for the fleeting glimpse of the fragile grand duchess he had seen three days ago, but this version of her suited her better.

She had a bit of a haughty air but wasn’t entirely unlikable. Her reactions to teasing were always fresh, and sometimes she showed an unexpectedly innocent side.

He used to think of her as nothing more than a young girl who needed protection, but she had long since become a true friend to Edgar.

“But it’s your birthday, so why isn’t anyone else here to celebrate?”

“The adults are probably busy.”

“That’s not true… When it was my birthday, even the adults came by to congratulate me.”

‘Well, that’s because you’re…’

There was plenty Edgar wanted to say, but he swallowed his words with effort.

“Maybe they weren’t busy back then.”

“Really?”

Thankfully, her innocence as a ten-year-old was still intact, making it relatively easy to distract her with such an explanation.

In a few more years, though, it probably wouldn’t be as simple to steer her attention elsewhere like this.

‘I wonder what it’ll be like.’

That day felt both exciting and a little daunting to anticipate.

Even now, the young and spirited grand duchess could be quite a handful. Who could guess how much more freely she might act once she was older?

Hopefully, she wouldn’t turn into an untamed horse galloping wherever she pleased.

“Ed, do you know how long we’re staying this time?”

“No idea. Are you staying long?”

“Yup! Mom said we can stay for a week!”

‘Oh.’

Was this good news or bad news?

On one hand, having Ariel around for a week promised endless entertainment and no time for boredom, which was certainly appealing.

On the other hand, Ariel’s presence meant that Helene would also be staying.

Which, in turn, meant that for a week, his mother, Katria, would have to serve as Helene’s conversational partner.

‘Madam Helene is a good person, but that’s a separate matter entirely.’

When someone important visits your home, it’s natural to feel stiff and on edge, regardless of their personality or whether they’re pleasant or insufferable.

From that perspective, the coming week might feel like a triumph for him and Ariel, but for Ransley and Katria, it would likely be closer to a disaster.

“How is it? Isn’t it great?”

“It is. I get bored staying home alone anyway.”

“Hehe, actually, I learned some new magic to show you!”

At Ariel’s bombshell announcement, Edgar’s eyes widened in astonishment.

She had learned a new magic spell in just three days?

No matter how gifted she was, this felt excessive.

The spell she’d demonstrated last time had already left him amazed. He’d later looked it up in books and found out it was of considerable difficulty, impressive for anyone, let alone a ten-year-old.

While it wasn’t an advanced spell, it wasn’t something a child of her age should be able to easily manifest. In fact, the very idea of a ten-year-old using magic defied all conventional wisdom, but arguing the logic felt pointless given how far outside the norm Ariel was.

“I’m looking forward to it. Make sure to show me later.”

“Don’t worry. I can show you tonight!”

If tonight’s party ended, it would already be well past midnight, and exhaustion would likely knock them out. What exactly was she planning to drag him into after that?

Truly, the grand duchess was brimming with boundless energy.

“Uh, there’s no need to go that far….”

Edgar was about to continue his sentence but quickly clamped his mouth shut when he saw Ariel’s sharp, piercing gaze.

Fine. If she insisted, he’d go along with it. He wasn’t much of a sleeper anyway, so keeping her entertained wouldn’t be too hard.

The real problem would arise if Madam Helene caught them. She had a rather conservative outlook on such things, after all.

“Then it’s decided?”

“Alright, alright. Just stop glaring at me.”

“Hmph! Idiot, dummy, Edgar.”

“Edgar isn’t an insult, though.”

How had his name become equivalent to ‘idiot’ and ‘dummy’ in her mind?

Not that there were many insults a child could come up with beyond those two, but if so, the name ‘Edgar’ must rank as the ultimate derogatory term in her little world.

It felt like the eight years they’d spent together nearly a decade, after all, had just been reduced to nothing. Strictly speaking, it had been eight years, but still.

As they continued their lighthearted banter, Edgar suddenly felt someone approaching.

He placed his empty plate casually on the table and turned around.

Standing there was a boy slightly taller than Edgar, wearing a deep smile.

“Hello, Edgar.”

“Huh?”

Who was this?

Edgar let out a bewildered sound at the boy’s sudden appearance and overly familiar greeting.

He vaguely recognized the boy’s face, but the name and even the family didn’t come to mind.

Had they ever spoken before?

“Happy birthday.”

“Oh, uh… thanks.”

Anyway, Edgar couldn’t ignore someone wishing him a happy birthday, so he nodded politely and expressed his thanks.

The boy didn’t seem unpleasant, quite the opposite. He had a warm demeanor, and it was easy to imagine he’d grow into a handsome young man someday.

“Ed, who’s that?”

“Huh? Well… uh…”

As Edgar was silently appraising the boy’s appearance, Ariel cut in with a sharp tone, demanding to know his identity.

Edgar, for his part, wanted to ask the same question. Couldn’t the boy at least introduce himself?

As Edgar hesitated, fumbling for words, Ariel’s voice became even sharper, this time directed squarely at the boy.

“Who are you?”

“Me? I’m Edgar’s friend.”

“Ed doesn’t seem to know you, though. Are you sure you’re his friend?”

As mentioned many times before, Ariel’s perceptiveness was remarkably sharp.

It didn’t take her long to notice that the boy seemed to know Edgar while Edgar clearly didn’t know him.

Despite claiming to be Edgar’s friend, the boy’s gaze wasn’t on the birthday boy, it was fixed on Ariel.

‘How dare he.’

Ariel had been beautiful from a young age.

Not just in the sense that her features were striking for her age, but her beauty already felt sculpted and refined.

Because of this, even at social gatherings she attended while holding her parents’ hands, she often became the focus of attention among boys her age. They, too, could recognize beauty.

But what irritated Ariel most wasn’t the boy’s admiration of her appearance.

It was that he had used her cherished childhood friend as an excuse to approach her.

In her eyes, that meant he had insulted Edgar, someone she held dear.

Though young, Ariel had been taught well by her family. She knew that tarnishing someone’s honor was a grave offense, and she also knew the harsh punishments such offenses warranted.

“Go away. Edgar’s playing with me.”

“Huh? But I’m Edgar’s friend…”

“Don’t call him ‘Ed.’ The only people allowed to call Edgar ‘Ed’ are his mom, dad, and me.”

By ‘mom and dad,’ she clearly meant Edgar’s parents.

The boy, still unwilling to back down despite not even introducing himself, was irritating Ariel far more than usual. She was on the verge of scolding him further when a clever idea struck her.

It wasn’t her favorite tactic, but in situations like this, there was no better approach.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Y-you’re the young lady of the grand duchy…”

“Then you know who my mom is too, right?”

“Y-yes.”

How could he not?

The boy had been instructed by his mother to approach Ariel and Edgar and do his best to form a connection with them. He was fully aware of Ariel’s status, who her mother was, and that she was present at this party.

“Should I go call my mom? Or would you prefer to leave right now?”

“L-leave…?”

The boy was the second son of a fairly prestigious family.

Had anyone neither sibling nor acquaintance, ever told him to leave before?

The shock must have been considerable, as even his lips began to tremble. But our grand duchess showed not the slightest inclination to show mercy.

“I’ll ask you again. Are you leaving now, or should I fetch my mom?”

“I-I’m sorry!”

The sharp and high-pitched voice that had been ringing moments earlier suddenly dropped into a low, firm tone, signaling it as a final warning.

With that, the boy dashed off without looking back, running straight to the safety of his mother’s embrace.

As soon as the unpleasant face disappeared from sight, Ariel beamed with satisfaction, as though she had just completed a major task. Turning to Edgar with her usual cheerful demeanor, she spoke brightly.

“Ed, if you’re done eating, let’s go play outside!”

“Uh, sure.”

What did I just witness?

Caught off guard by the whirlwind of events, Edgar could only blink and nod absentmindedly, still trying to process what had just happened.

***