I Became a Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess

〈 Episode 13 〉 A Story of the Stars (1)

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Edgar let out a deep sigh as he replayed the events from earlier in his mind.

Everything had been wonderful, having his birthday celebrated, receiving an invaluable gift, and even being so moved that he shed tears.

But there was one significant problem left.

“Crybaby Ed, what are you doing?”

‘Oh, I want to disappear.’

The fact that Ariel, of all people, had witnessed that moment.

She, who had once cried over a scraped knee after falling on a mountain, now seemed completely unfazed by his emotional tears, relentlessly teasing him about being a crybaby all day long.

Should I smack her or not?

“Just sitting.”

“Heehee, are you sulking? Did you get upset because I called you a crybaby?”

Hovering behind his shoulder, Ariel poked and prodded at him, and now she was outright tugging at his cheeks from the front.

Edgar, for the first time, discovered just how stretchy his cheeks were.

“Thihs ihgh tehorrhblhe……”

“What? Are you going to cry again if I keep this up?”

*Sigh.*

There was no way out. No matter what he said, she’d just brush it off with another ‘crybaby Ed’ jab.

Edgar closed his eyes and decided to completely ignore her.

It wasn’t his favorite tactic, he found it a little petty, but it was the most effective method when dealing with kids.

‘Just ignore her for about three minutes.’

By then, Ariel would probably start stomping her feet and apologize first. Staying in this estate for another week, she couldn’t afford to turn him into an enemy.

After all, if Edgar stopped talking to her, she’d have no one to play with.

“Crybaby Ed? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“……”

“You think ignoring me will make me beg for forgiveness? Hmph.”

Wait, is it not working?

The truth was, Edgar had never used this tactic on Ariel before. He had only heard that ignoring children was a proven strategy for dealing with their antics and thought it was worth trying.

But maybe it varied from person to person. If so, this was a bigger problem than he had anticipated.

“What, are you really going to ignore me? Just because I teased you a little?”

“……”

So this is the mindset of a perpetrator.

Despite this being the worst teasing Edgar had ever endured from Ariel, she acted as if it was no big deal.

‘How audacious.’

It seemed the time had come to root out this problem. Someone needed to teach this spoiled young duchess a lesson.

Edgar decided to up the stakes. He opened his eyes and abruptly stood up.

Startled, Ariel, who had been poking at him incessantly, stumbled back and landed on her rear with a small yelp. Ouch!

“Hey! You don’t have to react like that!” 

Ignoring her entirely, Edgar began walking away, determined not to let her off the hook this time.

Inwardly, though, he felt nervous.

What if she tattles to Helene? The thought made his stomach churn. But there was no turning back now. He had already drawn his sword, so to speak.

“E-Ed! Wait! Don’t leave me!”

“……”

When Edgar silently opened the door to leave, Ariel panicked and rushed after him, grabbing the sleeve of his shirt.

She wasn’t planning on punching him, was she? Knowing her unpredictable nature, Edgar considered the possibility and felt his heart pound.

Keeping his expression as calm as possible, he turned to look at her and was greeted by her tear-filled eyes.

Huh? Wait a second.

“I won’t tease you anymore… Don’t ignore me. I’m sorry…”

Before long, fat teardrops began to fall from Ariel’s big, red eyes.

Crying, not getting mad? This was an unexpected turn.

Edgar had thought she might try to reconcile first, but tears weren’t even in the realm of possibilities he’d considered.

“Ah, no! It’s fine! Don’t cry, okay? Stop!”

“It’s ’cause I always bother you… *sniffle*…”

‘Well, that’s true…’

But he couldn’t very well say that to a crying girl. Calming her down was the priority.

This young duchess had a habit of shedding tears whenever things didn’t go her way. The problem was that, to Edgar, her tears were the ultimate weapon.

‘Crying is cheating.’

Why wasn’t there some sort of ‘no crying allowed’ rule?

Even while grumbling internally, Edgar hastily pulled out his handkerchief and wiped away her tears.

The sight of transparent droplets streaming from her ruby-red eyes created a strangely surreal impression.

“It was a joke. You know I wouldn’t really get mad over something like that.”

Once the tears had started, there was no stopping them. Edgar tried to console her, but her crying continued unabated.

What if Madam Helene walked in right now?

‘Oh, no. Let’s not even think about that.’

At least, as he gently cradled her small frame and patted her back, her shaking shoulders gradually calmed.

It had been a close call. If Helene had seen this scene, Edgar might have needed to draft a will tonight.

Normally, when Ariel cried, it was over something she’d done wrong, so it was easier to brush off. But today, Edgar couldn’t deny his own guilt in the matter.

Even the ever-kind Helene wouldn’t let him off the hook so easily if she saw this.

“Stop crying. Let’s go look at the stars.”

“S-staars…?”

Ariel looked up with a puzzled expression, as though wondering where that random suggestion had come from. Edgar, brimming with confidence, gave his chest a solid pat.

“The stars are supposed to be beautiful tonight. You like stars, don’t you?”

“I do… but how did you know that?”

“Uh? Oh, uh, it… came up in a book or something?”

Edgar, in quick succession, delivered another excuse that was unlikely to convince anyone.

Sure, there were books about celestial bodies and the movement of stars, but such texts were light-years away from anything Edgar would typically read.

His suggestion was merely a ploy to get Ariel outside. He figured that a breath of fresh air might help lift her mood.

Fortunately, his desperate attempt seemed to resonate with the heavens, as Ariel soon cracked a smile and nodded in agreement.

The two quickly bundled up in an extra layer of clothing and stepped out of the mansion.

“Ed, where are we going?”

“There’s a spot back there where you can see the stars really well. Come on.”

Edgar led Ariel by the hand, heading not to the garden but to a small outbuilding behind the main mansion.

This area housed quarters for some of the servants, and right next to it stood a solitary gardener’s shed.

The shed was quite tall, high enough that even an adult would need a ladder to climb up to its roof.

Circling the shed, Edgar spotted what he had been searching for and smiled.

“Ariel, do you think you can step on this and climb up?”

“Yeah, I think I can.”

“Alright.”

Outside the shed, there were several small platforms, each shorter than the height of either of them.

Though Edgar wasn’t sure of their exact purpose, he guessed they were tools used for maintaining the garden.

Using one platform after another, the two climbed up and eventually reached the roof of the shed.

“Lie down here.” 

“Won’t it collapse?” 

“Don’t worry. It’s sturdy.”

Edgar’s confident reply reassured her. He had been up here plenty of times before. By chance, he had discovered this spot, and since then, he often came here on nights when the stars were especially visible.

Through his visits, he had verified that the shed’s roof could handle a decent amount of weight.

“Are you cold?” 

“A little?”

“Here, use this.”

Taking off the coat he had been wearing over his shirt, Edgar draped it over Ariel’s body. Then, he lay down beside her.

“Wow!”

“Amazing, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it looks like the stars are going to spill down on us.”

The night sky looked completely different when viewed lying down. It felt as though the stars were close enough to reach out and touch.

It was like lying under a blanket woven from the night sky itself.

“How did you find this place?” 

“By accident. Do you like it?”

“I love it! So much.”

Heehee.

With a childlike giggle, Ariel stretched her small hand toward one of the brightest stars, as if claiming it as her own.

“Why do you like stars so much?”

“When I was little, my mom used to tell me something called ‘The Story of the Star.’ Maybe that’s why.”

“The Story of the Star?”

Just how young was Ariel when she referred to herself as ‘little’.

In any case, The Story of the Star.

Edgar found himself intrigued by what kind of tale could have captivated the attention of this spirited grand duchess and directed her fascination toward the stars.

‘Do stars fall in love or something.’

Edgar attempted to flex his imagination but came up with nothing particularly satisfying. If anything, he ended up lamenting his own lack of creativity.

*Glance.*

Turning his head slightly to catch a glimpse of Ariel’s profile, he noticed that, for some reason, she wasn’t looking at the stars but at him.

Thankfully, the distance between them wasn’t too close, avoiding any awkward accidents, but he couldn’t help but wonder why.

“Why are you looking this way? The star you like is over there.” 

“Then why are you looking this way?” 

“Uh…”

She had a point.

Edgar, now bested by a mere ten-year-old, scratched his cheek in mild embarrassment.

He didn’t have a real reason. If he had to explain, he was simply curious about how bright and sparkling Ariel’s eyes would be as she looked at the stars.

Finding himself at a loss for words, Edgar decided to return to their earlier topic. The Story of the Star. What was it about?

While he had brought Ariel out here to cheer her up, he figured he deserved at least a ‘story fee’ for sharing such a great spot with her.

“Ariel, what’s this Story of the Star about?”

“Are you curious?”

“Of course, I’m curious.”

He found her teasing manner annoying, but he answered honestly. After all, she had piqued his interest.

At that, Ariel suddenly sat up, her expression shifting into a mischievous yet mysterious smile, neither mocking nor kind.

“I’m not telling you yet!”

“What? Are there conditions for hearing it?”

“Yup! My mom said so!”

If it’s something Madam Helene said, I guess there’s no helping it.

Edgar sighed regretfully, nodding as he refocused on the night sky. Yet, a lingering curiosity continued to tickle at the edges of his thoughts.

It would have been easier if Ariel hadn’t mentioned it at all, but saying ‘not yet’ only made him more eager to know.

Could it be more than just an ordinary fairy tale?

“What’s with that smile?”

Noticing Ariel’s gaze, Edgar turned his head to see her still wearing that mysterious smile as she stared at him.

The usual unruly grand duchess was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she looked at him as if she were carefully studying a piece of art.

“Nothing. The stars are beautiful.”

“They are.”

“What about me?”

“…Huh?”

Uh, you’re… beautiful.

Caught off guard by her sudden question, Edgar stammered for a moment but managed to give her an answer that seemed to please her.

What’s gotten into her today?

The ever-changing demeanor of the young duchess left Edgar feeling completely off-balance.

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