I Became a Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess

Chapter 14: The Story of the Star (2)

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What exactly was the story of the star?

Edgar swung his wooden sword in the cold morning air, lost in thought.

It would have been better if he hadn’t heard it; since last evening, a needless curiosity had been slowly consuming his mind.

‘Should I ask Lady Helene?’

He quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought.

The reason Ariel couldn’t explain it yesterday was because Lady Helene had given a hint, so it seemed like some kind of silencing was involved.

It would be impossible to ask the person involved to explain it.

‘If it’s a fairy tale, maybe it’s in the library.’

After thinking over and over, that was the most reasonable guess he could come up with.

If the story was not one Helene had made up herself but something from a fairy tale or a book, it might be possible to find out.

*Whoosh. Whoosh.*

The wooden sword cut through the air with a sharp sound.

After swinging it two or three more times, Edgar, as usual, sighed deeply once his allotted training was over and lay down on the ground.

The cold floor, which had been exposed to the chilly air for a long time, greeted him, but by now, he was used to it and didn’t mind.

“Oh, I forgot to bring it.”

He had wanted to try using the sword Helene had personally gifted him yesterday, but his mind had failed to remember something important.

It wasn’t an urgent matter, so he would probably put it off until tomorrow. He also wanted to ask Ariel for advice if possible.

After all, he was practically an outsider when it came to magic.

The problem was whether Ariel was skilled at teaching.

‘She’s probably fast at learning, but I doubt she’s good at teaching.’

Most geniuses seemed to be like that.

If others couldn’t do things the way they did, it felt like they would ask, ‘Why isn’t this working?’

Of course, it might just be his own preconceived notion.

“You’re up, Sir. You’re quite diligent.”

“Yes, good morning, Sheffi.”

He greeted Sheffi warmly, but it still felt somewhat awkward to speak casually to him.

It had been almost ten years since he started living in this world, but he still had the ingrained idea that he should use formal speech when someone was older than him.

He still felt awkward about social hierarchies, so it was no surprise.

“Has Ariel gotten up?”

Ariel’s mornings tended to be a bit slower than Edgar’s.

She was older than her age when it came to sleeping in, though she was still relatively young.

On the other hand, Edgar liked taking naps, but Ariel didn’t take naps at all, which was a noticeable difference.

“Actually, Miss was already talking about how she couldn’t show you magic last night and has been insistent since this morning. Haven’t you seen her yet?”

“I guess she must have been waiting for me while I went out as soon as I woke up.”

Come to think of it, that did happen.

Yesterday, Ariel suddenly burst into tears, and in the rush to show her the star, Edgar completely forgot about it.

So, would it be a good idea to use that as an excuse to learn magic today?

“Seems like you being around makes the young lady more diligent.”

“Really? How is she usually?”

“At her family home, she wakes up much later than she does here. That often gets her scolded by her mother.”

Edgar let out a short exclamation of surprise, ‘Heh,’ at hearing this for the first time.

But he wondered how his presence had anything to do with Ariel waking up early.

I’m not some human alarm clock.

Tilting his head in confusion, a faint chuckle from Sheffi tickled his ears.

“Heh, heh… Ah, sorry. My mistake.”

“No problem. If it’s something amusing, you can laugh.”

Or maybe she suddenly got winded.

Although he was slightly bothered by the fact that Sheffi’s gaze was on him, Edgar decided to ignore it.

The most urgent thing right now was finding Ariel.

She was probably wandering around the mansion looking for him, so entertaining her was a way of showing hospitality.

Though, if the person in question was that young lady, he felt like he had long ago discarded the idea of any such hospitality—but it was probably just a feeling.

“Ah, Lady Helene.”

Edgar, heading to his room, noticed the familiar figure of Helene.

Her black hair, damp from the morning, cascaded down as she walked, and upon hearing his voice, she stopped and greeted him warmly.

“You’re up early, Edgar. Was it for your training?”

“Yes. There’s still a long way to go.”

Noticing the wooden sword at his waist, Helene, who had figured out where he had been, gently ruffled his hair.

Her gaze toward Edgar was even softer than usual.

“Don’t overdo it. Katria is also worried.”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

After hearing a message from Helene following yesterday’s birthday party, Edgar decided to speak a bit more casually.

More precisely, he’d say he was being ‘childish’ about it.

His previous way of speaking to Helene had been very formal, to the point where even he had felt awkward using it.

“Ah, Lady. Have you seen Ariel?”

“Ariel, you say? She’s probably on the terrace.”

“The terrace?”

Why the terrace? Did she go out to look at the garden or something?

Edgar blinked in surprise at the unexpected answer, and Helene, with an enigmatic smile, gently tapped his shoulder.

She then bent slightly and, as if someone might overhear, whispered to him in a soft tone.

“Do you know what you can see from the terrace?”

“Well… the garden, I guess?”

After all, the terrace was built to overlook the entire garden and grounds. It was the most natural answer.

At his response, Helene, who had been chuckling just like Sheffi, suddenly glanced down the hallway and then, with an almost playful tone, whispered again.

“What else?”

“Uh… I’m not sure?”

What is this, a game of 20 Questions?

Unable to come up with a clear answer, Edgar tilted his head.

Then, lowering her body, Helene winked and gave him one final hint.

“When Ariel comes, ask her where she’s been. Then you’ll know.”

“Eh…?”

Hadn’t Helene just said Ariel had gone to the terrace?

Anyway, Edgar figured he couldn’t lose anything by listening to Helene’s words, so despite the lingering unease, he decided to go along with it.

As Helene prepared to leave, throwing him the final clue, Edgar quickly called out to her in a hurry.

“Hey, Lady Helene!”

“Hmm? Do you still have something to say?”

“Yes. If it’s not too much trouble… could you tell me what the Story of the Star is?”

“The Story of the Star? Did Ariel tell you about it?”

Edgar nodded without saying a word, and Helene’s expression turned into one of disbelief, as if thinking, What’s going on with these kids?

It was an expression Edgar had never seen before on Helene Löweheim, and it looked almost childish, as if it belonged to Ariel.

Laughing while covering her mouth with her hand, Helene’s expression strangely resembled a mischievous version of Ariel’s face.

“Heh heh, I can’t tell you about it myself. It’s a story passed down through my family for generations. There are only two people in the world who can hear it in their lifetime.”

“Only two people?”

“Yes.”

Why only two people? What could be so significant in this story?

It sounded almost like a legend, especially considering it had been passed down through her family. Edgar found himself even more curious.

“By ‘family,’ do you mean the Löweheim family?”

“Yes, I mean my original family.”

“Then, has Lady Helene told Ariel and someone else this story?”

“That’s right.”

Who could the other person be? If the story was that important, it must be someone related by blood or a lover at the very least.

Edgar felt a headache coming on but decided not to dwell on it anymore.

Since Ariel had used the word ‘yet,’ maybe someday he’d get to hear it too.

“Thank you, Lady. If I get the chance, I’ll ask Ariel directly.”

“Oh my.”

“…?”

As if she had just heard a bold declaration, Helene covered her mouth in surprise. When her eyes met Edgar’s, she smiled as if to brush it off, as though it were nothing.

“I do hope that day will come, Edgar. Ariel is probably looking forward to it too.”

“Yes.”

With that, their conversation ended, and Helene bid him goodbye before walking away.

At the same time, the sound of someone rushing toward them from the end of the corridor echoed.

*Tap. Tap.*

The light, rapid footsteps sounded more like those of a rabbit than a person.

There could only be one person in this mansion capable of making such a sound.

A careless smile appeared at the corner of Edgar’s mouth.

“Ariel, where have you been running off to?”

“Huh? Uh, I just… went to the dining hall for a moment!”

“The dining hall?”

The dining hall? Wasn’t she on the terrace?

Edgar’s head was filled with question marks as he tried to reconcile this with Helene’s earlier testimony.

Ariel seemed nervous, fiddling with her hands, which only made her story more suspicious.

And besides, this childhood friend, who didn’t have much of an appetite, suddenly went to the dining hall for no reason? Something felt off.

“Weren’t you on the terrace?”

“The terrace? Why would I…?”

“Why, indeed…”

Has some new rule been established that prohibited going to the terrace in the morning?

Edgar stood there in stunned silence, and Ariel, watching him, suddenly spoke up.

“What were you doing this morning?”

“Me? Just the usual training.”

“Hmm… I see.”

Why ask about something so mundane?

It felt like she was trying to claim ignorance or pretending not to know, with her overly exaggerated tone and actions.

As Edgar pondered her strange behavior, he suddenly remembered a flower he had seen in the garden earlier during his training, one that seemed like it would be to Ariel’s liking. He decided to bring it up in conversation.

“By the way, did you see the flower blooming in the garden? It looked like the one you liked.”

“Oh, the one you were crouching down to look at?”

“…What?”

How did she know whether I was crouching or standing while looking at it?

Edgar’s mind briefly froze at the unexpected answer.

Before he could even ask how she knew, Ariel stiffened up.

Realizing her mistake, she fell silent for about three seconds before her face turned bright red.

The heat rising from her body seemed to burst out through her head with a faint pop.

Then, she quickly declared,

“I… I’m going to bed now! Sleep well, Edgar!”

“What? Hey, you don’t even take naps… why all of a sudden?”

Why was she suddenly claiming to take a nap now, after never doing so before?

Did she have a bad dream this morning? But she had gotten up early, so it didn’t seem like that was the case.

‘She must have seen something on the terrace that really caught her eye.’

Did she see a dragon or something?

No, if she had, then I’d be a dead man by now, training in the garden.

Shaking off the silly thoughts, Edgar shook his head.

In the end, he had learned nothing. Neither the Story of the Star nor the reason Ariel had gone to the terrace early in the morning had been uncovered.

It was an unproductive morning, with no answers to be found.

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