I Became a Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess

Chapter 16: To You, Nine Years Later (2)

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The two of them couldn’t know what the other had written on the paper.

Curiosity naturally builds up, but the real fun lies in enjoying the mystery.

Edgar continued to write for a while longer before finishing his note and subtly getting up.

“Looks like you’re done first, Edgar. Will you pass it to me?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Helene took the paper and then pulled out the spherical object she had brought in her bag earlier.

The time capsule Edgar remembered was literally a capsule-shaped ball in which a folded letter was placed and buried.

However, the sphere Helene held seemed more like an ordinary ball than a capsule.

This meant there wasn’t a lid or any opening.

‘How is this supposed to work?’

As Edgar’s curiosity grew, Helene smiled at him as if to show him something interesting and picked up the sphere.

She carefully placed it on the unmarked paper, muttered a short chant that was barely audible, and then.

*Zing.*

“…!?”

A small burst of light radiated from the sphere and covered the paper.

Soon, the shape of the paper was completely hidden by the light, and when the light scattered in all directions, the paper was nowhere to be seen.

“Isn’t that amazing? That’s the purpose of this object.”

“Does it store other things?”

“Yes. However, it can’t store anything too big, and it can’t hold food, as it would rot. It’s not as versatile as it seems, but it works well as a time capsule.”

It was an object that could be used as a time capsule, as long as the items weren’t too large or prone to decaying, like paper.

Edgar, who understood now, nodded slightly, and Helene chuckled softly while patting his head.

His hair was a rare shade, darker than her daughter’s, a fiery red that looked like it was ablaze. It was a rare color, and she couldn’t help but reach out to touch it occasionally.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to mind it, so she had started doing it more often recently.

“Mom, I’m done too!”

“Really? Let me see.”

Helene stroked Edgar’s head with one hand and took the paper with her other hand.

Then, in the same way she had done earlier, she placed Ariel’s paper into the sphere.

As they watched the light from the sphere scatter, Ariel clapped her hands and exclaimed, ‘Wow!’ She seemed really amazed.

“Now, we just need to bury this in the ground… Oh my, I’ve lost my mind.”

“What’s wrong, ma’am?”

“I should have brought a small trowel with me, but I forgot. Please wait for a moment.”

The ground was soft enough that digging with her hands wouldn’t cause much trouble, but Helene seemed worried about getting dirty.

After all, it wasn’t every day that a lady of high rank, or a noblewoman, would dig the earth with her bare hands.

Ariel, on the other hand, had once tried to dig the ground to collect a flower she liked, but even then, Edgar had done it for her.

‘The dirt can be washed off.’

Although Katria would scold her if she noticed, Edgar wasn’t particularly concerned about it.

In fact, if Helene didn’t have to go back, he thought it would be a good idea to help her out.

As he finished his thought, Edgar stopped Helene from getting up.

When Helene awkwardly stood and raised her arms, he saw her hesitation and quickly stopped her.

“Ed, you don’t need to dig with your hands. Your clothes will get dirty, so stop.”

“I’m fine. I’ve done this a few times before, and as for the clothes, I can just wash them.”

Although the maids would probably have a harder time cleaning them, it couldn’t be helped.

He didn’t want to make Helene walk back for something so trivial.

He thought about going back himself, but it seemed quicker and easier to just do it himself.

“Ed, should I help?”

Ariel, not noticing his intentions, was about to offer help, but Edgar shook his head firmly.

There was no point in having Ariel help now, especially when she wasn’t supposed to be doing any work.

*Swish. Swish.*

Edgar, being cautious not to dig too close to the tree roots, chose a spot a little farther away.

As he skillfully dug the ground, Ariel’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she watched.

It seemed like even the noble young lady was getting interested in some dirt play.

‘This should be enough.’

After clearing enough dirt, a small space appeared, just the right size.

If he dug any deeper, it would be harder to find later, so Edgar decided to stop there.

“Ma’am, could you please place it in this spot?”

Since his hands were covered in dirt, it would be awkward for him to take the object and place it in the hole himself.

Helene nodded, understanding his request, and carefully stepped around the dirt piles to place the sphere into the hole.

*Click.*

The two spheres collided and made a small sound inside the hole.

With the yellowish ball shining inside the brownish dirt, it created a strange contrast.

Edgar looked at Ariel and asked, ‘Should we cover it?’

When Ariel nodded, he began to cover the hole with dirt again.

Afterward, he stepped aside and dusted off the dirt from his clothes.

He was slightly worried about hurting himself on any rocks, but fortunately, everything was fine.

Ariel, who had caught up with him, suddenly tapped his back with both hands, as though playing a drum.

What was this all about?

Curious, Edgar asked what was going on, and Ariel answered with a bright smile, ‘Praise!’

“This is praise?”

“Yep, I tapped you to show that you did well.”

“Oh.”

That was a unique kind of praise.

Next time, Edgar vowed that he would tap her back as praise and see how she reacted.

‘She’s the type to keep her promises, so she’ll probably get upset and say something nonsensical.’

It seemed like fun. He liked the idea. He would definitely try it.

With this mischievous resolve, Edgar thought about it as they finished their task.

“Ed, let’s go wash our hands now. Your clothes are quite dirty too…”

“Yes, ma’am.”

After not seeing them for a while, Helene finally came over to find them, and together, they made their way back to the main house.

Ariel, unable to wait, asked Edgar what he had written on the paper.

If she was going to ask like that, then what was the point of burying it?

Looking at her with narrowed eyes, Edgar replied. 

“Didn’t we bury it to read it together in nine years?”

“But I want to know a little now. Hmm? Can’t you tell me a bit?”

Normally, Ariel would be pouting, but now she was speaking so skillfully. Edgar guessed it was because she was well aware of her looks.

He figured that few people could resist her request when she mixed in that cute tone.

“Yeah, no way.”

Of course, that was unless it was for him.

“Tch, what’s the harm in telling me? That’s so unfair!”

*Sigh.*

It seemed like he would have to use his trump card.

Ariel, looking quite upset, took a step away and puffed up her cheeks.

Noticing her reaction, Edgar poked her shoulder with his finger and gestured for her to come closer.

‘Heh, I knew it.’

Ariel had known for sure that Edgar was weak to her.

Even though his resistance didn’t work on her when it came to certain things, most of the time he would give in to her, especially when she used her charms.

Smiling with a sense of victory, Ariel took a few steps toward him. But just as she was about to approach, Edgar’s face came into view.

‘Huh?’

He was too close. Was he about to whisper something?

Ariel’s mind, not used to Edgar coming this close, became instantly flustered. Her heart raced, and heat rushed through her body.

Right when she was expecting what would happen next,

*Thud!*

Suddenly, her vision blurred, and a sharp pain struck her forehead.

“Ouch!?”

“Wait 9 years, you fool.”

Ariel blinked, still dazed, and opened her eyes.

What she saw was Edgar’s face, grinning smugly, with his middle and thumb fingers together, taunting her.

It didn’t take long for Ariel to process what had happened, and the anger immediately filled her eyes.

If he hadn’t said anything, she probably would have let it go, but how dare he hit her?

“You… you hit me…!?”

“So what if I did?”

*Bleh.*

Sticking his tongue out and mocking her, Edgar dashed back into the mansion.

Ariel, who had been a little slow to react, tried to chase after him, but the difference in their speed was just too much.

“Just like a kid, he has too much energy.”

Helene, having knowingly ignored the commotion behind her, chuckled softly, covering her face with her hand.

She wondered if it was too much to wish that these two would always remain as pure and bright as they were now.

Even when they opened the letters buried in the ground, she hoped they would remain close friends, not bound by family ties. Perhaps, if it were possible…

‘But that’s too much to hope for right now.’

With that thought, Helene lowered her head.

For now, her only wish as a mother was that the two of them would be okay. That was all she truly wanted.

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