I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 76

Ch 76: An Ominous Smile

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Starting this year, Ariel was permitted to enter her father’s office.

There were two main reasons for this.

The first was that Yulken was away from the castle quite often.

The second was to have Ariel, who would come of age next year, start engaging in official duties in earnest.

That meant that when Yulken was away, she would soon become the master of this castle.

Whenever that happened, Elpelt did not follow the schedule of the master but stood by Ariel’s side and helped her with her work.

Even though she had been learning since she was young, she was still inexperienced in practical matters.

Unless Edgar learned the practical skills and could replace Elpelt’s position, he was more suitable for this position for the time being.

“You already have the full dignity of the next Head of Family, Young Lady.”

“It’s still awkward, so please don’t say that.”

When Elpelt jokingly flattered her, Ariel subtly avoided his gaze and chuckled.

She still had many shortcomings.

Far from having the dignity of a Head of Family, she had not even considered that she had completed her training as a successor.

Yulken, whom she had watched so far, had the dignity and force befitting the master of the Lobeheim Family.

It was as if he had a natural charisma.

It would take a considerable amount of time to reach that level, but Ariel wanted to speed up that time as much as possible.

“You seem impatient.”

“A little. I heard that Father entered the battlefield at the age of seventeen and played his part as a successor.”

Originally, this was also the reason why Ariel wanted to follow Yulken to the front lines starting this year.

She thought that she had to be able to barely keep up with him to get even a little closer to him.

But Elpelt shook his head with a gentle smile.

At that time, the Northern region was even more chaotic than now, so Yulken had not gone to the battlefield willingly, and there was no need to dwell on that fact at all.

“Your Highness is Your Highness, and Young Lady is Young Lady. There is no need to push yourself by making comparisons. I am sure Your Highness also thinks so.”

“…It sounds more reliable when Elpelt says it. He probably knows Father better than I do.”

Ariel had heard that Yulken and Elpelt were close to being in a master-servant relationship on the surface, but they were also comrades who had gone through thick and thin together on the battlefield.

There must be something in that bond that they had built over a long time that could not be approached simply because of their father-daughter relationship.

That was why Ariel did not dare to claim that she knew her father, Yulken, well in front of Helene and Elpelt.

It was like showing off in front of a master.

“Isn’t that how it usually is? It may be presumptuous to say this to Your Highness, but perhaps Edgar Young Master knows the Young Lady better than Your Highness does. It’s a similar case.”

“Hmm, I wonder what kind of reaction Father would have if he heard this.”

What if she told Yulken himself, ‘Father’s aide said that my lover knows me better than you do!’?

Ariel was very curious whether he would chuckle with a bitter smile because he had done something wrong, or if he would call Elpelt separately and scold him for being presumptuous.

On the other hand, Elpelt, who had said this, could only hope for mercy while sweating a little.

“Please, just show me mercy.”

“I’m just kidding. The conversation we had here should end here. Right?”

Ariel, who winked and laughed playfully, immediately picked up her pen and scanned the documents.

There were still many things she didn’t know, and there were also issues that Yulken had to decide on directly.

So, she finished organizing only the things that Elpelt could handle, and she was learning the practical skills one by one by asking about how to view those points.

“By the way, did you have a good visit with the Young Master’s parents?”

“Elpelt knew about that too?”

“Well, given the Young Lady’s personality, you wouldn’t have gone all the way to Ardenum for no reason.”

Basically, Ariel was the type to move only when she had a purpose.

Unlike the easygoing Edgar, she was more of a pragmatist.

Of course, if she had gone to Ardenum because she wanted to be by Edgar’s side, there would be nothing to say, but Elpelt, who had been watching her for a long time, guessed that there was another reason.

And one of those guesses was this.

“Yes, it was a good visit. They were very surprised when I told them.”

“They had no choice but to be surprised. If I were in their position, I’d be lucky if I didn’t fall backward.”

“Is it, is it that much?”

Ariel had expected the other party to be surprised, but since she was not the person involved, she could not gauge the extent of the surprise.

However, after hearing Elpelt’s words, she realized anew that she had delivered quite shocking news.

But if she were asked if she regretted it, she would not.

“Since the Young Lady has been a member of the Lobeheim Family since birth, it is natural that you do not understand their feelings.”

Her estimation of the Lobeheim Family’s status was from the perspective of a member of this family.

Even if she knew that it was just amazing, she was ignorant of how much of an impact it had on those around her.

But how could this be blamed on her?

In the first place, it would be amazing if she had a more accurate understanding of the Bilhark Family’s position, but it did not mean that she was foolish.

Moreover, Elpelt considered even this point to be a small gain.

The higher the person who rules, the harder it is to look down, and therefore, differences in perspective naturally arise.

However, it seemed that she had become more aware of the Lobeheim Family’s position and the position of its successor because of this incident, so she would be more careful in her future actions.

“It’s okay to make mistakes. It’s just important what you learn from them.”

“You’re saying the same thing as Edgar.”

“Has the Young Master also said these words before?”

“Yes, it’s a little blurry since it was when I was too young.”

Elpelt smiled warmly at Ariel, who added, ‘That fool was always scolding me since I was young.’

‘Indeed, she has a good person by her side.’

Even if you can point out a friend’s mistake, it is difficult to give advice on it.

Even more so if it is when you are not mature.

In that respect, it meant that Edgar was not only her lover but also played a role as a guide in her life.

‘He would be good as the Young Lady’s husband, but he would also be perfect as an aide. What a shame.’

For a moment, Elpelt sincerely thought so.

Of course, he did not dare to say it out loud because he did not know how Ariel would react the moment he said it.

“Oh, right, Elpelt. There’s something I want to ask you. Can you answer me honestly?”

Her head, which had been scanning the pile of documents without even making eye contact, turned.

And she looked up at Elpelt, who was standing next to her, and the playful atmosphere from just a moment ago was nowhere to be seen in her eyes.

It was an eerie sensation that Elpelt had felt in a long time.

This was very similar to the coldness he had felt when he was fighting on the battlefield with Yulken, when he saw an enemy he had to eliminate.

As if an invisible blade of ice would invade his skin at any moment, he swallowed and nodded his head.

“How can I lie to the Young Lady? Please ask me anything.”

“Really? Then I’ll ask you the main point right away.”

She raised one corner of her mouth ominously, as if she was glad, and immediately stabbed into the part that Elpelt would be most sensitive about without hesitation.

“Are there any people in the family who are uncomfortable with Edgar’s existence?”

“……..”

Although he had expected it to some extent, it was difficult for him to manage his expression because she had come at him so suddenly.

Above all, even though he knew that he had to tell the truth, he was very reluctant to reveal it in front of Ariel.

‘It was something that would be revealed someday.’

He didn’t expect it to be revealed this quickly. The informant was probably Shepi, the maid.

With her intelligence, she could have figured it out just by noticing, but if she was so sure, the story was a little different.

“I thought you said I could ask you anything… I guess my memory is wrong.”

“Ah, no. It’s just that I’m sorry that I have to tell the Young Lady this fact…”

“It’s not something you did, so what does it matter? I just asked if there were such people.”

Although she said that, Elpelt, who realized that there was a question mixed in it, ‘Did you also join that opinion?’, mumbled his parched lips.

“…I’m sorry. There are some vassals who show such signs, but most of them are positive, except for a few, so please don’t worry.”

“I believe that you are not included in that minority, Elpelt.”

“That is a matter of course.”

In the first place, Elpelt’s background was not that outstanding either.

However, he caught Yulken’s eye with his performance on the battlefield, and after that, he was recognized for his skills and rose to his current position while going through thick and thin together.

Therefore, it was absurd for him to look down on a man named Edgar just because of his background, like the others.

It was like a frog forgetting its tadpole days.

He was not that foolish.

“…Well, okay. It’s not like I don’t understand those guys.”

“Yes? What do you mean by that…”

Elpelt’s eyes widened as if Ariel was also agreeing with their opinions.

However, Ariel, who already knew what he was thinking, answered with a sneer as if to say, ‘Is that even possible?’

“Just because I understand doesn’t mean I’ll forgive them. Of course, it would have been different if they had just voiced their opposition.”

Ariel was not a fool, so she knew that she could not dismiss the high-ranking retainers in the family just for that reason.

That was why she had been thinking about how to solve this problem since she heard this information from Shepi, and today, those guys had given her the justification.

If they had just sat in the back room, flapping their well-formed mouths, they would have at least saved their lives.

However, she was not so gentle that she would generously look at the impure people who had turned their blades against her precious ones, even if it was herself.

“First, tell me the list of those guys. Is it difficult?”

“…It’s something that Your Highness has strictly instructed.”

Before going out on the inspection, Yulken had given strict orders that if Ariel returned, he was not to say anything about this matter, and even if he knew, he was not to give any details until he returned.

Elpelt had to follow that, but looking at the look in the eyes of the girl sitting in front of him now, he doubted whether she would understand it.

“Father said that? Then there’s nothing I can do about it.”

‘Whew.’

Unlike his concerns, Elpelt was relieved to see Ariel’s surprisingly calm attitude of giving up.

But she had not given up, but was just holding her breath for a more definite response, which she would realize through the words that followed.

“Because there are things I can’t do without Father’s permission anyway.”

Ariel, who muttered calmly, lightly twirled her pen in her hand and smiled brightly.

It was a very bright smile, as if she was looking forward to what kind of meal would be served for dinner tonight.

Elpelt, who was watching this, felt that the sight was even more bizarre.

That smile, which was as if the emotions in her eyes were dead, and she was just smiling to let them know that she was okay, without any meaning or purpose.

It couldn’t be more ominous.

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