I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess

Ed, Ed!

Edgar, who had been enjoying a honey-like nap for the first time in a while, hurriedly came to his senses at the sudden high-pitched voice.

Even without seeing the face of the culprit who woke him up, he was not particularly offended because, he had already guessed enough from the circumstances.

But, all he wants is for her to wake him up a little bit gently.

She woke him up by tapping on his stomach hard, he couldn't even have a good day, huh?

Even CPR wouldn't be this tough.

“Ed, wake up! Let's hang out!"

“Hey, where are we going?”

Maybe it was because he just woke up, his voice cracked and he felt a little thirsty.

As Edgar looked around to see if there was anything to quench his thirsty throat, Ariel smiled and held out a glass of water from behind her back.

Seeing this, he wordlessly raised a thumb for her in his mind and gulped it down in one gulp.

‘A bribe like this is worth playing with.'

It's a very strange rapport between them. Guess, the 10 years they spent together wasn't wasted entirely.

Edgar got up from the bed and made the bed first.

There are maids to do the bedding even if he just leave it be, but it was hard to change a habit that has been formed for a long time. Beside, there is no reason for him to change his habits either.

‘Since I can do it with my own two hands in the first place, there is no need to leave my work for someone else.'

This was his theory.

“Why does Ed fold the blanket every time? If you just let it be, the servants will do it for you.”

“You can't take things for granted. Sometimes you have to know how to do it with your own hands too.”

"I don't know. Ed sometimes only says difficult things.”

Well, it is not an easy feat to instill some ideas in a 10-year-old.

In addition, the other party is a golden jade-carp who has been served as if she is the enshrined buddha for more than ten years since she was born.

Rather, from Ariel's point of view, it was only natural that Edgar's actions are peculiar.

He had no intention of persuading her in the first place, so Edgar decided to finish cleaning up his surroundings first.

He puts the books he read before going to bed on the table, and moves the other things around the bed… …Huh?

"Leave it alone, let me do it."

"If you go out late, we will have less time to hang out together."

"Well."

Edgar felt uncomfortable for no reason because he didn't intend to make Ariel work.

He's not going to stop her, because she's doing it on her own for she wants to do it.

Still, thanks to her, the rearrangement of his room seemed to end much faster.

She had only added a pair of small hands, but the speed doubled as if it was a pair of nimble and strong hands.

"You're good with your hands."’

Well, she's an all-around princess who can do everything well no matter what.

But, the difficult part was imagining a scene where a princess like her is stuttering to do such miscellaneous things like cleaning up.

After borrowing Ariel's hands to finish organizing the room unintentionally, Edgar looked around the room and nodded in satisfaction.

Now, this looks more like a room for people to live in.

He doesn't really have mysophobia, but this looks much better than a messy room.

"That's right. Until what age did Ed sleep with your mother?”

"Me? I don't remember."

It was a sudden question, but it was not a difficult one, so Edgar immediately tried to recall his memory.

He remembered sleeping alone ever since he learned how to speak properly.

He accurately doesn't remember when he had started sleeping alone, but it's probably somewhere between three to four years old.

"How about you? Since when did you start to sleep alone?"

"When I was 5 years old!"

"That young?"

Ariel seems to be speaking the truth as her tone was quite proud and as always she is definitely one step ahead of her peers.

The proud-looking princess shrugged her shoulders as if asking to praise her quickly.

Maybe she had thrown this topic first, in order for the same question to be asked back to her.

What a meticulous fellow!

Seeing her snorting faintly and a grin tugging around the corner of her mouth, he had a sudden impulse to smack her head, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to pass her over for once since she brought water and even helped him clean up the room.

"Amazing. Isn't five years old way too young?"

"Right? I'm not scared of ghosts or anything at all!"

"That's right."

The scene where Ariel is afraid of ghosts, it seemed that he would not dare to think of it even in his imagination.

Rather, it will be correct to say she is afraid of bugs but still it is not that she is afraid of all the bugs.

Even with the exception of spiders, she tends to touch and play with other bugs quite well.

“But have you decided where to play?”

"Yes. Otherwise I wouldn't have come looking for Ed?"

“… Put your hand on your conscience and speak."

In the meantime, who is the person who randomly came and made a fuss to think of a place to play?

As Edgar stared at her silently with his eyes narrowed, her eyes averted his gaze, blowing air to see if there was a corner for her to escape.

She's indeed a bit irritating, but let's get over it for today.

“So what are you going to play with?”

“Um… Actually, we're not playing, but there's something I want to do with Ed."

“What do you want to do?”

Is it a new method to play?

Well, if we were to clean together, it would definitely not be fun. Of course, this immature princess couldn't be having such admirable thoughts, right?

Anyway, it was the first time he had ever seen Ariel go around in circles to talk about playing, rather than giving a definite answer, so his curiosity was somewhat piqued.

He hasn't yet asked her to teach him magic, but maybe she's talking about it first. He had that kind of expectation in his heart.

“Follow me first! I have everything ready.”

"Yes."

After leaving the room, Ariel strode toward the room where the guests were staying.

Probably the room where Helena is staying now.

It's not like she's trying to play in the house with Helena, is it?

Edgar broke out in a cold sweat from the sudden feeling of anxiety.

KNOCK

" Who's there?"

“Mom, it’s me!”

Meanwhile, Ariel knocked on the door and stomped her foot, waiting for Helena to come out.

She couldn't stay still for a moment, and she was bouncing around, you could conclude it as she was in a good mood.

‘Is it because of ‘what I want to do’? ‘

"Ariel, what brings you here? And Ed."

"Mom! I'm going to make what you told me yesterday with Ed. So tell me how to make it!"

"What did I tell you…? Oh, you mean that?.”

Helena nodded her head lightly and folded her palms.

She went back into the room for a moment and came out with a small bag, with a thin shawl over her top.

Did he also have to bring something along?

"Where are we going? Have you decided where to go?”

"Yes. I'm going to do it in the garden."

"Well, that would be nice."

Edgar, who was watching from the side, was frustrated when they had a conversation that only the two knew.

Maybe she doesn't mention the details of what she's going to do now to deliberately raise his curiosity?

Helena also had a subtle resemblance to Ariel, so his doubts were reasonable.

"Mrs. Helena, what are we going to do?”

"Whoa, it seems Ariel haven't tell you yet."

Helena smiles playfully while looking at her daughter as if she knew that Ariel wouldn't have told him.

Her looks were like asking Ariel, ‘Should I tell him or not?'.

Ariel, surprised by her, shook her head like a rattle drum and hurriedly opened her mouth.

"Mom, can we keep it a secret until we reach there?”

"Okay, but Ed won't like it if you hide it too much”

STARTLED.

When Ariel, who trembled a little at her mother's words, turned her head just in case and there she saw Edgar with a dull expression, which was not much different from usual.

She wanted to surprise him at first, but now she had to break the secret before the event took place.

What shall she say?

While she was pondering deeply, Edgar patted on her shoulder from behind.

"Never mind. You can tell me when we reach there, so let's just go."

While reading a book, rather than worrying about what will happen in the next chapter, it is better to read the current chapter fast to reach the latter part quickly.

He doesn't think she has any malicious intentions, so he decided to go along with her wishes and she looks cute too.

"…Hey, Ed was looking forward to it too?"

"What are you talking about? Go ahead."

Edgar's body staggers a little from Ariel's sudden clinging.

Even if she was in a good mood, she rarely got this clingy.

Is this how much she liked his answer a while ago?

"Thank you for taking good care of my daughter, Ed, no matter what."

"No, I also received a lot from Ariel.”

"Did you hear that, Mom? I've done so much for Ed!"

You be quiet, man.

He had the urge to give Ariel a smack on her head, for intervening senselessly into a good atmosphere, but it was hard to do so infront of her mother.

So, Edgar hurriedly hid his fist, which he clenched at first to soothe his disappointment. (The fist meant for Ariel)

Whether she knew about his inner struggle or not, Ariel's smile did not leave her mouth the whole time.

Ariel leaves the mansion one step ahead with a light step.

Sheffy, whom they met along the way, asked Helena if she should follow her, but Helena gently refused and followed her daughter's footsteps, holding Ed's hand.

"Ed, aren't you cold?”

"Yes, I'm fine. I don't get cold easily.”

To be honest, it was a little hot.

Edgar's clothes were thicker than one thought it to be.

Meanwhile, a smile spread around Helena's mouth when she met a kind of her own.

As if to prove that she was also resistant to cold, she was dressed in a pretty thin dress except for a shawl over her too.

"You have a similar constitution to me. My husband and I are strong against the cold, but our daughter is sensitive to the cold. You know that, right?

"I know it well."

Ariel, who lives in a colder area than Edgar, was always shivering with cold because she can not get used to the cold.

The reason why Edgar always took a coat with him even though he didn't need to wear one, was to prepare for this kind of situation.

Ariel, who went ahead first, darted under the tall quince tree.

There were a few large trees in the Bilhark family's garden, but this quince tree is the only one that has been in place for a long time.

Edgar was friendly with this big tree because he had once taken refuge under this tree from the cold before, so he especially remembered this tree.

"Mom, would this one be ok?”

"Yeah, that's perfect. As expected of my daughter."

"Hmmm."

Helena went to the spot Ariel pointed out to, and carefully knelt down on the ground.

Thanks to the weeds underneath, the ground was soft, and it's fortunate that there will be not much dirt clinging on to her clothes.

Then she took out what she had brought from her bag, and a notebook and two fountains popped out of it.

And a little spherical object that he doesn't know.

"Mrs. Helena, this is……?”

"I don't know if Ed has heard of it. From now on, each person writes down what they want to say to their future selves on this paper and keeps it underneath the ground."

"Ah."

So it's a group activity.

Only then did Edgar realize what she was doing, and his eyes opened wide.

He didn't know before that there was such a culture in this world too. Of course, he has seen similar cultures a few times before, but the fact that it's an amazing idea doesn't change.

"Ed! What are you going to write?”

"It's a secret. It's no fun if I tell you now.”

"Hey, is that so?"

With a playful laugh, Edgar accepted a piece of paper and a pen, adding, ‘Wait until nine years later.'

He was thinking about what to write.

When he saw that Ariel's cheeks were somehow red.

( Gud gud for a ten years old to be romancing while this tlor could only tl about smt close to romance.

Don't know why her ‘Ed, wake up , let's hang out' sounds like Anna waking uo for Elsa to play with.)