I Became a Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess

Episode 5〉 The Young Lady Is Not Honest

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The mountain the two climbed was notorious for its rugged terrain, with no proper trails to guide them.

While they might stumble across paths used by animals, wandering along such routes risked unexpected encounters with local wildlife.

‘No predators will show up… right?’

Edgar had only visited this place once before, so he wasn’t entirely sure what creatures called this mountain home.

Occasionally, he’d heard reports of wild boars descending from the hills to ravage the village’s crops, so at the very least, boars seemed to live here.

“Why did you want to come here, anyway?”

“Mom said it’s good to get close to nature when you’re young. And what’s better for that than a mountain?”

“……”

What an incredible way of thinking.

Sure, it wasn’t entirely wrong, but wouldn’t most people think of open fields, flower meadows, or gardens when suggesting places to connect with nature at that age?

The thought of heading straight to a mountain wouldn’t have crossed anyone’s mind, not even Helene’s, who had offered the advice.

‘I’m sorry, Lady Helene. It’s my fault for not stopping this kid.’

If she were the type to listen to reason, Edgar would have tried to talk her out of it. But Ariel was the most willful person he had ever met.

All he could do was play the role of a buffer, ensuring she didn’t do anything too dangerous.

“Edgar! Look at this! Isn’t it amazing?”

“What is it now?”

Ariel pulled out a single stalk of grass, holding it up proudly. Edgar, who had been absentmindedly picking his nose with his pinky finger, replied with a gruff tone.

She seemed to have a lot to show him today.

Still, the fact that he always gave in to her calls without much resistance made him realize how accustomed he’d grown to this dynamic.

And truthfully, many of the things Ariel enthusiastically showed him were fascinating, even to his eyes.

“I read about it in a book. This is called April grass.”

“What’s it used for?”

“The juice from it can be applied directly to wounds. And the leaves? You crush them and use them as ingredients for potions.”

How knowledgeable.

For a ten-year-old, Ariel’s knowledge was remarkably extensive.

Was this a glimpse of the education provided by a grand ducal family?

Edgar couldn’t help but mutter an exclamation of awe as he examined the cut end of the stalk.

“Wow, there’s actual sap coming out.”

“Ugh, you didn’t believe me, did you!”

After she’d gone through the trouble of explaining, this was how he responded?

Ariel sprang to her feet, and the crimson aura in her eyes seemed to ripple through the air around her.

Was this the power of dominance said to be inherited only by the bloodline of the Grand Duke?

Edgar felt the hairs on his body stand on end, if he even had hairs fully grown yet at this age.

“Maybe just a little?”

Though he feared her reaction, he couldn’t bring himself to lie. He had always been this way, even before coming to this world.

“Forget it! I’m never telling you anything again! Hmph!”

Ariel, thoroughly offended by his honesty, spun around sharply.

In her fit of anger, she crushed the April grass in her hand into powder, letting it scatter to the ground.

‘She could kill me if I misstep.’ 

Edgar thought, feeling a bead of cold sweat roll down his back.

Still, there was a silver lining: Ariel, despite appearances, had a fairly straightforward personality. She tended to forgive and forget rather quickly.

‘I’ll wait for my chance.’

If he called out to her now in a friendly tone, she’d probably snap back with a curt ‘What!’

For the sake of the greater good, sometimes it was necessary to hold one’s breath and wait.

Edgar quietly rose from his spot and began to follow her.

*Rustle, rustle.*

*Glance.*

*Rustle, rustle.*

“……”

“……”

The atmosphere, which had been relatively cheerful just moments ago, had now fallen completely silent, and no words passed between them.

Only the sound of branches and tall grass brushing against their bodies filled the space.

Even in this silence, Ariel occasionally paused her steps, glancing back to check on Edgar.

‘How cute.’

Of course, Edgar was fully aware of this.

But he also knew that if he clumsily asked why she kept looking at him, it would make things irreparably worse.

So, whenever she stopped walking, he would avert his gaze or swing the stick in his hand for no reason.

How many times has this repeated?

When Ariel stopped again, Edgar suddenly noticed something and called out to her.

“Hey, Ariel, wait a second.”

“…What is it?”

Her reply came out instinctively in a grumpy tone.

Realizing too late that this was an opportunity to reconcile, Ariel berated herself internally.

‘Ariel, you fool!’

While she could be headstrong, she wasn’t actually stupid. In fact, compared to her peers, she was rather sharp.

She recognized that, even if Edgar had done something wrong earlier, her continued sulking was unnecessary.

But somewhere along the way, she’d grown reluctant to make the first move, and her stubbornness had snowballed to this point.

Still, her course of action now was clear.

Since he had spoken first, she could turn around as nonchalantly as possible, ask why he called her, and after the conversation ended, she could smoothly bring up her own topic.

Ariel pictured this scenario in her mind and nodded to herself with satisfaction.

If anyone could pull this off, it was her, the eldest daughter of the Löweheim family.

‘Alright.’

Resolving herself, she turned her body and something touched her head.

Huh? What was that?

Eyes wide, she checked the situation and saw Edgar standing there, his hand reaching toward her head.

When he told her to hold still for a moment, she froze stiffly. Edgar chuckled, saying there was no need to overreact.

As he carefully withdrew his hand, Ariel felt something foreign on her head.

It didn’t feel like something was placed there, but rather like a stick or rod was caught between her hair.

“Ah, too bad there’s no mirror. Can’t really show you.”

“W-What is it? It’s not a spider, is it?”

As Ariel tried to guess what was now resting on her head, an image so unpleasant crossed her mind that her complexion turned pale.

She could tolerate most bugs, but spiders were an entirely different matter, she didn’t just dislike them, she despised them.

If Edgar had placed one of those creatures on her cherished black hair, even as a joke, she would respond with the most thorough revenge she could muster.

“Do you really think I’d be crazy enough to put a spider on your head? It’s a flower.”

“A… flower?”

A flower? Out of nowhere?

Curious, Ariel cautiously reached up to her head and felt something soft and delicate, like flower petals. It really was a flower.

Though she knew Edgar wasn’t the type to pull cruel pranks, he also wasn’t someone who usually did things like this.

What on earth had possessed him to perform such a kind gesture?

“Remember that flower you said was pretty the other day? I don’t remember its name, but it was red and kind of long.”

“Ah.”

Amaryllis.

Ariel didn’t speak its name aloud but murmured it internally.

She recalled spotting bright red amaryllises the last time they’d climbed the mountain together. It was her favorite flower, and she had mentioned how beautiful it was without much thought. She never imagined Edgar would remember.

“See over there? That’s where the flower on your head came from.”

Following Edgar’s hand, her eyes landed on a red amaryllis blooming beside a rock.

Why had he suddenly gifted her this flower?

When she turned back to look at him, Edgar awkwardly cleared his throat, avoiding her gaze as he mumbled.

“I was wrong earlier. So, uh… stop being mad.”

That’s when Ariel finally understood.

The amaryllis was his way of apologizing.

Whether this was good luck or bad luck, it seemed their timing had coincidentally overlapped, both had been preparing to apologize at the same moment.

Humans, being peculiar creatures, often hesitate when someone else takes the very action they were about to take, especially when it’s something they’ve carefully deliberated over.

And for Ariel, the more she’d agonized over how to apologize, the harder it became to speak now.

‘Say something, Ariel Löweheim! What are you doing?!’

I’m sorry too. It wasn’t something to get that upset over.

Those were the only words she needed to say, so why was it so hard for her lips to part?

As if they had been glued shut, her lips refused to move. Frustrated, Ariel found herself reflecting back on her past behavior.

And then it hit her—she had rarely, if ever, apologized to Edgar.

Was it because she’d never done it before? Was that why it was so difficult now?

‘If I’d made it a habit earlier, this wouldn’t be so hard.’

As she traced her own mistakes, a lump rose in her throat, and she felt tears threatening to spill.

‘No. That’s exactly why I have to do it.’

She recalled something her mother, whom she respected deeply, had once told her:

People make mistakes, but the right thing to do is to acknowledge them and work to correct them moving forward.

Yes, this was her chance to make things right to clear away the small pile of regrets she had accumulated.

For a mere ten-year-old, apologizing felt like navigating a maze of complex thoughts and daunting hurdles.

Finally, she mustered her courage, her voice trembling as she called out:

“E-Edgar!”

“Huh?”

Right, instead of directly saying she was sorry, she could phrase it differently.

‘I want to apologize too.’ Yes, that seemed like something she could manage to say.

With her fists clenched in determination, Ariel finally opened her mouth.

“I-I want to apolo—!”

“Apol—?”

“Apol…”

Was this some sort of word chain game?

As Edgar tilted his head in confusion, Ariel’s face turned as red as a beet.

And then,

“As a sign of forgiveness, I’ll accept your apology, you idiot!”

With a single outburst, the immature young lady completely abandoned her earlier resolve, replacing it with a sharp retort instead.

Edgar, momentarily stunned, figured this was her way of saying she’d accept his apology. At least, that’s how he chose to interpret it, feeling a sense of relief.

“Oh, uh… so you’re forgiving me, right?”

“Y-Yeah.”

“Then that’s fine.”

Fine? What’s fine?!

Ariel wanted to yell that at him, but the ship had already sailed, sunk, and disappeared into the depths of the sea.

Turning away again, she hung her head low.

Her ears burned with heat, but she stubbornly ignored it.

‘This is all Edgar’s fault. He caught me off guard by giving me that flower, that’s all.’

Silently justifying herself in her head, she followed him once more into the forest.

***