I Became a Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess

〈Episode 4〉 The Young Lady Thinks Differently

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The days when two-year-olds met and became friends flew by in the blink of an eye. Before long, they had reached the age of taking their first steps, and soon after, they were running and playing together.

By the time they turned ten, the two of them were inseparable, fearlessly wandering wherever their whims took them.

Whenever Ariel visited the Bilhark household with her mother, Helene, Edgar’s hands and feet were constantly busy.

She was a little tyrant. Or, more accurately, a stubborn child with an unyielding nature.

If she wanted something, she wouldn’t rest until it was in her hands. If she decided to do something, she had to see it through, no matter what. In a sense, it was a personality befitting the heir of a grand ducal house.

Edgar, on the other hand, had developed a personal routine since turning ten: physical training.

He had always struggled with intellectual pursuits, so he decided to hone his body in preparation for his future role as the head of the Bilhark family.

In this world, exceptional martial skill was recognized as a talent in its own right.

“Edgar! Let’s go to the mountain today!”

Now she didn’t even bother sending word ahead of her visits; she simply showed up unannounced.

Considering the difference in status between their families, perhaps that was to be expected.

Still, Edgar greeted Ariel’s sudden appearance with a grumpy attitude, not even bothering with formalities.

“Again? Last time we snuck off to the mountain, we got scolded.”

“It’s fine! This time, we just won’t get caught!”

Ariel puffed out her still-flat chest and declared her bold plan with confidence.

Edgar could say with certainty: this was the least credible statement he’d ever heard.

Did this little Grand Duchess even remember what had happened just two weeks ago?

“…Are you going to trip and cry again?”

“Who’s going to cry?! Edgar, you idiot!”

Who else but you?

Despite being the eldest daughter of the Löweheim family and learning imperial studies along with various other disciplines from a young age, Ariel was still very much a girl who would burst into tears over a single scrape.

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten? Last time, you tripped while climbing the hill, and you—Aw!”

“Say that one more time! I’ll really clobber you!”

“You’re already hitting me—ah, fine! It hurts, so stop!”

How could such destructive power come from the hands of this delicate girl?

As Edgar endured the smacks to his back, he felt a single tear well up, ready to escape.

Still, he couldn’t help but wonder why she was so fixated on that mountain. Had she recently read an exciting adventure novel?

‘Do ten-year-olds even read novels?’

He wasn’t sure. In his mind, novels were something you started reading after entering adolescence.

He doubted a ten-year-old would be interested in text-heavy books without pictures. Perhaps she had come across an illustrated adventure story that captured her imagination. If he ever got the chance, he’d have to ask her to show it to him.

“But how are we going to sneak out? There are guards everywhere.”

The mountain exploration they had managed last time was, in hindsight, only possible due to sheer luck.

No matter how casually they interacted, Ariel’s status as the only daughter of the empire’s Grand Duke couldn’t be ignored.

Guards were always stationed to watch over her, blending into the surroundings or staying discreetly out of sight. Slipping past their watchful eyes was no small feat for a pair of ten-year-olds.

Despite Edgar’s concerns, Ariel looked unusually confident, as if she had been waiting for this very question. Her posture was more upright than usual, her chest puffed out with pride.

“Good question! First, let’s go inside. I can only show you if we’re in there.”

“Inside?”

She wanted to go to the mountain, so why were they heading indoors now?

Confused but curious, Edgar had little choice but to follow.

After all, despite everything, playing with Ariel was fun in its own way, even for a ten-year-old. Sure, some of her antics felt childish and left him questioning why he was even indulging them, but most of the time, he enjoyed their time together.

“Oh, right, Edgar. I brought you a gift today. Did you know that?”

“Of course not. I didn’t even know you were coming.”

A gift? That was unusual.

As mentioned before, Ariel was something of a tyrant. She was used to being given things but rarely gave her own possessions to others.

Correction, she had never given anything to Edgar before.

‘Not that she’s a bad kid or anything.’

Ariel simply had a peculiar way of acting toward Edgar.

While they could spend hours laughing and playing together like best friends, the moment the fun ended, she’d pout, snap at him without reason, or find some excuse to tease him.

‘Kids’ minds are impossible to understand.’

At least if they were the same gender, it might make more sense, but the fact that they weren’t only deepened the mystery.

Given her usual behavior, Edgar couldn’t help but be wary of her intention behind giving him a gift. What if it turned out to be a caterpillar she’d picked up somewhere and decided to plop onto his hand, calling it a present?

“I can look forward to it, right?”

“Of course! Even Mom said you’d be surprised!”

“Huh.”

Hearing that finally put Edgar’s mind at ease.

No matter how mischievous she was, even a ten-year-old wouldn’t go so far as to drag her mother’s name into such antics.

‘If Lady Helene said so, then it should be fine.’

To Edgar, Helene was nothing short of a saint.

It was thanks to her that he could talk to Ariel, the daughter of such a high-ranking family, so casually. She never treated Edgar or Ariel differently and always regarded him with the same care as her own child.

For Edgar, his faith in Helene bordered on reverence.

‘Now I’m curious. What kind of gift could it be?’

He might have outgrown the childlike excitement of anticipating a gift, but this was something personally handed to him by the daughter of a Grand Duke. Naturally, his curiosity was piqued.

To be honest, considering her family’s status, it wouldn’t even be surprising if she handed over an entire estate and declared, ‘Here’s your gift!’

‘Okay, maybe that’s a bit much.’

Regardless of wealth, there were limits to what ten-year-olds could reasonably exchange as gifts. It was probably something small and thoughtful.

Lately, Edgar had been enjoying reading, so if it turned out to be an interesting book, that would be great. For now, he could only hope her sense of gifting was decent.

Chatting as they walked, the two eventually entered the mansion.

Ariel moved through the Bilhark estate as if it were her own, her steps confident and familiar.

It was only natural. Other than her own home, this was likely the place she visited the most.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve never been to the Löweheim estate myself.’

He had heard rumors before, how the Löweheim estate was a colossal fortress of unimaginable size.

Would he ever get the chance to visit it someday?

From his perspective, the Bilhark family’s mansion was already plenty large, but the idea of seeing a grand castle straight out of a storybook at least once in his life was undeniably appealing.

“Huh? Where are you going?”

Lost in thought, Edgar blinked in surprise as he noticed Ariel heading toward the left hallway.

The places they typically went inside the mansion were fairly routine: the dining hall for meals, Edgar’s room to play, or the parlor if summoned by one of their parents.

Since it was currently playtime, it made sense for them to head to Edgar’s room.

Yet, for some reason, Ariel was striding toward an entirely different destination.

“We’re not going to your room. We’re going somewhere else.”

“Somewhere else?”

Edgar grew increasingly puzzled.

Still, Ariel was the self-appointed leader of their duo, so he silently followed behind her. Questioning her whims too much often led to unpredictable reactions he preferred to avoid.

“Over there! Edgar, hurry up!”

“Oh, uh, okay.”

She pointed toward a small storage room tucked away in a corner of the first floor.

It was a shabby little space, usually used by the staff to store unused items or miscellaneous junk. Even Edgar, who lived in the mansion, had rarely ever ventured into it.

Creak.

The wooden door groaned loudly as it opened, its hinges complaining from a lack of proper maintenance.

With the door’s movement, a cloud of pale dust billowed out, enveloping the two children.

The air stung their eyes, making them water.

“Achoo!”

“Cough! Cough!”

How on earth is this place being managed to end up in such a state?

Even dusting it once a week would prevent it from getting this bad.

Edgar quickly pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Ariel.

“Cough…! Use this to cover your nose and mouth.”

“What about you?”

“I’m fine.”

Ariel hesitated, staring at the navy-blue handkerchief for a moment, then shyly nodded and accepted it.

‘Still… why did she bring me to a place like this?’

Did she have something specific in mind that she needed from here?

Covered in dust before even getting a chance to enjoy the fresh air of the mountains, Edgar idly poked through the piles of items stored in the room.

One thing was certain: in a place like this, they wouldn’t need to worry about being spotted by the guards.

“What are you trying to do?”

“I’ll show you in a second, so just wait.”

It seemed she had something prepared.

Ariel walked to the center of the storage room, crouched down, and began rummaging through a small pocket sewn onto her blouse.

Curious, Edgar leaned in to see what she was doing, only to notice a strange powder piling up in her tiny hand.

“I couldn’t put it in a container because it’d get noticed, so I brought it like this. Smart, right?”

She looked up at Edgar with a triumphant expression, clearly expecting praise.

But Edgar, who had no idea what the substance was, found himself at a loss.

How could he compliment something when he didn’t even know what it was?

“What is that?”

“It’s powdered mana stones. Haven’t you seen it before, Edgar?”

“Nope.”

Edgar had no aptitude for magic. In fact, neither did anyone in the Bilhark family, as their lineage had never possessed the ability to wield magic.

Naturally, the mansion had virtually no books or items related to magic. The most they had were a few magical tools usable by ordinary people.

“Watch carefully. With this, I’ll……”

Ariel partially clenched her hand into a loose fist and began murmuring something.

Even though Edgar was a complete novice when it came to magic, he could tell she was chanting a spell, something typically done before casting magic.

After all, he’d seen a few mages cast spells in the past.

‘She can already use magic?’

Even prodigies known as magical geniuses usually only began to awaken mana at ten years old, and it wasn’t until around twelve that they could cast spells.

Just how talented was the girl standing before him?

Edgar’s arms tingled as goosebumps rose without him realizing.

*Whirrr.*

Before long, the growing light in Ariel’s hand lifted into the air and floated toward the storage room wall. As it reached the wall, it expanded into a massive circle, larger than both of them combined.

Beyond it, an astonishing sight appeared, the world outside the mansion.

“This is the first magic I learned. Cool, right?”

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to use this to sneak out to the mountain?”

“Yup.”

Her innocent answer was almost disarming, but the sheer absurdity of the situation made it hard to process.

What kind of ten-year-old learns magic just to create a hole in the wall so they can sneak out for a day of fun?

‘Her way of thinking really is different.’

Of course, such a plan was only feasible because of her immense talent.

Feeling a mix of resignation and disbelief, Edgar gestured toward the glowing circle on the wall with a tilt of his chin.

He then grabbed a small knife from a pile of tools in the corner of the storage room.

‘Might as well use this to clear any branches in the way.’

Since it had come to this, it was better to just go quickly and get it over with.

Seeing Edgar’s willingness, a radiant smile bloomed on Ariel’s face, brighter than any flower.

***