I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess

43 – Road to the Prom (1)

The Debutant Ball is held every year in the annex of the Imperial Palace in the name of the Empress, not the Emperor.

The season varies slightly depending on the time, but usually between April and June.

Of course, it does not end in one day, but is held several times over a period of about two months.

At this time, among the young ladies of aristocratic families from all over the world, those who wish to undergo an initiation ceremony into the social world gather in one place to form another flower garden.

The age of participation is generally between the ages of 14 and 19, and depending on the role or position in the family, this period may be advanced or delayed.

Typically, when there is only one daughter in the family heir, this is very quickly advanced.

Among the examples, the grand duke’s daughter was also included.

“Ugh, it’s inconvenient after all… It’s not today, so do you really need to dress up like this?”

Ariel frowned as if she didn’t like the fancy dress she was wearing.

If you move through the dimension stone, you will arrive two days before the ball is held anyway.

But is there any reason to go there wearing such splendid clothes that it is already difficult to walk?

It was an incomprehensible value for her, who liked comfortable clothes more than pretty ones.

“This time, the young lady is returning as the face of the grand duke’s family. Even if it’s uncomfortable, you have to bear with it a little.”

“I know that. I mean, is there any reason to wrap it up like this already?”

“Because I don’t know who will see it. Are you still very pretty?”

These were not empty words to please her.

As she turned 15, Ariel, whose beauty gradually blossomed, put on light makeup and a fancy dress that she hadn’t worn very often, showing off her beauty to the point where it could be said that flowers have wings.

As a woman, she was so beautiful that she was envious, so to the point where Shuri had a desire to live with that face for just one day.

“Hmm, that’s normal. What about Ed?”

Ariel immediately shrugged her shoulders and felt relieved at the compliment.

Only then did she have time to look around, so she asked Shuri about the traces of her childhood friend and attendant.

After all, isn’t it polite to come and see it at least once?

I don’t really want praise from the report, but the problem was that I didn’t have the attitude as an attendant to support myself.

“Maybe you will wait in the hallway. I heard that, given the nature of the lady, there is no way she would want to show herself being decorated.”

“Oh, was it like that? hehehe… Well thought out for Ed.”

It was a car that I was a little embarrassed about, but I would have thought there was such a thought.

It was worth praising him for being a childhood friend and understanding his feelings well.

‘Then shall I surprise you a little?’

Ariel’s mischief, which had been quiet for a while, was activated.

Due to his dull childhood friend’s personality, he probably won’t be very impressed no matter how beautifully he decorates himself.

If so, how would you react if you showed a completely different side of yourself?

What if you really show a noble and dignified figure befitting the position of a daughter of a grand duke?

‘Because he seems to like a girl with a classy feel like his mother.’

Although I had never heard a definite answer from his mouth, seeing how he treated himself, I got a sense of it to some extent.

Ariel immediately finished typing, replaying her mother’s usual behavior in her head.

It’s just that she didn’t try to hide her true self, and it was easy enough to put on a mask and imitate a gentle and elegant young lady from an aristocratic family.

No matter what anyone said, it was one of the equipment that inherited the lineage of the Loveheim family.

“Shuri, no matter what I look like, don’t say anything. Understand?”

“yes?”

Shuri’s answer to the sudden request raised doubts.

What the hell is this immature master trying to do?

At the very least, he would have to tell himself to deal with the aftermath instead, but he didn’t even do that.

I just hope it goes without a hitch.

“Oh, are you out? Your clothes are pretty.”

“… … .”

A word that Edgar casually threw as soon as he opened the door to the room.

I didn’t like the idea of picking up clothes and saying that I was pretty, but I kept my mouth shut to pretend to be a dignified young lady for him for a while.

“miss! You look so good together!”

“The head of the family should have seen this scene… … !”

Unlike Edgar’s calm reaction, the reactions of others, including those around him, were explosive.

It is said that the servants here witness Ariel’s beauty several times a day, but she has not seen many cases where she has such a perfect figure as she is naturally troublesome to decorate.

Even though she hadn’t reached adulthood yet, her beauty that had begun to bloom and her wings running made her attractive enough to make even the same woman flutter.

“Oh, this time the attendant decided to accompany only me and Shuri.”

“Right. Well, the two of you are trustworthy enough. I wish you well.”

“Uh, uh… … .”

smile Ariel answered with a benevolent smile that reminded her of Helen.

Even though there was nothing particularly wrong with the reaction, Edgar nodded with an expression of disapproval, slipped away, and whispered to Shuri.

It was a judgment based on his experience that his childhood friend must have eaten something wrong in the morning.

“… Shuri, what’s going on?”

“I-I don’t know either. The lady didn’t even say anything to me… … .”

“driving me crazy. What kind of wind blew and did that?”

It wasn’t yesterday or today that Ariel’s whims seemed to boil, but today it was only more weighty because the direction was quite different.

In the end, the three of them escaped from the main building of the castle while being seen off by the people around them with a bad heart.

After following Shuri’s guidance, we were able to meet Helen and her retainers who were waiting outside.

“I’m sorry, my daughter. As a mother, I wanted to be with you at an auspicious occasion, but the situation was not feasible… … .”

Helene also wanted to accompany her, but since her husband and head of household had not yet returned from the Northern Expedition, she had to stay.

If the journey is long, she may have to go to her husband’s side for a while, so she had to stay here all the more.

Feeling sorry for her, she hugged her daughter tightly and let go, and Ariel’s calm red eyes came into Helen’s field of vision today.

“Ed and Shuri are next to me. Don’t worry too much, mother. I’ll have a good trip.”

“… Mother?”

The surrounding retainers who were watching this scene praised Ariel’s mature attitude, but Helene’s reaction, who knew her better than anyone else, was extraordinary.

She wasn’t an idiot, and it was easy to notice that her daughter’s appearance had changed overnight.

Above all, the most reluctant part was that even the title, which seemed unlikely to change even after becoming an adult, had changed.

I’m not a kid who can change suddenly just because of a socialite initiation ceremony. What is this?

“… … ?”

“… … .”

Helene immediately turned her gaze to the two men standing on either side of her daughter and asked what was going on.

The two lowered their heads slightly and averted their gaze.

It was only then that Helen realized that nothing serious had happened and let out a sigh of relief.

‘It looks like he acted on a whim again.’

If it weren’t for the negative direction, it would have been fine.

Besides, just seeing my daughter, who seemed like she would never grow old, became an adult even for a moment, had a different taste.

“Have a safe trip, Edgar. Take good care of the young lady.”

“Yes, Sir Elfelt. Please don’t worry.”

Now that the head of the household is away, the role of congratulating Edgar has been replaced by his aide, Elfelt.

When he first reached out his hand to shake hands and wished him luck, Edgar took his hand and responded with a smile.

Ariel got on the wagon first, followed by the two of them while being escorted by the vassals.

Shuri, who happened to be sitting alone in the carriage, and a man and a woman who were seated side by side.

Normally, Ariel, who would have made a fuss about wanting to use it widely as soon as she got on the carriage, was somehow quiet today.

Edgar was only then convinced. That there must be something really wrong with him.

“Hey, Ariel. What are you doing today?”

“yes? what? I am the usual me.”

“You are talking nonsense. Why don’t you get rid of that exaggerated hand gesture first?”

He was not an actor in any opera, and whenever he spoke, Edgar had a hard time coming to his senses at the hand gestures that went back and forth between his mouth and chest.

Of course, Shuri was the same.

Ariel’s sharp reply made Ariel aware that it would be difficult to hold on any longer.

‘Someone told me to like it.’

I never thought I would recognize this broad mindset of my own.

He couldn’t have been a truly careless man.

“Hey, do you like this? It’s been a while, so I tried acting for you.”

“what? What is this?”

Edgar was rather dumbfounded at Ariel’s attitude of raising her nose and shrugging her shoulders as if asking for praise.

I don’t even know what I did for myself in the first place, but it was frustrating because I boasted about this and fell for myself.

If the classy hand gestures and cheesy way of speaking that you don’t usually do fall under ‘things like this’, then it’s not what you want at all.

“You all know that I like noble and dignified people like my mother, right? That’s why I showed it to Kim, who was dressed up beautifully.”

“What are you talking about? It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”

He knew very well that Helene was a model of a benevolent woman, as if drawn in a painting, but he did not particularly like such a woman.

I just respect Helene as a person to person, and as for his female image, I liked his lively and friendly personality.

“Oh no? Then what will I become after acting?”

“Whatever. You become an idiot for doing unnecessary things.”

Shuri, who was listening to the conversation between the two, couldn’t hold back her laughter at Edgar’s last words.

Ariel’s head jerked wildly as the sound of wind blowing rang in her ears.

“Honey, don’t take your anger out on the idiot Shuri after you’ve been fooling around.”

“Oh, you know? Sir, embarrassing… … .”

In the end, I endured my shame and acted, and the only thing that came back was the compliments on my clothes and the bitter comments I received when we first met.

Is there a more unfair exchange rate than this?

As Ariel shook her head with her face covered, a bitter smile formed on Edgar’s lips.

Still, I was grateful that I was trying to show my friend’s ideal female image by drawing it.

To be honest, I didn’t have anything to say about it, but I enjoyed the fresh feeling.

At a time like this, it would be the right thing to do with a brief lip service.

“Hey, but you were really pretty today. To be honest, I didn’t have an ideal type, but you could be called my ideal type today.”

“I-I mean… … !?”

Ariel’s hands fluttered in the air at the sudden barrage of compliments.

Why is this man digging at such an unexpected timing?

This is why you can’t be careless for a moment.

However, Edgar also had room for excuses for this issue.

‘Honestly, it’s not wrong.’

Edgar has most of the personality of the ideal type that Edgar wants, and she has an outstanding face and is not particularly talented.

It’s just that she’s busy tickling and being disingenuous, and she’s an immature person who can’t be stopped when she gets horny.

It’s just a story when you look at it ‘as a woman’, but that was completely omitted from the dialogue, so Ariel had no choice but to be beaten defenselessly.

Then, as Edgar stroked her hair with his hand, which had become rough from training, Ariel’s cheeks turned red at once, and soon blood penetrated to her ears.

Meanwhile, Shuri, who was watching this from the other side, had no choice but to step out for the owner’s mental health.

“I… Mr. Edgar, wouldn’t it be better to leave it at that?”

“Why? Oh, are you afraid that your hair will be damaged?”

“For now, I’ll let it be… … .”

Shuri, who saved the owner from a crisis that seemed to explode at any moment, asked him to switch places with herself.

It seemed that the two should not be put together, at least until the wagon reached another area through the dimension stone.

A childhood friend died of heart disease before arriving at the prom. I couldn’t have caused such a ridiculous story.