I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess - Chapter 243



243 – Side Story – The Beginning of a New Daily Life (5)

Time passes quickly.

Especially after giving birth to a child, the two acutely felt that each day passed by too quickly.

About nine months had passed since the two children were born, and the eldest, Serena, and the second, Evan, had grown to the point where they could babble and laugh along.

When I see them still toddling around on all fours on a desk or bed, I feel like they’ve come a long way, but even so, the two couldn’t help but feel proud.

After the twin siblings were born, the scope of activities within the castle changed in many ways.

In the past, when people from both families gathered together, they usually gathered in the living room or stayed in their own places, but recently they gathered together in a separate room created for Serena and Evan.

There were all kinds of play equipment made here for the two children.

The floor is not made of marble or other hard materials, but is made of layers of soft materials, so great care was taken to prevent injuries.

“Bwaa-!”

“That’s right, you’re good at it.”

The two children smiled brightly every day in the playground and sleeping quarters created through the efforts of high-ranking people.

In particular, while Serena, the eldest child, was somewhat quiet, Evan, the second child, was so energetic that he was busy exploring the spacious room on all fours.

When Evan occasionally raised the toy in her hand and acted as if she was showing off how strong she was, Helen even clapped her hands in response.

What a lovely sight this is.

Shuri, who was watching this from afar, smiled happily and slowly walked up to her master’s side and spoke to her.

“Hehe, you two played all day yesterday, so I guess you’re not tired.”

“I know yeah. What’s worse is that Ed went out first and failed.”

There are two great men who caused the hero of the country’s salvation to collapse from exhaustion first.

If this fact were to spread throughout the country, including the imperial palace, I think people would praise him as a genius bestowed by God.

“Shall we prepare a meal in advance?”

“Are you okay. Then, when it gets hungry, it automatically sends a signal. It won’t be too late to prepare then.”

“It seems like you’ve realized a lot in 9 months.”

“If you fuss like that all day, you’ll find out even if you don’t like it.”

Ariel realized for the first time that babies were such a hassle.

The babies she saw at her feet looked appropriately cute, and she thought of them as adorable beings who would sometimes greet her with a bright smile when they got close to her.

But what is this?

When I opened the door and saw that she was raising her own child, there were many hardships.

Even though they tend to leave difficult tasks to employees, including nannies.

Even though she had many more difficult days ahead of her, memories of her past hardships came to mind and she inadvertently grumbled, but Shuri realized that this was not her true intention.

“But you don’t hate it, do you?”

“… Yeah, that’s really interesting. “If it were me before, I would have been busy complaining.”

Of course, it’s not a hassle to fuss here and there, be held all the time, or burst into tears.

However, the more she raised her child, the more she noticed that the small lump in her heart was gradually growing in size.

Does she say this is maternal love?

Even on her workdays, when she inevitably grabs her pen and scribbles through her stacks of papers, and she inadvertently thinks of what she could do for her children, she realizes that she has changed a lot. I used to realize

“When you have a baby someday, you’ll know what it feels like, right?”

“It feels like a very distant story since we haven’t even had a wedding ceremony yet.”

“Then hurry up and get married. How long have you been dating to begin with and are you still checking your liver?”

The period of time Sylvia and Shurina dated their respective lovers was much longer than that of Ariel.

However, she is truly ironic since it was Ariel who reached the finish line of marriage first.

At least Sylvia held her wedding ceremony, but Ariel was still curious as to why Shuri wasn’t holding her wedding ceremony.

At first, I thought she might have become distant from Ronan, but sometimes seeing the two of them exuding a sweet atmosphere outside the garden made me think that wasn’t the case.

‘Are you putting off marriage as expected?’

Unless we had a falling out, that was the only reason that came to mind.

Marriage is being postponed on purpose for some reason.

As she was leaving, Ariel wanted to ask her for more details.

Anyway, since Helene is taking care of the children right now, I can just move on.

“Oh, lady? Why all of a sudden…”

“No, while we’re at it, there’s something I want to ask.”

A title given to Serena and Evan even after they were born.

After hearing that, Ariel moved to a corner of her room, placed her two chairs, and sat across from her.

“Is there something going on? Just like when she brought up the wedding ceremony before, I felt like she was avoiding that topic.”

“Well, it’s just a matter of circumstances. Nothing like that…”

Shuri waved her hand hastily, but it was clear in her eyes that Ariel was lying.

Still, how much time have we been together before you even notice this?

Of course, we have to take into account that Shuri is prone to lying.

“Who is opposing it?”

“Not really. Just…”

“Just?”

Ariel listened carefully, wondering if he had finally decided to speak.

It would be nice if it was a good-natured problem that she could solve, but in most cases, it was a problem that it was difficult for others to give advice on, so it bothered me a little.

“I still want to focus on work…”

“… “What?”

Do you want to focus on your work?

At her unexpected answer to her, Ariel made a dumbfounded sound.

“Therefore… Are you saying that you are putting off getting married because you want to focus on your duties as a maid?”

“Yes. But if I tell you the truth, I’m afraid the young lady will feel uncomfortable…”

“… Ha.”

Somehow.

In any case, Shuri would have asked for advice right away.

At least in Ariel’s view, she thought there was a bond between the two that went beyond a master-slave relationship.

But the reason she’s been hiding it all this time is because she’s the one who couldn’t tell the truth.

This is why human relationships are often ironic.

“What does marriage have to do with work? Just do it.”

“Yeah, but marriage aside, you have to take time off from work to have children, right?”

“Ha, touch your forehead.”

Why the forehead suddenly?

Shuri was taken aback by Ariel’s request her her, but she did as her master told her, walking her hair her and carefully putting her forehead forward.

Taaak!

“Hiya!?”

At the same time, Ariel’s secret power her, which she had learned from her husband over the past days, exploded, and her Shuri’s head was lightly thrown back.

It’s not an exaggeration, it was painful enough to bring tears to my eyes.

Ariel let out a sigh as she looked at Shuri shaking her body while holding her red forehead.

As a master, his attitude is nothing but admirable, but he has no intention of remaining a master who stands in the way of his servant.

Her theory is that if the servant is the one who is by their side and helps them in everyday life, then the master should remain a being who can open the way for them as a condition of receiving help.

“Okay, let’s start with the ceremony. “Because I’m no longer young enough for you to take care of me.”

“B-but lady…”

Shuri tried to hurriedly protest, but Ariel was a little faster than her.

“Listen to me until the end. Instead, if you really want to work, you can have children later. Whether you consult with Ronan or not is up to you. What I just mean is that the wedding ceremony should be held quickly.”

Marriage may seem like just a nominal procedure, but it wasn’t at all what Ariel felt after experiencing it herself.

Are you a lover or a married couple? Because just the difference in words created a special sense of solidarity between people.

Moreover, for one reason or another, Ronan and Shuri do not get together very often due to their own circumstances.

So, if you at least strengthen your relationship, you can be of great psychological help to each other.

“Did you understand?”

“Yes…”

Shuri responded to her stinging sermon with her dejected voice, but a part of her was truly grateful to her.

Just because it was Shuri didn’t mean I didn’t want to hold a wedding ceremony for her.

It was just decided that it would be better to delay it for now considering the process of preparing for the wedding ceremony and the subsequent situation.

But her owner looked at the bigger picture and gave her advice.

From Ariel’s perspective, it would be more convenient for Shuri to delay her marriage and stay by her side for a little longer.

“You just need to know. “Bring the wedding invitation later.”

“Do not worry. “I plan to give it to you before anyone else.”

“Of course it has to be that way.”

Realizing that there was no more conversation to be had, Ariel immediately stood up.

At that moment, a popping sound was heard and the door was opened roughly.

“Oh, sorry. “I was late because I was caught by Sir Edelfer.”

Edgar came in with disheveled red hair and took a deep breath.

Ariel looked at him with concern on her face and tidied up her hair for him.

I know she’s already busy, as she’s been concentrating on raising her children, so she’s been busy, but I’m grateful and sorry that she bothered to stop by and see the kids.

“If you were busy, you didn’t have to come. “Her mother is here too.”

“It wasn’t because of work anyway. “You can’t just chat and leave your children behind.”

Edgar’s head turned as he smiled brightly, reassuring her.

The ones at the end are none other than my son and daughter who don’t hurt when I look at them.

Evan paid more attention to Serena, who seemed somewhat distant, perhaps because Helene was taking care of him.

“Pwaaa-!”

“Huh?”

Finally, as soon as Serena’s eyes met hers, she suddenly let out a scream and came towards her on all fours.

The initiation of how fast a child, who was only nine months old, could crawl was quite impressive.

Ariel shook her shoulder without even realizing it.

“Oh my, my daughter. Did you miss your dad?”

“Kku… “Baa!”

“Yes, yes. “I missed my dad a lot too.”

Edgar smiled broadly as he stroked Serena as she raised her hand.

As a parent, it was truly heartbreaking for her child, who was less than a year old, to remember her father’s face and come to her like this.

Especially since about a week ago, Serena started to be able to put simple words into her mouth, and the first thing she said out loud was ‘dad’.

Even though she was not good at pronunciation and could only hear the ‘ppa’ part, it made Edgar feel like he had the whole world.

“…”

Meanwhile, Ariel, who was watching from the side of her, had to open her eyes to the strange competitive spirit she sensed from her daughter.

I don’t know if all of her mother’s blood went there, but for some reason, Serena tended to overwhelmingly prefer Ed to Ariel.

Sometimes I get the illusion that it’s not the baby’s soul inside, but the soul of another woman who loves Edgar.

‘We’ll have to wait and see.’

As she watched her own daughter, who was not even a year old, Ariel’s jealousy ignited.

What if her daughter later says she wants to marry her dad? I didn’t have the same question.

Even if she is a precious daughter in the world, there are things that can never be handed over.