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In the end, Ariel spent the day without even responding to Silvia’s suggestion, which she had promised to answer by yesterday.

‘This is a big problem.’

The only thought that crossed Ariel’s mind as she got up from bed in the morning was that.

Although she had quite a bit of a self-centered streak, she was the type to feel sorry for not keeping a promise.

Moreover, when she heard from Shuri that Silvia had come early in the morning, her heart sank.

That guilt nagged at her heart, but Ariel did her best to hide it and managed to complete her morning routine with Shuri’s help.

“Shuri, did Silvia say anything else?”

“No, nothing particular.”

Ariel felt her curiosity deepening with Shuri’s answer.

‘Why didn’t she say anything at all?’

Normally, Silvia would surely have hinted to Shuri, “Something happened yesterday; could you ask how the answer is coming along?”

But the fact that she didn’t perhaps meant she was seriously upset. Or maybe she wanted to ask her directly.

Either way, just sitting here speculating wasn’t going to solve anything.

Ariel ultimately decided she had to meet Silvia directly and got up from her seat, heading straight for the door.

“Shuri, don’t follow me. I’ll go alone.”

“Are you going to see the young master?”

There was only one reason for Ariel to suddenly hurry off at this time, so Shuri tilted her head and asked, but the response was firm.

“No, I’m going to Silvia. If Edgar comes by, please tell him to come here.”

Right now, where Silvia was was just a question mark, but Ariel decided to first go find the room she was staying in.

‘What a pain this is.’

If only she had rejected the suggestion right there, she wouldn’t be suffering like this. She felt it was a mistake to weaken her resolve and postpone her answer.

But a mistake was a mistake, and she had promised to provide an answer by yesterday.

Now that she couldn’t keep that promise, she was the one in the wrong, so she had to move quickly to make amends.

And so, Ariel mustered her heavy legs to meet Silvia for the first time in a while.

* * * * * * *

“That fool…!”

“She really got played.”

Edgar was beside Ariel after she returned from Silvia’s room.

With trembling hands, she slammed the table, and a vein was visibly pulsing on her forehead, fueled by anger, and the circumstances were rather straightforward.

“Leaving a letter like this and just bolting!? That jerk thought I’d be sorry for him…!”

Moments earlier, the user from the castle who had been assisting her during her stay greeted Ariel in Silvia’s room.

This user handed Ariel a letter from Silvia that she asked to be delivered, and the contents were quite the sight.

“I’m leaving first since I have an agenda! No need to feel sorry for not keeping yesterday’s promise, but if Ariel does feel bad, let’s have fun together next time, with all four of us. Promise! – Silvia”

As Ariel read the letter again, she simmered with steam coming out of her ears.

She was sure that Silvia had come to her room this morning just to let her know about her early departure.

But when she noticed Ariel hadn’t gotten up, she must have changed direction.

Not passing the message about leaving to Shuri was clearly a ploy to make Ariel go to her room out of guilt.

With everything falling into place, Ariel had unwittingly been played by Silvia in broad daylight.

Based on what happened yesterday and considering Ariel’s personality, it could be said it was a genius prank.

“If I had seen her yesterday, none of this would have happened. I’m blaming you for this.”

“That’s… true, but.”

As Edgar teased as he grinned, Ariel could only pout and nod in agreement.

It was somewhat of a butterfly effect; if Silvia hadn’t made that suggestion the other day, none of this would have happened.

But she did make that suggestion, and Ariel promised to give her an answer by the next day, and she couldn’t even keep that.

That turned into the storm that created the current situation.

So, Ariel couldn’t exactly blame Silvia either.

After all, she had also played a part in this.

“By the way, what was the reason you couldn’t answer her yesterday? Did you just sleep through it?”

“Um, I felt oddly tired…”

“It must have been exhausting with the coming-of-age ceremony and all. I didn’t wake you up because I thought that was the case.”

By the time Edgar returned after meeting Creed yesterday, Ariel had already fallen into a deep sleep since the day before.

In fact, Edgar had considered waking her up at first.

Because even though Ariel often took naps, she didn’t really like wasting time on them.

So in the past, he had purposefully woken her up through Shuri when she was napping, but yesterday he let her sleep, thinking it was due to the impact of the coming-of-age ceremony.

In a way, that could also be a reason she didn’t meet Silvia.

“Next time we meet, we’ll have no choice but to play with all four of us.”

“Hey, stop with the nonsense! Why would I entertain that fool!? She’s really run away after something like this, so the promise is void, void!”

“Oh dear, you’re really angry, huh?”

Noticing that her eyes were particularly bright with anger compared to usual, Edgar could tell she was quite furious.

‘Even if she says that, she’ll end up giving in later.’

Ariel had a soft heart for those close to her, and this trait was most apparent when dealing with Edgar, but Silvia wasn’t that different.

Even if she seemed a bit prickly on the outside, Ariel had never refused anything Silvia had earnestly asked for.

‘Even so, I’m sure she feels guilty for not being able to keep her promise.’

With a warm smile, Edgar nodded, thoroughly understanding her feelings.

Ariel felt somewhat annoyed and expressed her dissatisfaction with a frown, but this much was easily subdued by Edgar.

So Edgar held Ariel from behind, gently rubbing her head, and suddenly remembered something he hadn’t shared.

“Oh, and Madam Helene said you and I should come together later.”

“Mother? Why?”

“I don’t know? I haven’t heard anything either.”

In any case, the fact that both of them were called likely meant it was something that couldn’t just be discussed with one.

Since they had mentioned the succession of heirs after the coming-of-age ceremony, perhaps that was it, and the two contemplated, but nothing definitive came to mind.

Ultimately, they would need to meet Helene for that question to be resolved.

Putting aside the resentment she felt towards Silvia for now, Ariel stood up with Edgar.

* * * * * * *

The two headed to the reception room as summoned by Helene.

Usually, when called and arriving, it’s common to ask what the matter was, but today, there was no need to do so.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Elin! From today onward, I will serve young master Edgar. Nice to meet you!”

“……”

“Um… yeah.”

It was the sudden appearance of a young girl who introduced herself while biting her tongue.

“I’m sorry for making the decision on my own, but I think she’ll be more than capable of assisting you, Edgar, so that’s why I made the choice.”

“It’s okay, Madam Helene.”

Truthfully, Edgar didn’t care much whether this girl became his maid or not.

The only issue was that he was highly attuned to Ariel’s feelings.

“I may be small in stature and misunderstood a lot, but trust that I can do anything well!”

As Elin sparkled with her blue eyes and proclaimed her ambition, the maid behind her, Shepi, gave a pleased smile.

On the other hand, Ariel’s eyes were only growing colder by the moment.

Edgar, who was watching from the side, was starting to worry that her glance could kill.

“Shepi, I heard you’re quite fond of her?”

“Yes, miss. While there are still areas for improvement, she manages everything well, and more than that, she’s very sincere, so I cherish her as much as my own daughter.”

“…Is that so?”

Ariel crossed her arms and scrutinized Elin with a look that seemed to say, “Let’s see how good you actually are.”

‘Now I understand what Shuri meant by that.’

Indeed, as she mentioned, Elin had a strangely endearing impression like a small animal.

With her light aquamarine hair and blue eyes, along with her small frame that triggered protective instincts and a vigilant gaze of those around her.

But to Ariel, she was nothing more than a target to be wary of.

For now, she’d observe, but if she did anything irritating, she promised to step in.

“Anyhow, I’ll leave Edgar in your care. You probably know about me, so I guess introductions aren’t necessary?”

“Of course…! Um, if you don’t mind me saying this, may I say a word to both of you?”

“…What is it? Go ahead.”

Understanding that “both of you” referred to her and Edgar, Ariel raised her eyebrows slightly at first but then nodded.

She seemed like quite the timid character, yet here she was, a servant wishing to speak her mind on the first meeting.

It felt like she had boldness, but Ariel was curious to hear her out.

And what Elin suddenly exclaimed, with her eyes squeezed shut, was something no one expected.

“You two… are such a great match!”

“…What?”

Ariel frowned slightly, wondering if she heard wrong.

But Elin then looked up at Ariel with starry eyes, putting her hands together over her heart, continuing.

“I actually saw you both a few times before you became a couple, and I always thought you were a great match! And, while the young master is handsome, my dream is to become a wonderful woman like you, lady!”

“R-really…?”

“Yes!”

With eyes so pure that it was hard to believe she was lying at all, and the atmosphere of excitement as if meeting an idol.

Ariel awkwardly scratched her cheek in response to this one-sided admiration while avoiding Elin’s gaze.

‘She doesn’t seem like a bad kid after all.’

Above all, the recognition that they looked good together before they even became a couple showed her astuteness was praiseworthy.

Perhaps because she was recommended by Shepi, she didn’t seem lacking in capabilities.

“Elin, was it? I hear Shuri calls you Rina… If you want, I can call you that too.”

“Really!? I’m honored…!”

“Uh-huh. It’s an honor, I guess.”

Seeing Ariel arranging nicknames, Edgar couldn’t help but chuckle and shake his head slightly.

‘Looks like she’s fallen for it.’

They used to say she wouldn’t easily fall for flattery.

Truly, the more he got to know her, the more of a mystery she was.

 

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