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Chapter 1: The Relative Flow of Time

“Who said time is relative?”

Edgar felt that phrase hit home as he changed into a neat outfit for the occasion.

After returning from Whitewood, time had felt frozen while he lay in bed.

Only after what felt like a lightning-fast passage of time did he open his eyes to find that day had finally arrived.

As he was looking at himself in the mirror and renewing his resolve, a woman suddenly appeared through the door, which swung open with a bang.

“Oh, Edgar! Looking pretty dapper today, huh? Not that it compares to our lord, of course.”

Cheerfully waving, Silvia critiqued his appearance before offering a bright smile with no greeting whatsoever.

“…So now there’s no need to knock?”

“Well, we’re friends, so what does it matter?”

She shrugged nonchalantly, treating the intrusion like it was nothing.

Edgar couldn’t help but feel a little incredulous watching her, but he suddenly spot an opportunity in her statement.

“Oh, so we’re friends, huh? I bet Ariel and your boyfriend would love to hear about that.”

“Stop! You really want to see me beheaded or something?!”

It was just a silly joke he’d toss around with her boyfriend, Hagel, but the mere mention of Ariel could make her jump to her feet in an instant.

The outrageous comment sent a chill down his spine, and just like that, the carefree mood from earlier vanished when Silvia let out a scream, causing a playful smile to break out on Edgar’s face.

“Come on, it would only be a slight burn at best. It’s no big deal.”

“What do you mean ‘no big deal’?!”

What he meant by ‘burn’ had somehow been reduced to a little scuffle among neighborhood kids.

Feeling a growing gap in values between him and Silvia, she shook slightly with discomfort.

She’d been a somewhat normal friend once, but maybe being around Ariel had rubbed off on her.

Guess it wasn’t for nothing they say couples start to resemble each other.

“Master, it might be time to head out…”

Just as Edgar was having fun bickering with Silvia, Elin cautiously approached, interrupting them.

Though there wasn’t an immediate rush, it would be wise to start interacting with guests soon.

Considering the position he was about to take, he needed to make some acquaintances at such gatherings and show he wasn’t one to linger around doing nothing.

“Oh, sorry. Has time flown by already?”

Edgar rushed to check the clock and realized, indeed, time had passed quite a bit.

Mostly, the fact that Silvia had barged in meant other guests were beginning to arrive too.

Ariel was likely to be out mingling soon, so it would be a good idea to stick close to her.

After adjusting his attire for the final time, the three of them finally left the room together.

As he looked around, Edgar quickly realized Ariel was nowhere to be seen and turned to Elin.

“Elin, could you go see where Ariel is? I’m going to head over there with this girl.”

“This girl? That’s Silvia, you know?”

“Yes, yes… I’ll do that.”

Elin hesitated for a moment at Silvia’s blunt interruption but eventually nodded and walked off down the opposite hallway.

Once Elin disappeared, Silvia casually stepped closer to Edgar and—strangely—asked with a gentle smile.

“Feeling nervous?”

“Nervous? Nah, not really.”

Though Edgar replied without making eye contact, Silvia could see right through him.

After all, she remembered a habit of his that Ariel once shared.

“Heh, then why do your fingers keep moving?”

“…My fingers?”

Edgar reacted with confusion at her sudden mention of his fingers, and Silvia pointed at his right hand, giggling uncontrollably.

“Ariel told me! You can’t keep your fingers still when you’re anxious or nervous!”

“Like this?” she said playfully, demonstrating a wriggly motion.

Edgar usually took most things in stride, so it was rare to see him in this kind of jittery state, but Ariel had definitely seen it now and then.

The funny thing? He didn’t even know he did that.

“Seriously, how do you know about that? I didn’t even know myself.”

“Don’t you feel like you’ve had those moments with Ariel?”

“That’s true.”

There are habits one learns to recognize about oneself, but sometimes others notice these things more clearly than we realize.

For instance, Edgar knew Ariel would twist her hair when she felt bothered, but she likely didn’t notice it herself.

“I thought you’d be lucid and calm about everything, so I didn’t expect you to feel stressed… but this is unexpected.”

“Usually, I can manage that, but this case is different.”

“True.”

Silvia had heard that today, Ariel would pledge her vows of subservience to Edgar and officially make him her advisor.

So she could somewhat gauge just how heavy a burden was resting on his shoulders.

“Hang in there. I’ll be cheering you and her on.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

Even if it was Ariel who would inherit the family head position, Silvia knew Edgar wouldn’t have it easy either, so she gave his arm a light tap to encourage him.

Just then, Elin returned from her search for Ariel.

Although Silvia hadn’t gotten to greet Ariel yet, she figured it would be best not to interfere with her busy day.

‘Hope everything goes well.’

Turning away, Silvia genuinely wished for the best.

Hoping for abundant luck for her two closest friends as they started this new chapter together.

* * * * * * *

As Edgar had assumed, Ariel was caught up speaking with other guests.

Even though her personality leaned toward being self-centered, she couldn’t really dismiss all the smiling faces approaching her.

“Congratulations, my lady. Or should I now call you ‘your highness’?”

“We haven’t even held the ceremony yet, so that’s a bit premature.”

“Ha, true enough. I hope you’ll take good care of her moving forward.”

Most of the visitors were there for the formalities, hoping to make a good impression.

True congratulations came from those closely affiliated with the Robeheim Family or perhaps from her personal acquaintances.

“You’re doing great.”

“Stop with the empty compliments and say hello to the others, will you?”

Edgar approached Ariel, placing a hand on her shoulder, his tone teasing. Ariel pouted, gesturing to the group of guests still lingering.

While everyone else was busy chitchatting, she felt frustrated that she was the only one sweating it out.

“Yeah, but most of them are strangers to me.”

“I can introduce you. I have a rough idea of their names.”

Since childhood, Ariel had been trained to memorize members of influential families.

So even if many of the visitors were new faces to her, she held knowledge about their statuses.

Being the true heir to a Duke’s house, to know the names of those she met felt only natural.

Recognition felt like a mark of respect toward them, acknowledging their importance.

This was also a formal etiquette for someone in her position to learn.

Thus, thanks to Ariel’s help, Edgar ended up conversing with a few guests who came by to introduce themselves, fostering some connections.

This incident from Whitewood had quickly spread, turning Edgar into something of a hero in their eyes.

“I’ve been hearing about Lord Billhark’s exploits and wanted to say hello.”

“Really? You flatter me too much.”

The continuous praise was starting to weigh a bit on Edgar, and now they were addressing him with an updated title too.

“No, no. My father had been in the army and always spoke highly of you.”

“Is that so? Please extend my gratitude to him.”

“Oh, he’ll be thrilled to hear it.”

The guests who’d previously greeted Ariel had returned, re-engaging with Edgar, crowding around him.

Ariel chose to observe the situation from a distance, purposely not stepping in.

She found herself feeling happier watching Edgar receive all the praise than when she was the one being congratulated.

It felt as though everyone recognized his true value.

This was likely why it had been possible for him to take the position of advisor after their bond was formed.

When she heard that no one had opposed his position, Ariel nearly rolled off her bed in joy.

“Ariel, time’s getting tight. Since people are starting to part ways, we should move as well.”

Having spoken with the guests, Edgar glanced at the clock and recognized that time was indeed rushing.

He reached out to Ariel to escort her.

Watching his hand reach out toward her amidst everyone else made her heart flutter with excitement.

‘He’s really mine now.’

Just moments ago, the man who’d been surrounded by so many was about to become hers.

When else could a woman feel such profound satisfaction?

Although it wasn’t an actual marriage ceremony, to her, the bond they were about to strengthen in their pledge of subservience felt even more solid than a marriage contract.

“What’s got you smiling?”

As she offered her arm while walking, a content smile crept onto Ariel’s face, prompting Edgar to respond in confusion.

“Mind sharing that with me?”

“Seriously, if you don’t want to know, then don’t ask.”

Sticking out her tongue might have been Shuri’s signature move, but it felt more mischievous than cute coming from her.

Edgar chuckled lightly, and the couple headed toward the annex where the ceremony was to take place.

“This is it. It’s enormous!”

“Yes, I’ve never been here before either. I heard it isn’t opened up unless there’s a special occasion.”

Even Ariel, who lived in the castle, had never visited this place until today.

It was known as Morpheo Hall where important ceremonies like the inheritance or the pledge of subservience took place, named after Morpheo, the second head of the family who first inherited the title.

Nobody loitered around the annex yet, but Edgar figured that was intentional until the ceremony began.

“Let’s go in.”

“Okay.”

Once they entered, an unusual spacious area revealed itself.

In the center stood a door that seemed massive enough to dwarf Edgar five times over, flanked by two doors that were slightly larger than a typical doorway.

And waiting right in front of that enormous door was none other than Helene.

“Mother.”

“You’ve made it here. Feeling anxious?”

“… A little.”

With Ariel’s candid reply, Helene smiled warmly and enveloped her daughter in a tender hug.

“You’ll do just fine. He’s waiting for you inside, so go on.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be waiting with the guests over there. Edgar, you two can head inside together.”

Helene pointed to the side doors, and Ariel finally understood their purpose.

Those were the doors for the audience to enter and watch the upcoming ceremony.

Today wasn’t just Ariel’s inheritance ceremony; it was also the occasion for the pledge of subservience to take place.

While it was indeed rare to have them happen together, it did occur occasionally.

The strange part was perhaps how the future head of the house was also the one to pledge subservience.

It wouldn’t be surprising if most of the guests today questioned what they’d witnessed the moment Edgar stepped through that door.

“I’ll be back soon, Mother.”

“Yeah. Try not to be too tense.”

“Okay.”

Nodding, Ariel stepped inside with Edgar, revealing a vast room enveloped in shimmering light.

Unlike the faint sounds coming from the outside, this place was steeped in silence.

Each footstep felt like it required care, so the two walked softly upon the red carpet leading them to the end of the hall.

“You two, please come in. I trust you are both prepared?”

There stood Yulken, Ariel’s father, clad in a radiant smile, looking forward to officially passing down the family helm.

 

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