CH 65

In the end, due to Sylvia’s disruption, the chaos continued throughout the day without showing any signs of calming down.

Afterwards, the three individuals gathered in Edgar’s room, exchanging peculiar glances.

To be precise, it was Sylvia who trudged over trembling, and Ariel, with her arms crossed, observed her as she entered the room.

Sitting between the two women, Edgar wore a wry smile and calmly sipped his black tea.

“So, what’s the explanation?”

Ariel’s words broke the silence, causing Sylvia to tremble slightly.

Sylvia, who was always uncharacteristically defensive, struggled to find words as she realised her wrongdoing.

Knowing he couldn’t defend Sylvia this time, Edgar just silently enjoyed the cookies on the table.

Fortunately, even amidst the turmoil, the cookies were not overly sweet, suiting Edgar’s taste.

“Well, um… I initially thought it was the magic candy, too.”

“Oh..you did?”

Ariel’s attitude, as if telling her to continue talking, unless she wants the flames from her hands to hit the target(Sylvia) right away.

So in response, Sylvia was forced to keep talking while her hands trembled like those of a weak prey in front of their hunter.

“But yesterday, your condition seemed a bit off, so I tried one as a test, and it didn’t work…?”

“It didn’t?”

“Yes. So when I checked later, I realised the packaging on the bottle was slightly different. I must have mistakenly brought the wrong regular candy from home.”

To be precise, it meant she had brought the latter of the two options: magic candy that resembled regular candy or just plain regular candy.

Upon hearing this, Ariel released a deep sigh and stared at Sylvia, whom she called a friend, with intense eyes.

In those crimson eyes, there was a clear question; “Should I kill her right now?” Sylvia let out a short scream, quickly getting up from her seat and seeking refuge behind Edgar.

Poor Sylvia was unaware that her actions will only fuel Ariel’s anger furthermore.

“You…where do you think you’re putting your hands now?”

Ariel asked in a cold tone, devoid of emotions, with her anger intensifying due to Sylvia’s hasty action.

“Where…? Ah!!”

Initially confused as to why Ariel was even more furious, Sylvia sighed low when she realised what she had inadvertently done.

Her hands had ended up on none other than Edgar’s shoulder and waist.

And before her eyes stood a very possessive friend who had become Edgar’s lover overnight, glaring at her.

“Hey, it’s not what you think! Ariel, you know me!”

“I think I know how you’d like to meet your demise.”

“No! Do I even have him? Why should I care about someone like Edgar…?”

“What? Edgar is ‘someone’ to you?”

‘I must really be going insane!’

Sylvia inwardly screamed at the problematic reality that no matter how she answered, she would be in trouble, and regardless of her response, she would be in trouble.

Even in such a hopeless situation, one thing was certain; Ariel had developed a strong attachment to Edgar.

“Now, Sylvia, return to your seat. Ariel, it’s time for you to calm down,” Edgar spoke, trying to diffuse the tense situation.

“Are you taking that girl’s side now?” Ariel questioned with a hint of disappointment.

“tha..that girl…?”

Sylvia was on the verge of tears, hurt by her friend’s cold demeanour and the lack of her name being mentioned.

Fuck!

“Huh!?”

On the other hand, tears began to stream down Sylvia’s face unexpectedly.

“It’s not ‘that girl’. It’s ‘your friend’ and also my friend. Please, take a seat,” Edgar intervened, trying to mend the situation.

“Tsk, what’s the point if you’re not going to be nice to me?” Ariel retorted.

“If being nice to you will help, then stop. I’m sorry too, so come here,” Edgar replied.

Ariel, although pouting, obediently approached Edgar and stood before him.

Edgar extended his hand, gently stroking her hair and playfully pinching her cheek.

“Are you really angry?” he asked in a gentle voice, to which Ariel averted her gaze and replied, “Not really.”

Meanwhile, Sylvia watched this scene with admiration and envy towards Edgar.

“As expected, childhood friends are different,” she thought.

While Sylvia had been close to Ariel for a long time, their infrequent meetings due to their respective circumstances made their bond pale compared to Edgar’s relationship with Ariel.

In essence, Edgar knew how to handle Ariel far better than Sylvia ever could.

“It’s fundamentally different,” Sylvia concluded.

While Sylvia tried to appease Ariel’s anger, Edgar focused on calming her down first and then resolving the situation by discussing the matter logically.

It was an approach that relied on the assumption that Ariel could be persuaded.

Shall we even say it was a seductive and dangerous aspect of Edgar’s personality that had captivated the heart of the future Grand Duchess since their childhood?

Sylvia suddenly felt as though a halo was shining behind Edgar.

“Ah, I understand. I won’t be angry,” Ariel finally conceded.

“Really? And will you also keep your promise today?” Edgar inquired.

“Tsk, it’s too much to ask after I’ve already made a promise,” Ariel replied.

He said he would spend the entire day with her, and he would keep to it.

Even though he was right in front of her, Ariel couldn’t help but feel somewhat inadequate. However, she couldn’t leave it at that.

In the end, Ariel reluctantly nodded, as if reluctantly agreeing to the terms of the negotiation.

“If you do get angry, it won’t happen. Instead, I apologise, so I’ll hug you once more,” Edgar suggested.

“…Instead, hug me a bit longer this time,” Ariel requested.

“Very well, then.”

With that, Edgar embraced Ariel tenderly, holding her fragile body with care as if he didn’t want her to break.

“Somehow, it feels a bit different,” Ariel thought.

She couldn’t help but notice that the emotions conveyed through his warm embrace felt a little more affectionate than before.

He hugged her every now and then when they were just friends, so hugging wasn’t anything new between the two of them.

But simply because the relationship between them had changed a little; the different emotions that were shown through his warm hug felt really good.

“Anyway, it’s amazing,” Ariel murmured softly, enjoying the warmth in his arms.

“What…?”

Edgar’s soft voice reached her ears while he enjoyed the hug.

Ariel raised her face from his chest..

Then Edgar’s mischievous smile greeted her as she raised her face from his chest.

A cold feeling of anxiety crept over Ariel’s spine.

“If what Sylvia said is true, does that mean all your clinginess and complaining about me yesterday were your true feelings?” Edgar teased.

“… … !” (Ariel, shocked by the question)

“Do you like me that much?” Edgar asked.

Ariel frantically attempted to pull away from his arms as he had reminded her of something she had forgotten.

Thump!!! (Ariel’s heart racing because of the question)

However, Edgar was a strong man who could easily restrain her.

As she tried to escape, he calmly sat down on the sofa, still holding her from behind.

“Hey, let go of me… you idiot! Every time you tell me not to get angry…!” Ariel protested, her frustration evident.

“I’m not trying to make you angry. I’m just curious. Did you really like me that much?” Edgar asked, genuinely interested.

“How would I know!” Ariel replied, feeling conflicted.

Since Sylvia had informed her about the effect of the candy, her memories became hazy, as if she had been under some kind of influence.

She remembered moments of being close to Edgar, rubbing her face against his arms, putting her head on his thighs and using it as a lap pillow. However, she couldn’t discern if it was her true feelings or a result of the candy’s magic.

“No, there must have been a reason. It wouldn’t have been like that if I hadn’t lost control,”

Ariel tried to rationalise, convincing herself with lies that wouldn’t make her a bad friend, that the candy was indeed magical, and that there was nothing wrong with her.

Sensing Ariel’s discomfort, Edgar released his hold on her and untangled his arms.

“I can’t believe you two became lovers just yesterday,”

Silvia exclaimed, surprised by their physical intimacy level, such as hugging and cheek-touching.

“Yeah? It doesn’t seem any different from yours, does it?” Ariel responded.

“Not at all. Before we started dating, I was the one pushing for physical contact, but once we became a couple, I couldn’t even hold his hand properly,”

Silvia confessed, gesturing with her hands like a woman in her 40s.

With unexpected curiosity, Edgar and Ariel turned to Sylvia, eager to delve into her love history.

“Is it still the same for you?” Edgar asked.

“Yeah, what about it… LOL,” Silvia replied.

Seeing her swallowing her gossipy nature as if it were difficult to say more, Edgar shook his head, trying to prevent his imagination from running wild with what Silvia was hinting at.

Ariel, on the other hand, as a novice in this field, tilted her head and observed the two.

“I used to be more forward before we started dating, but after I realised he knew I liked him, I couldn’t make any moves,” Sylvia admitted.

“You’re quite special too. Knowing your usual personality, you’d probably pull down his collar and kiss him,” Edgar added.

“Yeah?”

Sylvia tilted her head, surprised by Edgar’s oddly specific explanation.

It seemed that ever since this topic came up, Ariel’s words had significantly decreased.

Ariel sat there, head down, unsure of what to contribute to the conversation.

Sylvia sensed a distinct difference in the air at this point.

“…Did Ariel ever kiss you like that?” Sylvia finally asked.

“!?”

“What?”

“ah…”

Ariel and Edgar’s bodies shuddered involuntarily as they were caught off guard.

Recognising that the answer was true, Sylvia’s expression darkened, and she stared at her friends with mischievous intent, her lips curling into a sly smile as she intended to tease her newly-loved friends.

Belatedly realising the situation, Ariel glared at Edgar, silently demanding that he resolve the situation. Edgar, trying to diffuse the situation, laughed and attempted to cover it up as much as possible.

“Do you really mean that it’s true? After all, the one we are talking is Ariel,”

‘I thought it hadn’t gotten this far when I saw her cling to Edgar on the sofa yesterday, but it appears to be more than I had imagined.’ Sylvia contemplated.

Then Sylvia exclaimed, pretending to be exaggeratedly surprised and covering her mouth. Ariel’s face, which had just started to regain its composure, flushed red once again.

“Hey, you idiot! If you hadn’t said that, we wouldn’t have been caught! What are you going to do!” Ariel scolded Edgar, feeling flustered.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, so what? Are you embarrassed about kissing me?” Edgar replied, unperturbed by the situation.

“… … .”

The situation was never expected to come out that way.

Ariel was taken aback by his unexpected response, unable to come up with a suitable reply.

She didn’t say that, but even if she insisted and said she was ashamed of it, it would already be too late.

She couldn’t deny it, but admitting it would only further embarrass her. Ariel felt trapped, her face burning with shame.

Ariel then came to a conclusion.

“I want to go see my mother,” Ariel blurted out.

She was seeking an escape from the situation.

Sigh. thud.

Ariel sighed and ran away.

“She ran away,” Edgar remarked.

“Yeah,” Sylvia chuckled.

The two friends exchanged amused glances as they watched Ariel disappear through the door.

“She’s so cute that I can’t stop teasing her,” Edgar remarked.

He thought about the contrast between Ariel’s appearance as the heir to a cold noble family and her true personality known only to them.

The thought of the real Ariel made them both laugh.

However, as they sensed the atmosphere growing heavier, Sylvia finally spoke up, taking advantage of Ariel’s absence.

“Edgar, I’m asking because Ariel isn’t here… Are you really okay?” Sylvia asked, her concern evident.

“…It’s tough, but I’ll manage,” Edgar replied

He understood exactly what Sylvia was referring to.

It was the part he had been most worried about and had been at the forefront of his mind when he confessed his feelings to Ariel the day before.

On the surface, their families were bound by a master-servant relationship.

If Edgar were the son of an unrelated family, the situation might have been less complicated. But given the circumstances, it was different.

There would inevitably be those who would try to cause trouble.

During such times, the most dangerous enemies were the ones within.

“If you ever need help, let me know. Although there are limits to what I can do,” Sylvia offered, concerned for her friend’s well-being.

“I appreciate the offer but don’t want to rely on anyone. It’s the path I’ve chosen, so I’ll find a way to get through it”

Edgar replied, declining Sylvia’s assistance with a wry smile. Deep in thought, he carefully touched the teacup’s rim.

Edgar knew that his decision could potentially harm not only Helena, who had cared for him all these years but also Yulken, the head of the family and even the woman he loved.

It wasn’t just a hypothetical assumption; but something that is bound to happen.

In the face of this, Edgar knew what he had to do.

He wouldn’t run away, claiming to be a victim, like the protagonist of a tragic story. Instead, he would fight together with the person he loved, holding their hand.

And he is certain that this is what Ariel wanted the most. Edgar believed in that with all his heart.

[T: So, the story progresses at an unimaginable speed once they confess their feelings. Even I feel somewhat awkward at their speed not to mention Sylvia]