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Chapter 15: The Prelude to Adulthood

Even though it was just two days before the ceremony, the interior of Robeheim Castle was already bustling with activity.

Ariel was running around greeting people, but her usually cheerful demeanor was nowhere to be found; she was sporting a perpetual pout.

Normally, this wouldn’t be her job since she hadn’t officially inherited the family legacy yet—Yulken, her father, could have taken care of it—but this occasion felt a bit different.

In families that host such coming-of-age ceremonies, invitations are traditionally sent out with the name of the person celebrating their adulthood engraved on them.

Thanks to that, Ariel could be considered the host of this ceremony, so she couldn’t just sit back and relax.

Moreover, whether she liked it or not, after the ceremony she would need to assume a prominent position in society, so getting used to meeting people was something on her mind too.

“Ugh, this is exhausting…”

Of course, knowing all of this didn’t make the situation any less grating.

In the end, Ariel decided to take a short break and quietly returned to her room, flopping down onto the sofa.

If it were up to her, she would have loved to just collapse onto her bed, but Edgar had stopped her, saying it would mess up her hair.

And that ungrateful boyfriend of hers, perhaps trying to be a pseudo-advisor, coldly told her to face reality without offering any comforting words.

“You still have mountains of people to meet, so where do you think you’re going to rest?”

“What do you want me to do? Just because it’s something I have to do doesn’t change the fact that it’s annoying.”

“I mean, for you, you’re actually trying pretty hard.”

Edgar certainly couldn’t deny that. Given her personality, which usually avoided tasks she didn’t like like the plague and would rather not face people at all, this level of effort was quite commendable.

But that was that; the reality remained that there were still lots of people she needed to meet.

Even though he planned to cuddle her after all this was over, for now, he had to whip her into shape.

As her lover, but also as an assistant who would help her with duties, Edgar was determined to adopt the appropriate approach early on.

“Ariel.”

“What?”

“Come here and sit.”

“Ugh, seriously?”

With a scoff, Edgar slowly approached, surprised to see her sitting on the sofa instead of a chair, as she usually wouldn’t.

But little did he know that there was a hidden motive behind it.

Having devised a somewhat elaborate plan to let her off the hook for the day, Edgar quietly took a seat next to her.

Plop.

“Ah…”

As soon as he sat down, Ariel laid her head on his thigh, giving a little sigh of comfort.

This was utterly baffling behavior for him.

Just moments ago, he had told her not to lie down on the bed because it would mess up her hair, and now she was using him as a pillow?

“Lying down makes your hair a mess.”

“I don’t care. If it gets messed up, I’ll just ask Shuri to fix it again.”

“Why drag Shuri into this?”

While he said that, Edgar still didn’t make any attempt to move her or anything. Instead, he gently tidied up the strands of her hair that had fallen out of place and gave a faint smile.

He understood that the fact she was this exhausted meant that she had already met a lot of people and that the schedule had been tiring.

“How much time do we have left?”

“Well, I think we can rest for about thirty minutes.”

After glancing at the clock on the wall, Edgar estimated their break time, and as Ariel mulled over the word “thirty minutes,” she quickly reached out and found his right hand.

“Why my hand?”

“Just hold it like this for thirty minutes.”

After grabbing his hand, Ariel proceeded to maneuver it like a doll’s arm, getting him to stroke her head and forehead.

This was a gesture she occasionally used when she wanted compliments from Edgar—something he’d done since she was under ten.

As she grew up, she felt a bit embarrassed realizing how often this was a method used by adults to praise children, but it still gave her a sense of comfort.

Thus, even when Edgar occasionally patted her head now, she accepted it without any signs of dispute.

“You’ll fall asleep like that.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

With her pinky finger raised in a bold pledge, Ariel stated her vow.

This wasn’t the first time saying something like this had reversed into the opposite situation, making it hard for Edgar to gauge whether he should humor her.

But just as Ariel was weak for Edgar, he was weak for her, and ultimately, he ended up gently stroking her hair.

Then, he quietly said, “You really are working hard, you know.”

“…I guess it’s good that you realized it now.”

Maybe due to her drowsiness, Ariel’s voice started to fade away.

Even amidst this, she gripped his empty hand tightly, as if she feared he’d leave her side while she slept, resembling a child afraid of being alone.

Edgar couldn’t help but smile softly at her.

“Thirty minutes, huh.”

He recalled the rest time he just told her and checked the clock again.

Adding another thirty minutes, how about letting her sleep for a full hour?

Even if he would catch flak later, he’d take the blame, and for now, he just wanted to keep watching her sleep a little longer.

* * * * * * *

Silvia arrived in Hespania a bit later than planned.

She had to take a detour due to a landslide on the way.

This time, she had come along with her lover, who would also be celebrating their coming-of-age ceremony.

Originally, she had wanted to bring her nanny, Petra, but due to her age, the long journey would have been tough, so she ended up bringing a maid instead.

Upon arriving at Robeheim Castle, familiar faces began to appear.

As she greeted them and toured the castle with her lover, Hagel, a familiar face came into view.

None other than the lady of the castle, Helene.

“It’s been a while, Silvia.”

“Greetings, Madam.”

In truth, this wasn’t such a long time since Silvia had come here about three months ago.

However, due to her familiarity with Helene’s face, even a short absence felt like a considerable amount of time.

Perhaps that’s why Silvia also felt as if she was finally meeting Helene after a long time.

“I’m well, thanks to you. And this here is your rumoured fiancé, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Without any hint from Silvia, Hagel stepped forward and politely greeted Helene.

With his blond hair and sky-blue eyes, he had a dreamy look that was rather different from what Helene had imagined.

“I’m Hagel Lukevil. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Robeheim.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Prince Lukevil. How is your father?”

“He’s doing well. He asked me to send his regards, and it’s truly a pleasure to see you here.”

Hagel was polite and calm, in stark contrast to the cheerful Silvia.

If Ariel and Edgar seemed like two peas in a pod, this couple felt like opposites who would harmoniously complement each other.

Helene looked at this interaction and smiled contentedly, nodding her head.

“Um, Madam, is Ariel away from her seat?”

“She would likely be in her room. She must be exhausted after greeting so many people.”

“Aha…”

Silvia finally understood why she hadn’t seen her friend.

Given that it was a struggle for the young lady to smile and greet people, it had to be exhausting for her.

She could probably be sprawled out on her bed, conserving her energy.

Still wanting to see her face, Silvia reluctantly asked Helene again, realizing it could be rude.

“I suppose it’ll be hard to meet her now?”

“Wouldn’t it be fine? It’s been nearly an hour since she stepped away, so she should be coming out soon.”

“That’s a relief.”

Although Silvia loved to joke around, she wasn’t so thoughtless as to disturb a friend who had collapsed in exhaustion.

Just based on how Helene spoke, she felt she wouldn’t need to worry too much, and she immediately wanted to head to Ariel’s room with Hagel.

“Congratulations on reaching adulthood early, Silvia. And congratulations to you too, Prince Lukevil.”

“Thank you, Madam.”

“Thank you, Lady Robeheim.”

Having received an early congratulation from Helene, Silvia set off and was met with another familiar face standing in front of Ariel’s room.

It was none other than Ariel’s maid, Shuri.

“Hey, Shuri. Long time no see.”

“Oh, Silvia! Welcome back. Who’s this beside you?”

“This is my fiancé. You know the story, right?”

“Ah…”

Since it was the first time seeing him in person, Shuri gasped quietly and offered a respectful greeting to Hagel.

Silvia beamed with pride, saying that Shuri was one of the people Ariel trusted the most, which caused Hagel to look at her in surprise, nodding his head.

With Shuri feeling flustered, Silvia couldn’t help but find it cute and, checking if Ariel was inside, asked.

“Yes, she’s inside. But it might be a little….”

“Why? Is she asleep or something?”

“No, she did wake up, but…”

Slightly hesitant, Shuri avoided eye contact and, without meaning to, Silvia and Hagel exchanged curious glances, tilting their heads in unison.

She was awake but perhaps still too tired to meet anyone.

As Silvia stared at Shuri with puzzled eyes, after a brief moment of hesitation, Shuri finally lowered her voice and spoke carefully.

“Well, actually… she’s with Edgar…alone.”

“Oh.”

Silvia finally grasped the reason and let out a soft sigh.

Alone with her lover.

She wasn’t jumping to any inappropriate conclusions, but the phrase alone with him was undoubtedly an indication that this was not a situation to interrupt.

“I’m sorry, Hagel. It seems I’ll have to see my friend later.”

“That’s fine, Silvia. By the way, is the Edgar mentioned the one I’ve heard about?”

“Yes, that’s correct. He’s my friend’s boyfriend.”

Hagel also caught on to the situation and nodded, wearing a strange smile.

Being in love himself, he knew all too well what that kind of moment represented.

It was clearly a time not to be interrupted by others. There was no doubt about it.

“Since it’s a rare occasion, shall we go to a room to spend some time?”

“…There are eyes watching us, Silvia.”

“What does it matter?”

As Silvia asked Shuri if she was okay with it, Shuri awkwardly nodded along with a flustered expression, making Silvia smile in satisfaction as she took Hagel’s hand and headed to their assigned room.

Both sides had their own time to enjoy sweet moments with their lovers.

“Ronan.”

Meanwhile, Shuri knew the situation inside and outside the room and stood blankly by the door, calling out the name of her lover, feeling especially lonely today.

 

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