30 – take up residence
The castle of the Loveheim family, which had arrived before long, showed the grandeur of the grand duke’s family at a glance.
A huge castle that would be a relief if you didn’t get lost inside, and even a large piece of land holding the castle.
The building didn’t end with one, but all kinds of buildings were built in a row in the vast holy ground, and it seemed like a small city had been moved.
‘I’m tired.’
Anyway, I didn’t know that I would go into the castle with him.
It was believed that if they wanted to settle down in a place that was out of sight of others, they would find a suitable place outside the castle.
Or is it that there is a place for you to stay somewhere in this vast holy land?
“Ed, what are you doing when you’re not coming?”
“Uh, uh… I’ll be going soon.”
When Helene guaranteed Edgar’s identity to the guard blocking the gate, he was able to enter without any special procedure.
Edgar responded to Ariel, who urged him to come through the castle gate first, and then moved on in a daze.
The view from the outside was also spectacular, but as I came inside, the splendor was added.
After passing the long bridge, there was a huge waterway flowing right underneath.
‘Will I catch a fish if I go fishing here?’
Edgar, who had such trivial thoughts, realized belatedly that the distance had widened, and pursued the group.
“How about it, is it much bigger than the mansion you used to live in?”
“Ariel, you can’t use a friend’s house when you talk about it that way.”
“Yeah, but it’s true. mom.”
Is not it? As if asking, Ariel tilted her head towards Edgar.
It wasn’t exactly wrong, and the comparison was pointless in the first place, so Edgar nodded meekly and sided with her.
“By the way, Madame Helene, where am I going to stay?”
“I’ll let you know soon. Right now, I have someone I need to meet for a while before that.”
‘Who should I meet?’
Didn’t he tell anyone that he was coming here?
Except for those closest to her, such as Sheppi and Shuri, I only knew that she hadn’t spoken to the retainers or others in the castle.
If I had to guess at least, he would be the owner of this family and the person who becomes Ariel’s father.
However, he erased the reasoning from his mind, wondering why a person of that size would come to meet him personally.
It’s Helen’s job anyway, so I guess I’ll take care of it.
“Ed, while you stay here from now on, you shouldn’t tell me that you’re the heir to the Billhark family. Understand?”
“The fact that I am Ariel’s friend… Are you talking?”
“right. You are smart.”
When Edgar successfully deduced what was to come next, Helen smiled softly and stroked his hair.
‘Even if that’s the case… I still have questions.’
It was what he wanted anyway, so he didn’t think much of it.
If there’s just one point to point out, letting yourself into this castle means that you’ve covered up your identity in some way.
How, then, could the grand duke’s mistress not be suspected of having let in an unknown outsider?
At least, one cannot escape curiosity about a boy named Edgar.
Even so, why did she decide to live in this castle?
There must be a lot of risk just because it’s to facilitate the meeting with Ariel.
I followed her with a sense of wonder, and soon I was able to reach the main building of the castle.
“Have you had a good trip, mistress?”
After waiting for a while at the entrance on the first floor, Sheppy appeared out of nowhere and started talking to me.
Even Edgar and Ariel flinched, but Helene nodded her head calmly as if she had expected it, and replied with a low voice.
“Yes, Sheppy. Would you have waited?”
“Yes, you can come this way.”
Bowing deeply, Sheppy started guiding, and the rest of the party followed.
Edgar didn’t know where they were going, but one thing he knew for sure was that they weren’t headed the normal way.
That would be the case, no matter how huge the castle is, you will encounter one or two people from time to time.
But for some reason, the road they were heading to was very quiet and there was no sign of popularity.
“He is waiting for you over here.”
Following her guidance, we arrived at a door to a room that looked pretty shabby.
It was a strangely remote place to have a room where people lived in such a place, but no one thought it strange.
Soon after, Helene nodded slightly and held Ariel and Edgar’s hands.
“Thank you, Sheppy. Wait outside for a while with Shuri. I’m going to take Ariel and Edman with me.”
“Yes, my master.”
When Sheppy stepped back with her daughter, Helene approached the door and knocked cautiously.
At the same time, someone opened the door from the other side, and a middle-aged man appeared through the crack in the door.
“Welcome, madam. There was also a lady.”
“Sorry to bother you, Creed.”
“It’s been a while, Creed.”
At Helene’s apology, the man called Creed smiled and waved his hand as if it were nothing.
It was a very boisterous laugh, befitting his broad shoulders and huge appearance.
“hahahaha, don’t worry. More than that, this friend… … ?”
“that’s right.”
“On the surface, it seems normal. I really like the look in your eyes.”
He stared blankly at Edgar, then put his hand on his chin and sighed.
The face was rather smooth, but other than that, there was nothing special about it.
It’s to the extent that his physique is not suitable for his young age and his body looks solid.
“As I said, I want you to take care of them with them.”
“Who knows about this?”
“No one knows except for the ladies-in-waiting outside and those of the Bilhark family. Even the coachman who brought us today doesn’t know.”
Seeing as the word “Bilhark family” came out of her mouth, Edgar was able to realize that this man would secretly help him.
“Hey, that’s right. This seems like a pretty heavy responsibility.”
Still, he shook his head as if he didn’t hate it, and held out his hand toward Edgar.
It’s a handshake application that’s sure to see.
Edgar glanced at Creed for a moment and immediately grabbed his hand.
“I’m counting on you. What is your name?”
“This is Edgar Billhark.”
“It’s Creed Downer. It won’t be long, but he’s the one who will take care of you in the future.”
Creed Downer?
Edgar tilted his head at the name he had heard somewhere.
I had a feeling of déjà vu a little while ago, but when I heard the last name, the déjà vu grew even bigger and messed up my head.
‘Downer, Downer… ah!’
Edgar opened his eyes belatedly and succeeded in remembering a person’s name.
The former 2nd Knight Commander of the Hellvenier Empire.
He was one of the bravest warriors whose bravery left a mark in history to the extent that it remains in the literature.
“Oh, do you know my name?”
“I have heard. Certainly one of the best knights in the Empire… … .”
“It is only a fiction in the literature. Now he’s just an old man in the back room looking after the kids.”
When Creed let go of their clasped hands and shrugged, Helene, realizing that it was time for her to step out, continued explaining further to Edgar.
“He was the commander of the Imperial Knights before retiring, but now he is taking care of the children here.”
“Children… You mean?”
“yes. It’s his hobby, and it’s also my hobby. There is a small area in this castle that takes care of abandoned children. He’s in charge of it.”
‘It must have been like that.’
Edgar now understood why he had brought him here.
Just like hiding a tree in a forest, he meant not to hide his whereabouts secretly, but openly to let him stay with the other children in the castle.
Anyway, if this was what Helen originally did, others would think it was just a child she picked up from somewhere without much doubt.
In addition, the fact that he did not have to have a teacher to teach him was also a big factor.
He said he retired from the Amman front, but the teachings of the former knight commander, who was considered one of the leaders in the empire, would be perfect.
“How many children are there now?”
“Excluding you, there are only two people. In the first place, you can’t take care of them all over here, and they will quickly find another suitable place for you.”
Sending it away must mean sending it to a trustworthy family as an adopted son or daughter.
It seemed like it would be perfect if there were two of us, since it would be quite crowded and not too noisy.
I was wondering if it would be a little lonely because I was suddenly alone, but wouldn’t it be perfect as a companion?
“We’re about the same age, so it would help if we were close friends. One child is a bit timid, but… She’s a good-natured child, so it’ll be fine.”
“You should be fine. We will live under one roof now.”
It wasn’t easy to get close to others, but if you share the joys and sorrows, you’ll have an excuse to become friends somehow.
The remaining problem is,
“But when can I meet Ariel? I don’t think the opportunity will be hard to reach.”
Even if everything else was resolved, there was nothing good about meeting Ariel anyway.
You should try to avoid eye contact as much as possible, but no matter how big the castle is, if there are a lot of people walking around, you will definitely get caught.
When Edgar said something mixed with concern, Ariel’s nose soared, not knowing that it was high in the sky.
“What, what is it? Do you want to meet me like that?”
I was happy when Edgar told me what I hadn’t been able to ask because I was shy, and on the other hand, I was also embarrassed because I thought I wasn’t the only one who wanted it.
Meanwhile, Edgar frowned as if he was talking about something.
Who did you come all the way to?
“What are you talking about? I came here because I wanted to be with you in the first place.”
“… uh?”
Ariel’s eyes opened wide at the unexpected quick glance.
On the other hand, Helen and Creed, who were watching this, burst into laughter.
It seemed as if they were babbling, ‘What are they doing?’
“because of me… You’re here?’
“Otherwise, why would I come all the way here? Hey, think about it. thoughts.”
In the first place, who was the one who said something like “Can’t I come to Hespania?”
Now that it came out like this, it was frustrating to the point of death.
On the other hand, Ariel was also very embarrassed right now.
Of course, I knew that he had come this far for me, but I didn’t know how to say it honestly.
At most, I expected the answer, ‘Why did I come all this far because of you?’, but to think the opposite answer came out.
“Honey, you listen when people talk.”
“Poem, noisy! you stupid! It’s all because of you!”
“Wow, are you blaming me for this?”
In the end, the two continued their conversation drawing parallel lines until Helen intervened and calmed down the conversation.
Unfortunately, there were no winners.
It just ended with one side dyeing her face red, and the other side banging her chest as if she was dying of frustration.