To You, Nine Years Later (2)
The two of them couldn't know what the other had written on the paper. Curiosity naturally welled up, but enjoying that uncertainty was part of the charm.
Edgar wrote for a while longer before finishing and slowly rising to his feet.
"Edgar finished first, I see. Would you hand it over?"
"Yes, my lady."
Helene, who had received the paper, took out the spherical object she had packed in her bag earlier. The time capsule Edgar remembered was literally a capsule-shaped sphere where you folded a letter and buried it inside. However, the sphere Helene held looked more like an ordinary ball than a capsule. In other words, it had no separate lid.
'How do you use that?'
Just as Edgar's curiosity deepened, Helene smiled at him as if to say "watch closely" and picked up the sphere. Then she placed it gently on the unfolded paper and recited a short incantation, barely audible.
Zing.
"……!?"
A swarm of small lights burst from the sphere and covered the paper. Soon, the paper's form was enveloped in light, becoming invisible, and when the light scattered in all directions, the paper was already gone without a trace.
"Interesting, isn't it? That's what this item is for."
"Does it store other objects?"
"Yes. Though it can't hold anything too large, and food will spoil. It's not as versatile as one might think."
But it was sufficient as a substitute for a time capsule. After all, the paper wasn't particularly large or prone to rotting.
When Edgar nodded in understanding, Helene chuckled and patted his head. His red hair, a shade darker than her daughter's eyes, seemed to burn. It was rare hair, so her hand often reached for it unconsciously. Fortunately, he didn't seem to dislike it, so she'd been doing it often lately.
"Mom, I'm done too!"
"Are you? Let me see."
Helene stroked Edgar with one hand while receiving Ariel's paper with the other. She stored Ariel's paper in the sphere in the same way as before.
Ariel, watching the light scatter, clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Wow—!" It must have been quite fascinating.
"Now we just need to bury this in the ground... Oh? Look at me, forgetting."
"Why, my lady?"
"I should have brought a small trowel. Wait a moment."
The ground was soft enough to dig by hand without issue, but she seemed worried about getting dirty. Indeed, how often would the lady and young miss of the Grand Duke's house dig in the dirt with their bare hands? At least Ariel had once tried to dig to take a flower she liked, but even then, Edgar had done it for her.
'Dirt can be washed off.'
If caught by Katria, he'd get an earful, but he didn't care. Rather, if he said he did it in Helene's stead, he might get praised. At the very least, it could be smoothed over.
Having made up his mind, Edgar stopped Helene as she tried to stand. Helene, half-risen, tilted her head in confusion, then was startled upon seeing him roll up his sleeves and tried to stop him.
"Ed, this isn't something you dig with your hands. Your clothes will get dirty, so stop."
"It's fine. I've dug a few times before, and clothes can be washed."
Of course, the maid who did the laundry would have some trouble, but it couldn't be helped. He also felt bad making Helene go back and forth twice. He'd considered going himself, but this seemed faster and easier.
"Ed, want me to help?"
Ariel, not noticing his consideration, tried to step in, but Edgar firmly shook his head. He'd just told someone not to work, so what good would Ariel helping do?
Swish. Swish.
Edgar decided to dig a bit away from the tree roots to avoid getting caught on them. As he dug with practiced movements, Ariel's eyes watching from the side sparkled brightly. As expected of a child, even the noble young lady seemed interested in playing with dirt.
'This should be enough.'
After clearing away a pile of soil, a suitably sized space appeared. Digging too deep would only make it hard to find later, so Edgar decided to compromise here.
"My lady, could you place it in here, please?"
His hands were covered in dirt, so it was awkward to take the item from Helene and put it in himself. Understanding his meaning, Helene nodded and carefully stepped over the dirt pile to place the sphere into the hole.
Click.
The two spheres bumped into each other in the hole, making a small sound. The yellow-glowing orbs inside the reddish-brown soil pile created a strange sense of dissonance.
Edgar looked at Ariel and asked, "Shall I bury it?" After she nodded, he let the soil pile collapse. After covering it back to its original state, Edgar went to a corner to shake off the dirt. He'd been a bit worried about getting hurt on rocks, but fortunately, the task finished without incident.
Ariel, who had followed him late, suddenly patted his back with both hands. As if he were a drum.
What was she up to this time? When Edgar asked what was going on, she answered with a bright smile, "Praise!"
"This is praise?"
"Yeah. I patted you to mean you did well."
"Oh."
Praise was unique. If the chance came, he'd pat her back as "praise" too, Edgar resolved. What kind of reaction would Ariel show? 'She's the type to keep her word, oddly enough.' Would she get sulky and refuse to speak? That'd be fun? Alright. He had to try it. Edgar made such a villainous resolution.
"Ed, let's go back and wash your hands first. Your clothes are quite dirty too……."
"Yes, my lady."
When the two stayed hidden in the corner for a long time without coming out, Helene came looking for them on foot and led them back to the main building.
Unable to wait, Ariel asked Edgar about what he'd written on the paper. If she was going to do that, what was the point of burying it in the ground? Edgar, finding it absurd, replied while gazing at her with narrowed eyes.
"Didn't we agree to look at it together in nine years?"
"But I still want to know a little beforehand. Huh? Can't you tell me just a bit?"
Usually, she was too busy being snippy to act cute, but why was she so skilled at times like this? It was probably possible because she knew her own appearance well. Even in Edgar's view, there were hardly any peers who wouldn't fall for Ariel when she asked with a nasal tone.
"Yeah, no."
Of course, except for himself.
"Tch, what does it hurt to tell me? How petty!"
"Haa."
No choice. He had to use his trump card. Ariel, quite sulky, took a step away and puffed out her cheeks. Edgar poked her shoulder with his index finger and gestured for her to come closer.
'Heh, I knew it.' You won't tell me? Acting like you can resist? Ariel already knew full well that Edgar was weak to her, even if he pretended otherwise. Strangely, her aegyo didn't work on him, but aside from that, he tended to do most things within certain limits. Thinking she'd scored another win today, she approached with a victor's smile, only for Edgar's face to lean in.
'Huh?' Too close? Was he going to whisper? It was natural for Ariel's mind to become confused since Edgar had never approached her first like this. Her heart pounded, and heat naturally rose throughout her body. Just as she anticipated the next action, smack!
Suddenly her vision flashed, and a sharp pain came from her forehead.
"Ow!?"
Ariel opened her eyes, which she'd closed in a daze. What came into view was her childhood friend's face, grinning mischievously while showing his middle and thumb fingers joined. Only after belatedly grasping the situation did anger fill Ariel's eyes. If he'd said nothing, she might have let it go, but how dare he hit her?
"You, you just hit me……!?"
"I did hit you?"
Bleh. Edgar stuck out his tongue to tease her and dashed into the mansion like an arrow. Ariel, whose reaction was a beat late, chased after him belatedly, but the basic speed difference was too great.
"They're just like kids, full of energy."
Helene, who had known about the commotion behind her but pretended not to, placed a hand on her face and let out a wry smile. It would be too much to hope those children maintained their pure and bright appearances like now. At the very least, until they dug up the letter buried in the ground, she hoped they'd remain close friends rather than just a relationship between houses. If possible…….
'That's too greedy to hope for now.'
Helene lowered her head, setting aside the thought that followed. Above all, she hoped those children could live without incident. As a mother, that was her only wish.