A Noisy Morning
After the uproar the night before, Edgar became a celebrity within the castle walls overnight. About ten days later, he received word that he would be moving from the quarters in the back garden to the main building. The news came suddenly, and for Leonel and Enya—who had shared both laughter and hardship with him through what felt like both a long and short time—it brought a pang of regret. Still, they weren’t truly parting ways, and Edgar would continue his training under Creed, so it wasn’t as though they would lose touch. They promised to meet every morning in the back garden, and with that, Edgar bid the pair a farewell that wasn’t quite a farewell.
There had been one rather amusing moment in between. When the two learned that Edgar was actually of noble birth, their faces filled with genuine shock. They quickly added that his behavior had always been far too casual and open for a noble, but Edgar couldn’t quite hide the bittersweet feeling that rose in his chest.
With the change of residence, Edgar’s morning routine shifted as well. He used to head straight to the back garden for Creed’s instruction, but these days he first made his way to Ariel’s room. Though they were friends in private, he was officially here as her attendant, and that came with certain obligations.
“Good morning, Shuri.”
Arriving at Ariel’s door at the usual early hour, Edgar was greeted by her dedicated personal maid.
“Good morning, Young Master… Ah, I mean, Mister Edgar.”
“Still not used to the new title? Neither am I.”
Although he was the lady’s friend, while serving as an attendant he was, strictly speaking, a servant just like Shuri. There had been a firm order to change how she addressed him—though everyone knew it was nothing more than the spoiled princess’s whim. Perhaps that was why the old title still slipped out from time to time. Understanding her struggle, Edgar gave a soft chuckle and took the basket from her hands.
Inside were combs, perfumes, and all the other items Ariel used to groom herself. They originally belonged in her room, but according to what he’d heard, she had declared them cumbersome and shoved them onto Shuri instead. Bringing the basket each morning had quickly become habit.
“I’m sorry you have to do my job for me.”
“It’s nothing. Besides, I’d rather do it myself than watch her throw another one of her tantrums.”
Edgar had already heard plenty about how fiercely Ariel resisted whenever Shuri tried to wake her. It was difficult enough for a servant to rouse a sleeping master; for someone as gentle as Shuri, it must have been nearly impossible. That was why Edgar had come up with this solution—using the excuse of a morning greeting to wake the lady himself. He hadn’t done it often yet, but the method proved surprisingly effective.
“Oh, and it looks like Ronan’s already out in the garden. Why don’t you go see him?”
“Pardon?”
The sudden mention of her lover’s name made Shuri’s eyes widen like a startled rabbit. She quickly turned toward the window, but unfortunately the room didn’t offer a clear view of the garden.
“I’m serious. Leave Ariel to me and go on.”
“B-but it’s still working hours…”
“Someone’s here to cover for you, so what does it matter?”
When Edgar shrugged and gave a casual nod toward the window, Shuri hesitated only a moment before bowing quickly and hurrying off with light steps.
They really are at a good age.
Watching her retreating figure with a warm smile, Edgar turned and knocked on the door.
Knock. Knock.
He rapped twice, loud enough to be heard clearly inside, but no answer came. In cases like this, it was usually one of two things: she was already awake but pretending not to hear, or she was still sprawled out fast asleep. Either way, neither option stood a chance against him.
“Excuse me.”
Even though the attendant had received no permission, he spoke the polite words and strode straight into the room. Just as he expected, Ariel was still lost in dreamland atop her bed. People often said she looked like an angel when she slept, but to Edgar’s eyes she simply resembled a vicious tyrant taking a brief rest.
“My lady, the sun is already high in the sky. It’s time to wake up.”
“…Zzz.”
Standing crookedly with one hand on his hip, the attendant spoke as though issuing a royal command. Yet Ariel continued breathing softly, showing no sign of stirring. A vein throbbed visibly on Edgar’s forehead as he watched.
She had been the one to insist he call her for morning training, yet here she was—unable to even stay awake after he had prepared and waited. At this point, he was beginning to wonder if she even remembered her own promise.
“Ariel, wake up. You told me to come get you for morning training.”
“Mmm… Shuri, I want to sleep a little more…”
“Shuri’s going to freeze to death at this rate.”
Though it had only been a few days, taking over Shuri’s morning duties had taught Edgar just how much the poor maid suffered. How many tantrums must Ariel have thrown for such a reflexive response to come so naturally? He briefly considered flicking her forehead, but that would only make things worse once she fully woke. Since continuing this pointless back-and-forth was pointless, Edgar decided it was time for drastic measures.
“Up we go.”
He wrapped her tightly in the blanket like a piece of luggage and lifted her into his arms. Only then did her tightly shut eyes flutter open slightly.
“Mmm… Shuri…? Huh?”
Ariel, who had been calling for her maid, finally seemed to grasp the situation. She poked her head out from the blanket and quickly scanned her surroundings. For some reason her body was floating in midair, and the face of a boy who definitely shouldn’t be there filled her vision.
After roughly three seconds of stunned silence, a piercing scream tore through the room.
“Kyaaaaah!”
“Ugh, that’s loud enough to wake the dead. Pipe down.”
Edgar grimaced at the eardrum-shattering shriek, but Ariel’s scolding—bordering on a full-blown scream—showed no signs of stopping.
“Y-you idiot! What do you think you’re doing first thing in the morning?! Have you lost your mind?! How dare you barge into a lady’s room…!”
“Lady? Please. Does a lady sleep with her mouth hanging open, drooling all over the place?”
“What?! Put me down right now or you’re dead!”
So if he didn’t put her down, he wouldn’t die? Edgar had just received an excellent hint. He started to set her down in front of the dressing table, then paused. Instead, he stood up again and spun her around the room in a full circle.
“You should have woken up nicely when I called you. This is all your own fault—your karma.”
“Karma?! First of all, why are you even in here?! Where’s Shuri?! Where did Shuri go?!”
Ah, there it was. Exactly the reaction he had expected. Edgar smiled slyly and answered with perfect composure.
“She said she had something urgent to take care of, so I offered to wake you instead. Pretty considerate of me, right?”
“Don’t make me laugh! You obviously told her to go meet Ronan… Wait, where do you think you’re touching?!”
She was the one squirming around and getting touched, yet she blamed him. Who would even want to touch someone wrapped up like a cocoon in a blanket?
“Don’t accuse innocent people. Why would I want to touch you? Do I look like a pervert?”
“That’s exactly what a pervert would say! Barging into a grown lady’s room without permission and touching her…!”
“Aigo, this is so unfair I can’t even hold you anymore. Anyone watching would think I was trying to assault you.”
In the end, Edgar surrendered first. He placed her back on the bed and dropped heavily into the nearby chair. Now freed from her blanket cocoon, Ariel fumed with rage.
“Look what you’ve done, you idiot! My hair’s a complete mess!”
“It was already a mess. Stop talking nonsense.”
“W-well, that might be true, but… anyway!”
No one’s hair looked perfect right after waking up. Besides, Ariel’s hair was much longer than most women’s, so it tangled easily. Unable to come up with a proper retort, she irritably slapped the blanket. Edgar, watching her, gave a brief explanation of the situation and turned the criticism back on her.
“Didn’t you tell me yesterday to come get you for morning training? Yet instead of preparing and waiting, you were fast asleep?”
“What, you couldn’t even wait a few minutes? You petty little thing.”
“I waited plenty long enough and got tired of it, thank you very much. And what did you just call me?”
The time when Shuri normally came to wake Ariel was already quite late to be considered early morning. Most people in the castle would have begun their duties by now. In other words, this entire situation was the fault of one dawdling, spoiled princess. That was Edgar’s conclusion.
“You’re always like this. Would it kill you to be a little nicer to me?”
“Yeah. Maybe to other people, but definitely not to you.”
“Ugh, so annoying!”
Ariel yanked the blanket over her head and flopped back down. The girl who had just been complaining about her messy hair had vanished, replaced by someone perfectly willing to contradict herself in seconds.
“Stop sulking and get up. You still need to eat breakfast.”
“Hmph. No. My hair’s ruined.”
“Sigh.”
She wasn’t a three-year-old child. Where had the mature young woman from a few days ago gone? Realizing he would have to yield once again today, Edgar gently poked her back.
“I’ll fix your hair, so just get up.”
“…Really?”
“Am I you? Why would I lie about something like this? Hurry up. We’re already running late.”
Because of her dawdling, morning training would be delayed even further. Creed was probably wondering why he hadn’t shown up yet and checking the time. He would need to apologize the moment they met.
“Here. Do it quickly.”
“Is that how you ask for a favor?”
“Hehe. If we’re late, you’ll be the only one getting scolded by Creed. If you don’t want to, I’ll just go back to bed.”
Ariel sat in front of the dressing table, humming cheerfully as though she had him completely cornered. A deep sigh escaped Edgar, but what could he do? For the time being, he was firmly under this tyrant’s thumb.
“Yes, my lady. Is there a particular hairstyle you desire?”
“Do you even know how?”
The doubtful look she gave him made Edgar seriously consider smacking her. It seemed his hopeless childhood friend had completely forgotten their past.
“Hey, how many times did I tie your hair when we were little? You think I can’t manage it?”
“Did you? I don’t really remember. Hee.”
“So how do you want it done?”
After a moment’s thought, Ariel said she wanted to try a style she didn’t usually wear—neatly tied back and allowed to flow down long. Edgar took the comb Shuri had given him and began carefully brushing through her hair, occasionally using his fingers to gently untangle any knots before the comb could catch.
“You’re surprisingly good at this. I might have to ask you to do it every day from now on.”
“You think I’m crazy enough to do this every single day?”
“Now that you’re my attendant, you’re supposed to obey your lady’s commands. Aren’t you?”
Tap!
“Ouch! Why did you hit me?!”
“Keep your mouth shut and look in the mirror, my lady. Before I give you another one.”
Unable to hold back, Edgar had tapped the top of her head with the comb. He then silently continued arranging her hair, seriously contemplating whether he had chosen the wrong career path.
“Oh, that’s right. Did you hear the news?”
“What news?”
A creeping sense of unease narrowed Edgar’s eyes. Whenever she suddenly brought something up like this, it was always something that would make anyone faint from shock. And today seemed to be no exception.
“There’s a ball coming up soon. It’s been decided that you’ll be going with me.”
“…What?”
There was only one ball she could possibly attend, since she hadn’t even made her debut in high society yet. It was the Debutante Ball—a gathering where young ladies taking their first steps into society came together. For women especially, it carried far more meaning than a simple dance.
Whenever news spread that daughters of prestigious families would be making their debut, other houses would scramble to have their own children accompany them.
“I hadn’t heard anything about it. When was this decided?”
“Yesterday. You said it yourself, remember? That you’d stay by my side during my first entrance into society.”
Of course he had said that, but he never imagined it would be arranged so quickly. Other noble families were probably already engaged in a fierce battle of wits to secure the spot beside her. Even a grand duchy would normally choose the most politically advantageous option. Yet they had decided without any such considerations. Even if he were to take the position, Edgar had assumed it would only be finalized right before the ball itself.
“So make sure you prepare yourself. This is none other than Ariel Robeheim’s monumental debut into high society, after all.”
“…Yeah. How could I ever win against you?”
Ariel lifted her chin proudly, showering herself with praise so shamelessly it made Edgar’s face burn. In the end, he could only chuckle in defeat and give her now-neatly arranged hair one final brush.
It seemed escaping from this tyrant’s grasp would be impossible after all.