"..."
Elena clenched her fists in an instant. Her teeth clenched tightly, and her temples naturally tense up. Ariana smiled even brighter as she met Elena's hardened eyes.
"They're the ones I've worn, but you always use them well, so I'm always happy."
As she said that, she gently squeezed Elena's hand. Everyone was listening to this conversation, as Ariana didn't lower her voice at all except when she mentioned 'men.'
If she burst into tears here, she'd be the odd one out. Elena desperately tried to control her expression. However, Ariana tilted her head without giving her a chance. This time, her gaze turned to Adolf. Ariana's voice lowered again.
"But your new man isn't the one I gave you?"
She muttered, her eyes narrowing. At a volume that only Elena could hear. Adolf, who suddenly received Ariana's earnest gaze, blushed helplessly. Watching him, she continued speaking.
"As a family, let me give you some advice..."
"What?"
"You shouldn't eat it recklessly. As I warned you before."
"..."
"Well. Your eyes look a bit cloudy."
"Ha!"
Elena let out a sharp laugh. She quickly pulled Adolf, who was standing there blankly, and linked arms with him. Then she raised her voice so everyone could hear.
"Oh, let me introduce you to our Adolf. We introduced ourselves last time, right? He's the eldest son of the Schmidt family and a genius investor. You know that trading company that everyone is investing in?"
Elena continued, leaning her cheek against Adolf's arm.
"Our Adolf was the first to invest a large sum in that company. That's why the rate of return is the highest."
Ariana replied with a calm smile.
"Really? Then... When things don't go well, won't you suffer the greatest losses?"
Elena flinched for a moment. Her tone sounded worried, but it didn't sound pleasant. It was as if she wanted it to be that way. Adolf confidently chuckled and stepped forward.
"Haha, great glory comes with great risk, right? But don't worry, this is a company that has already secured an exclusive route with guaranteed profits. You could call it a goose full of golden eggs."
The nobles nodded here and there at Adolf's assurance.
"Why didn't His Excellency the Duke invest? Oh, this was a good opportunity... Should I arrange a position with the owner right now? There might be a way to invest, even if it's late."
The expressions of several people turned subtle at those words and looked at Ariana. For someone who was only a Viscount son to give advice on the Duke's investment? It was too presumptuous.
'It seems Adolf's nose has gotten a lot higher.'
Well, after hearing the investment amount and the rate of return, it seems that he will make a huge profit if the ship returns. Ariana smiled brightly.
"Thank you, but my husband's finances are managed by him."
Elena snorted inwardly at her soft yet firm tone.
'You're trying to act like a wife when you're treated so badly that you even attend the ball alone.'
Adolf shrugged his shoulders as if he couldn't help it.
"Oh, of course he is. But next time..."
"Ariana!"
Edward strode over.
'How dare that thief come here!'
He felt angry when he saw her shamelessly laughing, but to his chagrin, Ariana was a Duchess. Edward tried to suppress his emotions and raised the corners of his mouth.
"... It's been a while. I thought you were busy, so I didn't send you an invitation. What's going on?"
"What's going on?"
Ariana opened her mouth with a blank expression as she stared at Edward.
"I came to get my grandfather's belongings back."
"What?"
"How did you come up with the idea of scattering the belongings like this?"
The surroundings stirred loudly at the blatant protest. Edward's face turned red.
"I, as the head of the household, decide what to do with the Lopez family's belongings. It's not for a married woman to be concerned!"
"A married woman."
Ariana laughed in vain, then fixed her expression and smiled lightly.
"Then you should give me a souvenir too. I'm a guest too."
"... Give one to the Duchess too."
At Edward's nod, the servant handed her a notepad. A blue notepad with traces of time. Ariana, who received the palm-sized item, slowly opened her lips.
"...Ah."
Her green eyes were sparkling and moist. The people standing around her all doubted their own eyes. The Duchess was shedding tears!
"This girl... He drew me."
Ariana smiled slightly as she stroked a corner of the notepad with her precious hands.
"I remember. When I was little, I liked to braid my hair like this."
Wet eyelashes and a moist voice. A solemn atmosphere quickly swept over the room.
No one dared to speak to the woman who was shedding tears after discovering the picture her deceased family had drawn for her while she was alive. A few people whispered in a pitiful voice.
"Oh, my... I guess the Duchess had a deep bond with Eduardo."
"It hurts my heart."
Those who were mumbling looked down at the memo they had received with an uneasy hand. It was given to them by none other than Count Lopez himself, so they didn't think much of it when they received it, but when they saw her, they felt like they had taken something they shouldn't have.
One of the Countess's daughters looked at her memo and slightly opened her eyes wide.
"Oh. The girl with the braided hair, is drawn here too. Could it be...?"
Ariana looked back at the memo and smiled faintly.
"Oh, that's right. It's me."
The Countess, who had been blankly staring at the laughter of the Duchess, hesitated and then handed me her memo.
"I'll return this to you. If I had known that it was a valuable item to the Duchess, I would never have accepted it!"
The Countess hurriedly explained. The people around her whispered in low voices as they watched her.
"Even though it was given by Count Lopez himself... I felt a little uneasy."
"That's right. I feel ashamed for coming without thinking when I heard that I could receive something from a great musician."
Soon, a young man coughed and handed Ariana his memo.
"Ahem. I almost took away the Duchess's precious keepsake. Please accept mine as well."
"I'm sorry, Duchess. Fortunately, I handled it with great care, so it didn't get scratched at all."
The guests began to return the memos to her one after another. Edward's cheeks turned red as he watched the scene. The situation was taking a strange turn.
"Oh... I'm sorry. I think I said something unnecessary."
When Ariana made a troubled expression, those who had been returning the memos strongly denied it.
"What are you talking about! We're grateful that you told us."
Some of them looked at Edward with unkind eyes.
'I hope I didn't leave a bad impression on the Duchess. I apologized properly, so you'll forgive me, right?'
'Why would you give something like this away as a souvenir...?'
'Even if Count Lopez hadn't done something useless, there wouldn't have been any need to apologize to the Duchess.'
Edward clenched his teeth hard as he felt the people's gazes.
'That damn girl.'
The people seemed to have been fooled for a moment, but Edward could see clearly. The trembling eyelashes, the sad expression, everything was a disgusting performance. She had deliberately acted sad to make the people feel guilty and humiliate him. Edward was seething inside, but he tried to control his anger and approached Ariana.
"... Ariana. Let me talk to you for a moment."
"Oh, yes. Brother."
Ariana, who had already received a bunch of memos, nodded obediently. Edward took her to a deserted room and growled as soon as he closed the door.
"What are you doing?"
"That's what I should have asked. What the hell are you doing?"
The pitiful lady from earlier was nowhere to be found, and she spoke in a firm voice.
It was just an act. This abomination!
Edward, who was about to get angry, suddenly flinched. Ariana's green eyes that he had met were burning blue.
"You're scattering your grandfather's relics like mere promotional items."
The voice was not loud, but it was full of anger. Edward, momentarily overwhelmed by the momentum, missed the timing to respond. Ariana took a quick step closer.
"You hid the third volume of the fantasy butterfly too. I thought it was lost..."
Edward's eyes widened as he saw the eyes stained with betrayal. Ariana spoke in a voice that could not hold back her anger.
"Tell me, brother. What else have you hidden from me?"
Edward felt a deep sense of discomfort. Ariana had been acting strangely recently. Didn't she suddenly change so much that it seemed like she was possessed by Satan and she had been feeding Edward?
However, Ariana now was different from her recent appearance. Unlike her detestable appearance of being calm and quiet while fucking people up, Ariana now was emotionally agitated.
'I've touched a sore spot.'
Edward felt a low pleasure at that moment. Having a weakness that could shake a person's emotions was the same as having the upper hand in a relationship.
"Calm down, Ariana."
Edward said in a voice that had suddenly become gentle. However, Ariana's eyes lost their composure even more. She shouted in an exaggerated voice as if to make him listen.
"If you had the third part of Fantasy Butterfly, did you also hide the sheet music from me all this time?"
"...The sheet music?"
Edward frowned and muttered.
"What sheet music are you talking about?"
"Are you pretending not to know? The sheet music my grandfather had been working on until the day before he passed away. His real last work..."
Ariana bit her lower lip as if she was angry.
"That's the music my grandfather was going to make based on the melody I first made. It's mine!"
Edward's eyes widened as if he had been hit in the back of the head...
There was such a sheet music? A real last work that even he, the head of the Lopez family, had never heard of. It was hard to believe, but if that was true... That sheet music would create a huge sensation.
A dark color flashed across his eyes. Upon witnessing that light, Ariana bit her lip to suppress the corners of her mouth that were about to go up. Edward's gaze was one she knew well.
'The same one I always saw when you stole my music... That thief's gaze.'
Her brother was as expected this time. That habit would eventually lead Edward to ruin.
This time, for sure.
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