(4) Poor Young Lady (3)
The old lady's expression softened.
If Rachel's words were true, then locking Ariana in the room made sense.
This was the moment Ariana had been waiting for.
"No, Mother. I didn't steal the necklace."
"Ariana, that's enough. Just get comfortable. You're in a lot of pain."
"Really, Mother. Where would I hide that precious necklace? I really didn't steal it. Why don't you believe me?"
"A, ri, a, na."
Rachel glared at Ariana, calling her name repeatedly.
In her past life, Ariana would have bowed her head in shock at Rachel's aura. She wouldn't have wanted to incur her mother's wrath, so she would have done as she wished.
Rachel thought Ariana would do the same.
But Ariana ignored her mother's gaze and spoke to the old lady.
“Grandma, please trust me. There’s nowhere to hide the necklace in my room, not even on my body. Why doesn’t anyone trust me? Is it because I’m not the Duke of Bronte’s biological daughter?”
Rachel gritted her teeth.
Rachel glared at Ariana, who resembled her father so closely, with hateful eyes. Then, sensing the old lady's gaze, she quickly collected her expression.
“Do you have any proof that she stole it?”
“She probably hid the necklace outside the mansion. She was already in trouble because of all those lies, and now she stole the necklace my husband gave me as a wedding present...”
“When you say wedding present, you mean the one with the diamonds all over it?”
“Yes, Mother.”
The old lady looked at Ariana suspiciously.
Ariana, looking troubled, met the old lady's gaze before finally remembering something.
“Ah! If it’s diamonds... Luigi last time... No, it’s nothing. I’ll just say I stole it, Grandma.”
When Ariana lowered her head, as if frightened, the old lady urged her.
“Speak up. What were you trying to say?”
“That is...”
Ariana looked back at Luigi, pretending to be cautious.
“Ariana. Are you more scared of that maid than this old lady?”
“Not really... I’m not sure either. But Luigi told me once that she was a rich man with dozens of diamonds.”
“When did I!”
Luigi shouted.
When the old lady glared at her, Luigi quickly knelt down.
“Madam. That child... no, the young lady is lying. How could I dare steal your necklace?”
“Yes, Mother. I raised her wrong, so Ariana is always lying... You can’t blame Luigi based on her words.”
Rachel covered her up, and Luigi looked back at Ariana with smug eyes, then was startled.
Ariana’s lips were twisted into a mocking smile.
But the smile quickly vanished, and Luigi thought she must have seen wrong.
“We’ll know if Ariana is right or not if we search Luigi’s room.”
Luigi lifted her chin slightly at the old lady's words.
Luigi had kept the diamond necklace Helena had stolen and had hidden it in Ariana’s desk drawer two days earlier.
Now Ariana would be severely punished by the old lady for lying.
The old lady sent her maids to Luigi’s room.
When they returned much later, they reported that they had found nothing in Luigi’s room.
As Rachel and Luigi’s lips lifted and a deep furrow formed between the old lady's brows, one of the maids whispered in her ear,
“Old Duchess, the diamond necklace is a precious item, so she wouldn’t have left it lying around. If it were true that Luigi stole it, she would have kept it carefully.”
The maid’s words were reasonable, so the old lady ordered her maids to search Luigi’s body.
Luigi, who had nothing to worry about, confidently entrusted the search to the maids.
“I found it!”
But things didn’t go as Luigi had planned.
One of the maids found a diamond necklace in the inner pocket of Luigi’s skirt.
The necklace, densely studded with diamonds large and small, was obviously an expensive item that not just anyone could own.
Luigi’s eyes widened, and Rachel’s face contorted.
The old lady took the necklace from the maid and glared at Luigi with cold eyes.
“Is this yours?”
Luigi only moved her lips but couldn’t answer.
“I asked you! Is this your necklace?”
Luigi’s eyes turned to Rachel as if asking for help.
But Rachel, too, was struggling to comprehend the situation and had no time to defend Luigi.
Rachel suspected that Helena, who considered Ariana a thorn in her side, had taken the necklace to frame Ariana.
While it was a valuable item for such use, she assumed Ariana would never sell it, and the necklace would soon end up in Rachel's hands.
So she let Helena do whatever she wanted, but she never dreamed this would happen.
Rachel glared at Ariana, the source of all this trouble, but she just lay expressionless on the bed.
Realizing Rachel had no intention of helping, Luigi knelt before the old lady.
"It's a false accusation, Madam. It's a false accusation."
"False accusation?"
"No, I've never seen or touched the necklace. Miss Ariana is framing me."
The old lady glanced at Ariana, and Ariana struggled to get up.
“Did I really have to steal my mother’s necklace and frame you?”
“Otherwise, it wouldn’t be in my pocket!”
“Really? Why should I frame you? What would I gain by doing so?”
“Because you’ve always hated me.”
“Do I hate you? Why? Is there any reason for me to hate you?”
“T-that’s it...”
There were countless reasons. But she couldn’t say such things in front of the old lady.
That brief hesitation changed her mind.
The spoiled food Luigi fed Ariana and her rude treatment of her. The situation was clear.
“How dare you steal from your master and frame someone else? I can never forgive you.”
“No, Madam! Oh, no. No. I really was framed. Please believe me!”
Luigi cried, but the old lady’s heart remained unshaken.
“Beat her and kick her out of the mansion.”
“Oh, no! My, my lady, you know. It wasn’t me. I just thought Miss Helena...”
“Luigi!”
Rachel cried out in shock at the mention of Helena’s name. Luigi hadn’t brought up Helena’s name unconsciously.
As Helena’s most beloved maid, Luigi had been a constant companion to Helena’s atrocities. If Luigi left the mansion alive, it would be bad for Helena.
“Mother, this girl only harbored ill feelings for a moment because her family was poor, and she never really intended to sell the necklace.”
Everyone had seen Luigi in possession of the necklace, so she couldn’t just ignore it.
Rachel continued, determined to at least prevent Luigi from being kicked out.
“I’ll beat her and make her write a letter of apology. So don’t be so angry and calm down.”
“You’re going to keep a maid who stole something in the mansion? You really are a big-hearted person.”
“She has been Helena's maid since she was little. If I send her away like this, she’ll be heartbroken. You know how delicate Helena is, don’t you, Mother?”
“Can’t she even manage herself properly? You should teach her how to manage people before buying her a dress.”
Rachel’s face flushed at the old lady's sarcastic advice.
She had been getting along well with the old lady, but Ariana had caused a rift between them.
The Duke of Bronte was a devoted son, and Rachel wanted to maintain a good relationship with the old lady.
So she calmed her bubbling stomach and answered meekly,
“Yes, Mother. I was very lacking. I will make sure to teach Helena well.”
As Rachel felt relieved to see the old lady's expression soften, Ariana’s small voice was heard.
“Mother, you believe that maid and protect her, but you never protect me.”
How pitiful her voice was.
The old lady's maids, who were unaware of Ariana's circumstances, looked at her with sympathy.
Feeling the barely-rested atmosphere begin to freeze, Rachel glared at Ariana with blazing eyes.
Unlike Rachel, who was furious, Ariana's expression was pitiful, as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment.
"If only you had believed me just once, I wouldn't have been locked up for days, eating only spoiled food."
"Ariana!"
"I'm sorry, Mother. It was my own fault, but I ended up blaming you. I guess that's why you hate me."
"I... When did I ever hate you? You're my daughter."
Ariana smiled inwardly as Rachel spoke affectionately, gritting her teeth.
"Just as I longed for your approval, so too do you long for the old lady's."
Rachel met and fell in love with Jacob at a fairly young age.
At the time, the Duchess of Bronte, Kiel Bronte, wasn't particularly pleased with her son's marriage to the Princess of the West.
She worried that marrying a woman of such high status would stifle her son's growth.
Even though a woman is supposed to assume her husband's status when she marries, the power of the Western Duke was immense, so the Duchess Kiel's concerns were understandable.
Not only was marriage out of Rachel's control, but Jacob wasn't the kind of person to abandon everything and run off with his lover.
Therefore, while Rachel was desperately trying to win the Duchess Kiel's heart, she received a strict order to marry the Eastern Duke.
As long as Jacob Bronte cherished the old lady, Rachel would never act selfishly in front of her.
Rachel still loved Jacob as much as she had when they first met, and she felt guilty for having once slept with the Queen.
Watching Rachel so intently at Jacob's every whim was heartbreaking.
And then, seeing her act like this in front of the old lady, she could barely contain herself from wanting to slap Ariana.
If Ariana had been in her past life, Rachel's attitude would have hurt, but now Ariana's heart was as calm as a lake on a calm day.
Rachel's eyes were wide open, and Ariana's gaze was calm.
The old lady, who had been watching them, said in a displeased voice,
"She needs to rest, so let's go. And her clothes don't suit her very well. We should make her some nice clothes."
One of the maids found a diamond necklace in the inner pocket of Luigi’s skirt.
The necklace, densely studded with diamonds large and small, was obviously an expensive item that not just anyone could own.
Luigi’s eyes widened, and Rachel’s face contorted.
The old lady took the necklace from the maid and glared at Luigi with cold eyes.
“Is this yours?”
Luigi only moved her lips but couldn’t answer.
“I asked you! Is this your necklace?”
Luigi’s eyes turned to Rachel as if asking for help.
But Rachel, too, was struggling to comprehend the situation and had no time to defend Luigi.
Rachel suspected that Helena, who considered Ariana a thorn in her side, had taken the necklace to frame Ariana.
While it was a valuable item for such use, she assumed Ariana would never sell it, and the necklace would soon end up in Rachel's hands.
So she let Helena do whatever she wanted, but she never dreamed this would happen.
Rachel glared at Ariana, the source of all this trouble, but she just lay expressionless on the bed.
Realizing Rachel had no intention of helping, Luigi knelt before the old lady.
"It's a false accusation, Madam. It's a false accusation."
"False accusation?"
"No, I've never seen or touched the necklace. Miss Ariana is framing me."
The old lady glanced at Ariana, and Ariana struggled to get up.
“Did I really have to steal my mother’s necklace and frame you?”
“Otherwise, it wouldn’t be in my pocket!”
“Really? Why should I frame you? What would I gain by doing so?”
“Because you’ve always hated me.”
“Do I hate you? Why? Is there any reason for me to hate you?”
“T-that’s it...”
There were countless reasons. But she couldn’t say such things in front of the old lady.
That brief hesitation changed her mind.
The spoiled food Luigi fed Ariana and her rude treatment of her. The situation was clear.
“How dare you steal from your master and frame someone else? I can never forgive you.”
“No, Madam! Oh, no. No. I really was framed. Please believe me!”
Luigi cried, but the old lady’s heart remained unshaken.
“Beat her and kick her out of the mansion.”
“Oh, no! My, my lady, you know. It wasn’t me. I just thought Miss Helena...”
“Luigi!”
Rachel cried out in shock at the mention of Helena’s name. Luigi hadn’t brought up Helena’s name unconsciously.
As Helena’s most beloved maid, Luigi had been a constant companion to Helena’s atrocities. If Luigi left the mansion alive, it would be bad for Helena.
“Mother, this girl only harbored ill feelings for a moment because her family was poor, and she never really intended to sell the necklace.”
Everyone had seen Luigi in possession of the necklace, so she couldn’t just ignore it.
Rachel continued, determined to at least prevent Luigi from being kicked out.
“I’ll beat her and make her write a letter of apology. So don’t be so angry and calm down.”
“You’re going to keep a maid who stole something in the mansion? You really are a big-hearted person.”
“She has been Helena's maid since she was little. If I send her away like this, she’ll be heartbroken. You know how delicate Helena is, don’t you, Mother?”
“Can’t she even manage herself properly? You should teach her how to manage people before buying her a dress.”
Rachel’s face flushed at the old lady's sarcastic advice.
She had been getting along well with the old lady, but Ariana had caused a rift between them.
The Duke of Bronte was a devoted son, and Rachel wanted to maintain a good relationship with the old lady.
So she calmed her bubbling stomach and answered meekly,
“Yes, Mother. I was very lacking. I will make sure to teach Helena well.”
As Rachel felt relieved to see the old lady's expression soften, Ariana’s small voice was heard.
“Mother, you believe that maid and protect her, but you never protect me.”
How pitiful her voice was.
The old lady's maids, who were unaware of Ariana's circumstances, looked at her with sympathy.
Feeling the barely-rested atmosphere begin to freeze, Rachel glared at Ariana with blazing eyes.
Unlike Rachel, who was furious, Ariana's expression was pitiful, as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment.
"If only you had believed me just once, I wouldn't have been locked up for days, eating only spoiled food."
"Ariana!"
"I'm sorry, Mother. It was my own fault, but I ended up blaming you. I guess that's why you hate me."
"I... When did I ever hate you? You're my daughter."
Ariana smiled inwardly as Rachel spoke affectionately, gritting her teeth.
"Just as I longed for your approval, so too do you long for the old lady's."
Rachel met and fell in love with Jacob at a fairly young age.
At the time, the Duchess of Bronte, Kiel Bronte, wasn't particularly pleased with her son's marriage to the Princess of the West.
She worried that marrying a woman of such high status would stifle her son's growth.
Even though a woman is supposed to assume her husband's status when she marries, the power of the Western Duke was immense, so the Duchess Kiel's concerns were understandable.
Not only was marriage out of Rachel's control, but Jacob wasn't the kind of person to abandon everything and run off with his lover.
Therefore, while Rachel was desperately trying to win the Duchess Kiel's heart, she received a strict order to marry the Eastern Duke.
'After divorcing and bringing the child along to remarry, she can't very well act all high and mighty just because she was once Princess of the East. But the old lady was too worried. That woman probably held back anyway, wanting to make a good impression on the old lady.'
Rachel still loved Jacob as much as she had when they first met, and she felt guilty for having once slept with the Queen.
Watching Rachel so intently at Jacob's every whim was heartbreaking.
And then, seeing her act like this in front of the old lady, she could barely contain herself from wanting to slap Ariana.
If Ariana had been in her past life, Rachel's attitude would have hurt, but now Ariana's heart was as calm as a lake on a calm day.
Rachel's eyes were wide open, and Ariana's gaze was calm.
The old lady, who had been watching them, said in a displeased voice,
"She needs to rest, so let's go. And her clothes don't suit her very well. We should make her some nice clothes."
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