(78) The danger that never ends (4)
Isabelle's face flushed brightly.
“Hey! Are you kidding me? You’re much prettier.”
“Am I pretty?”
“Of course you’re pretty! Don’t you even look in the mirror? Just wait!”
Isabelle jumped up, took a hand mirror from the table, and held it out in front of Ariana's face.
Ariana stared at her face in the mirror.
Perhaps because she been looking at the vibrant Isabelle, her own face in the mirror seemed particularly sinister. Her eyes were dull, her mouth was hard, and her expression was gloomy.
“Look, you’re much prettier.”
“Well, I think my sister is prettier.”
"Look at this kid. Don't go around saying things like that. You'll get scolded. Be especially careful in front of the ladies coming to the party tomorrow."
“What about the young ladies of the same age?”
"There are a lot of good kids, but sometimes there are some who are downright petty. They'll nitpick and whine if you say one wrong thing, and a weak-willed kid like you won't be able to stand it."
If you knew what I've been hearing, you wouldn't be saying things like that.
Still, it felt good to hear Isabelle's concern. Ariana smiled and nodded.
“Yes, I’ll be careful.”
As Ariana answered obediently, Isabelle lowered her eyebrows and stroked Ariana's head.
"I don't know what those people in the West were saying to you, but they were all lies. Don't take it to heart. You're pretty. There's no one prettier than you in our East."
“...”
"That's why I'm worried. If you're too pretty, there are bound to be jealous kids. I can do whatever I can help with other kids, but I'm worried about Weona. She's really hard to deal with."
When shr heard the name Weona, a memory came to mind.
Victoria hated Princess Weona Obelius, who later married an imperial Count and became a Countess.
Because she had a similar personality to Victoria.
“There’ll be a girl at the party tomorrow with eyes like this. She’s a few years older than me.”
Isabelle said, pulling down the corners of her eyes with both hands.
"She's Geor's younger sister, and she kind of resembles him, doesn't she? She looks kind, but she's worse than Geor. But, um... what should I say? Anyway, she pretends to be kind, but something about her annoys me."
Isabelle felt frustrated, not knowing how to express it.
That was understandable.
A person like Isabelle, who is the same on the outside and inside, would be the complete opposite of someone like Weona or Victoria, so they would be unable to understand her and would not want to understand her.
"If she says anything, just ignore her. If you say anything back, she uses it as an excuse to say something even more offensive. She has a few followers, and it's so annoying to see them all huddled together and giggling. I want to punch her, but I can't..."
She found Isabelle cute, frowning and grumbling.
"But if you really can't stand it anymore, just hit her. I'll figure out what happens next."
Ariana wouldn't have hit Weona for being upset, but Isabelle's words were so reassuring that she almost shed a tear. "It's a good thing this is the bathroom, and I'm soaking wet," she said.
"Yes, Sister. I'll only trust you."
Deep into the night, Ariana sat on the sofa, staring at the dress Isabelle had brought. Her eyes were fixed on the gorgeous dress, but her mind was filled with thoughts.
'Party...'
When she turned eighteen and attended a palace party as Viscountess Alfreich, Ariana was barely able to enter the main hall of the palace, led by her husband, Ingo Alfreich.
The pink dress she wore, which suited Ingo's taste, was so out of style that she recalled the mocking glances from some of the ladies nearby.
At that time, she didn't know party etiquette, so she acted like an idiot.
Helena laughed at Ariana along with the other young ladies she had become close with.
Under the cold gaze of her father, the Eastern lord, the taunts of the young ladies and noblewomen, and the loneliness of not having anyone to dance with, Ariana had to endure that time, barely holding back her tears.
Ariana pushed away the unpleasant memories that came back to her as if they were yesterday, and thought of the Empress she had seen that day.
Zhe pictured the figure of the most noble of women, walking with impeccable posture beside the Emperor.
The moment the Empress entered, the scene came to mind of all the women bowing their heads and looking at her with admiration.
There may have been some dignity that came from her status, but the Empress's every movement was so meticulously crafted that it was impossible to take her eyes off her.
-“If I ever sit in the most noble position on this continent, the seat next to me will be yours.”
There were times when she foolishly believed those words and practiced the Empress's movements, trying to remember them.
When she thinks back to herself back then, she laughs because she looked so ridiculously stupid.
Ariana practiced and practiced until she could match the manners and demeanor of the royal family, but her situation did not change much.
It wasn't until much later that Ariana realized negative rumors were going around about her.
A shallow Viscountess who tries to act like a royal to catch the eye of the Third Prince. A frivolous Viscountess who only thinks of adorning herself with the money her husband has earned with difficulty.
It was only later that she learned that Victoria was behind those rumors.
'I'm still stuck there.'
She didn't mean to think like this, but bad memories keep coming back to her.
Having cut ties with the West, she thought she'd never again be reminded of those miserable memories. But those memories still clung to her ankles, pulling her into the sticky darkness.
What was different then was that there were two red lights at the end of the darkness. At the end of this sticky, dark emotion, awaited red eyes.
Bloodshot eyes watching Ariana.
'Was the Northern Lord hiding somewhere, watching the people even then? What was he thinking as he watched me, my incongruous appearance?'
She couldn't figure out why Cyrus came to mind at moments like this.
How do I look? Do I look shallow or frivolous? Do I look like I'm wearing clothes that don't suit me?
Ariana also couldn't figure out why she wanted to ask such a question.
Her silver hair and beautiful green face came to mind vividly.
The surprise and tension of first meeting him, the admiration for his outstanding appearance.
The reason why she thinks of him whenever her vision becomes blurry, even though he is someone who only intends to use her, may be because he is the person who reached out to her during difficult times.
At the time, his help was annoying and burdensome, but now that she thinks about it, she was able to settle down in the East more easily than she had planned because of his help.
For a moment, the thought of 'I miss you' crossed her mind, and Ariana jumped up.
'What am I thinking?'
Apparently, her mind was a bit unsettled by the party tomorrow, and all sorts of thoughts were running through her head. Ariana didn't have any good memories of the party.
'I'm alone in my room, so I think about all sorts of things.'
Ariana put on a gown, grabbed a few vials, and left the room.
A few lanterns were hanging in the hallway, so it wasn't too dark even though it was late at night.
Ariana headed to the room where Sini was. No one, except a few, knew that the golden-eyed slave was in Chase Castle.
Sini's care was taken care of by a young maid who could neither speak nor write. As Ariana entered, the maid, who had been asleep in the small bed, abruptly woke up.
The maid, who had never met anyone of high rank before because she only did laundry, bowed her head at the princess's appearance, not knowing what to do.
"Sorry to wake you up. I'll be out soon, so just keep sleeping."
There was no way the maid could sleep just because Ariana said that. She stood quietly against the wall, trying not to look directly at Ariana.
Ariana looked down at Sini lying in the bedroom.
Even though she lay on a soft bed, Sini didn't look comfortable. Sini, curled up, unable to straighten her body, looked smaller than Ariana, even though she was probably taller.
Every time she saw Sini, Ariana was reminded of herself when she was in the West.
A pitiful being, unloved by anyone, destined to die after being used. A being who, even after death, will be remembered by no one.
Ariana opened the vial, poured some ointment into the corner of Sini's mouth, and applied the ointment to Sini's scar. Her hand, which was applying the ointment, paused on Sini's thin shoulder.
On Sini's shoulder was a tattoo of a wolf's face within a circle, a mark of her slavery.
Ariana carefully caressed her tattoo.
"Ugh," Sini, who had been groaning, opened her eyes. Her golden pupils, revealed through her eyelids, looked like the rising sun.
The shaking eyes stopped on Ariana's face.
Ariana stroked Sini's cheek with a faint smile.
“Yes, get better soon. Then I can show you the good weather.”
The next morning, a telegram arrived for Ariana. It was from the North, informing her that Isaac and Andrei were going to the East.
'Andrei, you mean the Little Duke of Hern?'
Ariana had met Andrei and had a conversation with him.
At the age of 24, when Ariana was moving as the 3rd Prince's right-hand man, it was at a small party held in a salon in the imperial capital.
The Third Prince, Harold, who had asked Ariana to dance, pressed his body against hers and pointed to a man.
“That man is the Little Duke Andrei Hern, the closest confidant of the Northern Lord.”
A tall, handsome man with black hair that covered his neck, large eyes with slightly downturned corners, and vivid purple pupils was surrounded by male nobles.
“If we become friends, it will help us later.”
The Third Prince didn't give Ariana any orders. But his words were enough. If it would help him, Ariana had to become friendly with Andrei.
Ariana took the opportunity to approach Andrei, offering him a drink and smiling broadly.
There was no shame.
This crazy smile and this shallow attitude will all be helpful to the Third Prince. If she does well, the Third Prince will need her, and he won't say that someone like her didn't need to be born.
Andrei accepted the glass Ariana offered him and smiled kindly, then whispered in Ariana's ear as she breathed a sigh of relief.
“I don’t like women who approach me with an ulterior motive, ma’am.”
The sharp blade in that gentle voice pierced Ariana's lungs. Andrei no longer looked at Ariana, who was looking up with wide eyes.
His purple eyes were focused on the nobles filling the salon.
“This place still smells awful.”
Ariana couldn't understand what he was saying. Andrei lowered his gaze, looked straight at Ariana, and spoke.
“Don’t set foot on this disgusting path, madam. There will be nothing good at the end of it.”
Isabelle's face flushed brightly.
“Hey! Are you kidding me? You’re much prettier.”
“Am I pretty?”
“Of course you’re pretty! Don’t you even look in the mirror? Just wait!”
Isabelle jumped up, took a hand mirror from the table, and held it out in front of Ariana's face.
Ariana stared at her face in the mirror.
Perhaps because she been looking at the vibrant Isabelle, her own face in the mirror seemed particularly sinister. Her eyes were dull, her mouth was hard, and her expression was gloomy.
“Look, you’re much prettier.”
“Well, I think my sister is prettier.”
"Look at this kid. Don't go around saying things like that. You'll get scolded. Be especially careful in front of the ladies coming to the party tomorrow."
“What about the young ladies of the same age?”
"There are a lot of good kids, but sometimes there are some who are downright petty. They'll nitpick and whine if you say one wrong thing, and a weak-willed kid like you won't be able to stand it."
If you knew what I've been hearing, you wouldn't be saying things like that.
Still, it felt good to hear Isabelle's concern. Ariana smiled and nodded.
“Yes, I’ll be careful.”
As Ariana answered obediently, Isabelle lowered her eyebrows and stroked Ariana's head.
"I don't know what those people in the West were saying to you, but they were all lies. Don't take it to heart. You're pretty. There's no one prettier than you in our East."
“...”
"That's why I'm worried. If you're too pretty, there are bound to be jealous kids. I can do whatever I can help with other kids, but I'm worried about Weona. She's really hard to deal with."
When shr heard the name Weona, a memory came to mind.
Victoria hated Princess Weona Obelius, who later married an imperial Count and became a Countess.
Because she had a similar personality to Victoria.
“There’ll be a girl at the party tomorrow with eyes like this. She’s a few years older than me.”
Isabelle said, pulling down the corners of her eyes with both hands.
"She's Geor's younger sister, and she kind of resembles him, doesn't she? She looks kind, but she's worse than Geor. But, um... what should I say? Anyway, she pretends to be kind, but something about her annoys me."
Isabelle felt frustrated, not knowing how to express it.
That was understandable.
A person like Isabelle, who is the same on the outside and inside, would be the complete opposite of someone like Weona or Victoria, so they would be unable to understand her and would not want to understand her.
"If she says anything, just ignore her. If you say anything back, she uses it as an excuse to say something even more offensive. She has a few followers, and it's so annoying to see them all huddled together and giggling. I want to punch her, but I can't..."
She found Isabelle cute, frowning and grumbling.
"But if you really can't stand it anymore, just hit her. I'll figure out what happens next."
Ariana wouldn't have hit Weona for being upset, but Isabelle's words were so reassuring that she almost shed a tear. "It's a good thing this is the bathroom, and I'm soaking wet," she said.
"Yes, Sister. I'll only trust you."
***
Deep into the night, Ariana sat on the sofa, staring at the dress Isabelle had brought. Her eyes were fixed on the gorgeous dress, but her mind was filled with thoughts.
'Party...'
When she turned eighteen and attended a palace party as Viscountess Alfreich, Ariana was barely able to enter the main hall of the palace, led by her husband, Ingo Alfreich.
The pink dress she wore, which suited Ingo's taste, was so out of style that she recalled the mocking glances from some of the ladies nearby.
At that time, she didn't know party etiquette, so she acted like an idiot.
Helena laughed at Ariana along with the other young ladies she had become close with.
Under the cold gaze of her father, the Eastern lord, the taunts of the young ladies and noblewomen, and the loneliness of not having anyone to dance with, Ariana had to endure that time, barely holding back her tears.
Ariana pushed away the unpleasant memories that came back to her as if they were yesterday, and thought of the Empress she had seen that day.
Zhe pictured the figure of the most noble of women, walking with impeccable posture beside the Emperor.
The moment the Empress entered, the scene came to mind of all the women bowing their heads and looking at her with admiration.
There may have been some dignity that came from her status, but the Empress's every movement was so meticulously crafted that it was impossible to take her eyes off her.
-“If I ever sit in the most noble position on this continent, the seat next to me will be yours.”
There were times when she foolishly believed those words and practiced the Empress's movements, trying to remember them.
When she thinks back to herself back then, she laughs because she looked so ridiculously stupid.
Ariana practiced and practiced until she could match the manners and demeanor of the royal family, but her situation did not change much.
It wasn't until much later that Ariana realized negative rumors were going around about her.
A shallow Viscountess who tries to act like a royal to catch the eye of the Third Prince. A frivolous Viscountess who only thinks of adorning herself with the money her husband has earned with difficulty.
It was only later that she learned that Victoria was behind those rumors.
'I'm still stuck there.'
She didn't mean to think like this, but bad memories keep coming back to her.
Having cut ties with the West, she thought she'd never again be reminded of those miserable memories. But those memories still clung to her ankles, pulling her into the sticky darkness.
What was different then was that there were two red lights at the end of the darkness. At the end of this sticky, dark emotion, awaited red eyes.
Bloodshot eyes watching Ariana.
'Was the Northern Lord hiding somewhere, watching the people even then? What was he thinking as he watched me, my incongruous appearance?'
She couldn't figure out why Cyrus came to mind at moments like this.
How do I look? Do I look shallow or frivolous? Do I look like I'm wearing clothes that don't suit me?
Ariana also couldn't figure out why she wanted to ask such a question.
Her silver hair and beautiful green face came to mind vividly.
The surprise and tension of first meeting him, the admiration for his outstanding appearance.
The reason why she thinks of him whenever her vision becomes blurry, even though he is someone who only intends to use her, may be because he is the person who reached out to her during difficult times.
At the time, his help was annoying and burdensome, but now that she thinks about it, she was able to settle down in the East more easily than she had planned because of his help.
For a moment, the thought of 'I miss you' crossed her mind, and Ariana jumped up.
'What am I thinking?'
Apparently, her mind was a bit unsettled by the party tomorrow, and all sorts of thoughts were running through her head. Ariana didn't have any good memories of the party.
'I'm alone in my room, so I think about all sorts of things.'
Ariana put on a gown, grabbed a few vials, and left the room.
A few lanterns were hanging in the hallway, so it wasn't too dark even though it was late at night.
Ariana headed to the room where Sini was. No one, except a few, knew that the golden-eyed slave was in Chase Castle.
Sini's care was taken care of by a young maid who could neither speak nor write. As Ariana entered, the maid, who had been asleep in the small bed, abruptly woke up.
The maid, who had never met anyone of high rank before because she only did laundry, bowed her head at the princess's appearance, not knowing what to do.
"Sorry to wake you up. I'll be out soon, so just keep sleeping."
There was no way the maid could sleep just because Ariana said that. She stood quietly against the wall, trying not to look directly at Ariana.
Ariana looked down at Sini lying in the bedroom.
Even though she lay on a soft bed, Sini didn't look comfortable. Sini, curled up, unable to straighten her body, looked smaller than Ariana, even though she was probably taller.
Every time she saw Sini, Ariana was reminded of herself when she was in the West.
A pitiful being, unloved by anyone, destined to die after being used. A being who, even after death, will be remembered by no one.
Ariana opened the vial, poured some ointment into the corner of Sini's mouth, and applied the ointment to Sini's scar. Her hand, which was applying the ointment, paused on Sini's thin shoulder.
On Sini's shoulder was a tattoo of a wolf's face within a circle, a mark of her slavery.
Ariana carefully caressed her tattoo.
"Ugh," Sini, who had been groaning, opened her eyes. Her golden pupils, revealed through her eyelids, looked like the rising sun.
The shaking eyes stopped on Ariana's face.
“Oh my... Oh God..."
“Yes, get better soon. Then I can show you the good weather.”
***
The next morning, a telegram arrived for Ariana. It was from the North, informing her that Isaac and Andrei were going to the East.
'Andrei, you mean the Little Duke of Hern?'
Ariana had met Andrei and had a conversation with him.
At the age of 24, when Ariana was moving as the 3rd Prince's right-hand man, it was at a small party held in a salon in the imperial capital.
The Third Prince, Harold, who had asked Ariana to dance, pressed his body against hers and pointed to a man.
“That man is the Little Duke Andrei Hern, the closest confidant of the Northern Lord.”
A tall, handsome man with black hair that covered his neck, large eyes with slightly downturned corners, and vivid purple pupils was surrounded by male nobles.
“If we become friends, it will help us later.”
The Third Prince didn't give Ariana any orders. But his words were enough. If it would help him, Ariana had to become friendly with Andrei.
Ariana took the opportunity to approach Andrei, offering him a drink and smiling broadly.
There was no shame.
This crazy smile and this shallow attitude will all be helpful to the Third Prince. If she does well, the Third Prince will need her, and he won't say that someone like her didn't need to be born.
Andrei accepted the glass Ariana offered him and smiled kindly, then whispered in Ariana's ear as she breathed a sigh of relief.
“I don’t like women who approach me with an ulterior motive, ma’am.”
The sharp blade in that gentle voice pierced Ariana's lungs. Andrei no longer looked at Ariana, who was looking up with wide eyes.
His purple eyes were focused on the nobles filling the salon.
“This place still smells awful.”
Ariana couldn't understand what he was saying. Andrei lowered his gaze, looked straight at Ariana, and spoke.
“Don’t set foot on this disgusting path, madam. There will be nothing good at the end of it.”
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