(44) I will prove my worth. (5)
'One month...
Rachel glanced at the calendar as she listened to her confidant's report.
April 7th.
Exactly one month had passed since Ariana Bronte's disappearance.
By now, the Empire would be in the midst of social season, with parties taking place every day, but the Bronte family had no choice but to return to the mansion, unable to set foot on Imperial soil.
Helena kept whining about not being able to hold her debutante, and Victoria just stared into space with a gloomy expression. Duke Jacob Bronte lost his temper whenever he made eye contact with Rachel, and his absence from home increased.
Rachel even enlisted the help of the Western Duke to find Ariana, but he was completely unable to locate her. They found the bodies of the mercenaries who had fallen below the cliff, but neither Ariana nor the maid was there.
The people sent by the Duke of the West reported that the wounds inflicted by the mercenaries were serious. They said they appeared to have been inflicted by someone with exceptional martial arts skills.
'That's even stranger...'
Even if a skilled knight or mercenary passing by had rescued Ariana, there should have been news long ago. They should have demanded a reward for her rescue or quietly sent her away. At this point, something was normal.
But no one brought news of Ariana.
She vanished, as if she had sunk into the ground or soared into the sky.
'Even if Ariana had revealed the sword she held within her, she was still a helpless child. She had no money, no escort. Where did she go?'
'One month...
Rachel glanced at the calendar as she listened to her confidant's report.
April 7th.
Exactly one month had passed since Ariana Bronte's disappearance.
By now, the Empire would be in the midst of social season, with parties taking place every day, but the Bronte family had no choice but to return to the mansion, unable to set foot on Imperial soil.
Helena kept whining about not being able to hold her debutante, and Victoria just stared into space with a gloomy expression. Duke Jacob Bronte lost his temper whenever he made eye contact with Rachel, and his absence from home increased.
Rachel even enlisted the help of the Western Duke to find Ariana, but he was completely unable to locate her. They found the bodies of the mercenaries who had fallen below the cliff, but neither Ariana nor the maid was there.
The people sent by the Duke of the West reported that the wounds inflicted by the mercenaries were serious. They said they appeared to have been inflicted by someone with exceptional martial arts skills.
'That's even stranger...'
Even if a skilled knight or mercenary passing by had rescued Ariana, there should have been news long ago. They should have demanded a reward for her rescue or quietly sent her away. At this point, something was normal.
But no one brought news of Ariana.
She vanished, as if she had sunk into the ground or soared into the sky.
'Even if Ariana had revealed the sword she held within her, she was still a helpless child. She had no money, no escort. Where did she go?'
It had only been yesterday that the thought occurred to her that she might have gone to the East. As soon as the thought occurred to her, she sent a telegram to Chase Castle, but she thought the likelihood of her being there was slim.
'From the West to the East is too far for a girl to travel alone. Besides, I've already spoken ill of the Duke to Ariana, so she wouldn't think of relying on her father.'
The next thought that came to mind was the Imperial Duchess Juliana Rowenta.
Duchess Rowenta had formally invited Ariana to the garden party.
'But if she had gone there, there would have been a conversation by now...'
Ariana, who had revealed the sword she had been holding, was unexpectedly fierce, and Rachel could tell that if Ariana had survived, she would be in trouble in many ways.
If Ariana had found an assistant who could become her wings, she would swing that fierce sword at the Bronte family without hesitation.
'Maybe she has already met an assistant and asked them to hide her whereabouts. So I should send a spy to where I have suspicions.'
Ariana had recovered enough to get out of bed after being sick for over a week. Only then could Ariana truly take in the interior of her room.
'Wow...'
It was all pink.
The bed, the curtains, the furniture, and the carpet on the floor were all pink or white.
When she was first shown to this room, thought it was a bit too extravagant, but she had no idea it was this completely pink.
'Whose idea was this?'
Ariana had met the White family, including the former Duke and Duchesses, the Duke Russell and Langstar White, and the Count of Fellowes White. It seemed unlikely that any of them would have ordered such an interior.
"Princess, the weather is nice. Shall we draw the curtains?"
Catherine asked from the bedroom window. She was the maid Carradine had personally chosen for Ariana, the wife of Viscount Ruel.
"Yes, but I'm not a Princess."
"You'll be a Princess soon. When His Excellency announces your return, everyone will be delighted."
Would that really be the case?
Ariana had little hope for that.
As she drew back the curtains, bright sunlight streamed in. The sky outside the large window was so clear it hurt her eyes.
“The sky is truly beautiful.”
“The breeze is warm and fluffy. Should I open the window?”
“Please.”
As Catherine had said, the wind was warm and cozy. The scent of trees and earth carried by the wind tickled her nose pleasantly.
Nothing had been resolved yet, and she should have been nervous, but the soft spring breeze made her heart feel numb.
“Today, the Duke and Duchess of White, the Count and Countess of White, and their children will be visiting. The Duke is away on the eastern frontier, so he must have only just now received news of the Princess.”
She spoke of the successor to the Duke.
She heard that Russell had only one biological child, Arianna, but after she was taken away by Rachel, he adopted Geor, the second son of his distant cousin, the Duke of Obelius, to avoid a succession dispute.
Arianna had seen Geor several times before she died.
The sharp, upturned eyes, the appearance that seemed a bit irritable, and the cold smile that spread across his lips whenever he saw Ariana.
On the battlefield, Geor White was a warrior more courageous and cool-headed than anyone. He died saving her father when the Third Prince waged war against him.
'Yes, I destroyed this family.'
To survive, to be accepted, to be loved, she destroyed the White family that had abandoned and neglected her. When the Third Prince took up arms against the Eastern Duke, she lent him wisdom, and by following his orders, she created a rift in the White family.
And now, Ariana was here to rely on them.
A complex web of emotions filled her heart.
'No...'
The White family had been kind to Ariana all this time. The unseen consideration stirred a chord within her, but it didn't bring her joy.
The warmer they were, the more she remembered the coldness of her past life. She remembered those lonely days, unloved and exploited by everyone.
Carradine, who had come to visit a few days ago, had said.
“I should have come to see you sooner... I didn’t realize how hard it was for you because your father couldn’t easily enter and exit the West.”
said Theodore.
“If I had known you were having such a hard time, I would have done anything to get you out.”
Those words, filled with pity and sympathy, were simply disgusting.
Now?
Not just anyone, but the East.
If he had wanted to see her, he could have done so anytime, and if he couldn’t come in person, he could have sent a spy to find out.
‘It’s been 28 years.’
Ariana died at the age of 28.
For 28 years, no one in the East tried to recognize Ariana. For 28 years, Ariana was utterly alone, utterly lonely, and in that darkness, step by step, she walked towards death. She doesn’t regret destroying the East for the 3rd Prince. However, she resents her own foolishness and weakness, having been used even by the 3rd Prince.
“The dress isn’t finished yet, so I bought one that was sold as ready-made. Still, I bought it as the best, so I hope you like it, Princess.”
Catherine’s bright voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
Ariana smiled elegantly and said,
“I’m grateful for anything.”
While confronting the remnants of Paganus who had risen up near the eastern gate, Geor received a letter from Chase Castle.
“Ariana...”
His aide, Count Romian Mathis, watched with concern as Geor’s eyes darkened. Geor fluttered the letter and said,
“Romian, look at this. Ariana, the real daughter of His Excellency the Duke, has returned. Her. Real. Daughter. The true Princess of the East. Ariana.”
“She hasn’t been declared a Princess yet...”
“I’ll be abandoned.”
“Your Grace. His Excellency the Duke will never...”
“I will be abandoned. Now that his own daughter has returned, I, a distant relative, only have a single drop of blood from His Excellency, the Duke... Yes, I will be abandoned.”
“That is not true.”
“That is not true. Think about it. As the biological child of His Excellency the Duke, she will definitely be strong and smart. If she resembles His Excellency the Duke, I will be terrifyingly pretty. Perhaps even prettier than the Princess.”
Romian swallowed a sigh.
“If he were to choose a useless person like me as his heir, would he choose his own daughter, who is smart and terrifyingly pretty like Ariana?”
“Your Grace, you are useless. Aren’t you so strong and wise?”
“I don’t know. Could I be stronger and wiser than Ariana, the heir?”
Now Ariana had truly become the heir.
“Princess Ariana will kick me out of Chase Castle. Then I will have to return to the Oberlin Dukedom... My father will be ashamed of a second son who was kicked out of the Dukedom. Then there will be no place for me in the Oberlin Dukedom either.”
Geor’s delusions were digging the ground.
This was Geor’s chronic disease.
Once he starts digging, he will dig to the other side of the world.
Romian spoke politely, not showing his annoyance.
“Your Grace, please take care of the remaining remnants. His Highness the Duke will be delighted when you return victorious from the war.”
“Indeed... His own daughter, Princess Ariana, has returned. What could be happier than that? My merits will be nothing.”
“Your Grace...”
The dress prepared for today’s banquet was a light pink, with a rich skirt and beautiful embroidery. It looked so luxurious that it was hard to believe it was ready-made clothing.
‘Pink again.’
Whose pink love is this?
"Did Catherine choose this dress?"
"Oh, Her Excellency, the former Duchess, chose this herself. Her Excellency, the former Duchess, also chose all the furniture in this room."
Ariana felt like she'd been hit in the back of the head.
Russell, who seemed so aloof, had such a taste for pink. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't connect this pink feast with Russell.
Catherine, as if she understood what Ariana was thinking, chuckled and added,
"Of course, Her Excellency the former Duchess followed Isabelle's advice."
'From the West to the East is too far for a girl to travel alone. Besides, I've already spoken ill of the Duke to Ariana, so she wouldn't think of relying on her father.'
The next thought that came to mind was the Imperial Duchess Juliana Rowenta.
Duchess Rowenta had formally invited Ariana to the garden party.
'But if she had gone there, there would have been a conversation by now...'
Ariana, who had revealed the sword she had been holding, was unexpectedly fierce, and Rachel could tell that if Ariana had survived, she would be in trouble in many ways.
If Ariana had found an assistant who could become her wings, she would swing that fierce sword at the Bronte family without hesitation.
'Maybe she has already met an assistant and asked them to hide her whereabouts. So I should send a spy to where I have suspicions.'
***
Ariana had recovered enough to get out of bed after being sick for over a week. Only then could Ariana truly take in the interior of her room.
'Wow...'
It was all pink.
The bed, the curtains, the furniture, and the carpet on the floor were all pink or white.
When she was first shown to this room, thought it was a bit too extravagant, but she had no idea it was this completely pink.
'Whose idea was this?'
Ariana had met the White family, including the former Duke and Duchesses, the Duke Russell and Langstar White, and the Count of Fellowes White. It seemed unlikely that any of them would have ordered such an interior.
"Princess, the weather is nice. Shall we draw the curtains?"
Catherine asked from the bedroom window. She was the maid Carradine had personally chosen for Ariana, the wife of Viscount Ruel.
"Yes, but I'm not a Princess."
"You'll be a Princess soon. When His Excellency announces your return, everyone will be delighted."
Would that really be the case?
Ariana had little hope for that.
As she drew back the curtains, bright sunlight streamed in. The sky outside the large window was so clear it hurt her eyes.
“The sky is truly beautiful.”
“The breeze is warm and fluffy. Should I open the window?”
“Please.”
As Catherine had said, the wind was warm and cozy. The scent of trees and earth carried by the wind tickled her nose pleasantly.
Nothing had been resolved yet, and she should have been nervous, but the soft spring breeze made her heart feel numb.
“Today, the Duke and Duchess of White, the Count and Countess of White, and their children will be visiting. The Duke is away on the eastern frontier, so he must have only just now received news of the Princess.”
She spoke of the successor to the Duke.
She heard that Russell had only one biological child, Arianna, but after she was taken away by Rachel, he adopted Geor, the second son of his distant cousin, the Duke of Obelius, to avoid a succession dispute.
Arianna had seen Geor several times before she died.
The sharp, upturned eyes, the appearance that seemed a bit irritable, and the cold smile that spread across his lips whenever he saw Ariana.
On the battlefield, Geor White was a warrior more courageous and cool-headed than anyone. He died saving her father when the Third Prince waged war against him.
'Yes, I destroyed this family.'
To survive, to be accepted, to be loved, she destroyed the White family that had abandoned and neglected her. When the Third Prince took up arms against the Eastern Duke, she lent him wisdom, and by following his orders, she created a rift in the White family.
And now, Ariana was here to rely on them.
A complex web of emotions filled her heart.
'No...'
The White family had been kind to Ariana all this time. The unseen consideration stirred a chord within her, but it didn't bring her joy.
The warmer they were, the more she remembered the coldness of her past life. She remembered those lonely days, unloved and exploited by everyone.
Carradine, who had come to visit a few days ago, had said.
“I should have come to see you sooner... I didn’t realize how hard it was for you because your father couldn’t easily enter and exit the West.”
said Theodore.
“If I had known you were having such a hard time, I would have done anything to get you out.”
Those words, filled with pity and sympathy, were simply disgusting.
Now?
Not just anyone, but the East.
If he had wanted to see her, he could have done so anytime, and if he couldn’t come in person, he could have sent a spy to find out.
‘It’s been 28 years.’
Ariana died at the age of 28.
For 28 years, no one in the East tried to recognize Ariana. For 28 years, Ariana was utterly alone, utterly lonely, and in that darkness, step by step, she walked towards death. She doesn’t regret destroying the East for the 3rd Prince. However, she resents her own foolishness and weakness, having been used even by the 3rd Prince.
“The dress isn’t finished yet, so I bought one that was sold as ready-made. Still, I bought it as the best, so I hope you like it, Princess.”
Catherine’s bright voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
Ariana smiled elegantly and said,
“I’m grateful for anything.”
***
While confronting the remnants of Paganus who had risen up near the eastern gate, Geor received a letter from Chase Castle.
“Ariana...”
His aide, Count Romian Mathis, watched with concern as Geor’s eyes darkened. Geor fluttered the letter and said,
“Romian, look at this. Ariana, the real daughter of His Excellency the Duke, has returned. Her. Real. Daughter. The true Princess of the East. Ariana.”
“She hasn’t been declared a Princess yet...”
“I’ll be abandoned.”
“Your Grace. His Excellency the Duke will never...”
“I will be abandoned. Now that his own daughter has returned, I, a distant relative, only have a single drop of blood from His Excellency, the Duke... Yes, I will be abandoned.”
“That is not true.”
“That is not true. Think about it. As the biological child of His Excellency the Duke, she will definitely be strong and smart. If she resembles His Excellency the Duke, I will be terrifyingly pretty. Perhaps even prettier than the Princess.”
Romian swallowed a sigh.
“If he were to choose a useless person like me as his heir, would he choose his own daughter, who is smart and terrifyingly pretty like Ariana?”
“Your Grace, you are useless. Aren’t you so strong and wise?”
“I don’t know. Could I be stronger and wiser than Ariana, the heir?”
Now Ariana had truly become the heir.
“Princess Ariana will kick me out of Chase Castle. Then I will have to return to the Oberlin Dukedom... My father will be ashamed of a second son who was kicked out of the Dukedom. Then there will be no place for me in the Oberlin Dukedom either.”
Geor’s delusions were digging the ground.
This was Geor’s chronic disease.
Once he starts digging, he will dig to the other side of the world.
Romian spoke politely, not showing his annoyance.
“Your Grace, please take care of the remaining remnants. His Highness the Duke will be delighted when you return victorious from the war.”
“Indeed... His own daughter, Princess Ariana, has returned. What could be happier than that? My merits will be nothing.”
“Your Grace...”
***
The dress prepared for today’s banquet was a light pink, with a rich skirt and beautiful embroidery. It looked so luxurious that it was hard to believe it was ready-made clothing.
‘Pink again.’
Whose pink love is this?
"Did Catherine choose this dress?"
"Oh, Her Excellency, the former Duchess, chose this herself. Her Excellency, the former Duchess, also chose all the furniture in this room."
Ariana felt like she'd been hit in the back of the head.
Russell, who seemed so aloof, had such a taste for pink. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't connect this pink feast with Russell.
Catherine, as if she understood what Ariana was thinking, chuckled and added,
"Of course, Her Excellency the former Duchess followed Isabelle's advice."
"Isabelle?"
"Yes, the daughter of Count White, whom you're about to meet."
"Ah. "
"There was a time when Isabelle was obsessed with pink, and she advised the former Duchess that all girls can't help but love pink."
"I see."
Ariana thought of Isabelle White, whom she'd seen at parties before. She always showed up in a bright red dress, drawing attention. She remembered that red, which could easily have seemed vulgar, suited her perfectly.
While they were talking, Catherine finished her hair.
She combed her waist-length hair neatly, pulled it up halfway, and placed a pearl hairpin in it. The light blue hair flowing down her slightly exposed shoulders was fresh and beautiful.
"Wow, really... you're truly beautiful."
"Thank you. It's thanks to Catherine."
Ariana rose from the vanity chair. Catherine gently smoothed out the rumpled hem of her skirt.
Ariana walked slowly toward the door.
A gentle smile played on her lips, but inside, she burned quietly, like a warrior heading to battle.
"Yes, the daughter of Count White, whom you're about to meet."
"Ah. "
"There was a time when Isabelle was obsessed with pink, and she advised the former Duchess that all girls can't help but love pink."
"I see."
Ariana thought of Isabelle White, whom she'd seen at parties before. She always showed up in a bright red dress, drawing attention. She remembered that red, which could easily have seemed vulgar, suited her perfectly.
While they were talking, Catherine finished her hair.
She combed her waist-length hair neatly, pulled it up halfway, and placed a pearl hairpin in it. The light blue hair flowing down her slightly exposed shoulders was fresh and beautiful.
"Wow, really... you're truly beautiful."
"Thank you. It's thanks to Catherine."
Ariana rose from the vanity chair. Catherine gently smoothed out the rumpled hem of her skirt.
Ariana walked slowly toward the door.
A gentle smile played on her lips, but inside, she burned quietly, like a warrior heading to battle.
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