(53) I don't know the reason for that feeling. (7)
Even though the sword blade was exposed and gleamed in the moonlight, Ariana's demeanor remained unchanged. Instead, she spoke with a faint smile.
"His Excellency is very fortunate. He has someone like Your Grace who cares about the East by his side."
"..."
"It might be better to kill me here, as Your Grace said. At least it would remove one sliver of doubt that is weighing on your hearts."
Ariana turned her head away from Geor, who was blocking her path, and toward the city of Elles. Looking down at the quiet and peaceful city, Ariana continued.
"It is so beautiful and abundant that everyone is eagerly awaiting an opportunity to devour the East. That is why the people of the East are trained in martial arts from birth to protect themselves. But is that enough?"
Ariana's gaze, which had been directed toward the city, returned to Geor.
"The current Emperor is as fearful as he is suspicious. He longs to devour the East, but he's too afraid that the moment he raises his sword, the other nations will rebel. But one day, someone might rise up in his place and strike the East without fear. If he lures those who covet the East to his side and repeatedly throws the embers of war into the East, will the East be able to avoid the wrath of war?"
Ariana knew he couldn't.
When Third Prince Harold raised his sword against the East, Geor died, and Russell collapsed.
"The Eastern Duke has turned his back on the Empire because of the past and isolates himself from other nations. When the Empire fires flaming arrows at the East, who will stand up for him?"
Geor's lips curled in amusement.
"And you can even stand up for him?"
"I have no strength or education, so I can't hold a shield. But I'll be used for the East's sake. I could prove my worth by being used more than I can for the East. I could even become a link between the East and the imperial family."
"Aren't you overestimating yourself?"
"You'll naturally find out if you do."
"So, should I spare you for now so we can wait and see?"
Ariana lowered her gaze from Geor.
"I won't beg. Your Grace, do as you wish."
Geor stared at Ariana's lush eyelashes.
Ariana was wise beyond her years.
She knew that Geor wasn't just talking about death. She also knew that he was prepared to kill Ariana for the East and face the consequences. Yet, Ariana showed no fear for a single moment. Her slender shoulders remained steady, and her downcast eyes held a confident expression.
Suddenly, the thought struck him: this woman could truly hold the imperial family in her hands. No, it wasn't just a thought; it was a conviction.
"That dagger in your hand might work on others, but it won't work on me."
Ariana raised her head.
She had been holding the dagger in her robes since Geor had held the sword.
"You're too weak and fragile to protect yourself. Don't let your knights leave you alone. You never know when someone like me might come for your head."
When the Western Duke and Rachel left for the Empire for the custody trial, Helena was nervously biting her thumbnail and pacing back and forth in the drawing room.
Victoria was calmly embroidering, her eyes staring at the frame with a dark glow.
Helena plopped down next to Victoria and said,
"What if we lose the trial? Then Ariana will become the Princess of the East. A Princess. Do you think she deserves the title?"
Rachel was a Princess of the West, but she married a Duke, and Helena and Victoria were Princesses of the Duke. Thanks to her maternal grandfather's status as a Western Duke, she received more prestigious treatment than other Princesses, but she was nothing compared to a true Princess.
Furthermore, none of the four kingdoms surrounding the empire, the East, West, South, and North, currently had a Princess. The Northern and Southern Dukes were single, the Eastern Duke had lost his daughter to his wife, and the Western Duke's two daughters had married and become a duchess and a Countess.
"If she becomes a Princess, she will be the second most noble lady on this continent, second only to the Princess."
The continent of Leverdan contained several smaller nations, in addition to the vast empire of Camelia and the four Duchies surrounding it. However, their power was weak, and even their Kings were treated as mere Dukes or Counts within the empire.
The Eastern Duke was different. Although they had fallen out of favor with the Emperor due to past scandals, they held a power the Emperor could not easily meddle with.
Helena couldn't hide her anxiety at the thought that Arianna might become a Princess of such an Eastern Duchy.
"Oh, really? It's so horrible that she's becoming a Princess. How arrogant will she be once she becomes a Princess?"
Helena glared at Victoria, who had been staring at the embroidery hoop without a word.
“It’s all your fault, Victoria. You’re being unnecessarily suspected of murder, and that gave her a chance to escape!”
Victoria turned her head and glared at Helena.
The anger and hatred in her green eyes threatened to consume Helena. Helena flinched involuntarily and jerked her hips back.
A sinister voice leaked out from between Victoria’s lips.
“Shut up, Helena.”
“What, what, what did you say? Hey, what did you say to me just now...”
"Stupid bitch. All you know how to do is blame others. Born to a country Baron's daughter, yet you think you're something special just because your mother treated you well? Do you really think this Duke's mansion will be yours forever? With your lowly status, marrying some provincial noble would be the best you could hope for."
Helena’s face paled at the first bitch she’d ever heard. Victoria's cold gaze, always a submissive smile, froze Helena.
Helena's lips twitched, then she came to her senses and shouted,
"Hey! You crazy thing! I'm also my mother's daughter, right? I was born to her and my father! Long before you were born!"
Victoria narrowed her eyes.
"What?"
"I'm the one you had when my mother was dating my father before she married the Eastern Duke! I had no choice but to pretend to be the child of the former Duchess, but I'm her firstborn!"
The clever Victoria could guess the situation from those words alone.
'So mother had to hide the fact that she had a child with another man because she had to marry the Eastern Duke.'
Now she finally understood why her parents were so vulnerable to Helena. She realized why Helena, despite her foolishness, was considered more precious than herself.
She chuckled.
All her efforts had been useless. No matter how much Victoria struggled, she would never be loved more than Helena. After all, her parents' love for Helena was rooted in guilt.
The day she was arrested, falsely accused of murder, came back to her.
The thought of her father, who had retreated, no longer offering protection after the chief's few words, still pierced her nerves. Locked in that cramped room, interrogated and condemned, her mother never came to visit.
'I will never be the most precious person in this mansion.'
Victoria abruptly stood up. Helena called, but she didn't turn around, leaving the drawing room and heading for her own room.
'I need to find my place. I need to find someone who wants only me and puts me first.'
She thought of Ariana. The smile Ariana had given her when she was arrested by the chief. A smile as brilliant as sunlight, a smile that burned Victoria to the core.
'Ariana will surely become a Princess of the East.'
Only after seeing that smile did she realize Ariana was no ordinary girl.
'Then I must become even more noble than Ariana.'
Ariana would one day step into the imperial social world.
'Just wait and see, Ariana. Whatever you become, I will surely become a nobler being and destroy you. I will make you die with a feeling several times more devastating than the humiliation I felt that day.'
So, she must not reveal her disappointment and anger toward her family just yet. To ascend to that high and noble position, the power of the family is absolutely necessary.
The seed Ariana had planted sprouted distrust in Victoria's heart. Just as Ariana had viewed Bronte Manor as a prison, Victoria, too, came to view it as a prison from which she must one day escape.
Unaware that even this was a piece of revenge arranged by Ariana, Victoria burned with a quiet hatred toward her family, who had failed to protect her.
Ariana arrived in the imperial capital, Sterion, on May 4th. It was three days before the custody trial was scheduled to begin.
The mansion the Western Duke had secured in Sterion was located in a quiet place, far from the bustling city. Before she could even arrive at the mansion and unpack, someone the Eastern Duke had installed in the empire arrived to inform her.
“From the West, the Duke of Bronte and the Duchess of Bronte have arrived. They arrived a week ago, and I have confirmed that they have been in secret contact with the chief judge in charge of this trial, Tubeson Hearn. I have looked into Tubeson Hearn, and while he has a decent reputation, I hear he occasionally makes questionable decisions. Some people say he seems to be motivated by money, but I am not certain.”
The expressions of the Eastern Duke and the previous Duke, and his wife, darkened upon hearing the report. Theodore sighed and said,
“The Duke of Bronte must have spent money. We should offer a reasonable amount as well.”
Russell nodded.
“Yes, we have prepared sufficiently, so we will not be inferior to the Duke of Bronte.”
“Find out how much the Duke of Bronte has offered and make sure to double it.”
“That is the way it should be.”
Ariana, who had been sitting quietly to one side, listening to the adults' conversation, cautiously spoke.
"May I offer my opinion?"
The adults, seemingly unaware of Ariana's presence in the drawing room, turned to her in surprise.
Carradine nodded.
"Yes, speak up."
"If we try to manipulate the trial to our advantage, the Western Duke will know. He's a cunning man, and he'll certainly try to exploit that. He could even dismiss the bribery and use it to corner us. Perhaps the bribery itself was intended to trap us."
"I see."
"We must act with utmost fairness. Even if the Western Duke's eyes were glaring, he wouldn't be able to find a single flaw."
Theodore said, his voice a hint of concern.
"But what if that leads to a disadvantage?"
"The bribery issue should be handled justly by them, not us. If Tubeson is the chief judge, wouldn't someone be vying for the position?"
Russell looked surprised at Ariana's remark, then thoughtfully considered it. Finally, Russell spoke.
"I've heard that a judge named Odmill clashes with Tubeson on every issue. If I mention the matter of the Western Duke and Tubeson to Odmill, he might take action and find the evidence himself."
Ariana smiled faintly.
"Then I guess we'll leave it to him."
Even though the sword blade was exposed and gleamed in the moonlight, Ariana's demeanor remained unchanged. Instead, she spoke with a faint smile.
"His Excellency is very fortunate. He has someone like Your Grace who cares about the East by his side."
"..."
"It might be better to kill me here, as Your Grace said. At least it would remove one sliver of doubt that is weighing on your hearts."
Ariana turned her head away from Geor, who was blocking her path, and toward the city of Elles. Looking down at the quiet and peaceful city, Ariana continued.
"It is so beautiful and abundant that everyone is eagerly awaiting an opportunity to devour the East. That is why the people of the East are trained in martial arts from birth to protect themselves. But is that enough?"
Ariana's gaze, which had been directed toward the city, returned to Geor.
"The current Emperor is as fearful as he is suspicious. He longs to devour the East, but he's too afraid that the moment he raises his sword, the other nations will rebel. But one day, someone might rise up in his place and strike the East without fear. If he lures those who covet the East to his side and repeatedly throws the embers of war into the East, will the East be able to avoid the wrath of war?"
Ariana knew he couldn't.
When Third Prince Harold raised his sword against the East, Geor died, and Russell collapsed.
"The Eastern Duke has turned his back on the Empire because of the past and isolates himself from other nations. When the Empire fires flaming arrows at the East, who will stand up for him?"
Geor's lips curled in amusement.
"And you can even stand up for him?"
"I have no strength or education, so I can't hold a shield. But I'll be used for the East's sake. I could prove my worth by being used more than I can for the East. I could even become a link between the East and the imperial family."
"Aren't you overestimating yourself?"
"You'll naturally find out if you do."
"So, should I spare you for now so we can wait and see?"
Ariana lowered her gaze from Geor.
"I won't beg. Your Grace, do as you wish."
Geor stared at Ariana's lush eyelashes.
Ariana was wise beyond her years.
She knew that Geor wasn't just talking about death. She also knew that he was prepared to kill Ariana for the East and face the consequences. Yet, Ariana showed no fear for a single moment. Her slender shoulders remained steady, and her downcast eyes held a confident expression.
Suddenly, the thought struck him: this woman could truly hold the imperial family in her hands. No, it wasn't just a thought; it was a conviction.
"That dagger in your hand might work on others, but it won't work on me."
Ariana raised her head.
She had been holding the dagger in her robes since Geor had held the sword.
"You're too weak and fragile to protect yourself. Don't let your knights leave you alone. You never know when someone like me might come for your head."
***
When the Western Duke and Rachel left for the Empire for the custody trial, Helena was nervously biting her thumbnail and pacing back and forth in the drawing room.
Victoria was calmly embroidering, her eyes staring at the frame with a dark glow.
Helena plopped down next to Victoria and said,
"What if we lose the trial? Then Ariana will become the Princess of the East. A Princess. Do you think she deserves the title?"
Rachel was a Princess of the West, but she married a Duke, and Helena and Victoria were Princesses of the Duke. Thanks to her maternal grandfather's status as a Western Duke, she received more prestigious treatment than other Princesses, but she was nothing compared to a true Princess.
Furthermore, none of the four kingdoms surrounding the empire, the East, West, South, and North, currently had a Princess. The Northern and Southern Dukes were single, the Eastern Duke had lost his daughter to his wife, and the Western Duke's two daughters had married and become a duchess and a Countess.
"If she becomes a Princess, she will be the second most noble lady on this continent, second only to the Princess."
The continent of Leverdan contained several smaller nations, in addition to the vast empire of Camelia and the four Duchies surrounding it. However, their power was weak, and even their Kings were treated as mere Dukes or Counts within the empire.
The Eastern Duke was different. Although they had fallen out of favor with the Emperor due to past scandals, they held a power the Emperor could not easily meddle with.
Helena couldn't hide her anxiety at the thought that Arianna might become a Princess of such an Eastern Duchy.
"Oh, really? It's so horrible that she's becoming a Princess. How arrogant will she be once she becomes a Princess?"
Helena glared at Victoria, who had been staring at the embroidery hoop without a word.
“It’s all your fault, Victoria. You’re being unnecessarily suspected of murder, and that gave her a chance to escape!”
Victoria turned her head and glared at Helena.
The anger and hatred in her green eyes threatened to consume Helena. Helena flinched involuntarily and jerked her hips back.
A sinister voice leaked out from between Victoria’s lips.
“Shut up, Helena.”
“What, what, what did you say? Hey, what did you say to me just now...”
"Stupid bitch. All you know how to do is blame others. Born to a country Baron's daughter, yet you think you're something special just because your mother treated you well? Do you really think this Duke's mansion will be yours forever? With your lowly status, marrying some provincial noble would be the best you could hope for."
Helena’s face paled at the first bitch she’d ever heard. Victoria's cold gaze, always a submissive smile, froze Helena.
Helena's lips twitched, then she came to her senses and shouted,
"Hey! You crazy thing! I'm also my mother's daughter, right? I was born to her and my father! Long before you were born!"
Victoria narrowed her eyes.
"What?"
"I'm the one you had when my mother was dating my father before she married the Eastern Duke! I had no choice but to pretend to be the child of the former Duchess, but I'm her firstborn!"
The clever Victoria could guess the situation from those words alone.
'So mother had to hide the fact that she had a child with another man because she had to marry the Eastern Duke.'
Now she finally understood why her parents were so vulnerable to Helena. She realized why Helena, despite her foolishness, was considered more precious than herself.
She chuckled.
All her efforts had been useless. No matter how much Victoria struggled, she would never be loved more than Helena. After all, her parents' love for Helena was rooted in guilt.
The day she was arrested, falsely accused of murder, came back to her.
The thought of her father, who had retreated, no longer offering protection after the chief's few words, still pierced her nerves. Locked in that cramped room, interrogated and condemned, her mother never came to visit.
'I will never be the most precious person in this mansion.'
Victoria abruptly stood up. Helena called, but she didn't turn around, leaving the drawing room and heading for her own room.
'I need to find my place. I need to find someone who wants only me and puts me first.'
She thought of Ariana. The smile Ariana had given her when she was arrested by the chief. A smile as brilliant as sunlight, a smile that burned Victoria to the core.
'Ariana will surely become a Princess of the East.'
Only after seeing that smile did she realize Ariana was no ordinary girl.
'Then I must become even more noble than Ariana.'
Ariana would one day step into the imperial social world.
'Just wait and see, Ariana. Whatever you become, I will surely become a nobler being and destroy you. I will make you die with a feeling several times more devastating than the humiliation I felt that day.'
So, she must not reveal her disappointment and anger toward her family just yet. To ascend to that high and noble position, the power of the family is absolutely necessary.
The seed Ariana had planted sprouted distrust in Victoria's heart. Just as Ariana had viewed Bronte Manor as a prison, Victoria, too, came to view it as a prison from which she must one day escape.
Unaware that even this was a piece of revenge arranged by Ariana, Victoria burned with a quiet hatred toward her family, who had failed to protect her.
***
Ariana arrived in the imperial capital, Sterion, on May 4th. It was three days before the custody trial was scheduled to begin.
The mansion the Western Duke had secured in Sterion was located in a quiet place, far from the bustling city. Before she could even arrive at the mansion and unpack, someone the Eastern Duke had installed in the empire arrived to inform her.
“From the West, the Duke of Bronte and the Duchess of Bronte have arrived. They arrived a week ago, and I have confirmed that they have been in secret contact with the chief judge in charge of this trial, Tubeson Hearn. I have looked into Tubeson Hearn, and while he has a decent reputation, I hear he occasionally makes questionable decisions. Some people say he seems to be motivated by money, but I am not certain.”
The expressions of the Eastern Duke and the previous Duke, and his wife, darkened upon hearing the report. Theodore sighed and said,
“The Duke of Bronte must have spent money. We should offer a reasonable amount as well.”
Russell nodded.
“Yes, we have prepared sufficiently, so we will not be inferior to the Duke of Bronte.”
“Find out how much the Duke of Bronte has offered and make sure to double it.”
“That is the way it should be.”
Ariana, who had been sitting quietly to one side, listening to the adults' conversation, cautiously spoke.
"May I offer my opinion?"
The adults, seemingly unaware of Ariana's presence in the drawing room, turned to her in surprise.
Carradine nodded.
"Yes, speak up."
"If we try to manipulate the trial to our advantage, the Western Duke will know. He's a cunning man, and he'll certainly try to exploit that. He could even dismiss the bribery and use it to corner us. Perhaps the bribery itself was intended to trap us."
"I see."
"We must act with utmost fairness. Even if the Western Duke's eyes were glaring, he wouldn't be able to find a single flaw."
Theodore said, his voice a hint of concern.
"But what if that leads to a disadvantage?"
"The bribery issue should be handled justly by them, not us. If Tubeson is the chief judge, wouldn't someone be vying for the position?"
Russell looked surprised at Ariana's remark, then thoughtfully considered it. Finally, Russell spoke.
"I've heard that a judge named Odmill clashes with Tubeson on every issue. If I mention the matter of the Western Duke and Tubeson to Odmill, he might take action and find the evidence himself."
Ariana smiled faintly.
"Then I guess we'll leave it to him."
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