She was as proficient in noble etiquette as a decent adult and had mastered history and foreign languages perfectly. Many nobles praised her excellence in unison.
Yet for some reason, her calves were still covered in red marks.
“For a girl to leave food uneaten.”
“For not knowing the value of food and leaving too much expensive meat.”
“Because the princess’s attire is shabby.”
“Because the newly tailored dress shrank after just two months.”
“Because she thought she was a little good at studying and suppressed her younger brother.”
“For not educating her younger brother properly.”
There were truly countless reasons to be scolded. There was no consistency, making it impossible to predict.
It was incredibly painful and lonely, yet even then, Ariella did not think she was unhappy. According to the teachings of Maranatha, this too would eventually pass.
The moment she began to perceive this place as hell came a little later. It was on a summer day when she was thirteen.
On a Friday morning, Ariella woke up early and arrived at the dining room well before breakfast time. After confirming that no one was there, she took a small piece from her pocket.
A small statue, worn with her touch. It was a representation of the goddess Maranatha, a gift from Kaia just a few days before they parted.
The carving was rough, and the material was poor, making it unsuitable as a gift, but it was probably the best Kaia could manage.
Ariella placed the statue on the table and knelt before it. Having been so rushed in her preparations that she forgot to pray, she intended to do so here.
If she was going to pray, she wanted to do it in a more sacred and better place, but for some reason, it was hard to find a proper prayer room in the mansion.
Considering that her maternal family, the Alcestis Marquis family, had long supported the papacy, it was even more puzzling.
If only she had noticed the oddity then, but Ariella lacked information at that time.
“O Maranatha, please help me shake off this troubled heart. Help me become smarter and stronger, so that when I meet Kaia again, I can be praised for being commendable…”
Just as she was praying earnestly, a noisy sound came from behind her.
“I wonder if it’s okay to come this early, haha.”
“Don’t say that. You are always welcome. The chef has prepared something special…”
Ariella hurriedly finished her prayer and turned around.
And she discovered unfamiliar men looking at her with a startled expression, and her father glaring at her with a fierce gaze as if he would choke her at any moment.
At that time, she did not know, but those unfamiliar men were the Spires, a new faction supporting the Protestant faith, Solarem.
In hindsight, it was something that would be shameful and infuriating for the duke. He had invited those who claimed that all the doctrines of the Catholic Church should be overturned, only to see his daughter praying before a statue of Maranatha in front of them.
However, no matter how much that was the case, it could not justify what happened afterward.
“How dare you do such a thing in my house!”
After the Spires left with sour faces, the furious Duke of Bedford could not contain his anger and exploded.
Ariella was taken away by his hand, not even knowing what wrong she had committed. Judging by his demeanor, she predicted that she would be beaten at least twenty times today.
However, her prediction was wrong.
That does not mean she was not beaten. As expected, Ariella received twenty lashes with a sharp rod.
But the problem was that the beating was not the end.
Following the duke’s orders, the servants grabbed Ariella, who was clutching her bleeding legs. Without even a moment to apply medicine to her injuries, the next punishment followed.
They took her to a dark basement where no light penetrated. Not knowing what was happening, she was made to kneel on the floor, and the servants brought her hard bread and lukewarm water.
Thud, something thrown by her father rolled to Ariella’s feet.
It was the statue she had placed on the table to pray.
“Ariella, from now on, you will not take a single step out of this place. No meetings or conversations with anyone will be allowed, and you will have to manage your meals and bodily functions with what is inside here. The environment in the poorhouse must have been worse than this, so you should be able to endure it.”
“Wait, wait! I was wrong. I was wrong!”
“If you are really going to go mad, pray to that damned god. Ask to be saved! Ask to be taken out of here!”
“Father, Father!”
Desperately pleading, but the duke left without looking back.
Ariella was left in a dark, narrow room. The only company was the tiny statue and the sounds of insects scuttling somewhere.
