She wanted to say no. To tell him that she had no intention of marrying him at all.
However, of course, she had no right to decide. Even if it was about her own marriage.
Duke Bedford gladly accepted the marriage proposal with the Jovnail royal family. Thus, Ariella became the fiancée of the prince against her will.
The only good thing about the engagement was one thing.
She no longer had to worry about being beaten by her father.
He didn’t completely stop using the rod, but when he did hit her, it was very rare, and he struck her on parts of her body that were well-covered, no more than ten times.
Since her engagement to Aaron, the duke always seemed to be in a good mood, and sometimes he even praised her.
It was then that Ariella realized. The ‘usefulness’ he had mentioned for years was precisely this.
Aaron visited the duke’s residence every vacation. However, the frequency of his visits decreased as the years went by.
At some point, his attitude towards her began to change. It seemed to have started after he was crowned as the crown prince, surpassing the first prince. The bright smile that used to grace his face had vanished.
“I don’t even want to see that smile again.”
Ariella slowly parted her lips as she gazed at Aaron, who was smiling warmly at Lizzy.
“Aaron.”
“……Eli!”
Aaron, who had been leaning against the staircase railing, quickly stood up as soon as he recognized Ariella’s presence. The hands that had been closely touching each other slowly fell apart.
“Eli, I was waiting for you since you were late. I was just having a brief conversation while waiting.”
Aaron rambled on with excuses. His face looked guilty, as if he felt a pang of conscience.
Ariella bit the tender flesh inside her lips. She found his excuses disgusting now.
However, instead of pressing him, she smiled brightly.
“It’s time to leave. You know how Count Lambert is.”
The rigid Count Lambert did not like guests who dawdled. Aaron knew this well.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Aaron nodded with a dazed expression. It seemed strange to him that Ariella was smiling at him.
Ariella sent him a playful wink and walked towards the reception room. She could feel Aaron hurriedly following behind her.
But soon, Lizzy’s sweet voice caught Ariella’s attention.
“Have a good trip, Your Highness.”
It was a greeting as if Ariella didn’t exist in that moment. Amira gasped in shock, as if she had seen someone sending off her husband.
This was a clear provocation.
Ariella let out a small laugh. She would have liked to engage, but unfortunately, she was busy at the moment.
“Besides, it’s still Monday.”
There were only a few hours left until the week she had promised to just watch would end.
***
“Eli, I don’t have any bad intentions towards you.”
On the way to the party.
As soon as the carriage started moving, Aaron began to babble as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“I only intervened appropriately to reveal the truth; I had no intention of hurting you. So please don’t misunderstand.”
Ariella remained silent as she looked at his slick face.
Just a moment ago, she had been curious about what he would say. It was the first time they would be alone together since that day. She wondered how he would start the conversation, what excuses he would make.
Could it be that, though it seemed impossible, he might actually apologize to her?
Apologize for breaking their promise. Admitting that he had developed feelings for Lizzy, and that he was sorry for hurting her.
But, of course, that didn’t happen.
If he were the kind of person to do that, he wouldn’t have called her name while being with another woman in her own home, dressed in her clothes.
Ariella felt a sense of self-mockery at her own absurd imagination.
The man before her was one of the reasons she had come to hate the name Bedford. Even though he clearly remembered what he had done to her, she found herself imagining him apologizing. There was no greater fool than that.
“……What misunderstanding?”
“What I mean is, that I acted out of personal feelings. That kind of ridiculous misunderstanding. I only spoke based on objective information; I have no intention of taking sides. I’m trying to remain as neutral as possible.”
Neutrality. The person who snuck into the mansion in the middle of the night?
She couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.
“Understood.”
Ariella replied, turning her head. It was much more comfortable to look out the window than to see that detestable face.
“……What?”
“I said I understand. I know you’re trying to maintain neutrality and that you have no personal feelings.”
