It was Abercorn that had elevated Aaron to the position of Crown Prince. In return, many promises had been made, but human hearts can change at any moment.
If someone from Abercorn were to side with the royal family, surely desires that had never existed would arise. Once something is already in hand, one naturally becomes reluctant to pay the price.
As these fears swirled in his mind, Ariella’s words became a seed. A seed of doubt toward Lizzy was planted in the Duke’s mind.
“…Yes, Your Grace. I will always keep that in mind.”
Lizzy, too, belatedly grasped the situation Ariella had intended, but there was nothing she could say now. She could only silently grit her teeth and vow revenge.
The Duke of Abercorn added a few more words of warning before leaving with an angry expression. Once he disappeared, Gianna and Natalia rushed in from among the servants who had been watching the situation from afar.
“Lizzy, Miss!”
“Oh my, what is going on here!”
Ariella lightly stepped past Lizzy and the maids and left the room.
‘If I was going to scheme, I should have done it more thoroughly.’
If the plan is flimsy, one will suffer the consequences. Today, Lizzy’s downfall was precisely due to her igNorance of her enemy.
Thirteen years old. The age at which Ariella was thrown into society. Although she had not officially made her debut, from that young age, she had faced countless serpent-like nobles.
After getting engaged to Aaron at fourteen, the difficulty level increased.
It was already displeasing that a girl raised in a poorhouse, lacking in refinement, was pretending to be a princess, and now she had taken the seat next to the Crown Prince, whom everyone was eyeing as a potential son-in-law. How many people must have harbored resentment?
The nobles had constantly tested her and played various tricks on her. Sometimes the situations were so childish they were laughable, and at other times, they were terrifying enough to make her hands tremble.
In that war-like social scene, Ariella had firmly established her place without crumbling.
She had no interest in forming cliques or flitting about, so her activities were not frequent, but still, no one in society could ignore or belittle Ariella anymore.
Of course, Aaron had contributed nothing to this outcome. It was rather fortunate that he did not hinder her.
In other words, Ariella had become someone who was already well-versed in petty tricks and schemes. What Lizzy had done was surprising, yet predictable.
‘She probably didn’t know. That I would come out like this.’
Having always seen her show an almost foolish level of tolerance, she must have thought that this time, too, Ariella would just be helpless. However, unfortunately for Lizzy, there was no longer any reason for Ariella to treat her specially.
From today on, Ariella planned to move actively.
So that Lizzy could become Ariella of Abercorn in her place, and so that her father could clearly feel that she was a hindrance to Abercorn.
In fact, the quickest way would be to simply fall for Lizzy’s tricks. Not in a way that would intentionally make Lizzy fall out of her father’s favor like just now.
‘But that would be boring.’
Now, Ariella’s goal was not simply to leave Abercorn.
She needed to deal with the beast at the door decisively to avoid any future troubles. Living here, Ariella had learned this.
Father, David, Aaron, Lizzy…
She had been indebted to these people countless times in this place, and it was finally time to repay that debt.
Thus, Ariella intended to ruin everyone’s lives as much as possible, just to prevent Lizzy’s goals from coming to fruition. So that after she left, they would bitterly regret being left in this quagmire.
“Be kind to the weak. Forgive the wicked. Do not follow personal desires, and always be grateful for what you have…”
Suddenly, Kaia’s voice echoed in her ears.
Ariella offered a brief apology to her past benefactor but did not stop; she continued walking.
The teachings of Maranatha had long since vanished from her heart.
Beware of the weak, and take revenge on the wicked.
One must not ignore the boiling desires, and break free from what one possesses.
The ten years spent in Bedford had been more than enough time to change her beliefs in this way.
As I exited the library and entered the east wing, I spotted a figure standing idly by the entrance.
A man with soft features and neatly combed light brown hair that fell to his ears. It was Adam.
Before following Lizzy, I had told him that he didn’t need to come all the way to the library, yet here he was, waiting right at the entrance of the east wing. Truly a typical action for him.
“Sir Adam.”
When Ariella called his name, Adam, who had been standing like a statue, noticed her as well. His face, which was quickly approaching, was filled with concern. It seemed he had received at least a rough explanation of the situation from the maids.
