“They say the beauty of a party follows the beauty of its host. Isn’t that spot on?”
Just like Lizzy Bedford, who was only beautiful and extravagant on the outside, her debut stage also felt like a beautiful but hollow fruit.
This was the general opinion of the nobility.
And the next day, the Duke of Bedford, who learned what had happened at the ball the previous day, was very angry and summoned Ariella to his study.
As soon as she crossed the threshold, she expected to hear a rough shout, but unexpectedly, the Duke’s demeanor was cold.
From the way he coldly gazed at her, Ariella sensed a bad atmosphere. It was the same atmosphere she had seen just before turning David into a bloody mess.
His cold gaze pricked her skin like thorns.
But Ariella did not back down and calmly recounted what had happened yesterday. Thanks to her prior preparation, her explanation flowed without a hitch.
What she said was simple.
Lizzy, who did not know the traditions of the Wrexham family, coveted a ruby necklace and ended up getting herself into trouble.
She had tried to shift the blame onto Ariella in a hurry, but her flaws were exposed by those around her, and the fiancée of the Earl of Wrexham could not hold back her anger and splashed wine on her.
In the midst of that, Ariella herself tried her best to calm the situation and dissuade Lizzy, but she failed. The preparations for the ball should have been more thorough, but it was already difficult since there had been little budget from the start.
In other words, her only fault regarding this incident was that she could not stop Lizzy.
Of course, if she said it outright, the Duke of Bedford would surely find her detestable, so Ariella bent her waist in a show of deep apology, claiming that everything was her fault and begging for forgiveness.
From her experience so far, at this point, the Duke would usually throw a fit for about thirty minutes before letting her go. That was if she had done nothing wrong, rationally speaking.
However, today’s Duke was strange. He showed no signs of excitement or irritation, merely gazing at Ariella quietly.
“Indeed. Listening to you, it seems that yesterday’s incident was entirely caused by Lizzy, that girl.”
His willingness to acknowledge this was also a bad sign.
“However, Arrie.”
The moment she noticed the Duke standing up and piercing her with his gaze, Ariella realized.
She had underestimated her father too much.
“Why do I see you?”
“…What?”
“Not Lizzy, who stumbles over a stone, rolls in the mud, and earns the laughter of others.”
He slowly approached Ariella.
Under the dazzling sunlight streaming through the window, his splendid golden hair shone brightly. The remnants of the past shimmered above her vision simultaneously.
Cold sweat slowly trickled down her delicate back.
“I see you, who prepared the stone, the handful of mud, and even the audience to laugh at you.”
What the Duke had was merely a suspicion.
But Ariella knew. He was a person who would act without hesitation, even with just a suspicion. Even if her judgment turned out to be wrong later, it would be too late to regret it then.
“Arrie. It has been a long time since I have not raised a rod against you.”
Ariella bit her teeth tightly and lowered her head.
Claiming that it was unfair and that she knew nothing would change anything. For now, the best course of action was to show as much obedience as possible.
“Nowadays, they say that even the head of a household should not raise a hand against their children, right? They say that is crossing the line.”
The sound of footsteps grew closer, and soon a pair of shiny shoes entered her view. They were handmade shoes made of very expensive leather, which could only be bought by nobles.
“Actually, they said the same thing ten years ago.”
Thud! A large, thick hand suddenly grabbed her thin shoulder.
Ariella involuntarily flinched. Even though his grip was not that strong, it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds to her.
“Knowing that, I willingly crossed the line. Because it is the most effective and quickest method of education. In fact, it worked very well on you.”
As the Duke bent down to lower his posture, a chillingly fierce voice came closer.
“However, Arrie. Your father thinks this. That the same level of punishment as before will never correct you now. That it will not be effective at all.”
Only then did Ariella understand what he was trying to say.
At the same time, she resigned herself. There was no way to escape this situation.
Once someone has crossed the line, they can go as far as they want.
