Unfortunately, the world did not leave her in peace.
“Our fake sister is having a leisurely meal, is she?”
As a sly voice reached her ears, Ariella looked up to see a glistening face.
With deep blonde hair similar to Lizzy’s rather than Ariella’s, and blue eyes resembling her deceased mother, it was David Bedford, the Duke’s son, known for his notably large mouth compared to his small face.
“David. Be quiet.”
Ariella averted her gaze from him and resumed her meal.
Her only brother, David, was always light-mouthed and full of unnecessary chatter. Other nobles praised him as sociable and noble, but such compliments were hardly sincere.
How could someone who flitted between social clubs, spending money extravagantly right after graduating from the academy, and changed women almost daily be considered noble?
“No, perhaps that is the most noble thing of all.”
Ariella smirked at the antics of the nobles in the capital she had observed recently.
Then, David wrapped his arms around himself and exaggeratedly shivered.
“Yikes, sister. What are you going to do about this?”
What nonsense was he about to spout this time? Ariella looked up at him irritably.
David smiled broadly and bowed toward her.
“If you are not my real sister…”
There was not a hint of worry in his booming voice. Rather, it seemed he was thoroughly enjoying the situation, filled with anticipation.
“How dare a commoner pretend to be the Duke’s heir as a sister? Do you think you can get away with it?”
Ah, since she had lived in a poorhouse, she might not even be considered a commoner. David chuckled as he added.
This was both a threat and mockery. It was something that could be deemed too much to say to someone who had lived her life believing him to be her brother.
The servants who heard his words gasped and took a deep breath, and Adam, who was standing near the door, clenched his fists in anger, but Ariella was neither surprised nor hurt. She had already anticipated that he would act this way.
“How nice for you, then.”
Ariella spoke in a flat tone.
“Because I won’t have to deal with you anymore.”
“What?”
“I said it’s nice that I won’t have to clean up after you. I won’t have to hear you whining that mother died because of me anymore. How wonderful, truly.”
David had always offloaded all his responsibilities onto her since he was very young, and the reasons he gave were always the same.
“You made mother die!”
“Because of you, I grew up without receiving mother’s love properly!”
“This family’s gloominess is all your fault!”
It was something she had heard so often that it felt like it would leave a scar in her ears.
Her father had said that on the day of the accident, her mother had originally not wanted to attend the wedding.
However, unable to resist her young daughter’s plea to see her uncle’s wedding, she went to the church, only to meet with tragedy.
Ariella had no memory of that event, but nonetheless, it was a sin she would have to bear for the rest of her life.
At least for now, she was free from that guilt.
In a situation where she was suspected of not being the real princess, did she also have to bear the burden of her mother’s death?
“How dare you speak of mother…!”
“I heard rumors that young nobles have been frequenting low-quality gambling dens lately. David, it wouldn’t have anything to do with you, would it?”
David, who had been about to raise his voice in anger, suddenly shut his mouth.
A moment of silence passed. Soon, he smiled as if to say he had never lost his temper.
“Of course not! I’m the Duke’s son. I could never go to such filthy places.”
“Well, if it’s not you, then that’s a relief.”
“Of course, it isn’t.”
David turned away with a shameless grin, pretending he knew nothing. However, the urgency in his hurried steps revealed his anxious heart.
If the Duke, who had a fiery temper and valued money more than his own children, found out that he had been frequenting gambling dens, he would surely be in for a world of trouble.
“Well, he shouldn’t have provoked me while having so many guilty secrets.”
What Ariella knew was not all of it. He was such a troublemaker that gathering information about him was not difficult at all.
In any case, she had hinted that she was aware of his actions, so he would likely keep his mouth shut for a while.
However, the problem was that David’s behavior had only fueled the rumors circulating among the servants.
A brother and sister with a notably poor relationship. And a newly emerged candidate for the princess.
“Then where should we align ourselves?”
The servants pondered while glancing at Ariella, who was eating.
It was at the moment when Ariella set down her spoon amidst the heavy gazes.
