Bang! Thud!
The dull sounds continued. Painful screams followed in succession.
“Ahhh! Father!”
Blood flowed from David’s wide forehead, possibly from a misdirected blow. However, the duke did not stop. This was the first time he had been this angry at the only child he cherished.
David had tried to mar Ariella, the duke’s precious asset. Naturally, the one who would suffer the most from that would be the owner of that asset, the duke himself. If he sold it without getting its worth, it would be like losing his investment.
Just that alone was enough to infuriate him, but to owe gambling debts to the notoriously lowly author Baron Peterson and even forge his academy graduation grades to insult his father was beyond the pale.
No matter how much he cherished his son, he could not let someone who dared to challenge his authority go unpunished.
As a result, Duke Bedford continued to punch David until he was bleeding and begging for his life. The old man’s fists were fierce, and David, who had no talent or interest in sports, could only curl up and not resist.
Thud. Ariella’s face was splattered with David’s blood. It happened to be near her eyes.
It was surprising, but she remained calm as if just a few drops of wash water had splashed on her. Ariella watched without even thinking of wiping the blood off.
“Master, perhaps it’s time to stop. The young master’s condition…”
Only when an elderly butler approached and cautiously intervened did the duke calm down. By now, David was almost a bloody mess.
Seeing his son’s condition, the duke clicked his tongue. At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to show his face in public for a while.
“Take him away and treat him.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“David, you are forbidden from going out from now on. You will be confined in the mansion, in your room, for several months.”
He commanded coldly, but David couldn’t respond at all. He was already half-conscious.
‘Just a ban on going out. How generous.’
Ariella chuckled softly as she watched David being carried away by the butler.
This was far from satisfactory. She hadn’t even begun to take proper revenge on David.
“Ahhh! No, no! Oliver—!”
It was still vivid in her mind. On a day when she was fifteen, the sight of her beloved friend, the only one who had comforted her in Bedford, lying dead in her room, bound by thick, rough ropes.
The golden fur that had lost its warmth and was scattered, and the gentle tongue that had licked her tears, now hanging limply in the air, was something she had never forgotten for a moment.
The punishment David received today was far from enough to repay the agony she felt. No matter what David did, Duke Bedford would not give him the level of punishment Ariella desired.
‘So I’ll have to do it myself.’
The one who would make David pay the proper price would be herself. Not just this trivial punishment, but she would push him into a horrific and eternal suffering.
With that determination, Ariella slowly rubbed the blood that had splattered near her eyes.
***
Bang!
A white, delicate hand slammed down hard on the wooden table.
The expensive decorations piled on the table fell to the floor with a loud crash.
“Damn bastard…!”
It was a word far too vulgar to come from the mouth of a noble lady, yet Lizzy casually cursed.
The person who had made her this angry was Jasper, a thug she had known since her days in the slums. He was also the man she had trusted to handle this attack.
“Why is the failure our kids’ fault? Suddenly a bunch of knights showed up, how am I supposed to deal with that? You should be the one paying the penalty. Do you know how many precious kids we lost because of you?”
It was shameless to make excuses after ruining everything he was supposed to do.
He even blamed Lizzy for the name of Bedford spreading in the ears of the authorities. He claimed that the man who suddenly appeared and saved Ariella had tortured the thugs to make them confess the truth.
Bang! Bang!
Lizzy pounded the table as if to break it. Remembering what she had to endure just to persuade David a moment ago filled her with rage.
“What kind of bastard is he!”
What kind of guy saved Ariella? And why did he have to show up at that exact moment!
Her beautifully manicured nails scratched the expensive wood repeatedly. She couldn’t bear the frustration.
Was the appearance of an ally just a coincidence? Did a righteous knight happen to visit the area and save Ariella from danger purely by chance?
