People would only see Lizzy’s belly growing. There would be no way to prove whose blood the child growing inside was.
In the first place, Aaron’s seed probably wasn’t of very good quality anyway, so it was all the better.
The only important thing was to continue to maintain the noble blood, even if it became somewhat diluted over the generations.
The Duke of Bedford thought so and looked down at the blue necklace again.
As if he never got tired of it, the image of the woman smiling happily after receiving this necklace decades ago flashed before his eyes again.
In front of the Duke’s study.
A thin knight with an anxious face paced around.
His face had become very haggard in recent days. He was Dante Miller, David’s escort knight.
Dante had survived even after failing to properly protect David. This was thanks to the fact that some of the circumstances that prevented him from protecting David were taken into account.
That night, David, who had been hit by Grand Duke Royster and woke up at the Hotel Mercedes, brutally beat Dante for not protecting him. Dante, who couldn’t possibly retaliate against the young master he served, collapsed with fairly serious injuries and was later discovered by a hotel cleaner.
It was fortunate in a way. Thanks to that, Dante wasn’t suspected of being an accomplice in the incident, nor was he severely punished for failing to protect David.
David’s usual personality was so terrible that no one doubted him even if he claimed that the reason he was beaten was “just because he was venting his anger.”
David, who had forgotten how to speak, would never be able to tell the truth.
But even so, the reason he had walked as if drawn to this place, in front of the Duke’s study, was because of a slight sense of unease.
‘Should I tell him, or not?’
The twenty-eight-year-old knight, Dante, hadn’t told the Duke of Bedford about the conflict that had occurred between David, Ariella, and Grand Duke Royster that afternoon.
Saying that the Grand Duke had hit David was no different from admitting that he had failed to fulfill his mission.
The Duke, who had lost his heir, was so fierce that even Dante, an active knight, felt a chill. Through years of experience, he knew that if he got caught in that state, he would suffer greatly. For that reason, Dante couldn’t bring himself to open his mouth in front of him and hid the truth.
He excused himself by saying that it wasn’t really related to this incident anyway.
But as time passed, and the results of the investigation ordered by the Duke of Bedford began to come out one after another, he gradually began to feel anxious.
It would be a disaster if the fact that he had hidden was revealed. Even mistakes he hadn’t made could become his fault.
‘Maybe I should tell him honestly now…’
Dante, standing on the path to the study, swallowed hard, recalling the Duke of Bedford’s fierce face.
And it was at that moment, when he was about to take a big step forward in fear.
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea, Sir Dante.”
“E, Miss Arrie?”
Dante was startled and horrified by Ariella’s sudden appearance.
Even though he was thinking about other things, he hadn’t even sensed the approaching presence. Even against a lady wearing a dress. It was practically a disqualification as a knight.
Ariella smiled lightly at his surprised expression.
Suppressing her presence and moving silently was an ability she had learned in the orphanage as a child. To steal another child’s bread, moving silently was a basic skill.
Of course, it was just luck now, and it wouldn’t work on most knights. Especially not on someone with keen hearing like Sir Adam.
“That day’s events have nothing to do with this tragedy. There were no witnesses, and no one eavesdropped. So, reciting the whole story would only give my father more reason to get agitated… Are you sure you’re okay with that?”
“That’s…”
“It would be fortunate if it only agitated my father. The ruler of Royster will also pay attention to your loose lips. As you know, I have decided to become the Grand Duke’s mistress, and the Grand Duke hates people who bother me very much. Can you really handle all of that?”
This was a threat. A chilling threat that if he spoke carelessly, he would turn against Grand Duke Royster.
Dante swallowed hard again.
Ariella looked at him with pity and added.
“I’m just giving you advice because I’m worried about you. It seems that David hasn’t respected you very much, enough to make you turn the Grand Duke into an enemy. Well, the choice is yours. I hope you make a wise decision.”
She said that and turned back around.
Dante was silent for a long time, watching her disappear as suddenly as she had appeared.
Having finished his 고민, he slowly turned around and moved his feet.
There was no trace of regret in his steps as he passed the Duke’s study.
On Friday morning, a small party was held in Ariella’s room.
The attendees were Ariella, Amira, and Adam, for a total of three people. The reason for holding the party was to commemorate the disappearance of the disgustingly tedious ‘Friday Obligatory Breakfast.’
Thus, Ariella and Amira sat happily at the table, enjoying a simple but pleasant breakfast with warm bread, refreshing salad, fried bacon, and coffee.
Adam, for conservative reasons that he couldn’t eat food while on duty, sat beside them and only kept his seat.
“So, what happened to that man named Milo?”
Amira, who had put a long piece of bacon in her mouth without even cutting it, quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and asked.
Ariella sipped her coffee gracefully and replied.
“He moved his residence. I provided him with a house in a place quite far from the center of the city. He will continue to take care of the animals used in this incident.”
“A house in Edinburgh! That’s great. The circumstances are unfortunate, but… Without the Miss’s help, neither revenge nor getting a house would have been possible.”
“I also benefited from him. I just paid him a kind of reward, I guess.”
“Anyway, I’m glad it ended safely. The Friday breakfast is gone, and the Miss’s leg is much better. It’s a good day!”
Hearing Amira’s words, Ariella suddenly looked down. Come to think of it, the pain in her leg had become duller one day.
Whoosh, she carelessly lifted her dress, and Adam hurriedly turned his head in the opposite direction.
His face, focused on staring at a single speck of dust fluttering in the air, was already red, but unfortunately, Ariella didn’t notice this and focused only on her leg.
The leg revealed under the dress looked much better than before. It was because the scars had faded quite a bit since she had been whipped by her father.
Of course, it was still covered in scars, so it would still look grotesque to others, but it wasn’t bad as it was.
‘I should hurry up with the next revenge.’
The next revenge. The target was, of course, her father.
The source and beginning of her misfortune. The very person who had made her so cruel, the moment to take revenge on Caleb Bedford was finally approaching.
And after even that revenge was over.
‘It’s about time to leave.’
Finally, she would leave this house.
Ariella had endured staying in this cursed place for a simple reason.
Only by remaining here could she ensure a more certain and comfortable revenge.
Although her body, especially her legs, wasn’t exactly comfortable, she could bear that much pain. The successful completion of her two previous acts of revenge was proof enough.
If she had run away from home early on, Duke Bedford would have somehow found a way to retrieve his lost merchandise. Evading his pursuit while seeking revenge would not have been easy.
Moreover, plans made from the outside would have been subject to too many variables, making them difficult to control properly.
Even though she had remained inside the house and witnessed all the changes in Lizzy and David’s relationship, something unexpected had still occurred. How much worse would it have been outside?
Therefore, choosing to stay here was the right decision.
However, once she had completed her revenge on the Duke, there would be no reason to remain at the Bedford estate.
Ariella had already sketched out a rough plan for how to take her revenge on him. She had been thinking about it since Lizzy’s debutante ball.
