Salvation was a word one could only hear in the doctrines Kaia had taught. A grand and sacred word.
Yet, a small action that she barely remembered had become salvation for someone else. It felt very strange.
“After that, everything that had troubled me before felt insignificant. The situation remained the same, but my heart changed. After all, I was innocent. The young lady confirmed that for me. Thinking that way, I could be more confident around others and myself. So, I vowed to be on the young lady’s side.”
At the same time, she felt a sense of déjà vu. She had experienced it herself. The moment someone told her she was not at fault, it felt like a tight knot in her throat had loosened.
“Well, have your questions been somewhat resolved? You’ve been glancing at me with a curious face, and I suppose you wanted to ask this?”
“…Was it that obvious?”
“Yes, very much so. You were so cute that I just pretended not to notice. Anyway, if that answered your question, I’ll quickly go get some food. You must be starving since you haven’t eaten anything all day. You should at least have some thin soup.”
“I’m fine.”
“I’m not fine. I’ll be back soon, so please rest for a moment!”
Before Ariella could stop her, Amira dashed out of the room.
Ariella, who had been staring blankly at Amira’s retreating figure, soon let out a small laugh.
Perhaps due to the déjà vu she had just felt, she saw a resemblance to Duke Ashbon in Amira. The duke had also ignored her words of reassurance and handed her his coat.
To think of the small and cute Amira like a squirrel while recalling the large and fierce Nobert like a black tiger. It would sound like madness to anyone else.
‘The commonality is… that they both care for me.’
Unlike Amira, whose feelings were based on affection, she didn’t know when his feelings would end. Ariella thought this and slowly closed her eyes.
In the Hayden Palace, where the Juvnail royal family resided.
Marcus, the secretary working in the Crown Prince’s residence, had been troubled lately because of the Crown Prince he served.
His lord had always been a source of great stress for him, but recently, it had intensified. Especially after the ball held at the Duke of Bedford’s residence.
Aaron had been lost in thought all day, procrastinating on work, and sometimes making absurd comments that put Marcus in a difficult position.
Today, particularly, his statement could be considered the worst in recent years.
“Marcus, has there ever been an emperor who took a queen’s sister as a mistress?”
Aaron, lounging on the sofa with his head tilted back in a bizarre position, suddenly threw out the question, leaving Marcus dumbfounded.
“I think it would be fine if they weren’t blood relatives. What do you think?”
In truth, even if they were blood sisters, it wouldn’t matter much.
This was the only consideration Aaron had for Marcus, who was looking at him like a startled rabbit, not voicing his true thoughts.
“There has never been such a case, Your Highness.”
Marcus calmly replied, suppressing the urge to shout for some sense to be spoken.
“If the queen’s family were to allow it, it might be possible… but it wouldn’t look good. A virtuous ruler should be a model for the nobility.”
“Stop with the boring talk as if you’re my teacher. You’re saying it’s not impossible in theory, right?”
“Yes, that is correct, Your Highness.”
“Hmm…”
Half-giving up, Marcus provided the answer Aaron wanted, and only then did Aaron lift his head from its reclined position. He then sat up properly and fiddled with the pen on the table.
“Stationery.”
Commanding arrogantly, Marcus opened the drawer as if it were second nature. Whether he was a virtuous ruler or not, it was fortunate that the Crown Prince he served was not a tyrant.
“Bring the prettiest one. You know, something that women would like.”
Or perhaps he was not even a tyrant but a fool who was swayed by women’s skirts without realizing it.
Ariella’s legs were slowly healing thanks to Amira’s attentive care. However, even so, her condition was not good, and she had been unable to move from her bed for about three days.
On the fourth day, she could finally walk a little, but with every step, her thighs throbbed, making movement still difficult.
“I should ask them to hit one leg at a time next time. Then I could at least use a cane.”
She joked, but Amira and Adam looked at her sternly.
The thought that she would eventually be punished again once her legs healed brought tears to Amira’s eyes. Seeing that, Ariella resolved not to make such jokes in the future.
