“I should visit soon.”
“Please take care of your leg first!”
Amira interjected urgently, fearing that Ariella might head to the edge of the capital with her still-healing leg. Ariella responded that she was feeling much better now, but Amira ignored her.
“Please have someone check continuously whether there is any direct or indirect contact between the Chestnut couple and Lizzy. Also, whether they are moving their residence.”
“Yes. Understood.”
“That’s all I need for today. Thank you as always, Sir Adam.”
“It is my duty.”
Ariella anticipated his response even before hearing it, without a single word of error.
Chuckling softly, she opened the drawer of the table and felt around inside. The stack of papers that had always been there was already gone.
“Amira, could you bring me a sheet of letter paper? I’ve run out.”
“Yes, Miss! Should I bring the one you usually use?”
“No, not the fancy one. A plain one will do.”
Amira left the room with a puzzled expression. A few minutes later, she rushed back in with the letter paper.
“Who are you sending it to? Could it be…?”
Seeing her so excited, it seemed she had guessed that Ariella was writing to Duke Ashbon. Unfortunately, Ariella had to disappoint her expectations.
“Um… to someone else’s man?”
As she smiled slyly, Amira soon discovered a letter placed on Ariella’s table and groaned. The ornate golden bird depicted on the letter was something every citizen knew the meaning of.
This morning, it wasn’t just Lizzy who received a letter from the palace.
However, while the person who sent a letter to Lizzy was the Empress, the one who sent a letter to Ariella was the Empress’s foolish son.
[Ari, I have something I really want to tell you. Would you please spare me some of your precious time? I miss you so much.]
It was ridiculous that he was now writing a letter pretending to be affectionate after not even dancing to please Lizzy.
Ariella marveled again at the pettiness of her former fiancé as she wrote elegant characters on the plain letter paper.
[Aaron, I fear what you might say to make me sad again. But I cannot deny that I miss the beautiful flower garden in Blenheim where we walked together. I think I can spare some time the morning after tomorrow.]
Blenheim Garden was a small garden near the Empress’s palace, famous for its beautiful spring flowers, which the Empress would proudly show off to her first guests.
Without a doubt, Lizzy would visit that place the morning after tomorrow.
***
Lizzy was bustling about since early Sunday morning.
She woke up at a time she would never normally rise, washed every inch of her body, and meticulously styled her hair, which she had been brushing since the previous evening, applying oil to ensure not a single strand was out of place.
She changed into three different dresses, choosing the one that was the least revealing yet looked the most elegant, and spent a long time deliberating over her accessories.
The reason she was putting so much effort into this was that today was as important as the debutante ball.
After all, she was going to have a meal with the most noble woman in Bingham, Empress Genevieve.
“A woman’s duty is to serve her husband well and honor her in-laws! Especially gaining the recognition of the mother-in-law is the most important thing for a daughter-in-law, do you understand?”
It was something she had heard repeatedly in her childhood. Although it wasn’t directed at Lizzy, she had naturally absorbed it by listening nearby.
She didn’t agree with the thoughts of the man who said that. However, she was well aware that it was the general mindset of men. Aaron was probably no different.
Thus, Lizzy adorned herself from head to toe to establish a good relationship with Empress Genevieve, even preparing a gift that the Empress would likely appreciate. She spent quite a bit of money on it.
‘If I’m going to such lengths, what is Aaron doing? He’s been slow to contact me.’
When she mentioned meeting the Empress, Aaron simply replied, “My mother is not a difficult person, so just do well,” without attempting to engage in further conversation.
Suddenly, irritation welled up inside her.
Men were all the same in the end. At the beginning of a relationship, they would go to great lengths as if they could pluck the stars from the sky, eager to see you even for a day longer. But once they got a little comfortable, their contact would dwindle.
The timing of that phase arriving sooner than expected made her anxious, but Lizzy soon regained her composure.
Today, she was going to meet the person who would soon be her mother-in-law. So there was no reason to worry unnecessarily. After all, she would soon marry Aaron and become the Crown Princess.
