Young and beautiful women would approach, vying for the position of Duchess, but he would coldly reject them, saying that he had no woman other than the deceased Duchess.
However, the Emperor had already seen two sons from the Empress and still brought in a mistress more than twenty years younger to bear another son.
And he allowed that mistress and her son to live in a separate palace within the Hayden Palace, knowing full well that they could run into the Empress.
It was absurd that the royal family, whose internal affairs were far more sordid than Abercorn’s, pretended otherwise.
Of course, she could not show such feelings, so Lizzy sat demurely, mimicking a good and obedient daughter-in-law.
The breakfast that followed was also a time of endurance and hardship for Lizzy.
Empress Genevieve rambled on about Aaron’s childhood and genius, which Lizzy had no interest in, and she clapped and laughed as if it were the most entertaining thing in the world.
Moreover, while the Empress evaluated every aspect of Lizzy, she did not seem to be curious about her as a person.
She was merely testing whether Lizzy was suitable as a daughter-in-law. Lizzy had to provide only the answers the Empress wanted, like a doll, without being able to voice her complaints.
‘Surely I won’t have to keep doing this even after I get married.’
Anxious thoughts swirled in her mind.
“Your life will be thrown into a cesspool, into a cesspool…”
It seemed she could still hear the sharp voice, but she tried hard to erase it.
***
Ariella got into the carriage shortly after Lizzy had departed.
The dress she wore was very extravagant, unlike Lizzy’s.
It wasn’t as grand as the one she wore at the ball a while ago, but the dress adorned with sparkling jewels seemed quite unsuitable for meeting elders.
However, she had no reason to be overly cautious. It wasn’t like she was going to meet the Empress, and even if they did meet, she was no longer just her prospective daughter-in-law.
‘But is it really okay for Mrs. Melana to invest so much in me?’
The dress Ariella wore today also came from Melana’s dress shop.
After the explosive reaction to the golden dress she wore at the ball, Mrs. Melana continued to send her dresses and accessories.
Not all of them were made by the lady herself; most were crafted by seamstresses from Melana’s shop, but each exuded a different charm while being equally beautiful.
‘Surely she isn’t getting paid separately by Duke Ashbon? I can’t let this go; I need to ask the Duke next time I see him…’
As Ariella thought this, she suddenly widened her eyes in surprise.
Was it because she mentioned the next time? Unknowingly, she had taken the next meeting for granted, even though no appointment had been made.
‘What do you mean meet? I’m really overthinking this.’
It seemed she had truly fallen into the trap of Nobert Ashbon. She absentmindedly poked the innocent seat of the carriage to calm her mind.
As she pondered various thoughts, they soon arrived at the palace.
To her surprise, Aaron was there to greet her. He was someone who had shown little interest in her visits to the palace in the past.
“Welcome, Arrie. I’ve been waiting for you.”
Aaron, with his neatly swept red hair and golden attire that suited him well, extended his hand to help Ariella down from the carriage.
His appearance could melt the hearts of many women, but to her, it only seemed ridiculous.
Ariella coldly rejected his hand and stepped down from the carriage alone.
The blue dress flowed like waves, and her hair, which she had swept to one side, fluttered gently. As a thin necklace sparkled on her deer-like long neck, Aaron stared at her with a dazed expression.
Ariella’s appearance was enchanting and beautiful, both objectively and subjectively, like a fairy. She seemed like a completely different person from the woman Aaron had known before.
“Really… really beautiful, Arrie.”
A clear and pure smile blossomed on his lips. Before she knew it, his cheeks were flushed.
He was showing me that expression he used to make when we were children. Ariella scoffed inwardly.
“Did you put on lipstick? It doesn’t seem like you’ve put on heavy makeup, yet you’ve become this beautiful. I’m surprised. Why didn’t you dress up like this sooner?”
“If I had dressed up, would anything have changed? After all, I’m not the real Ariella.”
As she quietly pointed this out, Aaron averted his gaze and cleared his throat.
If he were the original him, he would have gotten angry for daring to talk back to him. It was amusing how his treatment of her had changed so drastically over something as trivial as appearance.
Ariella suppressed her desire to tease him and walked alongside Aaron as they strolled through Blenheim Gardens.
