At that time, Ariella quietly but deeply hated Aaron, and she didn’t want to do anything that would help him.
So she buried the pouch of tea leaves deep in her wardrobe and forgot about it, thinking that one day it would be used in a better way.
And finally, it seemed the time had come.
“Miss, a letter has arrived from Countess Annabelle.”
The morning after her visit to the palace, Amira brought the news she had been waiting for.
The content of the letter was just as she had expected. It was an invitation to have tea together after a long time.
It seems my mention of tea yesterday had an effect. Ariella thought as she wrote her reply.
[Thank you for the invitation, my lady. However, I regret to inform you that I have caught a cold, and it may be difficult for me to meet for a while. I wouldn’t want to pass on such a dreadful illness to a noble lady like yourself, so how about we have tea together a week from now, after I have fully recovered from my cold?]
“Have you caught a cold?”
Amira, who was standing next to her and reading the letter, asked in surprise. Ariella shook her head.
“No, it’s summer now, so that’s unlikely. I just thought I should come up with a little lie to prepare myself.”
“Prepare? For what…?”
“Before going into battle, I need to have a firm grasp on my opponent’s weaknesses.”
Ariella already knew about Countess Annabelle’s weaknesses. However, the problem was that they were not substantial enough to be used effectively.
‘The Emperor’s mistress, Countess Annabelle has a secret young lover.’
It was a story that everyone knew. The fact that the countess enjoyed affairs with various men while the old and ailing emperor was none the wiser was quite famous among the noblewomen.
The nobles were amazed that this story had not reached the emperor’s ears, but Ariella was certain that the emperor was already aware of it.
Given Genevieve’s nature, she would not have kept the countess’s infidelity from her husband. The fact that both the emperor and the empress remained silent about it meant that they were both aware and complicit.
The emperor, to avoid losing his mistress, and the empress, to prevent the fact that her husband was so infatuated with his mistress from spreading.
In any case, Countess Annabelle at least made an effort to hide the existence of her lover on the surface. There was a difference between knowing something in secret and having evidence of infidelity visible to everyone.
Because of this, the places where she could enjoy dates with her lover were very limited. Among those few places, the one Countess Annabelle frequented the most was none other than the Hotel Mercedes.
What kind of place is Hotel Mercedes? It is the most luxurious hotel in Edinburgh, where the most pretentious and extravagant people gather. The cost of a night in the most ordinary room is equivalent to a noble’s living expenses for a month, so one could imagine its opulence.
In particular, the two exclusive top-floor suites were only available to a select few VIPs with membership, and Countess Annabelle was one of those special members. The fact that her young lover’s face and identity were unknown was thanks to that exclusivity.
‘First, I need to find out who her lover is.’
I need to think a bit more about the detailed plan, but if things go well, I could use the countess very effectively for my revenge.
However, there was one problem. The Duke of Abercorn was not a member of Hotel Mercedes.
The financial situation of Abercorn was not so dire that they couldn’t afford a hotel membership. If they didn’t have that level of financial capability, they wouldn’t have been able to make Aaron a crown prince in the first place.
However, aside from that, the Duke of Abercorn was known to be a notorious miser, and he despised wasting money on unnecessary things, so it was unlikely he would spend a large sum on a hotel membership he had no reason to use.
‘They say you can’t even access the path to the suite without a membership. There’s even a separate entrance. So what should I do…’
No immediate solutions came to mind. It seemed I needed to think a bit more.
“Miss, it’s almost time to leave.”
Amira brought Ariella back to reality as she was busy thinking.
Checking the time, she realized that the appointment time was indeed approaching. Today’s appointment was with Lady Melana. Last night, she had suggested a meeting, saying she had completed a dress she wanted Ariella to try on.
“How did the time fly by like this? I need to go right away.”
Ariella stood up and patted her skirt to smooth out the creases in her dress. Glancing at the mirror, she saw her naturally beautiful appearance, as if she had made an effort to look good.
