“-Nobert.”
It was a name she had been afraid to utter, fearing it might evoke unnecessary feelings for him. Yet, in the end, she spoke it.
As her small voice rode the wind to his ears, Nobert stared at her wide-eyed, as if he had just heard astonishing news.
Soon, a boyish, bright smile spread across his face.
“…I’m glad.”
It was just a name, yet he looked as if he had received a wonderful gift. Upon closer inspection, it seemed his ears had turned slightly red.
In disbelief, she stared at his ears, and Nobert flinched and subtly turned his head away.
Ariella, feeling embarrassed, quickly turned her body.
“Well then, I’ll see you next time.”
The reason she mentioned the next time first was simply to repay her debt. She rationalized this as she got into the carriage.
***
Amira welcomed Ariella back to the Duke’s residence with more excitement than ever.
It was understandable, as she seemed to have gone through quite a bit of trouble to ensure that no one in the Duke’s residence noticed Ariella’s absence.
It must have been a tough day. When other maids came in and out of the room, she had to wear unfamiliar dresses and wigs, pretending to be Ariella lying on the bed, and sometimes she had to change into maid’s clothes and go out, claiming that the young lady wasn’t feeling well, effectively playing two roles.
Adam also suppressed his desire to follow Ariella and did his best to inform Amira about the surrounding situation to avoid revealing Ariella’s absence.
Thanks to their efforts, everyone, including the Duke and Lizzy, was completely unaware that Ariella had returned from an outing.
Even Rose, the head maid, handed Ariella her mail without noticing anything unusual.
“Miss, are you feeling a bit better now?”
“Yes. I’m still a little tired, but after resting in bed for half a day, I feel much better.”
Ariella answered shamelessly as she accepted the letters and packages.
First, she checked the sender of the letter, and her face crumpled without her realizing it.
Aaron Ferdinand de Bingham. It was a name she had hoped to avoid hearing today.
The content of the letter was very predictable. Since their last meeting at Blenheim Gardens, he had been sending her messages day and night, so there was no way she could miss it.
[Beautiful Arrie,
The weather is getting warmer by the day. They say new flowers have bloomed in Blenheim Gardens, which you liked.
I was disappointed that we parted without having a proper conversation last time. It seems the palace isn’t a good place to meet. Shall we meet somewhere else next time? If there’s a place you want to go, just let me know.
Your Aaron.]
[Arrie,
Did you receive the last letter I sent? Have you been very busy? I was worried because I didn’t get a reply.
I heard there’s a great opera being performed at the Delira Grand Theater. Hearing about the performance reminded me that you liked opera. How about this Friday? If it’s okay, I’ll send a carriage to the Duke’s residence.
Your Aaron.]
[Arrie,
Is the letter getting through properly? Or is someone daring enough to intercept the Crown Prince’s letters? I’m going crazy not being able to contact you. If you see this letter, please reply immediately.
Aaron.]
Ariella crumpled the high-quality stationery as if there was nothing more to see.
“Here, use it for kindling.”
As she handed the roughly folded letter back to Rose, Rose looked somewhat flustered yet oddly relieved.
She could roughly guess the reason. The Duke must have ordered her to report every detail of the letters exchanged between her and the Crown Prince.
However, as Ariella resolutely ignored Aaron’s contact, Rose, who was loyal to the Duke yet worried about Ariella, must have felt relieved by Ariella’s firm attitude.
‘I’m not a fool; I know I’m being watched, so why would I send a letter to Aaron?’
As long as the Duke’s vigilance was still directed at her, it would be troublesome to get caught up in unnecessary matters. If that happened, her perfectly fine skin would be torn apart by a whip.
Even if that weren’t the case, there was no need to contact Aaron right now. It was time to meet Countess Annabelle instead.
Her meeting with Aaron would take place right after that, once all her preparations for revenge were complete. In fact, it seemed there was no reason for Ariella to reach out first to request a meeting.
‘His patience won’t last long.’
If the Aaron she knew was anything to go by, he would likely stir up trouble soon. He was someone who couldn’t stand being ignored above all else.
Having been pushed out of the Crown Prince candidacy simply for not being the firstborn, he was burning the rest of his life with the inferiority complex he felt back then.
