As expected, Aaron and Lizzy were together.
This time, at least it was fortunate that she was properly dressed.
Lizzy stood there, holding a large bouquet of roses, her eyes sparkling and her smile radiant, looking utterly adorable to anyone who saw her.
“What should I do? I have nothing to give you, Your Highness…”
“Just seeing you happy is enough. I’m glad you seem to like it.”
“Of course I like it! This is the first time I’ve ever received something so wonderful!”
Did everything I had given her amount to less value than that bouquet? Ariella sighed briefly as she watched the couple’s sweet interaction.
The maid Amira, who had been following her, soon discovered the same scene.
“Yikes!”
Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, Amira gasped in shock.
Fortunately or unfortunately, it seemed that Lizzy and Aaron were so engrossed in their own world that they did not hear her.
“Your Highness, you can’t stay too long. Do you understand?”
“It won’t take long. It’s just a formality to show my face.”
“It sounds fun. I want to go to such a place too… But I can’t step outside the Duke’s residence, so it’s so frustrating.”
“Soon enough, that opportunity will come. I’ll talk to the Duke, so don’t be upset.”
Hiiing. Lizzy pouted her lips, looking dissatisfied.
Aaron smiled broadly, finding her sulky expression incredibly cute, and gently stroked her beautiful blonde hair.
‘Ugh.’
What a bunch of weirdos. Amira grimaced.
On the other hand, Ariella stared silently at Aaron with a blank expression.
As always, he presented a perfect appearance.
His hair was casually swept back, and he wore a stylish outfit that set the latest trends. His golden eyes shone majestically even in the dim corridor. He exuded an elegant yet rebellious aura.
What caught Ariella’s attention among all this was, oddly enough, his bright smile that didn’t quite match his demeanor.
She had seen such a face once before.
A memory from her past, long forgotten, suddenly flashed through her mind.
“Princess Bedford?”
It was a day in the year she turned fourteen.
Returning to the capital for the academy’s vacation, Aaron, perhaps excited by the news of the princess of Bedford being reclaimed, came to the Duke’s residence without any prior notice.
“…Who are you?”
“Don’t you know me?”
Ariella, who was enjoying her solitude in the garden, could only tilt her head at the sudden appearance of an intruder.
She hadn’t expected to meet the second prince of Bedford, whose support had notably increased recently. He was someone who lacked nothing in looks or abilities compared to the crown prince, yet here he was in the Duke’s garden.
It was a situation where she couldn’t retort even if he was being rude, but Aaron seemed to find that fresh attitude even more appealing, bursting into laughter.
“I am Aaron Fernandit de Waveland. We met when we were young. It’s been years since we last saw each other, so I’d like to hear your name again.”
Only after hearing his name did she realize he was the imperial prince.
At the same time, she thought his manner of speaking was shockingly awkward. A boy who looked to be around sixteen addressing her as ‘you’ was something she couldn’t handle, especially since just a few years ago, she was more accustomed to the speech of ruffians. It made her cringe.
Ariella made an effort to compose her expression and politely bowed her head.
“I am Ariella. Ariella Bedford.”
“Nice to meet you, Lady Ariella.”
The mischievous-looking young man winked and kissed the back of her hand.
It was a situation that could have been quite thrilling, but unfortunately, Ariella was too busy trying to hide her goosebumps.
From that day on, Aaron visited the Bedford Duke’s residence every day. Initially, she found it burdensome, but she gradually became accustomed to being with him.
Even though Aaron had a tendency to be pretentious and arrogant from a young age, he still showed a somewhat cute side in front of her. No matter how popular he seemed to others, when he met her, he couldn’t manage his expression and would break into a broad smile, which made his face look genuinely bright.
Then, a few months later, during the winter break, Aaron returned with a large ring adorned with a gemstone.
“Lady Ariella, I promise to cherish you more nobly than anyone else for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?”
It was a proposal she had never anticipated.
Ariella was taken aback. She had never regarded him in that way. After all, fourteen was far too young to be thinking about marriage.
“I’m not saying we should do it right away. I’m still young too. At least I should wait until after I graduate from the academy. But if I just sit here twiddling my thumbs until then, I worry someone else might take you away.”
