For someone who had done nothing wrong, it was a frustrating situation, but there were things that held her back.
Upon reflection, there were many reasons for him to dislike her.
Starting with Aaron, who was now growling like a beast that had met its natural enemy right next to her, to political and religious issues.
On the surface, Ashbon had declared itself a neutral state, but if one were to delve deeper, it leaned closer to the pro-emperor faction. Moreover, it had long followed the Maranatha Church, the state religion of the empire.
On the other hand, Abercorn was the family that took the lead in deposing the first prince and placing Aaron in the position of crown prince. Not only that, but they also fully supported the new religion, Solarem.
Having taken the opposite stance, it would be more unusual for him not to dislike her.
Having thought this way, Nobert’s softly spoken question now caught her off guard.
“…Do you need help?”
His gaze was still sharp, and his eyes appeared fierce, yet somehow, he seemed to be concerned for Ariella.
Why would he be concerned when they hadn’t even had a proper conversation?
It was puzzling, but before she could think further, a sharp reaction burst forth from beside her.
“Help? I think you’re mistaken.”
As Aaron’s menacing voice followed, a solid arm wrapped around her waist.
“As you can see, I was having a close conversation with my fiancée.”
Her slender body could not withstand the force and leaned into his embrace.
As their clothes brushed against each other, Ariella instinctively shrank back. At that, Nobert’s thick eyebrows furrowed sharply.
“Yet one side was raising their voice unilaterally. Is that how conversations usually go?”
“Couples sometimes have disagreements. You wouldn’t know since you’ve never even been in a relationship, let alone an engagement.”
Aaron scoffed and lifted his chin, clearly trying to provoke.
In fact, this was not the first time such a thing had happened. Aaron had always shown open hostility towards Nobert, his cousin.
While he had never stated a specific reason, most nobles could easily guess the cause.
“The lowly origins of Nobert Ashbon!”
Nobert was one of the many illegitimate children of the previous duke. Moreover, he had the most lowly mother among them.
It was a story known to everyone in the empire.
The son of a lowly maid had inherited the title of Duke of Ashbon, and that too because all his brothers had passed away. Because of this, Nobert had acquired numerous nicknames along with his title.
“The Madman of Ashbon,” “The monstrous parricide who killed all his kin blinded by power,” “The most noble yet lowly blood”… All these were terms used to refer to him.
The nobles of Waveland praised his perfect appearance and outstanding abilities while secretly despising and belittling him.
And among them, the one who hated Nobert the most was Aaron. It was only natural for someone who always preached the importance of blood.
There seemed to be more reasons for him not to speak, but there was no way to know.
“Are you alright?”
Ignoring Aaron’s taunts as if he hadn’t heard them, Nobert turned to Ariella. His fiery, burning gaze captured her clearly.
Ariella pondered the answer to the question the Duke had posed to her with a dazed expression.
Am I alright? Even asking herself, she could not come to a conclusion.
As she fell silent, Aaron tapped her shoulder as if urging her to speak. Then Nobert continued in a dangerously low voice.
“If you are being threatened, please do let me know.”
“Threatened? What do you mean—!”
Aaron could not hold back and raised his voice. However, Nobert seemed to find it amusing and interrupted him again.
“If squeezing your shoulders and forcing you to answer isn’t threatening, then what is?”
Ariella bit her lower lip.
She felt like she was about to burst into laughter. It was understandable, as Aaron’s words from a few days ago while comforting Lizzy were strikingly similar.
“What would you call it if not threatening to force a conversation in this situation?”
To be met with her own words thrown back at her was almost too much to bear. If she could, she would have laughed out loud.
But since Aaron was her fiancé and she was a princess of Abercorn, she could not do that. Ariella struggled to suppress her twitching lips and slowly opened her mouth.
“Your Grace, the Duke of Ashbon. I am fine. There is no need for concern, so please go back inside.”
He had no reason to worry about her, but Ariella said this out of formality.
As expected, Nobert seemed displeased by her misunderstanding, furrowing his brow.
‘Please don’t be angry, I’m just saying this out of politeness!’
