She smiled sweetly, conveying this meaning.
As soon as Nobert noticed her smile, he turned away again. At this point, she really began to wonder if there was something wrong with her smile.
“Wait!”
Aaron, undeterred, stopped him again. Nobert turned his head slightly, as if annoyed, to meet his gaze.
“If you’re leaving, you should at least apologize for the misunderstanding. How dare you treat the crown prince of the empire as a lecher and then run away? Is it typical for Ashbon people to be so rude?”
Or is it the roots that are the problem? Aaron muttered as he lifted his chin, and Ariella widened her eyes.
Though he spoke in a small voice, it was loud enough to be heard at this distance. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Duke got angry and started a fight right away.
‘Then Aaron would surely escalate the situation.’
That must have been his intention from the start.
Ariella felt truly embarrassed by her fiancé’s crude antics. At the same time, she worried whether the Duke would fall for it. They were not in a position to worry about each other, after all.
However, the ruler of Ashbon was not someone to be easily swayed.
“Ashbon people only apologize for their own wrongdoings. It seems that throwing a fit after committing a wrong is not my style… But at least it’s a relief that you seem to know how you appear to others.”
A snicker. A faint sound of laughter pierced her ears.
As soon as Nobert finished speaking, he strode away. Perhaps due to his long legs, his figure quickly faded from view.
Aaron clenched his teeth and trembled with rage. His face was so red that it seemed he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, but it appeared he couldn’t due to the image he had built up.
It would be troublesome if rumors spread that the “charming crown prince, always composed, caused a ruckus in someone else’s party garden.”
Instead, he redirected his arrows of blame elsewhere.
“Did you do it on purpose?”
“…What?”
“Did you deliberately keep your mouth shut in front of that bastard to put me in a difficult position? Is this how you’re getting back at me?”
What is he talking about? Ariella was at a loss for words, staring at him in disbelief.
As their eyes met, Aaron seemed to realize that this was a bit petty, turning his head and brushing his bangs aside.
‘What an insufferable brat.’
He clenched his fist tightly, recalling Nobert’s brazen face.
That lowly, uneducated man always went against his mood. He claimed to dislike parties and would refuse invitations whenever possible, yet why did they always run into each other at the same parties?
That was not the only annoying thing.
The Duke of Ashbon, who showed no interest in anyone, always looked at Ariella with a peculiar gaze. It was neither affectionate nor tender, but she could be certain of it with a man’s animalistic instinct.
The fact that that bastard is targeting my fiancée in some way.
‘How dare that vulgar brat…!’
Aaron ground his teeth and looked down at Ariella.
Her expressionless face, gazing into the distance, once again scratched at his nerves.
‘Why does she look so shabby?’
So, the lowly man takes an interest without knowing his place. Aaron clicked his tongue.
His fiancée always dressed in a way that was completely out of touch with the latest trends. Sometimes she wore a frumpy dress that looked like it belonged to her sister, and other times she stuck to an excessively plain outfit.
No matter what she wore, she always appeared drab, suggesting that she simply didn’t have a face that suited nice clothes.
Thanks to her natural looks and status, she wasn’t mocked or anything. Rather, older ladies would praise her, saying that she, who placed little importance on worldly matters, was indeed a model of a desirable lady.
However, for him, who had to keep her by his side, it was nothing but embarrassing. She was utterly lacking in many ways to sit beside him.
Somehow, the dress she wore today seemed slightly better than usual, but even so, it was still a design that was far behind the trends.
He sighed and tried to suppress his emotions. Well, at least the one face looking up at him was pure and pretty.
After all, she was still Princess Ariella of Bedford.
“…Eli. I think I got a bit too excited for a moment. If you were surprised, I apologize.”
“Pardon?”
“I suppose I was frustrated because it seemed you were misunderstanding my intentions. Eli, I hope you don’t take it the wrong way. I know that our current situation isn’t very positive… but regardless, I still cherish you.”
As he whispered gently, Ariella’s lavender eyes trembled faintly.
