Since Lizzy had said such styles were elegant, Ariella had thought so too.
In fact, she had often seen noblewomen wearing similar designs, though most of them were quite elderly.
“Hmm… They might have been in style a long, long time ago? Hahaha…”
Desperate not to insult the lady she served, Amira desperately avoided eye contact. Fortunately, a merchant from Filling Heights arrived just in time to change the subject.
“Your Highness, Princess Bedford! It is an honor to be summoned directly by you!”
In a few months, that would change. Ariella felt pity for the merchant who praised her without knowing the internal situation of the Duke’s household.
“I don’t know if you remember, but I once saw you pass by, and I was so struck by your beauty that I couldn’t speak! I thought such moments would never come again, but it seems the world is full of surprises, haha!”
“Excessive flattery. Now, will you show me the goods?”
“Ah! Of course! I’ve brought only the finest from our store! Please take your time to look around.”
Ariella quietly examined the jewelry the merchant displayed. And she judged.
‘I really don’t understand.’
To her eyes, they all looked similar. Some had a lot of ribbons, while others had flowers attached; that was the extent of the difference.
The only thing that caught her eye was a red hat. The reason was simple: the red color stood out.
“Lady.”
Just as she reached for the red hat, Amira called her with an oddly desperate voice. Turning her head, Ariella saw Amira’s eyes trembling wildly.
“I think this black hat would go well with your navy dress… What do you think, my lady?”
The hat Amira had chosen was a wide-brimmed black one, adorned with a dark ribbon and small pearls.
It didn’t seem to reflect the Ashbon style well yet, as it wasn’t the light and fresh design she had wanted, but it was the best among the options.
Ariella nodded confidently, as if she had never even glanced at the red hat.
“Yeah, that’s better. Amira, pick a few more. Choose one or two for yourself as well.”
“Y-Yes?! Why mine?”
“You’ve been busy serving me alone lately.”
“Still, that’s just part of my duties as a maid.”
“Even so, at least pick one.”
“I’m really fine, my lady.”
Amira waved her hands in refusal, looking genuinely troubled. Only after Ariella insisted did she reluctantly choose a plain beige hat, the cheapest among what the merchant had brought.
Ariella found this reaction quite strange. Other maids, including Lizzy, would usually be delighted and eager to pick the most expensive and finest items.
‘What a strange girl.’
Even while thinking that, she couldn’t help but be drawn to her.
After the merchant left, Amira and Monica busied themselves.
Thanks to their efforts, they managed to finish the dress fitting safely by the morning of the party. With the hat and jewelry ready, all that was left was to wait until evening.
Worried that the time might drag on, Amira handed Ariella an interesting document.
“What’s this?”
“It’s what you asked me to find out yesterday. I’ve organized a relationship chart as best as I could.”
The white paper listed the names of the servants working in the mansion. Each department was neatly organized, and next to each name were their characteristics, making it easy to read.
What stood out was that about half of the names were written in red. Gianna, Aurora, Jenny, Tony… They were names she recognized.
“Are the names in red those who are on Lizzy’s side?”
“Yes, I’ve only noted those I’m sure of for now. You know, there’s a saying that if a name is written in red, it means they will die.”
“Die…?”
“Yes. Isn’t superstition amusing? So I tried it out, hehe. Please take your time to look it over, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
Ariella lightly nodded and skimmed through the document.
It seemed she had underestimated Amira’s abilities. The content was quite good.
Not only did it clearly indicate the sources of rumors, but it also well identified those who were helping Lizzy.
Of course, it was heavily influenced by Amira’s personal opinions, but it seemed she had done her best to maintain some objectivity.
‘Is she really not Lizzy’s spy?’
From what she had seen so far, there was no room for doubt. But if she truly was innocent, one question remained.
‘Then why is she helping me?’
The balance of who was real had already tilted toward Lizzy. No matter how pitiful she might be, helping a fake Bedford would yield no benefits.
Unless she enjoyed taking dangerous bets, it was unwise to stand on Ariella’s side at this moment.
She was smart enough to know that.
