“And Lizzy.”
Just before leaving the dining room, Ariella suddenly removed her shawl. As the beige shawl fell, the black ribbon wrapped around her waist was revealed.
With a mocking smile, she lightly tapped the hat hanging on the hat rack with her finger.
“No matter how much you dislike an item, you should speak frankly.”
The hat adorned with a ribbon almost identical to her waist ribbon was the one Lizzy had worn.
“This isn’t something to say was a gift; it’s something to say was stolen.”
Just like how you took my name. She added, walking away without waiting for a response.
Thud, as the door closed, only the sound of retreating footsteps echoed in the quiet stillness of the dining room.
“I-I’ll also excuse myself for a moment. I’m going to the restroom.”
Lacey Salvators, who had been silently observing, broke the silence and hurriedly dashed out. Whether she was going to the restroom or somewhere else was of little concern, but it snapped Catalina back to her senses.
It was an opportunity to divert attention.
Judging this, Catalina smirked and opened her mouth.
“Ha! To leave before the meal is even finished, how rude is that?”
“And to say it was stolen! Such slander! It seems you are out of your mind with jealousy.”
While saying this, Loveth harbored a slight doubt. The similarity between Ariella’s waist ribbon and Lizzy’s hat decoration was startling. It looked as if they had been made to match.
‘Arri wouldn’t have given Lizzy a gift.’
A brief suspicion arose, but Loveth quickly shook it off. She continued to slander Ariella, and other nobles, who had once pretended to be closer to Ariella, joined in without hesitation.
Lizzy fidgeted with her fingers, seemingly uncomfortable with the topic, but she didn’t step in to stop it. It was a topic she had been waiting for, after all.
Meanwhile, Aaron reflected on the pitiful figure of Ariella as she left.
Perhaps it was because she had once been his fiancée, or perhaps it was because her recent apology to him came to mind. His heart felt heavy. Of course, with Lizzy by his side, he couldn’t show this feeling.
As the two main characters of this gathering quietly listened, the nobles interpreted it as agreement and continued their gossip.
“I guess she still thinks she’s a noble and elegant princess. But in reality, she was just a beggar pretending to be a lady.”
“Exactly. Did you see her clothes and accessories? They’re all so tacky! She claims those earrings belonged to the late Empress, but how do we know they’re not fake? The person herself is a fake!”
Bang!
Suddenly, a deafening noise pierced the air. The sound of dishes clashing and breaking followed in quick succession.
The startled nobles widened their eyes and turned to look in the direction of the sound.
It was the very spot where Ariella had been sitting just moments ago. Right next to it.
“All of you.”
Nobert Ashbon slammed his large fist down on the table with all his might, his face wild like a beast.
“How utterly despicable.”
His voice was hot and fierce, like molten metal boiling, gripping everyone’s nape harshly.
“A man who fools around with another woman in front of his fiancée.”
What? Fooling around? Aaron’s face crumpled without mercy.
“And those little bastards who laugh and chatter along with him are just as bad.”
Little bastards? This time, the nobles gasped.
“Is this what you call nobility and elegance?”
“You…! How dare you speak to me like that…!”
“In that case, it’s a hundred times better to remain a lowly, uneducated fool.”
Clatter! Nobert, who had cut off the Crown Prince’s words without hesitation, stood up as if he didn’t want to be in this place any longer and strode away.
“Are you not going to stop?!”
Aaron, whose eyes were rolling back in anger, jumped up and shouted, but he could not stop Nobert’s steps.
The atmosphere, which had already felt like a cesspool, froze completely.
This dinner party was a complete disaster. Everyone thought the same.
However, for them, the only way to lighten the mood was to gossip and belittle someone, so the nobles began to curse Nobert Ashbon together.
A filthy background is why one cannot behave like this. The fact that he twitched at the mention of being a beggar was because he couldn’t forget his past.
Seeing the people raising their voices, Lizzy secretly snorted in amusement.
‘He’s highborn and handsome, so I thought he might take an interest. But he’s even dumber than Ariella, isn’t he?’
She was human, so it was natural for good-looking men to catch her eye. However, the most important criterion for her in looking at men was their utility.
In that regard, Nobert Ashbon scored poorly.
It would be better to have someone simple and foolish like Demian. Much better than a foolish man who declares he will remain lowly despite occupying a position that doesn’t suit him.
