If the imperial family granted the permission that Bedford had long desired, they would truly make the woman the crown prince loved into the real thing.
[‘The ‘real’ Ariella Bedford and the crown prince had been harboring feelings for each other as if it were fate, even before the truth was revealed. Therefore, the marriage pact between Bedford and the imperial family will proceed as planned.]
To think that ‘Lizzy’, whom everyone believed to be a mere government official, was actually the real princess of Bedford.
The newly announced news left the citizens of Bingham speechless.
A fake who had occupied a position that was not hers for a full ten years, and the unfortunate real princess who returned to her rightful place only at the age of twenty-two. And the crown prince, who seemed to recognize his true fate and had given his heart to the real princess.
It was a story that could not help but ignite excitement. The entire Edinburgh was buzzing with the tale of the three, and reporters eager for new stories busied themselves loitering in front of the Duke of Bedford’s residence.
The inside of the mansion was just as chaotic.
As Lizzy was officially recognized, the servants who had blamed her immorality suddenly fell silent as if nothing had happened. While it was indeed pitiful for the princess who had suddenly fallen from grace, the change in circumstances meant that the object of their support had to change as well.
Despite the sudden coldness from the servants, Ariella showed no particular reaction.
She had never thought that their attitude would remain constant, not even for a moment. From her childhood, she had seen countless times how those she believed to be on her side could turn against her in an instant when it suited their needs.
Still, the reason she had stirred their sympathy until the end was for a similar reason.
‘Just as they turned away from me, they will eventually turn away from Lizzy as well.’
The rumors she had carefully stacked would be useful then.
In any case, everything was flowing just as she had suspected. Ariella had successfully become the fake, and the results were beginning to reveal themselves step by step.
It was only after the news was announced that her father came to find her, commanding her not to act rashly, and in a very short time, many things had changed.
Ariella had given her room to Lizzy, and she had also granted her the various privileges she enjoyed as the only princess.
The most tangible change was none other than her name.
Now, Ariella could no longer be called by her name. Her full name had now become ‘Arrie Bedford’.
The servants, unsure of how to act, awkwardly referred to her as ‘Miss Arrie’. Only Amira insisted on using the name Ariella. Of course, she only referred to her as ‘Miss’ in front of others, given the eyes around them.
Meanwhile, Lizzy’s debutante ball was scheduled for a month later.
Preparing for a ball in just a month felt somewhat overwhelming.
Lizzy expressed her disappointment about this, but the Duke of Bedford’s purpose was merely to efficiently showcase the product he had, not to hold a perfectly beautiful party, so he pressed on.
Ariella anticipated that she would have to take charge of planning Lizzy’s debutante ball without any say. After all, she had always been the one to oversee various events at the Duke’s residence.
However, surprisingly, it was Lizzy who was put in charge of this ball.
‘I thought my father would naturally assign it to me. Did he have even a shred of conscience?’
Preparing a party where she would hand over her own name was simply too much to bear.
After a moment of thought, she dismissed the idea. It was foolish to expect any conscience from her father.
As she had suspected, Lizzy was put in charge of the ball due to her enthusiastic expression of desire. Since it was her debut stage, she wanted to prepare it herself.
Thanks to this, the servants of the Duke’s residence were busier than ever. Lizzy, who was experiencing event planning for the first time, went through many trials and errors, which directly translated into the servants’ hardships.
As a result, the voices of discontent towards Lizzy began to grow, but blinded by her expectations for the debutante ball, she failed to notice.
Instead, she became even bolder and more assertive in pushing the servants. Now that she had been revealed as the real one, she seemed to think there was no need to manage her image as before.
And once again, Friday arrived.
Ariella secretly hoped that she might not have to attend the family meal that made her want to throw up, but that was wishful thinking.
Duke Bedford ordered her to attend as well, and Ariella reluctantly made her way to the breakfast table.
