Lizzy was using the room that Ariella had previously occupied, and Ariella’s newly assigned room was not far away in the same building.
As they approached Lizzy’s room, they saw a crowd of servants gathered.
They had gathered an audience to watch the spectacle. Ariella easily deduced this.
Lizzy, standing confidently in front of the audience, soon spotted her and approached.
Finally, the main characters took the stage. And the first line of the play began.
“Arrie! You finally made it.”
Ariella accepted the other changes but was still unaccustomed to Lizzy speaking to her informally.
It felt more strange than unpleasant. Ever since she had brought her from the slums, she had subconsciously viewed her as a much younger sister.
Somehow, they had now truly become sisters.
“What’s all this commotion? Father clearly told us to keep things as quiet as possible until the ball.”
As Ariella’s cold voice echoed, those who had been whispering and avoiding the eyes of the young lady and the young master fell silent.
Ariella exuded an intimidation that neither Lizzy nor David felt. With just a few words, all attention was drawn to her, and a single glance could silence lips.
“Being raised as a noblewoman from a young age makes a difference.”
“Indeed, she has always managed the household well.”
The servants whispered among themselves.
Fortunately, their voices were so low that Lizzy couldn’t hear them.
“I wanted to do that too. But something came up that I couldn’t just let slide.”
“Right, it can’t just be overlooked.”
As Lizzy spoke calmly, David, standing beside her as if to support her, nodded in agreement. They seemed to have grown closer recently, conspiring to drive Ariella out.
“Is this your earring?”
The diamond-studded gold earrings sparkled in Lizzy’s hand.
Ariella responded with silence. Lizzy then furrowed her brows and continued.
“When I returned from a brief walk this afternoon, I found an unfamiliar earring in my jewelry box. I want to believe it’s not true, but… it seems someone deliberately placed it there to frame me. Of all things, to put your earrings there. That’s just too malicious.”
“So, Arrie dear, do you have any idea who might have done this? I suspect it’s the person who has suffered the most since the real you appeared.”
David gestured toward Ariella, openly questioning if she was the culprit.
Gasp. The sound of breaths being held echoed around.
The audience, captivated by the confrontation between the two women who had recently garnered the most attention in the capital—the real noblewoman and the fake—couldn’t take their eyes off the scene.
The thought that what they were witnessing would soon be in the newspapers excited everyone.
Only head maid Rose found the situation extremely uncomfortable, but instead of sending the servants away as usual, she merely sighed heavily and observed the situation.
This was due to David’s earlier threat that he wouldn’t let her interfere with his plans.
As many awaited Ariella’s response, she finally opened her mouth.
“That’s not mine.”
The answer that no one expected came out.
It was not something she ordered, she knew nothing about it, rather, aren’t you the one who is scheming and pretending to be framed…
These were the kinds of answers the servants had anticipated. Lizzy and David were no different.
‘Not hers? Do you think such a lie would work?’
Ha, Lizzy scoffed.
So proud of her intelligence, and this is the best response she could come up with? It was pathetic to the point of being absurd.
It felt as if all her efforts to anticipate Ariella’s rebuttal and prepare a response were being completely disregarded.
‘Well, she is a noble lady, so what can you expect.’
Like a flower growing in a greenhouse, Ariella seemed completely unaware of the harsh realities she would soon face.
She seemed to believe that since she was truly recognized, she could now live quietly as a fake and marry a suitable man. Such a naive belief.
Unfortunately, Lizzy had no intention of letting Ariella live the rest of her life so comfortably.
‘Once I kick her out of this house without giving her a single penny, she’ll understand reality.’
How precious the life of a princess, which she had found so boring, truly was. How harsh and painful the world outside the mansion could be.
Lizzy desperately wanted to make her aware.
“Impossible. This, it was a birthday gift from my father. He thought you were the real daughter.”
If it became widely known that Ariella had tried to frame the real daughter, her father would surely reconsider his choices. Of course, it wouldn’t happen immediately, but if similar incidents continued, it would naturally lead to that.
Eventually, Ariella’s reputation would plummet endlessly, making it difficult for her to find even a mediocre husband, and the servants who had followed her would completely turn to Lizzy.
Imagining Ariella losing all her influence and being kicked out of this house made Lizzy’s heart race with excitement.
