That Lizzy’s position within the Duke of Abercorn’s household was still not firmly established. Even though Ariella had been pushed out of her sole position as the princess, the Duke still trusted her.
Thus, they changed their attitude as easily as flipping a palm, beginning to treat her with the same kindness and courtesy as they had when Ariella was truly in her prime.
It was a good thing. The original purpose of this plan was to narrow Lizzy’s standing within the Duke’s residence.
However, every time she saw the servants smiling shamelessly as if they had never tormented Ariella, it was impossible not to feel disgusted.
Meanwhile, it seemed that David had learned nothing from this incident.
After two prompts, he only handed over one of his reserved fittings to her after threatening that Ariella would inform the Duke.
However, the fitting he handed over was from a place she had never heard of before. It didn’t seem to be a new establishment, yet she had no recollection of it among the nobility.
Moreover, the conditions they demanded were strange.
“Are you saying I have to come in person to get fitted? Does that even make sense? How dare they treat our Ariella like this…!”
The unknown fitting shop had refused to visit the Duke of Abercorn’s residence. They insisted that Ariella must come in person to have her dress fitted.
Amira was outraged, claiming it was unacceptable, but Ariella responded calmly, as if it were nothing.
“It can’t be helped. If I make a fuss about this, David will surely tell my father that I’m being difficult. For now, I’ve decided to go for the fitting in two hours. Amira, it’s better if you don’t come with me.”
“What?! W-why not?”
Amira’s blue eyes trembled in shock. She was worried about what strange outfit Ariella might return with if she got fitted without her.
Ariella had no disagreement on that point. Yet, her reason for not taking Amira along was clear.
“I have a feeling something dangerous might happen today.”
Having scratched Lizzy and David with all her might two days ago, they would likely be preparing to retaliate. And Ariella’s outing would be an excellent opportunity for them.
Moreover, the fitting shop that David had introduced was not located in the city center like other shops.
The shop was in Declan, about thirty minutes away from the city center, in an area where development had suddenly halted, leaving the streets dirty and nearly devoid of passersby.
“Then you must take me with you! If something dangerous happens, I’ll protect you!”
Amira straightened her back and pounded her chest. Despite being shorter than Ariella, her confidence was as large as a giant’s.
“It’s fine. The only person I need for protection is Sir Adam.”
“Cough, cough! O-of course, Sir Adam is a very reliable knight…! But I can’t let you go without me. I feel safer with you by my side.”
For some reason, Amira’s voice trembled oddly when she mentioned Adam. It seemed she had developed a strange misunderstanding after seeing Ariella tidy Adam’s hair last time.
“No. You could end up in danger.”
“Please! Let me go with you, okay?”
Ariella continued to dissuade her, but Amira was relentless.
She insisted that, regardless of her trust in Ariella, this was one thing she could not concede.
Knock, knock.
Just as they were in the midst of their argument, someone knocked on Ariella’s door.
“Miss. Butler Samuel has come to ask for your opinion regarding the debutante ball.”
Samuel. Ariella recalled the characteristics of him listed in the documents Amira had given her.
He was someone who enjoyed flattering the Duke and had sided with Lizzy from the very beginning.
“Let him in.”
As she permitted, the young butler cautiously stepped into the room. He then placed a stack of documents on the table and said,
“Lady Ari. By the master’s command, I have brought all the documents related to this debutante ball. Please take a look at the budget proposal at the top first.”
As a result of the counterfeit theft incident, it was an unexpected gain that she would be in charge of the debutante ball, something she had not anticipated. Thanks to David’s provocations, she had obtained this unexpected opportunity.
Considering that Lizzy had entrusted the preparations for the debutante ball, it seemed that in many ways, Lizzy had fallen out of her father’s favor.
‘Then I must make the most of this opportunity.’
Ariella joyfully skimmed through the documents. However, the more she read, the more her almond-shaped eyes narrowed.
Soon, she reached a clear conclusion.
“It’s a mess.”
The budget proposal was a complete disaster from the start.
Had they even conducted proper market research? Had they not checked the budget used for last year’s ball, or had they ignored it even after checking? She couldn’t find a single proper item.
