“Ariel, don’t tell me…!”
“Don’t tell you what…?”
Serhen’s world crumbled. His precious little rabbit, who had grown up within the same protective walls, was really planning to enter the den of that black wolf. Otherwise, there would be no reason for her to keep secrets from him.
“Are you planning to marry Kasion later?” He finally managed to ask.
“Ka-Kasion? What are you talking about?’
“Then why didn’t you tell me that Kasion confessed to you?”
“What? How did you know? Did Kasion tell you?” Ariel’s mouth dropped open in shock, and her face turned completely red.
Should he really be getting this upset over something related to Kasion? He felt hurt. It seemed like Kasion was more important to Ariel now than he was.
Was this why people said raising a daughter was difficult? Serhen suddenly decided that he would never have a daughter in the future. Otherwise, he would end up hurt again, watching his rabbit leave to find its mate.
“Ariel, is that really important right now?”
“If it’s not, did you put someone to spy on my private life?”
Ariel glared at Serhen, her expression full of anger. They stood facing each other, both silently exuding their hurt feelings.
“Pffft…”
Then, a burst of laughter broke the tension.
“Lire.”
“Lady Lireania?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. You two are just too cute.”
Lireania’s cheerful voice even made Serhen and Ariel laugh.
“Lady Ariel, Lord Serhen doesn’t put spies on you because he trusts you. I can vouch for that.”
At Lireania’s words, Ariel scratched her head.
“And Lord Serhen, I don’t know why the duke mentioned it, but… it’s not something you should be involved in.”
“But she’s my only sister.”
“Lady Ariel hasn’t made a decision yet, right? And didn’t you always say the choice is up to Lady Ariel?”
Lireania’s calm mediation made Serhen go quiet. Seeing the two of them, Lireania smiled warmly again.
“Lady Ariel will soon be an adult. She has the right to decide her own future.”
“Ariel doesn’t know much about the world yet, especially not about men.”
“She grew up with a brother like you, so of course, she’ll choose a wise husband.”
“Exactly!” Supported by Lireania, Ariel raised her voice. “I’ve always said it. If he’s not a man like Brother, I’m not getting married.”
“Then… what about Kasion?”
“Of course, Kasion is nothing like you, so I’ve never considered him as an option.”
Serhen’s face brightened at Ariel’s firm words. Lireania, watching this, sighed slightly in disappointment.
“Okay, then I’ll find you a reliable and wonderful husband in the future…”
“But I don’t really plan on getting married.”
“What?”
“I just… want to stay with the Mellin family forever,” Ariel said as she fidgeted with her fingers, fully aware of how unconventional her words were for a noble lady. “Can’t I stay with Brother, Lady Lireania, and… with my beautiful nieces and nephews that will be born? If necessary, I’ll earn my own living expenses somehow…”
“I’m fine with that.”
Serhen immediately took the bait. Perhaps this was the answer he had secretly hoped for all along. But this wasn’t a decision he could make alone. A week later, it wouldn’t be just Serhen leading the Marquisate Mellin. He looked at Lireania.
“Of course, I welcome that. As I mentioned before, Lady Ariel is one of the important reasons for our marriage.” Lireania’s eyes sparkled, her usual warm smile appearing livelier than ever. “But…”
“But?”
“If Lady Ariel’s feelings change and you meet someone you truly love, I’ll support you in that as well.”
Ariel quickly nestled into Lireania’s embrace, rubbing her head against her to show affection. Serhen subtly joined in, extending his long arms to embrace the women he loved. It seemed they would continue to get along well in the future.
* * *
“Lady Ariel…”
Lireania and I were sitting side by side in the garden of the Princess’s palace. Both of us looked uneasy and tense.
“It’s okay. What could possibly happen?”
Although I was trying to reassure Lireania, I wasn’t feeling completely at ease either. I still clearly remembered the princess’s disgraceful behavior in front of Veloire the night before.
“Will she really apologize?”
It was hard to believe, but the princess had invited us, saying she wanted to apologize for yesterday’s incident.
Serhen, who had some business at the palace, had dropped us off. We met Kasion at the entrance, and the two of them disappeared together.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
Soon, we met Diana, who was dressed modestly and looked pale.
“Have a seat, both of you.”
Startled by her sickly appearance, Lireania and I hesitated briefly before sitting down, trying to remain composed.
“I heard about last night’s incident from Dertis. I was… quite rude, wasn’t I?”
“No, not at all.”
“Not at all.”
Although we both denied it, inwardly, we were cursing her. Frankly, the smell and the princess’s disgraceful behavior from last night were unforgettable. But it was a mistake by a member of the imperial family after all.
“We didn’t see anything.”
It’s not that we were afraid of the mess; we just wanted to avoid it.
This was one of the reasons Lireania and I got along so well. For me, it was a mindset formed from dealing with my stepbrother in my past life; for Lireania, it came from running her boutique.
“Both of you… I like you already.”
Was that genuine? It was doubtful, but since the princess wasn’t showing any hostility, we had no choice but to play along. Of course, I had no intention of ever forgetting the insult for calling me ‘airhead.’
At Diana’s gesture, a maid came and filled our teacups. However, it seemed the maid was inexperienced. She didn’t measure the amount of water properly, spilling some while filling my cup and then topping it off with water from another kettle. Now, the temperature would be off, and the tea wouldn’t taste right. Unable to criticize an imperial maid, I could only glance around nervously until Diana spoke.
“So, Lady Soler, is your wedding preparation going well?”
“Yes, thanks to Your Highness’s concern.”
“I see. And your bridesmaid is… Lady Mellin, correct?”
Sweat trickled down my back as the attention suddenly shifted to me. Of all times, I had been making a dazed face while cursing the princess inwardly.
“Lady Mellin?”
As expected, the princess looked at me with a mocking expression, though she probably thought she was smiling warmly.
“Ah, yes, that’s right.”
“Then who will be the marquis’s groomsman? I suppose it’s the duke, his childhood friend?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my…”
Diana let out an exclamation and then stared at me with a strange look in her eyes. I had no idea what her persistent gaze meant, and sweat started to trickle down my spine. Thankfully, Lireania stepped in to save me.
“By the way, it seems the dress Your Highness will wear is almost finished and should be delivered tomorrow.”
“Hmm… Did Lady Soler prepare all the bridesmaid’s and the groomsman’s outfits as well?”
“Yes, everything was made at my boutique.”
“I see… Then the bridesmaid’s and groomsman’s outfit must be a match, right?”
Now, a chill ran down my spine. The sweat that had been flowing earlier seemed to evaporate from the cold aura the princess was emitting, sending shivers through me.
“That’s… correct.”
“Oh my, then people might misunderstand.”
“What kind of misunderstanding do you mean?”
Lireania continued to handle the conversation with the princess while I kept my eyes on my teacup, trying to avoid the ominous feeling in the princess’s words.
“Won’t people see the duke and Lady Mellin as a couple? After all, you two were partners at the last ball.”
“T-That’s not true! The duke and I are definitely not in that kind of relationship.”
Of course, I immediately denied it. However, the princess’s eyes narrowed further.
“Not like that at all?”
The answer was obvious.
No. Really not like that at all. If I could just pass Kasion on as I had briefly considered yesterday, maybe my tangled life would finally find some peace. But for some reason, I felt uneasy and couldn’t bring myself to say it. As I kept my mouth shut, Diana spoke again.
“Lady Mellin, don’t just sit… Ah, I mean, don’t get lost in your thoughts. Just tell me, hoho.”
“Well…”
The word she had bitten off midway echoed vividly in my mind, thanks to the vicious words she had spat at me yesterday. At that moment, a passage related to her came to my mind.
[Crown Prince Aenix slapped Lireania after believing Diana’s lies about her.]
The princess’s reputation wasn’t just bad in the novel. She was known for finding fault and making people’s lives miserable, often dragging in the crown prince with a similar personality.
“It seems you can’t say because there really is something special between you two.”
As expected, the princess’s eyes grew cold. Oh, was she already showing her true colors? Seeing the predatory look in her eyes, a sudden realization dawned on me.
“What if we’re not like that at all?’
“Oh my, then I was thinking of taking your place as Lady Soler’s bridesmaid.”
Diana’s sudden change in tone was completely transparent to me. After all, who knew better than I what atrocities the princess was capable of? Even if she bullied me, I wouldn’t let her off easily.
“If an unmarried lady stands in as a bridesmaid before the head of the family gets married, it might bring bad luck to the bride.”
“Actually, the duke confessed to me.”
Diana’s expression faltered, her eyes shaking.
Why did she have to subtly insult me? She’s the one who will eventually end up on the guillotine after pilling up her karma like that.
Wearing the mask of a woman who seemed to have everything in the world, I smiled sweetly at Diana.
“So, what did you say in response?”
“Well, that’s a private matter…”
“Depending on Lady Mellin’s answer, I might have to change the color of my dress, so please be honest.”
Diana spoke to me in a coaxing tone, trying to seem calm, but I noticed her nails digging into the table. Seeing her like this confirmed it. I definitely couldn’t stand to see her as the duchess, acting all high and mighty. After all, it seemed Diana would relish Kasion’s obsession and imprisonment.
“I told him I’d think about it positively.”
As soon as I answered, Lireania’s eyes widened in surprise. However, she wasn’t looking at me or Diana. With a bad feeling, I slowly followed Lireania’s gaze.
“It’s touching to hear you say that.”
Oh no… Kasion had appeared in the garden, and he had brought Serhen with him.
Start from next week, this novel will be updated every Monday and Thursday
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Lol, Ariel has a special knack for getting herself in trouble.