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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Garden Party (4)
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‘It would be problematic if the Northern Duke derailed my plans and altered the future too much.’
Cyrus watched with interest as a flicker of wariness appeared in Arianna's blue eyes.
Until now, the women who faced Cyrus had shown one of two looks: envy or fear.
But the emotion in Arianna's vivid blue eyes was different.
Wariness, and a touch of annoyance.
Cyrus had never been considered an annoyance by anyone, so he found dealing with Arianna somewhat enjoyable. He was even curious to see what attitude she would take, what words she would use to retort.
"Does the Eastern Duke know you're being treated this way?"
A cool chill briefly enveloped her small, pretty face before fading.
Arianna gazed into the darkness beyond Cyrus's shoulder and spoke calmly.
"He couldn't possibly not know, but even if he doesn't, it doesn't matter. What happened at the party today will spread among the nobles, so if I ever seek refuge with him, he won't be able to pretend ignorance. Even the Eastern Duke wouldn't want to bear the stigma of having cast out his abused, pitiful daughter."
Arianna referred to her father as 'the Eastern Duke'.
There was no trace of longing or affection in her calm voice.
"You think a lot with that small head of yours."
Her blue eyes, which had been staring into space, fixed on Cyrus's face.
Her red lips parted, and a clear voice, unsuited to the darkness, flowed out.
"Your Highness's head doesn't seem that big either."
"Do you mean to say, 'If someone like you can think such thoughts, why couldn't I?'"
For a moment, a smile spread across Arianna's face.
It was the first genuine smile he had seen during the days he had been watching her.
A smile as clear as a winter flower blooming on the Graten peaks of the Northern Territory, braving the cold, and as beautiful as a lotus blossoming in a dark swamp.
Cyrus watched, mesmerized, as her neatly shaped eyebrows smoothed out and her cat-like eyes narrowed.
The smile that had begun like a dream faded like a daydream.
"Your Highness certainly speaks amusingly."
"You know how to smile too, it seems."
"I smile if I need to. And I smile if there's reason to."
Cyrus reached a hand through the bars, gently taking hold of her small chin and lifting it.
Even at his sudden action, Arianna showed no sign of surprise.
"You're the first person to laugh because they found my words amusing."
"That can't be true. If you commanded them to laugh, wouldn't everyone laugh?"
The calm reply that flowed from between her full lips was amusing.
So he wondered.
"Do you ever cry?"
What would her face look like when she cried?
"I cry if I need to."
"I'd like to see you cry."
"If you command it, I will cry."
Cyrus released her chin.
Arianna straightened her posture as if nothing had happened. By no means did she resemble a young lady confined to her home and deprived of proper education.
With her back straight and her chin slightly raised, Arianna possessed a dignity akin to a woman holding the highest position in the Imperial Family.
Cyrus wondered what use Arianna, the link between the Eastern Duke and the Western Duke, would be to them, and what kind of pawn they intended to use her as.
However, from what he had observed so far, the Western Duke seemed to have no interest in Arianna, and Rachel truly seemed to dislike her.
‘But there must be a reason why they specifically brought this woman with them when they divorced. And there must be a reason why the Eastern Duke pretends not to know his daughter is suffering like this.’
Perhaps Arianna was merely being used by them, completely unaware. Yet, judging by her actions, which belied her age, it seemed unlikely she would be so easily manipulated.
Unusually, Arianna was the first to speak.
"Is there something Your Highness desires in Bronte Manor?"
"I do not wish to answer."
"You ask me countless questions, yet you are so sparing with your own answers."
"If you compare our positions, you'd understand. Anyone can see you're in a situation where you must answer."
"Do I look like I fear Your Highness's sword?"
She did not.
Cyrus wondered if there was ever a moment when Arianna would be seized by fear.
But he didn't want to deliberately frighten her just to find out.
"A woman who fears neither darkness nor her parents would likely not fear my sword either. But what about hunger? Recalling when I saw you before, you seemed to eat quite well."
Arianna recalled the incident in the pantry and blushed.
It was fortunate that the surroundings were dark.
"I am accustomed to hunger. It is painful, but there is nothing to fear."
"Rachel Bronte seemed quite angry. Would your thoughts remain unchanged even after being confined here for several days?"
"If you knew how many days I've been confined, you'd be quite surprised."
"To think there's still something left to surprise me with. How intriguing."
Cyrus said that much and then vanished. By then, the lantern light had already gone out.
Arianna stared into the darkness where he had stood moments before.
In the pantry, the maids hadn't noticed him or her, even though they were right in front of them.
Could the same be true now?
The thought that Cyrus might still be lurking somewhere in the darkness made it impossible for her to rest easily.
‘Annoying.’
With so much to ponder and plan for in the future, Cyrus's presence was nothing but an irritant.
‘From what the Northern Duke said about Rachel, it didn't sound like he had any good feelings towards her. Perhaps he could become my ally... No, no. Getting involved with the Northern Duke won't lead to anything good.’
He might not be as cruel as the rumors say, but she hadn't yet fully grasped the true nature of Cyrus Karha. Introducing too large a variable might ruin everything before she could even properly begin.
Moreover, Cyrus was not an easy person to handle, like Victoria or Helena. Cyrus would never move according to Arianna's will, so it was right to exclude him.
‘I have no allies.’
Arianna glared into the darkness.
‘Anyone could stab me in the back, anytime. I must walk this path alone.’
+++
Cyrus sat cross-legged atop the East Tower, looking down at the sprawling Bronte Manor.
Numerous splendid buildings and towers, beautiful gardens meticulously crafted throughout the grounds.
Yet in such a vast and luxurious place, there was no place for Arianna.
‘She'll escape from here soon.’
There was no warmth to be found in Arianna's eyes when she spoke of her birth parents. Nor was there any expectation towards them. Even if the Eastern and Western Dukes intended to use Arianna, Cyrus was certain she wouldn't allow herself to be easily manipulated.
Then what was Arianna's ultimate goal? Where were those eyes, filled with undisguised bloodlust and hatred, truly directed?
Cyrus had seen eyes like Arianna's before.
Long ago, in a mirror.
Cyrus, who had lost his parents at a young age and been swayed by various factions, had also once possessed eyes like hers.
No, even now, that look still remained within Cyrus. It was just well-hidden, no longer openly displayed.
‘Everyone came at me with knives. Not knowing who had killed my parents, I had to be wary of everyone.’
Then where did Arianna's hatred stem from?
Parental neglect and abuse?
No, that wasn't it. The darkness lurking deep within Arianna's eyes was something far greater than that.
But where could a sixteen-year-old girl, confined to a manor, have experienced something that would cause her to harbor hatred similar to Cyrus's?
That very point made him wary of her, and also intrigued him.
‘It seems she plans to seek refuge with the Eastern Duke...’
Cyrus was in a situation where he suspected the Eastern Duke was involved in his parents' deaths.
Just before his parents died, caught in an enemy's scheme, the Eastern Duke and Rachel married. And after his parents' deaths, Rachel divorced the Eastern Duke and returned to the Western Territory.
While Rachel was in the Eastern Territory, the Western Duke might have exchanged secret strategies with the Eastern Duke through his daughter, Rachel.
‘I can't tell if this woman connecting with the Eastern Duke will benefit me or harm me.’
Should I interfere?
If she's a woman whose true intentions are hard to gauge, and who even carries a knife, it would be safer to keep her confined in this rigid manor. There's no telling what kind of variable Arianna might become in Cyrus's plans.
Any other time, Cyrus would have mercilessly chosen to thwart Arianna. No, not just thwart her, but simply kill her to remove an obstacle from his path.
For Cyrus, whether someone had wronged him or not was irrelevant when it came to killing them.
What mattered more was whether they would become an obstacle in his path.
Regardless of the person's age or gender, Cyrus's sword moved with impartiality.
When he discovered Arianna harbored plans to leave the Western Territory and seek refuge with the Eastern Duke, he should have killed her.
But he didn't feel like it.
‘She has value.’
He repeated the thought he had already had many times.
‘Someday, she'll be a good asset for me.’
Cyrus recalled her smile, which had shone like the sun beneath the dim lantern light.
‘And she's interesting too.’
+++
Victoria picked up the water glass beside her and threw it.
CRASH—!
The water glass shattered with a loud clatter.
The ladies-in-waiting and maids in Victoria's room couldn't even breathe.
It was the first time the usually gentle and polite Victoria had thrown a tantrum like Helena.
Victoria glared at Helena's maids, whom she had ordered to bring Arianna. They were kneeling, their faces pale.
"I distinctly told you to bring her to me looking presentable."
"My Lady, we followed your orders. We dressed her in a gown and did her makeup, but then Lady Arianna—no, *that woman*—chased us out and changed back into her old clothes."
"And you just let Arianna chase you out? She was alone and there were four of you! You should have held her down and changed her clothes again!"
"B-but... even so, she's a Duchess, how could we...?"
"Duchess?! You mean that kind of woman shares the same bloodline as me?"
Victoria looked around for something else to throw. But everything nearby had already been thrown and shattered.
After the party, Helena, who had been severely reprimanded by Rachel, came to Victoria's room, threw a full-blown tantrum, and then left.
It would have been fortunate if she had only yelled and cursed, but she even slapped Victoria's cheek.
"- "You're the one who suggested bringing her to the party!"
"- "Sister, I never said that. I just said she was pitiful..."
"- "Anyway, if it weren't for you, there would have been no reason to present her at the party!"
Helena, having been scolded more severely than usual, was not in her right mind, so Victoria's words had no effect. Rachel, who had heard about their quarrel and come to investigate, spoke to Victoria with a displeased look.
"- "Don't provoke your sister too much. You're the younger one, you should be more patient."
It was always like this.
Both her mother and father were always lenient only with Helena.
She disliked Helena and her parents, but most of all, she disliked Arianna.
