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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: The Reason for That Emotion, I Don't Know. (4)
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Ariana was treated like a gravely ill patient.
Duke Langsty White scooped Ariana into his arms and carried her to her room. He didn't listen, even when Ariana insisted she was fine.
Ariana had thought Pelos was the only stubborn one in the White family, but Langsty was just as unyielding.
After Physician Yuriel came to treat her wounds and left, Isabel arrived. Rushing in with a pale face, Isabel clutched the blanket tightly and exclaimed,
"Hey! I! I'm... I'm sorry, Ariana."
For what?
Seeing Ariana's eyes widen, Isabel's eyes welled up with tears.
"I should have protected you... I'm sorry I ran away, Ariana. I shouldn't have, it must have been scary, wasn't it? I'm sorry."
"I told you to run away. Thanks to you calling for help, I was safe."
Isabel shook her head vigorously.
"It would have been too late. If Jeor hadn't happened to be returning, it would have been a disaster. I've never been so grateful that Jeor is the type to return before everyone else after a war, bask in the cheers alone, and gloat, as I am today."
Ah, so that's the kind of person he is.
Ariana recalled Jeor, who had arrogant, cold eyes but spoke only in utterly incomprehensible ways.
"I'm truly sorry, Ariana. If I had known something like this would happen, I would have practiced my sword fighting harder... This won't happen again. I'll practice diligently so I can protect you, no matter what happens."
Was there any need for Isabel to do that?
Ariana couldn't understand why Isabel was so apologetic and determined to protect her.
The adults left the bedroom, leaving only Isabel. As Ariana was comforting Isabel, who kept apologizing, she heard people entering.
"I'm back, Grandmother, Grandfather, and all my aunts and uncles. Not only did I return triumphantly from war, but I also protected the princess. Wasn't this return truly successful?"
Jeor's voice drifted through the bedroom door.
"Let's talk outside."
Russell's voice was also heard.
Ariana got out of bed. Isabel blocked Ariana's path.
"Where are you going? Stay in bed. You don't have to get up."
"I have something to discuss with the adults."
"Just stay lying down."
Ariana gently coaxed the protesting Isabel and left the bedroom. The people who were just about to exit Ariana's room turned to look at her.
Theodore said,
"Why did you get up? You should stay in bed."
"If you're discussing this incident, I wish to be present."
"Child, we'll handle these matters. You just need to eat well and sleep soundly."
"As this concerns me, please allow me to participate."
Everyone wore a hesitant expression, but in the end, they consented.
After Isabel was sent out, only the adults remained in Ariana's reception room. Receiving their anxious and worried gazes, Ariana spoke.
"When will my custody trial be held?"
Perhaps they hadn't expected talk of custody after an assassination attempt and abduction, as everyone wore stunned expressions.
Russell, though puzzled, replied,
"To ensure its certainty, we requested a trial at the Imperial Grand Tribunal. It seems a date will be set as early as the beginning of May."
"Did the two witnesses I mentioned agree to testify?"
"Yes. They agreed without much hesitation."
Ariana lowered her gaze, stared at the table for a moment, then spoke.
"The one who sent assassins after me today wasn't Duchess Bronte, but likely the Western Duke. If the assassins he sent don't return, he'll be certain I'm in the Eastern Territory. The Western Duke will also anticipate that a custody trial will take place. In that case, the Chief Investigator will be in danger."
"The Chief Investigator?"
"Yes. The Western Duke is a quick-witted man; he would have suspected I might have sought refuge in the Eastern Territory from the moment I disappeared. If I were to speak about the abuse, he would have been monitoring those who could corroborate it. If someone from the Eastern Territory contacted the Chief Investigator, the Western Duke would have already heard about it. The moment the Chief Investigator attempts to leave the Western Territory to testify, he'll kill him."
This was not something a sixteen-year-old Noble Lady should be able to deduce. Ariana's eyes, as she spoke with such conviction, shone as sharply as a strategist on the eve of war.
Everyone was speechless, gazing at the small girl.
"The Western Duke's suspicions wouldn't have extended to Duchess Roventa of the Empire. Duchess Roventa showed me kindness because of what happened at the Bronte Ducal Estate. Duchess Bronte still fears the Western Duke, so she wouldn't have reported even a minor social blunder to him."
Ariana met Russell's gaze.
"We must protect the Chief Investigator."
"Th-that's right. I'll send people."
"Did the assassins speak?"
Jeor replied,
"They died before they could speak. I tried to go easy on them."
Jeor gestured towards Russell with both palms facing up.
"He couldn't go easy. I wonder what made him so angry."
"It's fine. Their testimony wouldn't have held much weight anyway. If only the Chief Investigator can arrive safely in the Empire, his and Duchess Roventa's testimonies will be enough."
***
Russell headed to his study with Jeor.
Sitting in his chair, Russell rubbed his brow with a pained expression.
Ariana was intelligent beyond what was necessary. She was smart enough to see through schemes that even adults couldn't decipher.
It pained him.
He wished she could have lived without knowing such troubles at all. He prayed she would grow up cherished and beautiful in the Bronte Ducal House, naive like any other noble lady.
He recalled Ariana indifferently watching the captured assassins being tortured at the outpost. Even the strong-willed Isabel wouldn't have been able to watch such a scene without flinching.
Russell knew well how Jeor tortured enemies. At times, it was so cruel that even Russell wanted to look away.
Ariana, however, had watched it as if it were a play.
"My heart aches."
"Because of the princess?"
"Yes. How she must have lived..."
"She is excessively clever, indeed. A very intelligent young lady. She will be greatly utilized."
"I have no intention of utilizing her anywhere."
"Hmm. It seems the princess wants to be utilized. Wouldn't it be better to let her do what she wishes?"
"She has suffered enough until now. From now on, she should simply live comfortably, wearing pretty dresses and enjoying parties, like other children."
Jeor recalled Ariana's burning eyes.
"Well, I don't think she wants to live like a doll. Anyway, Father, I've returned victorious from a great war, yet why haven't you offered a single word of praise?"
"Yes, well done."
"Wow, that's incredibly half-hearted. Alright, fine. The princess is cute, beautiful, and even excessively clever, so I suppose I can't compare to her. Ah, yes, I understand. If I were you, I'd find the princess far more charming than myself. Naturally."
"Jeor..."
Jeor grinned at Russell, who was staring at him in disbelief.
"Don't be so gloomy, Father. You abandoned the princess all this time. What's past is past, and the princess must despise you terribly. How fortunate is it that you're now in a position to receive the hatred you deserve?"
"..."
"If the princess hadn't fled here, you wouldn't have even properly experienced that hatred. Now that you know she despises you, you can slowly seek her forgiveness. Though, I doubt she'll forgive you easily."
***
Two days had passed since the abduction incident.
Ariana decided to accept that there was nothing she *had* to do in this mansion. The people who were making such a fuss, tearfully distraught over a minor scrape on her wrist, certainly wouldn't assign her any difficult tasks.
"You may enter any place you wish."
When Ariana asked if she could use the library, Russell answered without hesitation.
Ariana had brought a stack of books from the library last night, piled them beside her bed, and was currently reading.
There was no one to wake her, so she rose when she pleased, ate the meals a maid brought her in bed, and read in that same position. This lazy time felt awkward and strange.
She worried if it was alright to indulge in such leisure, but there was nothing she could do by busying herself alone anyway.
She was half-reclined, reading a book, and dozing off when a knock sounded.
"Ariana. May I enter?"
At Russell's voice, Ariana quickly sat up. She was still in her nightgown, which bothered her, but she couldn't make the Eastern Duke wait.
"Yes, please come in."
Ariana stood politely by the bed, waiting for Russell to enter. Russell, upon entering the bedroom, looked at Ariana, then at the rumpled blanket, and said,
"You may remain comfortably lying down. You don't have to get up every time I come to see you."
"How could I possibly greet Your Grace while lying in bed? Please forgive me for still being in my nightgown."
"You don't have to ask for forgiveness for every little thing. Aren't you bored?"
"No. Thanks to Your Grace's permission, I've brought many interesting books from the library and am reading them."
"If you wish, you may have entertainers brought in to amuse you."
"Yes, I will do so if needed. Thank you for your consideration."
The conversation ceased there. Russell stood with his hands clasped behind his back, steadily observing Ariana.
It seemed he had something to say but couldn't, so Ariana spoke first.
"Do you have something to tell me?"
"Ah, yes."
Russell cleared his throat. Ariana thought Russell seemed a little flustered.
'Why is he acting like this? Is he perhaps trying to send me away?'
A sudden wave of anxiety made her press her lips together, just as Russell extended something.
It was a gift package, wrapped in ornate paper and tied with a large ribbon. Ariana's eyes widened at the unexpected object.
"This is...?"
"Happy birthday, Ariana."
Thump—
"I've sent gifts to the Bronte Ducal Estate for your birthday every year, but you probably never received them."
Thump—
"Now, for the very first time, I can personally wish you a happy birthday."
Thump—
She kept hearing something settling. The sound wasn't from outside, but from within Ariana herself.
Something was fiercely knocking against the thick wall of ice that tightly encased her heart. The sturdy ice wall didn't shatter, but it was trembling.
"Birthday..."
She thought she needed to handle this situation with elegance, grace, and unwavering composure.
"Congratulations like that..."
But it was difficult to completely rein in the emotions that were forcing their way through the trembling cracks.
"I've never received one. Not even once."
Truly, not even once. No one had ever celebrated it, to the point where she had forgotten she even had a birthday.
Until the day she died, Ariana had lived forgetting that she even had a birthday. Even while celebrating the grand birthday parties of Helena and Victoria, she had no idea she had one herself.
"So, Your Grace."
With trembling hands, Ariana tightly clutched the birthday gift extended to her. She buried her deeply bowed face into the present.
"Please forgive me for not observing proper etiquette."
