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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Unending Danger (2)
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As Ariana lost her grip on the struggling horse and was flung into the air, Duke Obellier thought, ‘This is it!’
He had heard that while living in the Western Territory, Ariana had received no proper education and had lived like a maid.
‘She wouldn’t have any skill to protect herself.’
A leg would surely break. If she was lucky, she might be trampled to death by a hoof or suffer a severe head injury and become a simpleton. Even falling from a calmly galloping horse could be life-threatening, so there was no way she could be safe after falling from a horse that had injured its thigh and was bucking wildly.
Even if she survived, today’s fall would be remembered by people for a long time.
A frail princess, unsuited for the Eastern Territory where even women were warriors.
‘But then…’
Something felt unsettling.
Ariana’s body, fluttering in mid-air, suddenly curled into a ball, as if preparing to execute a breakfall.
As the White family members cried out and those who belatedly understood the situation screamed, the small body hit the ground.
Thud—
With a surprisingly light sound, the body tumbled, skillfully avoiding the wild horse’s legs. While people stared blankly at the scene, Ariana sprang to her feet and approached the thrashing horse.
The horse reared up as if to trample Ariana, but she fearlessly grabbed its reins and patted its neck.
“Shhh…”
The rampaging horse gradually calmed down.
Russell, who had rushed over belatedly, pulled Ariana away from the horse, and Jeor took the reins.
Only then did people finally gasp for air they had been holding.
They had never witnessed such a sight before.
They had never dreamed that the pitiable princess, who had returned after suffering abuse in the Western Territory, could so masterfully subdue a frantic horse.
Ariana picked up the cloak that had fallen to the ground.
Donning the dust-covered cloak without even bothering to brush it off, she looked like a warrior who had faced death countless times.
“Ah, Ariana. Are you alright?”
“Yes, Father.”
Ariana smiled kindly as she looked back at the crowd.
“Were you surprised?”
People unconsciously nodded.
Ariana chuckled, a playful smile gracing her lips, and said,
“It was nothing, really.”
Her voice, clear and cheerful like a song, melted people’s hearts.
They felt awe, affection, and tenderness for their princess, who had returned after being away for so long.
Our princess—too strong to be merely pitiable, too lovely to be a spy from the Western Territory.
People felt a surge of pride that their princess was such a remarkable young woman.
While everyone’s gaze was fixed on Ariana, Jeor examined the horse and found a silver needle in its thigh. He quietly pulled out the silver needle, dropped it to the ground, and as he turned towards Ariana, their eyes met.
Ariana was staring at Jeor with eyes that revealed nothing of her thoughts.
Jeor smiled faintly.
“It’s a relief you’re safe, Princess. But this certainly showed everyone what kind of person our Eastern Territory’s princess is.”
Jeor strode forward and extended his hand to Ariana. Ariana smiled gently and placed her hand in his palm.
Jeor lightly kissed the back of her hand and said,
“Welcome back to the Eastern Territory, Princess.”
Only then did the people come to their senses and raise their arms high.
“Woooooah!”
“Princess!”
“Welcome!”
The shouts from the crowd reverberated through the Eastern Territory’s sky. Ariana looked around at the people, her smile gentle. Without needing any formal proclamation in the Grand Plaza, Ariana was accepted as the Eastern Territory’s princess.
Today’s incident would spread by word of mouth throughout the entire Eastern Territory. As it spread, it would surely be embellished and exaggerated until a tale was spun, making Ariana sound like a goddess of war.
‘Someone is targeting me.’
But Ariana’s mind was not as warm as the smile she wore.
As someone who rode horses frequently, Ariana had experienced countless accidents while riding.
She had fallen from horses many times, avoided incoming arrows, and been thrown from injured horses on numerous occasions.
The fact that she hadn’t been seriously injured despite having to jump from carriages many times was thanks to her past experiences.
She didn’t possess the raw strength to protect herself, but she did have a certain level of skill to defend against such situations.
‘If not for all that past experience, I would have been in serious danger.’
No matter how experienced one was, the moment such a thing happened, one’s mind would go blank. Even when she was thrown from the horse just now, her heart had momentarily chilled.
‘Who could it be? The person who targeted my life must be here.’
If the culprit had done this out of concern for the Eastern Territory’s safety, fearing Ariana might be a spy from the Western Territory, then it would be better. It would be a problem that could be gradually resolved by taking time to prove she wasn’t a threat.
However, if someone was targeting Ariana’s life for another reason, she wouldn’t be at ease in the future.
‘The Western Duke wouldn’t have sent anyone. With the Emperor himself intervening in my custody trial, he wouldn’t make a move so soon. Given the Western Duke’s personality, he’d quickly give up on something he couldn’t win and move on to the next.’
Then why would someone target my life?
‘Is it because of the Eastern Duke’s position?’
However, Jeor’s cry when she fell from the horse had sounded genuinely surprised.
‘You never know. The Eastern Duke could be an excellent actor.’
Jeor had already tried to kill Ariana once.
‘I shouldn’t let my guard down for now.’
Ariana heard Jeor tell Russell, “It seems the horse was stung by something like a bee.” She then took Caradine’s hand and boarded the carriage.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
Things had gone wrong.
Duke Obellier felt his insides twist with unbearable frustration.
Even after the carriage carrying Ariana disappeared, people continued to chatter about the princess’s poise.
‘Why does that girl possess such skill? Was the rumor that she learned nothing during her time in the Western Territory just that—a rumor?’
What he had done today had only ended up helping Ariana. Even those who had regarded Ariana with suspicion or jealousy had now changed their tune.
The smile Ariana wore after resolving the situation was so endearing. Though to Duke Obellier’s eyes, it was nothing but an infuriating sight.
‘It seems that girl has something about her that I don’t know.’
Duke Obellier decided to admit that he had been a bit hasty in this matter.
‘I shouldn’t act based solely on rumors. I need more information. Until then, I should lie low.’
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
Although the welcoming ceremony in the Grand Plaza was canceled for Ariana’s safety, Ariana was recognized as the Eastern Territory’s princess.
A festival celebrating the princess’s return was held in the streets.
While people talked, laughed, and celebrated the princess, Ariana safely arrived at Chase Castle.
Sini was discreetly moved to a room prepared for her, and Ariana headed to the dining hall where a banquet was laid out. It was a gathering solely for the White family members.
The family discussed Ariana’s custody trial and the recent horse-riding incident. While there were voices of concern, most of the conversation was cheerful.
Ariana nodded, smiled, and responded appropriately, all while occasionally casting glances towards Jeor. Each time, Jeor was looking at Ariana. He seemed to have no intention of hiding the fact that he was observing her.
‘Why is he looking at me like that? Was the horse incident really Jeor’s doing?’
She didn’t believe the horse had bucked wildly because it was stung by a bee. When Jeor had examined the horse’s thigh earlier, his eyes had clearly shown he was hiding something.
‘But I didn’t think he would orchestrate something so carelessly. Was I wrong in my judgment?’
She had thought that if Jeor were to act, he would do so with much greater precision.
It didn’t seem like him to recklessly attempt something with an uncertain outcome, especially on the day of the princess’s return, in front of countless people gathered for a festival.
While Ariana was lost in thought, Jeor, for his part, was also deep in thought, watching Ariana.
‘She must suspect me.’
Ariana’s gaze, when it occasionally turned towards Jeor, was cool and sharp. Her glowing eyes, as if trying to read Jeor’s true intentions, didn’t belong to a young girl.
Jeor felt as if he was facing a wild beast.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
Duke Obellier had told him to leave it to Jeor. Since he had said he would act himself if Jeor didn’t, Jeor had expected things to be quiet for a while.
‘To make a move immediately on the day of her arrival. And so aggressively…’
Jeor’s head throbbed.
Duke Obellier had always had a hasty side. The same was true for his eldest son, the Grand Duke, and his daughter, the Duchess.
‘This is driving me crazy. Surely the Duke hasn’t already given some instructions to his children, has he?’
There was one thing Duke Obellier didn’t know.
The Eastern Duke’s feelings for his daughter ran deeper than Duke Obellier could imagine. One could tell just by looking at his eyes from nearby.
Russell was looking at Ariana with a gaze Jeor had never once seen before. A gaze that seemed to say this whole moment was a dream, a gaze that implied he would even give his life for his daughter.
The Eastern Duke was known as a fair and level-headed man, but that was when his daughter wasn’t by his side.
‘His Grace the Eastern Duke won’t be impartial when it comes to the Princess.’
The same was true for the other members of the White family.
Naturally, the former Eastern Duke and his wife, and Count Pelos White, wore expressions as if they were about to swoon every time Ariana smiled.
‘If it becomes known that Duke Obellier is behind this…’
Those who bore the Obellier name would not be safe.
‘Even Mother…’
As long as Ariana wasn’t a threat to the Eastern Territory, Jeor had no intention of harming her. If Duke Obellier tried to harm Ariana…
‘Do I have no choice but to protect her? But then… what about Mother?’
Jeor found it increasingly difficult to maintain his composure and remain seated. Enduring Ariana’s scrutinizing gaze was also reaching its limit.
“I’m feeling tired, so I’ll retire for the night.”
As Jeor stood up, Averster said,
“Get some good rest, brother. Tomorrow’s a party, so you should be well-rested.”
“Yes, see you tomorrow.”
As he casually bade farewell and walked out, Ariana’s surprised voice reached him from behind.
“Another party tomorrow?”
“Another? We didn’t have a party today.”
“But what about that earlier in the street…?”
“That was a welcome ceremony for you, and tomorrow is the real party. Don’t you like parties?”
“No, it’s not that… I was just surprised.”
Before leaving the dining hall, Jeor glanced back. Ariana was indeed talking to Averster with a truly surprised expression.
‘She’s truly an enigma.’
Sometimes, she’s inscrutable, as if harboring a million-year-old serpent within, yet at other times, she displays such childlike innocence.
Her profile, with wide eyes and slightly parted lips, was so beautiful that Jeor felt he could understand why Russell couldn’t take his eyes off his daughter.
‘With such a beautiful daughter returned, it’s only natural for him to be happy. He probably won’t even think of someone like me.’
