44. People Taking Out Their Anger on the Wrong Targets

Ariella visited the Grand Duke Vellaus’s mansion in the capital for the first time as an official guest.

She never imagined her first formal visit would happen like this. Ariella’s heart was filled with unrelenting anger.

When she arrived at the grand mansion, she stepped down from the carriage and greeted Herwen with a polite smile, conscious of the surrounding gazes, but her eyes were cold as she looked at him. Herwen, dressed impeccably, escorted Ariella to the drawing room.

As soon as they were alone in the drawing room, Ariella let her anger show.

“Your Grace! How could you let things turn out like this?”

“Ariella, who are you supposed to be angry at, and why are you taking it out on me now?”

“You should have flatly denied it! Why did you tell the Empress Dowager about our relationship? Did you want to have me sitting next to you that badly? Then you should have become Emperor first.”

“What?? After a photo like that was taken… And aren’t you the one who started this scandal?”

“Me? Are you crazy? Weren’t you the one desperately trying to tie yourself to me because you were afraid I’d leave you and become Empress?”

“What did you say? Watch your mouth!”

At Herwen’s shout, Ariella lowered her eyes and turned her head away.

“I tried to become close friends with the Empress Consort to help you, but now it’s all ruined. The Empress Consort won’t even see me anymore.”

Tears began to well up in Ariella’s eyes. In the past, Herwen would have been startled and wiped her tears away, but even seeing her cry now, he just stood there fuming.

“I finally had a chance to win Larael back, but you ruined everything.”

At those words, Ariella’s teary eyes turned fierce again.

“Win who back? Larael? Your Grace, Larael is already so taken with the Emperor she can’t see straight. Get a grip.”

A heavy silence fell between them. Their breathing gradually calmed. The tears that had pooled in Ariella’s eyes trickled down her cheeks, and then she began to sob aloud.

She slumped down onto the sofa. As she cried so pitifully, Herwen sighed and moved to sit beside her. He gently patted her back. Ariella buried herself in Herwen’s arms and cried for a long time.

“Isn’t it strange? Why does everything go so wrong?”

As Ariella’s sobs subsided, she spoke through her sniffles.

“First, we need to find out who tipped off the newspaper about us. If there hadn’t been a tip, no reporter would have been there.”

Ariella looked at Herwen with a meaningful gaze.

“Maybe we weren’t even the intended targets. For example, maybe it was about the Empress Consort and Your Grace?”

At Ariella’s words, Herwen frowned. No matter who the article was about, it wouldn’t be good for him. Ariella watched Herwen’s expression coldly, and suddenly remembered Anna, her maid and the only one who knew about their relationship.

She’d recently heard that Anna, because of her father’s gambling debts, had been borrowing money from other servants.

“I think… I know who it is.”

A sharp light appeared in Ariella’s eyes.

As she reviewed Anna’s recent behavior in her mind, Ariella’s anger toward Herwen slowly shifted to Anna. Coincidentally, Anna had come with her today. Ariella opened the drawing room door, grabbed Anna, who was waiting outside, and dragged her in roughly.

“My lady, what’s wrong?”

Anna, bewildered, was dragged in and fell to the floor, unable to keep her balance under Ariella’s strong grip.

The whole thing happened so quickly that Anna could only tremble, unable to grasp what was going on. She looked up at Ariella.

Herwen and Ariella were both glaring at her with terrifying eyes. Meeting their gaze, Anna froze on the spot.

“Anna, after all the trust I put in you… Have you paid off your father’s debts?”

“My lady… How did you… know about that?”

Anna looked at Ariella with dazed eyes as she answered. She was shaking so badly that her teeth chattered loudly in the drawing room.

Ariella, now certain her suspicions were correct, closed her eyes and pressed her head with her hand.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t find out what you did?”

“My lady… I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

Anna prostrated herself and began to beg for forgiveness. As soon as she did, Ariella’s doubts turned to certainty, and she lost her self-control.

She looked around, grabbed the vase from the table, and threw it directly at Anna’s head. With a loud crash, the vase shattered, and Anna collapsed to the floor.

Water from the vase mixed with blood from Anna’s head and spread across the floor. Anna was covered in flowers and a mess. She barely managed to lift herself up, but paid no attention to the blood running down her head, just mumbling apologies to Ariella.

“Just once, please, just forgive me once…”

Ariella looked at Herwen. Herwen shook his head.

“Ariella, I’ll take care of this. You should go back now.”

Ariella glared at Anna one last time and left the drawing room. She had thought she’d built trust with Anna over many years, but it was all for nothing in the end. She couldn’t forgive being betrayed like this.

“Your name was Anna, right?”

Herwen sat on the armrest of the sofa and asked Anna, who was still groveling and begging on the floor.

“My lord, I’m sorry.”

“Your lady is gone. You belong to me now.”

“Please… what’s stolen will always…”

“Anna. Consider this the price for running your mouth. I’ll make sure your family gets a generous severance.”

Herwen stood up and kicked her hard in the stomach. Still not satisfied, he began to stomp on her mercilessly from above.

“Johnson!!!”

At Herwen’s call, a large man quickly entered the drawing room. Herwen, breathing heavily, ran a hand through his disheveled hair and gave an order to Johnson.

“Take care of it.”

***

After the engagement between Lady Nox and Grand Duke Vellaus was decided, Duke Nox became noticeably quieter. No one dared to approach him easily. He spoke only of matters related to work.

Count Winters, who had gained Edward’s trust through the mana stone mine and now frequented Edward’s office, was engaged in a heated debate over a proposal raised by Dean. Dean suggested preparing countermeasures in case of a poor harvest in the Hallaren region.

Duke Nox simply watched the discussion with a blank expression, not saying a word.

Those in favor argued that it couldn’t hurt to prepare in advance, while those against said it was wasteful to spend the national treasury on something that might not even happen.

Edward, since the proposal came from Count Winters—the one who had provided information about the mana stone mine—had no reason to reject it. But it was also a risky move. If they imported a large amount of food and there was no poor harvest in Hallaren, all that food would rot in storage. Still, it would be strange to do nothing and just hope for a drought to come.

“I think Count Winters makes a valid point. If we prepare in advance and end up not needing it, we can distribute the surplus to the poor, can’t we?”

Those opposing Count Winters’s idea didn’t know he was the one who provided information about the mana stone mine. If they found out, they would all surely agree.

It was a suggestion from the very count who had refused even to take credit for the mana stone mine. Edward had already decided to go along with Dean’s suggestion, but was formally asking his advisors for their opinions.

In truth, even if they disagreed, he would carry it out. Selling just a portion of the mana stones mined would more than cover the cost.

Edward glanced over at Duke Nox, who was sighing deeply. Duke Nox seemed completely uninterested in the ongoing debate. Edward started to say something, then closed his mouth.