# 41
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Andrew appeared as if he owned the world, riding a four-wheeled carriage decorated with gold and flower embellishments.
Kenneth had believed all his life that he would be a suitable ally for the Crown Prince, but in reality he had always viewed him as beneath him.
He had seen glimpses of Andrew's feelings of inferiority toward him since childhood.
[I wonder what it's like to live like Kenneth Clifford. People look like they're going to sprinkle gold your way]
At that time, he answered politely without being rude, but Kenneth had looked at Andrew with disdain from that moment on.
Yes, you may be the Crown Prince, so you can harass me.
But as a tolerant cousin, I'll overlook you.
Anyway, everyone admits that I'm better, so what's missing if I don't have a place in the royal family?
But Ariana was standing by his side. She was smiling with an indescribable sparkle.
As if newspaper reports that the Crown Prince adored her were not an exaggeration, she was adorned with transparently sparkling jewels.
“Ha...”
A gasp filled with the smell of blood exploded.
“You weren't focused at all.”
When he scolded her like that, he himf was watching her the whole show. He noticed her fingers were moving nervously as if she was nervous.
He wanted to ask her what she wanted to say by inviting him to the opera.
Maybe he wondered if it was because of similar feelings to his own.
If so, the future might be a bit difficult, but he was thinking about accepting her proposal.
But if she had invited him to plan to kill him...
He didn't want to believe that an eighteen year old girl could get involved in such a thing. He thought Quentin and Josephina Aberdeen had taken advantage of her.
But to continue believing it, Ariana was smiling too beautifully.
As if she owned the whole world.
He felt himf like the biggest fool in the world as he desperately clutched his teeth as the killers dragged them away.
As the procession of the Crown Prince and his fiancée passed by, the woman who had been waving to people began to move away from his line of sight.
You are leaving.
But when I think about it, there was no connection between them.
Despite their frequent encounters over the years, there has always been a distance between them.
So, his feeling of betrayal was actually ridiculous.
So, he left without looking back.
All he could think about was staying alive and getting revenge.
To survive quickly, he had to be light, and shed heavy emotions.
Among them, his feelings for Ariana were the heaviest, so he got rid of her first.
He didn't want to remember his old foolish feelings, and he didn't want to know if Ariana had hidden circumstances.
Even if he knew, it was too late, and one step back would make him lose his sharpness.
So, he left her ing for forgiveness and chances.
How long did he decide to live like this?
Until these shattered feelings completely burn away without a trace.
* * *
The hideous dream in which even the texture of falling colored paper was still vivid was over. For Kenneth, the aftermath of the dream was even more disturbing.
The worst side effect of taking so many medications was that his mind would become foggy after the dream, and his body would move involuntarily.
However, unlike sleepwalking, his consciousness was still faintly present, which made it even more disturbing.
Kenneth placed his hand on his forehead when he realized where he had woken up.
“Ha.”
It was in Ariana's bedroom. Apparently, even when he was half-conscious, he looked very normal, so the guards did not stop him in the corridor.
His mood was plummeting as if he was tainted.
'There is still a mountain of things to accomplish, and I cannot arbitrarily stop medications.'
Just seeing the door aroused his bitter distress towards Ariana, as if it were a mist rising from his chest.
This feeling has been going on ever since “Wednesday Dinner.”
‘I gave her what she wanted as compensation, and yet she remained sullen the entire time.’
Before, she had sent so many messages that got on his nerves, but now she didn't even chatter properly once.
The features of Kenneth, who was staring sharply at the door, sank into deeper disgust.
He didn't know what he expected to see, but he finally opened the door.
He had not decided what to say to the woman sleeping in this room.
But when he entered, Ariana was asleep curled up on the bed. But it seemed that her sleep was not restful, as she was emitting muffled moans from time to time.
“Ah...”
“Huh.”
Kenneth muttered, his voice devoid of any mercy. As he approached, it was clear that Ariana was having a nightmare.
She held her chest as if she was struggling to breathe, then extended her hand as if to ask for help.
And just like that, her hand reached the sleeve of his shirt.
“Ah, ah...”
Kenneth knew that she was lost in her dream, but he shook her hand coldly.
Feeling humiliated by the realistic dream, and his chaotic feelings for Ariana, he felt as if a ghost was devouring his mind.
Kenneth looked at Ariana and muttered.
“…It would be better if you died yourf.”
Thanks to the nightmare, he realized why he couldn't send her to the scaffold.
Perhaps it was due to a despicable attachment.
You're eighteen, I'm twenty-one. If nothing had happened, I wanted to see what would have happened, and this weakness grabbed my ankles.
'But now, isn't it too late?'
So, if this woman, who was trying to shake his heart so late, died herf and broke off his attachment, what a relief it would be…
“Ah…”
Ariana let out another moan as if her breathing was stopping.
After staring at her for a while, he let her little hand grab his sleeve.
One day, I'll be able to get rid of you. So he thought.
* * *
As Ariana feared, she had a nightmare after seeing Roger and the gun.
'Dream about prison this time.'
It was a dream in which her mother and brother appeared scolding her, saying, “How dare you live without shame when we are dead?”
Their mouths were stained with decomposing worms.
'Fortunately, the ending was good, so I endured.'
In the dream, the Kenneth who extended his hand to her was not the creepy judge, but the twenty-one-year-old young man she once had a crush on.
But good things were always only in dreams, and she knew very well that it was all in vain.
When the sea views from the train window began to gradually change, Emily came over to tell Ariana cheerfully.
"The journey has been long and tiring, hasn't it, ma'am! But at last we're almost at the station!"
Emily's hair was braided in two braids and swung up and down like a dog's tail.
"It's really, really, really beautiful! Absolutely stunning, but my vocabulary isn't enough to describe it!"
Ariana was touched by Emily's enthusiasm and looked out the window. In front of the dazzling scene, she let out a sigh of admiration.
"wow."
The transparent blue sea was sparkling with silver light in the afternoon sun, and the refreshing sounds of the waves were reaching in the distance.
The Place Hotel boasted a location from which this view could be admired via a path built of white limestone.
The hotel, decorated with arching white columns, was divided into several connected palaces.
'Wow...wow.'
Ariana made a great effort to keep her chin up and not dart her eyes when she was next to Kenneth.
The hotel had been completed, but not yet officially opened, and servants were to be trained and alterations made during the remainder of the period.
It was decided that the Duke and his wife should remain here for business rest.
Even in the days of her engagement to the Crown Prince, she used outdoor accommodation facilities, but a private beach for only one family...
'No wonder there's a joke that the Claude family controls the empire's treasury.'
When they arrived at the hotel gate, everyone, from business leaders to common servants, were lining up to greet them.
“Welcome, Sir Duke, Madam.”
The pronunciation of “My Lord Duke” was full of joy, but the pronunciation of “Madam” was extremely cold.
If she wasn't of noble origin, they wouldn't have tolerated her presence even in front of their faces.
Kenneth didn't even give her a look, just nodded.
“Come in first.”
“Yes? But, Sir Duke...”
“I still have things to discuss. I will have a busy schedule soon, so don’t waste my energy on trivial matters.”
"… Good."
On the surface, there was nothing harsh in his tone, but after the events at the end of the train journey, their relationship was extremely cold.
'Normally, he should have taken me with him to introduce me to the VIPs and inspect the place together.'
But Ariana decided not to be discouraged by this procedure.
She had something to check on while he was gone.
With a good excuse to call Dr. Piyali.