# 48
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Ariana smiled sadly as she saw Roger watching her warily for the first time.
It was clear from his expression that he was the type of person who easily showed guilt.
“First, about Mrs. Byrne. When I last checked the papers, I noticed that the Byrne family's ivy ornaments were spread all over the place.”
“Ma’am, this-”
“Yes, I know that ivy is used as a common decoration.”
Ariana smiled sadly, but sighed inwardly.
Even if used, it should be in moderation. With roses or lilies being common decorations, the reasoning behind choosing ivy was obvious.
“But for those who know the situation of the Duke, Lady Byrne, and myf, what do you think this will look like, Mr. Engels?”
Roger's pale face flushed inteny. He didn't expect Ariana to notice this, or to publicly scold him like this.
But Ariana surprised him in another way.
“But it's okay.”
"…What?"
“I invited you to make it clear I don't mind.”
When Ariana saw the papers, she felt a little disturbed by the intentions that treated her as an invisible figure.
'But I also thought this might be to my advantage.'
Up to this point, Roger Ingalls had done her no harm.
It cannot take harsh measures against someone who has not yet committed a crime. So, all she can do is gently calm him down to keep him from wanting to use a gun.
“If necessary, arrange for Lady Byrne to spend time with the Duke. Just make sure the servants don't hear about it.”
"What?"
“Since you will be serving her as the future lady, I mean you should make sure to organize things well in advance.”
Roger's face gradually changed into shock.
'Is this really Ariana Aberdeen?'
A woman who always pestered his master by asking to eat together once a week?
Of course, he and others close to him wanted Theodora Byrne to become the next duchess, but for this woman to say that herf was something he could not have imagined.
“The Duke has already hinted that once the family is back in place, he will welcome the next one.”
“Ah...”
“And opening this place naturally would be the signal for that.”
“…But then, what about you, ma’am?”
Ariana laughed with a frown.
As if a cat cares about a mouse. What an expression.
“Mr. Engels, I spent a night in prison next to the bodies of my mother and brother.”
“So, no need to remind me what happens when life hits bottom.”
Ariana's goal, of course, was to escape safely, but even if she failed, that was none of these people's business.
Why do people in the Duke's family care about her death?
Ariana gently urged the other party.
“I've finished saying what I wanted to say. Do you have something you want to say?”
It was clear from his face that he had a lot to say, but he didn't know where to start.
As I waited for him, Roger began to speak slowly.
“Lately, I thought you'd changed, ma'am.”
"truly …?"
“Yes. You have never been so active in caring for social affairs before.”
Ariana looked at Roger calmly without saying anything.
It would do her no good if she talked about whether he had ever given her a chance.
'Moreover, this time was because of Emily's expectations.'
She didn't want to seem like she was being insulted in front of others, so she was a little meticulous in the party affairs this time.
But Roger looked directly at her with angry eyes.
“Why didn’t you make such an effort before? Didn’t you hear how much Master’s life was in danger during the two years after the stage accident?”
Ariana gasped briefly.
Mention of the period during which Kenneth disappeared from the Empire was taboo in the ducal palace.
Ariana didn't dare to ask because of guilt, and Kenneth never talked about the most miserable moments of his life.
“Because of the information your family sold, every hospital the family could go to was full of killers.”
“Even after stopping the bleeding, he was on the verge of death many times…!”
“On that day, he had another appointment, but because of you!”
Ariana quietly listened to Roger's shouts of anger.
The truth she had vaguely expected was even more horrific to hear from someone else.
“So, after he painstakingly rebuilt everything, what does this mean?”
At the end of his anger, he angrily rebuked Roger.
“Do you think you knew how important the past year was? We had to quickly regain what we lost, repair damaged relationships-”
Ariana understood what Roger wanted to blame her for.
From the beginning, her marriage into the imperial family destroyed the Duke's family relations. Since she was afraid of social activities, she was sure to look distasteful in the eyes of the servants.
“Master still only sleeps for a few hours, ruining his health-”
“…Have you been given an opportunity to speak in this family, Mr. Engels?”
“What? Well-”
Roger opened his mouth as if to ask what she was talking about.
But he quickly closed his mouth, because he had nothing to say.
Roger had seen his “Wednesday meal” requests repeatedly rejected alongside Kenneth.
“You've seen how my requests have been ignored every time, haven't you?”
“This...”
“Even a simple dining request was like that, would I have been able to say more?”
Ariana took a deep breath and exhaled.
“I know that I am guilty to the people of the Clifford family. So I couldn’t act confidently. If I was an obstacle to rebuilding the family… I’m really sorry.”
“And Opera Day-”
Ariana gasped for a moment.
strange. She thought she no longer felt pain.
But even if her throat was raw, she wanted to speak.
“I really didn’t know… I didn’t ask the Duke out with such intentions.”
“On that day, my family...”
Ariana couldn't complete her sentence and stuttered.
Suddenly, I felt heartbroken.
Oh God, if you grant me the miracle of going back in time...
Why didn't you take me back to eighteen years old?
If I had, I would never have asked him out.
I would live a life where I would avoid meeting him as much as possible.
Even if I would have suffered from the unfulfillment of my first love, we would have lived a life that would not destroy us.
…But her reality was that she was a twenty-one-year-old duchess, and she did not have the strength to heal the deep scars.
“But based on the result, my words are just an excuse, right?”
Roger said nothing, staring at the ground silently.
After waiting a while, Ariana asked quietly.
“Do you have more to say?”
“...No, nothing.”
“Okay, thanks for taking the time.”
Ariana smiled sadly.
“So, let's live in peace while we're here. That's all I want.”
* * *
Hours after Roger left, Emily returned from the post office in the new area, full of enthusiasm.
"Ma'am! I'm back!"
“Welcome back, Emily.”
“Uh...? Ma’am, are you okay?”
Emily stopped when she saw Ariana's eyes.
"Don't tell! Did Mr. Engels say something strange while I was gone? Are you all right?"
“No, don't worry.”
Ariana smiled weakly, ignoring her swollen eyes.
“We talked well, don't worry. Did you send the letter to your mother?”
"Yes! And I brought this too."
"…! Thanks."
Ariana quickly took out a piece of paper that looked like a receipt.
'Is this sufficient for the purposes necessary to leave this country?'
The place you are going, the people you will ask for help, your means of livelihood, and the means of transportation.
I had thought of everything so far, but there was a major hurdle with transportation.
‘To board the ship, I need an identity document.’
In the Cremisa Empire, the only people who don't need identity documents are the upper class.
So, to escape to another country without revealing her identity, Ariana had to create a new identity document to fool the ship's crew.
‘The place that issues identity documents is the government office’