# 75
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The bastard tried to grab her ankle while waving his hand wildly.
But Ariana desperately stomped on him and shook him off her.
“Leave me!”
She kicked him randomly, then threw herf forcefully to open the door. Fortunately, the door was not locked from the inside or outside.
The stairs leading from the cellar to the first floor were filled with scattered luggage, as if prepared for a quick escape.
As she stumbled up, Ariana covered her mouth with her hand.
"brother…!"
She saw a black-haired woman lying in the corridor on the first floor, and at first glance she thought it was a corpse.
But when she saw her breathing with upturned eyes, she realized that she was not only unconscious, but that it was Theodora Byrne...
Why was this woman lying here looking miserable?
'As if someone beat her until she lost consciousness.'
And with this scene, I realized clearly.
While she was pretending to be a big supporter of the Clifford family, Theodora was secretly supporting Andrew...
'No time to think about this now.'
She had to escape from this house immediately. Although it was a place where the prince was staying, it was an ordinary two-story house, so the outer door was not difficult to find.
'Open, please!'
Maybe because someone opened it violently before, the door opened easily.
The lights were off everywhere, and only the grass appeared illuminated by the moonlight.
She heard people screaming in a muffled voice, further disturbing her confused mind.
'Where am I?'
Since the maids treated her like a laundry, she must not be far from the hotel. It was impossible to transport it by car, so maybe two or three people carried it as hard as they could.
But at that moment, she felt a burning pain as if her scalp had been ripped out.
Ariana fell to the ground holding her hair.
"Yes!"
Her limbs felt numb from the pain from which she almost fainted.
She had barely felt the relief of falling backwards, when she felt dizzy as she was being pulled violently.
“Ow, ugh…!”
“If you had come obediently, it would have been easier.”
Andrew, holding the bloodied half of his face, had long ago given up his wry smile.
“This can't be allowed, Ariana.”
“Leave...leave me...!”
Ariana tried to fight back with the candle holder, but Andrew kicked it away into the darkness.
‘No!’
But when Andrew raised his left hand, a gunshot rang out in the darkness.
* * *
The detached palace was surrounded by chaos from the Byrne family's followers.
They were busy pursuing the runaway maids, and were surprised by the police intervention.
No one expected this night. Not even Kenneth.
Whatever he traced, Andrew Claude, who had disappeared after escaping to another country, was cleverly hiding in the Clifford family lands.
It was a gross insult, a clever exploitation of the darkness under the lamp.
But while running, he didn't feel insulted or angry.
'Ariana.'
If Andrew had taken it, it would have left a trace of her resistance. The words of the maid with the bruise on her cheek kept echoing in his ears.
[She's in danger... He always beats us, says we're substitutes for the princess...]
Violence.
He couldn't relate that word to Ariana's fragile body. It would hurt if he moved a little too hard, and her skin would turn red if he held her for too long.
[He would hit us with a candle holder or with a belt... scolding us, why are we crying, we are just servants, while the nobles bear it...]
Words that cannot be associated with Ariana. Isn't this ridiculous?
Wasn't she the prince's beloved fiancée?
That woman who was smiling as if she owned the world was being abused?
'So, since when...'
But he knew the answer without anyone whispering it.
When the clouds dissipated and the moon was revealed, he saw what was hidden in the darkness.
Ariana, clutching her hair, writhed desperately.
A sharp piece of glass in Andrew's left hand shines white under the moonlight.
At that moment, there was no time to think.
He took out his defensive pistol and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
He was going to tear that left hand apart one day. He didn't expect this moment to be.
The ear-splitting sound of gunpowder rang out, and the horrific bastard screamed as he fell backwards.
He was screaming as if he was going to die, but he was not mortally wounded, and his exaggerated appearance was disgusting.
“Ariana!”
Kenneth shouted as he ran towards the woman collapsed on the ground.
But, as she crawled randomly on the ground, it seemed as if she did not hear his screams.
The woman began to stumble toward the bushes.
“Ariana, wait…!”
He could have easily caught her if he had run. But when he extended his hand and screamed louder, he felt a burning pain in the back of his right shoulder.
There was no moan.
He only knew that the bastard who was writhing on the ground had stabbed him with a piece of glass.
"my lord!"
Random shouts made the place even more noisy. He was so used to physical pain, he was almost screaming for them to shut up as he dealt with it.
'No.'
Ariana was walking away.
In the midst of gunshots, if he shouts louder, you will run away more quickly out of fear. In the dark, you might get hurt if you make a mistake.
“Ugh...!”
Kenneth hit the prince who was clinging to him and threw him to the ground.
Blood dripped from his arm due to the recoil.
He forgot the pain pulsing from his shoulder to his fingertips and shouted: “Ariana...!”
But the woman had already disappeared into the darkness, far from his screams.
* * *
The place was full of noise and shouts, making it difficult to concentrate.
She felt like someone called her name, but she was too afraid to turn around.
'I have to get as far away as possible.'
Her survival instinct was screaming at her like a cornered animal. She allowed no other thoughts.
She remembered the opera house incident, and she was horrified.
“Ha, oh, ugh...”
But when she felt her stomach turn, Ariana leaned against a nearby tree and sat down to catch her breath.
Her head was spinning from the intensity of the events.
'Baby, are you okay...?'
Can the baby be born safely after this?
Ariana touched her stomach fearfully, but she did not feel any cramps or pain.
‘Huh.’
I trembled with relief and tears flowed.
Feelings of both fear and relief swept through her.
Looks like the kid is strong this time. That's why he was not harmed despite these terrifying events.
“Or...”
Ariana wiped away her tears forcefully and looked around.
With so many trees, she seemed lost in a coastal forest.
'If it's not far from Place Hotel, if I know the north and south directions, I can get out…'
But when she tried to move her feet, she suddenly woke up.
She was now outside the hotel.
Contrary to thinking of “final readiness” while she was detained, she did not have to return to the Place Hotel…
'So, can I leave now?'
She wasn't as prepared as she had initially planned, but could she leave like this...?
In the midst of the confusion, the words of that horrific monster kept echoing in her mind.
[I knew Kenneth wanted you from the beginning]
[If he didn't like you, the Aberdeen family wouldn't have died in the first place]
'I know these are deceptive words.'
Andrew was portraying the truth as if it were upside down. While he was the one who made the engagement period a nightmare, he pretended that he was not the culprit.
It was disgusting hypocrisy. Having half his face crushed was a good thing.
But in the end, nothing much changed.
The Aberdeen family betrayed the Clifford family out of greed.
This is the story.
But Kenneth...
Was the twenty-one year old really in love with her?