# 9
---
The sympathetic eyes of those below were unnerving, but the good will they showed towards Theodora was overwhelming.
'Especially when compared to Ariana Aberdeen'
Of course, I was really stunned when I heard that the girl would become a duchess.
'It was funny that a woman who couldn't be treated as a true noble became the Crown Princess.'
But after a fit of intense rage swept over me, I thought about it again and realized that this sequence wasn't so bad.
In Theodora's view, Ariana Aberdeen was the first to become cannon fodder.
'When will something happen to the Clifford family again?'
Thanks to the tragedy that occurred in the Duke's family, the upper class of Cremisa clearly understood the era in which they lived.
Although cheerful and wonderful on the outside, this is an era in which survival is achieved by putting a bullet in the back of the head of political opponents rather than waiting for justice from the law.
'So, when everything settles down, he can go and clean up that Aberdeen girl.'
Theodora wanted to live her life efficiently and without a single spot on her face. When the time came, she was confident that Ariana Aberdeen would step down.
Even if Kenneth didn't fire her himf.
She smiled confidently and nodded.
“Can we go together and talk about the upcoming banquet? I know you hate wasting time.”
Kenneth showed no sign of accompanying her, but he followed her without hesitation.
Even if it was just to show others that she was the true future duchess.
* * *
As expected, raindrops started falling, just as Ariana feared.
However, since I was already enjoying the warm tea and scones, the damp wind did not seep into my bones.
Emily smiled brightly, holding a beautiful array of cakes in her arms.
“Ma’am, thank you very much! Please take care of other people too.”
While Ariana laughed softly, Emily blushed and whispered,
“Well, still… my lady gave it to me!”
“I'm fine. Because it doesn't matter.”
While Ariana acted nonchalant, Emily noticed more.
Everyone was busy cursing this woman and calling her greedy and extravagant.
But does a woman like that really need to be nice to an ordinary employee?
“You seem very sincere… Maybe you're not as bad a person as the butlers say. Ah, I don't know.”
But Ariana didn't really care what Emily noticed.
She was preoccupied with the main problem that needed to be solved before she left this place.
She gave birth to Baby this fall. The girl died of influenza cough within one year of her birth.
But can I make the environment exactly the same as when I had Baby? Is this possible?
How complex is a woman's body? Isn't it also affected by what you eat and your psychological state at the time?
So, no matter how accurately she remembered the day she slept with Kenneth, there was no guarantee that her body would be in the same condition as it had been in her first life.
No matter how much I think about it, I don't have the confidence to control the variables.
So in conclusion...
However, Ariana, who was lost in thought, took a deep breath as her eyes turned red.
At first, I was shocked when something heavy hit my forehead. But then pain swept through me, as if my body was being torn apart.
And above all, I couldn't breathe because of the smell of blood.
I couldn't open my eyes properly, so I stumbled a few steps, then sat up and collapsed onto my side.
"my lady!"
“Ah...”
“Madam, blood...!”
Emily hurriedly placed a handkerchief on the right side of Ariana's forehead. Small blood-red spots quickly spread across the white napkin.
"Are you okay? Your eyes!"
“Oh, it's okay. I'm fine.”
Someone threw a small stone at me.
Fortunately, it hit me right above my eyelid and left me feeling numb.
However, when I tried to get up, I felt pain in my left ankle. Did I do something wrong when I fell earlier?
The cold came along with sadness. In the background, a man with a bad reputation was being suppressed by Clifford's attendants.
“Leave me! Leave me, that bitch is the sinner, so why should I!”
Ariana doesn't know such a rough guy.
On the other hand, many people knew it from one side.
As long as she's Ariana Aberdeen, "the crown princess for a day" and "the wayward woman who bewitched two men."
"Because of this bitch's brother...! My house is destroyed!"
Ariana shrugged.
No, I didn't really know what my family was doing. All you have to do is find the right person to blame.
I wanted to make an excuse, but I couldn't say anything.
Tsk-! The man spat on Ariana as hard as he could.
“You dirty!”
The guy was caught by the attendants anyway, so no matter what he did, he couldn't get to me. Regardless of the fact that it did not reach me, I felt bitter.
'Now, saying things like that doesn't hurt.'
At least as long as she didn't admit that she was hurt, even if those verbal abuses fell like autumn rain, they wouldn't hurt.
Because I know that such wounds will heal well.
However, Emily, who was supporting Ariana, suddenly stopped while walking to the carriage.
“Emily...?”
"Ma'am! Look over there!"
Across the street, a familiar dark blue car was approaching in the rain.
Ariana almost let out a small sigh when she saw the familiar sight.
“Kenneth here?”
Finally, the door opened and a familiar man appeared.
Under the umbrella that the servant hastily raised, Kenneth was surrounded by bluish darkness.
When a second person fell next to him, Ariana's breathing stopped.
“…oh”
Theodora Beren stood beside him. The woman, who was wearing an elegant raincoat and a light purple dress, looked like a woman who had gone out with Kenneth.
Theodora recognized Ariana across from her and covered her mouth with one hand.
Although it was difficult to see due to the rain, Theodora's dark eyes scanned Ariana's face.
From the forehead, the employee's handkerchief presses her against the wet body and contaminated clothes after she fell into a pool.
Ariana knew that the mouth covered by that hand was smiling.
Because on the last day of her life, Theodora Beren laughed at her with a face like that.
"Ariana. Having you as a leech. It suits you just fine."
The only daughter of a wealthy count family and a socialite named Theodora, she is not even included in the group.
But while Ariana's family destroyed Kenneth, that woman's family helped Kenneth.
So everyone thought that the next duchess should be Theodora Perrin. I was like that too, and I didn't hide it.
“Your family paid for their sins with death, but you are still alive thanks to Kenneth’s mercy. Isn’t that rude?”
"The child left alone. In a way, I'm happy for the child. Wouldn't it be better for him to die than to be born to a mother like you and be referred to?"
Theodora looked at Ariana and smiled pityingly.
While Theodora radiated vitality, Ariana was so thin that it was difficult to straighten even while sitting.
“Why are you living now? Ariana.”
“Isn't it time to end this yourf? Consider my advice carefully.”
Originally, she would not have obeyed Theodora's words.
But Ariana was very tired at that time and had been in a state of despair for a long time.
The gun found by Ariana may have been arranged by Theodora. After that visit, there was a gun neatly placed on the bed.
Since I went back in time, there was no way to avoid Theodora, no matter how disgusted I was. However, I promised myf that I would face her with confidence this time.
But on a rainy day, this is what it looks like...
“Let's go back, Emily.”
“Yes? But ma’am, what you’re waiting for here is-”
Maybe this means Emily should wait until Kenneth comes to pick me up.
However, Ariana cut off her words with uncharacteristic harshness,
“No, let's go first. Right away.”
Aside from losing my feelings for Kenneth, I didn't want to face this in front of the woman who laughed at Baby's death.
Especially when two people are together like this, like a married couple, so miserable.