Bentley looked at Bonita with wide-open eyes, wearing a self-satisfied smile.

‘How about that? Isn’t my acting quite good?’

The comment about acting like a five-year-old earlier had subtly bothered him. On the other hand, Bonita was thinking:

‘Why is he smiling? Is being good at lying something to be proud of…?’

Bonita couldn’t understand that way of thinking at all. Unaware that they were gradually growing apart, Bentley sat politely next to Oliver.

Of all places, it was another situation where Bonita and Bentley faced each other. As Bentley, holding utensils, mumbled to himself:

‘Well, she’s still a kid. She looks a bit cute when she sits quietly like this.’

Smaller than his peers, with big and gentle eyes and pretty pink hair, she was quite adorable.

Slicing the bread as an appetizer with a knife, Bentley chuckled softly.

‘Yes, let’s do better this time. I was too impatient earlier, so let’s try to get along while apologizing.’

And the recipient of Bentley’s refreshing chuckle, Bonita, thought:

‘Why does he keep looking at me? His gaze feels uncomfortable…’

The intense gaze made her feel very uneasy. It felt like facing a disguised snake, and the crucial point here is that it’s a snake, not a wolf.

‘Thinking about it, his eyes resemble a snake’s.’

She shivered at the thought that what she revealed earlier might have been intentional, causing her to get goosebumps.

To avoid Bentley’s gaze, Bonita focused on the bread and soup on her plate. It wasn’t a difficult task.

‘It’s delicious!’

Meals from the Duke’s mansion were always impressive and delicious, so the food took the fourth place in her ranking.

The remaining top three were Oliver, Luke, and Catherine, in that order. Bonita wore a happy expression.

Observing Bonita, Bentley’s eyes momentarily blanked out.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

At the same time.

“Haah.”

Lying alone in the room, Aria twisted her body and sighed.

The soft and light Saturn blanket covered her warmly as she moved her fingers. However, her heart felt the opposite, as if it were a soaked cotton, drooping.

‘Is Bonita okay?’

According to Lennen’s speculation, Oliver surely saw Bonita as a thorn in his side.

And there’s more.

There’s already a record of switching Bonita with a deceased baby.

If that’s the case, this time, he might try to poison his healthy niece, who walks around with both eyes wide open.

Aria’s lips turned pale.

Strength went into her pretty fingers.

‘I should have gone after all…’

The only reason Aria was alone in the room, using her illness as an excuse, was simply that she didn’t want to run into Oliver.

It wasn’t just because of personal embarrassment.

‘The fact that Aria switched Bonita… is probably true.’
However, Aria has no motive. There is likely someone who ordered the switch, and it’s probably Delphinium Jacques—Oliver.

‘In that case, the two must have definitely met. Oliver would surely remember Aria.’

That was the issue.

The moment Oliver discovers Aria, he would try to make contact with her again by any means necessary. From his perspective, he needs to find out why Aria, who followed his orders, boldly appeared at the Duke’s mansion seven years later.

Yet, the current her doesn’t exactly know the precise relationship between the real Aria and Oliver.

If he sent signals that only the two of them could understand, and she failed to comprehend them, it would undoubtedly be revealed.

Perhaps… she might even discover that she’s not the real Aria.

“Of course… people inside already know that I exist.”

Aria murmured to herself, as if reminding herself.

“Rumors about me have already spread widely.”

It wasn’t the kind of thing she could hide. Even if she blocked the mouths of all the Duke’s servants, she couldn’t completely prevent rumors from spreading as long as she stayed inside the mansion.

So, she chose to openly reveal it.

The strategy worked quite well.

People who were initially very curious eventually lost interest in prying into secrets after seeing Aria and Bonita once.

That’s how people are. When there’s a secret, their bodies burn with curiosity, but once they know the secret, interest surprisingly fades quickly.

“I wish I could see Lennen again.”

Not being able to send letters was so inconvenient.

Aria tried hard to convey her thoughts to Lennen with a forceful effort.

Of course, it was impossible.

Importing a well-maintained Imperial messenger pigeon with magical treatment would be a more realistic option.

The moment she thought of a “dash.”

Tap, tap.

A sharp sound of something tapping the window.

Aria immediately stood up, wondering. Her steps toward the window were urgent.

“…!”

Her blue eyes widened.

Outside the window, there was a pigeon with a paper attached to its leg.

The pigeon’s feathers were as white as snow, and under the moonlight, they seemed silver.

At a glance, it was an exceptionally well-maintained Imperial messenger pigeon with glossy feathers.

“Kkureuk.”

As Aria stared absentmindedly, the pigeon made an unhappy cooing sound and pecked at the window with its beak.

“Ah… Sorry.”