The prison for the duchess was so luxurious, with a separate bathroom in each room, but Rachel was tasting deep humiliation and fear.

Born as the princess of the Seoryeong Obllen family, going through the engagement, until becoming the Duchess of Bronthe on this day, Rachel had never experienced such cruel treatment even once.

The incident of imprisoning Ariana in the dark underground dungeon several times had long disappeared from Rachel’s mind. Despite receiving treatment far better than Ariana, Rachel couldn’t suppress her anger.

“Ariana! How dare you…”

Rachel couldn’t believe Ariana had achieved all this. She deliberately taught Ariana nothing. If she had wisdom, she would desire freedom, and if she desired freedom, she would know how to wield a sword.

Ariana planned to raise Ariana in obscurity, send her to a necessary family through marriage, and establish a foundation for Victoria, Helena, and Jaison.

But at some point, Ariana changed.

“Back then, at that party.”

To make connections for Helena’s debutante, a garden party held at the Bronthe mansion in February. That’s when it began.

Ariana behaved foolishly at the party, but her actions shook the nobles present.

“Why did she suddenly change like that? Since when has she been harboring a sword inside?”

Rachel couldn’t figure it out.

She deliberately kept Ariana ignorant, preventing her from approaching when she called for a governess for her two daughters. Ariana was supposed to be naturally ignorant of knowledge and etiquette, but from that day on, Ariana skillfully begged like a royal and used impeccable etiquette.

“I endured all that suffering to give birth to her.”

She carried it in her womb for ten months. Although the child of a man she didn’t like felt like a parasite, she carried it for ten months.

If she had given birth like that, she should have repaid the favor. Instead, she couldn’t forgive the fact that Ariana had thrust the sword she was carrying into her.

“Ingrate!”

Hatred had swelled up to the point of bursting during the week she had been imprisoned. She wanted to go out immediately and grab Ariana by the hair and slap her. No, she wanted to stab Ariana’s heart with her own hands.

But that couldn’t be. She couldn’t do such a cruel thing to her mother.

While burning with anger, she heard the sound of the prison door opening. Footsteps coming closer. The person who stopped in front of the iron bars was Duke Seojehu.

“Father!”

“You’ll be released today.”

“Did the verdict get overturned?”

Due to Rachel’s foolish words, Seojehu’s expression distorted.

The verdict was clear. Even if it was an incorrect verdict, it wouldn’t change.

“She posted bail.”

“H-How much…?”

“Ten million gold.”
Ten million gold was the annual living expenses of the duke’s household. In addition to this, combining Rachel’s fine of 30 million gold and Seojehu’s fine of 10 million gold, they ended up spending a whopping 50 million gold on this incident.

It was an amount that could shake the finances of the Seoryeong.

However, Rachel, who was the princess of Seoryeong, couldn’t allow herself to spend six months in prison. Seojehu needed to spend a large sum to get Rachel out of jail.

It was a bitter defeat. Her insides were boiling, but there was nothing she could do.

Seojehu knew how to weigh gains and losses.

The issue of custody of a 16-year-old girl who was not even a blood relative was not worth exerting more effort. There was no need to exert more effort to cover up the fact of Ariana’s abuse, now that it was known.

Although there were several plans to use the beautiful Ariana, those could be done with other granddaughters.

Seojehu knew well that there was nothing to gain from clinging to a clearly lost cause.

“Ariana… Ariana, what is that woman doing now? Did she leave for the Eastern Territory?”

Seojehu stared silently at Rachel, who asked with widened eyes, and then spoke.

“Now, pay no attention to that child. She has nothing to do with us.”

“We can’t end it like this!”

“The verdict has been made.”

“There must be a way!”

“There isn’t!”

When Seojehu shouted abruptly, Rachel flinched. With a distorted face like a devil, Seojehu spoke.

“It’s an imperial decree! Even if it’s an incorrect decree, it won’t change. Stop thinking about that child. Don’t even think of her as your own. Think that such a thing doesn’t exist in the world and live!”

“But…”

Tears streamed from Rachel’s eyes, but Seojehu coldly stared at his daughter.

“Raise the children well when you return to Seoryeong. Find a way to send one of them into the palace. In any case, don’t touch that child anymore. Don’t even think of having given birth to her. Think that such a thing doesn’t exist in the world and live!”

“But…”

Even though more than ten days had passed, Ariana still hadn’t fully recovered.

While lying in the sickroom, Duke Seojehu and his wife visited Ariana’s side several times a day, keeping watch and then leaving.

As soon as Ariana got up from the sickbed, she went to thank the elder Duke and his wife for their efforts during the trial.