Recalling the amethyst-like eyes that sparkled brilliantly, Ariana distanced herself from memories of the past.

‘Back then, I couldn’t understand what he was saying. But now I do.’

As Andrei mentioned, there was nothing good at the end of the path Ariana was walking.

‘But Duke Heron doesn’t know one thing.’

A bitter smile appeared on Ariana’s lips.

‘There has never been anything good on the path I’ve walked from the beginning.’

From the moment she was born, Ariana had to walk a path covered in filth.

Now that she had returned, Dongryeong was showing Ariana a clean and beautiful path. The road unfolding before her was so dazzling that she couldn’t gather her thoughts.

However, the mud on Ariana’s feet still hadn’t washed away, and she thought that perhaps she would never be able to escape from it until the day she died.

‘Duke Heron may seem kind, but he’s probably a sharp-witted person. So, he probably noticed my approach that time. I need to be careful in front of the Duke.’

Still, Ariana was relieved that Isaac was coming. She had faith that Isaac, as the personal physician, would be able to restore Signy’s condition that even Uriel couldn’t handle.

‘A grateful person.’

Ariana recalled Isaac’s sunny smile.

‘A bright person.’

She felt fortunate that such a person was by Cyrus’s side.

When Ariana pulled the string by the bedside, the assigned maid entered. She requested bathwater and morning meals.

Lavender petals floated in the warm water filled in the bathtub. Shortly after soaking herself in the fragrant bath, Catherine entered with a silver tray.

Several dishes that could be eaten with hands were placed on the tray.

“Today, you need to wear a dress, so I was told to prepare a simple breakfast.”

Catherine said as she set the tray on the table.

“Yeah, thank you.”

Chopped vegetables and ham combined with a tangy sauce on a biscuit, nuts coated in milk and honey, and a few pieces of fresh fruit were laid out on the tray.

“After the bath, let’s have breakfast and get ready.”

Catherine suggested, and Ariana nodded in agreement.

‘Days of having a meal while sitting in a fragrant bathtub.’

It was a luxury Ariana hadn’t experienced even after marrying Ingo Alfrehi and becoming a lady.

After leisurely finishing the bath, Ariana went out and sat on the stool at the vanity. The waiting maids approached, drying Ariana’s wet hair.

Meanwhile, Catherine brought several large jewelry boxes and piled them on the vanity.

“These are the accessories sent by the North Duke.”

Catherine opened one of the boxes. Inside, there were numerous expensive-looking items such as necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.
“This is from Duke Langstie White and his wife, and this one is from Viscount Felos White and his wife. Also, this is from the Seonde Dohjehoo and his wife, and this one is from Lord Averbuster, and this is from Lady Isabelle.”

The family didn’t know they would send gifts.

Ariana blinked her eyes and examined the sparkling jewelry emitting light from the storage box. Regardless of which dress she wore, there were various types of gems and various shapes of jewelry in front of her, enough to find accessories that suited her.

“It seems like I could open a jewelry store.”

Catherine chuckled softly at Ariana’s words, and this time, she brought a few pairs of shoes.

“These shoes are sent by the Duke of Dohjehoo, and the rest are sent by Lady Isabelle.”

They didn’t expect gifts to be sent all the way to Zeor. Ariana stared at the shoes sent by Zeor.

It was a pair of white shoes that changed from lavender to deep purple, matching well with the night-sky-like dress. The heels weren’t too high, perhaps considerate of Ariana, who might not have worn shoes frequently?

The front part of the shoes, covered with white silk, was densely embroidered with amethysts, and as it went around the ankles, the number of amethysts decreased, creating a similar atmosphere to the deepening dress.

“I’ll go with these shoes.”

“Is this okay, as expected? The Duke of Dohjehoo subtly has a sense of style.”

After the maids finished drying their hair, the difficult process began. They meticulously applied makeup, wore corsets, put on petticoats, and then wore dresses on top.

After putting on the dress, they combed her hair, and the maids, skilled with their hands, created various hairstyles.

“This style also suits you well.”

“The style earlier suited you too…”

“Princess, there really isn’t a style that doesn’t suit you.”

Amidst the compliments, the maids and Catherine, struggling with the hair care, finally decided on one style.

They loosely braided the hair behind the ears from both sides, fixed it from behind, and densely inserted pearl hairpins into the braided part. It seemed like white flowers were blooming on the sky-blue hair.

After choosing necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, four hours had passed.

A maid came and informed that the guests were arriving.