‘Since Baron Alprehi likes women, even if there are some rumors about Ariana, if she looks fine, he will like her. He can have a pretty and young wife, and tie his family to the Bronthe family, so he won’t refuse over some slight rumors.’

Rachel was still afraid of her father, the Second Duke, even after marriage. The Second Duke was someone who could even sell his children to get what he wanted.

‘If Ariana becomes useless, he might try to use Helena or Victoria. I can’t let Helena and Victoria suffer like I did.’

Rachel had to marry a man she did not want, leaving behind the man she loved, but she wanted her two daughters to grow up freely and marry the people they wanted.

She couldn’t allow the expectations placed on Ariana to shift to Helena and Victoria.

A good idea came to her mind. It might be harsh on Ariana, but this was something Ariana brought upon herself.

‘Ariana, if you hadn’t done such a thing at the party, I wouldn’t have had to resort to this method. I was going to raise you nicely and send you off to marry, and yet you dare raise your hand against me….’

She felt no guilt.

She could do anything for Helena and Victoria.

‘Ariana is still a little young… but it can be made up.’

Duchess Juliana Robenta had invited Ariana to this social season, but Rachel had no intention of taking Ariana to the capital.

If an incident happened that made it absolutely impossible for Ariana to go to the capital, Juliana would have to accept it. She might even think that the incident at the party was a scheme by the unruly Ariana.

Rachel, still wearing a heavy expression, stroked Jacob’s arm and said,

“Don’t worry, Jacob. Ariana’s problem will be solved soon. I’ll make sure of it.”

+++

“Uhuhuhuh.”

“Heeeeeee.”

The wailing of women carried through the damp air.

The crying that had been heard since yesterday had lessened after a day, but it carried deeper sorrow, resentment, and fear.

Ariana leaned against the cold wall, closing her eyes and listening to the maids’ cries.

Listening to the cries in the darkness might have sent chills down her spine, but a curious smile played on Ariana’s lips.

‘Helena doesn’t know what her maids did, so Victoria must have imprisoned those maids.’

Victoria had always behaved politely and kindly to her servants to manage her image. The servants praised her, saying, “The youngest princess of Bronthe is not only pretty in face but also has a beautiful heart.”

Victoria’s beautiful heart was not sturdy enough to withstand a little stimulus.

‘She’s still young after all.’
Several years later, had such an event occurred, Victoria would not have reacted so emotionally.

Though Victoria had a knack for reading others and manipulating from behind, she was still immature in calmly responding to sudden disasters.

The maids, who hadn’t had a sip of water since they were trapped last night, were so hoarse and cracked that they couldn’t even cry properly.

“Yes, it must be scary. But you are together, and you’re not in the dark, are you?”

Unlike Ariana, who was trapped in a windowless underground dungeon, the maids were trapped in an upstairs dungeon with windows. Those maids would be released by Rachel either tonight or tomorrow.

It would be difficult to deal with if several maids died simultaneously, especially since the matter of Ariana’s abuse was already under scrutiny.

Her body trembled from being on the cold and hard floor since yesterday. The place where she was hit by Rachel was throbbing and feverish, and cold sweat formed.

Ariana wrapped herself with both arms.

Being trapped was familiar, but thirst was still tough. The fever made her throat even drier.

“It’s okay. This is nothing. It was harder at the last moment. I can endure this.”

Whether it was because she was in the dark, various emotions silently welled up.

The greatest among them was sorrow, which she thought she had left behind when she revived.

She wanted to dispose of negative emotions and calmly walk forward, but being human, she couldn’t erase all emotions, no matter how much time she went back.

She was sad and miserable.

Her situation was pitiable and wretched.

She had just been born, she had just lived, she had just wanted to live, so why did she have to be treated like this?

Her eyes began to sting, and Ariana clenched her fists.

“Don’t cry. There’s no reason to cry. You can’t do anything by crying about this. Don’t waver. There’s no need to waver. You knew this would happen. You’re only receiving what you deserve, so there’s no need to be sad.”

She steadied her weakening heart. She forcibly raised her crumbling spirit.

She recalled Rachel, who discarded and trampled on Ariana, Helena, who laughed even at Ariana’s death, the pain of the rough rope digging into her neck, and Victoria, who must have manipulated all of that.

The most pitiful and resentful thing was that she had believed in them.

The foolish Ariana, who had an absurdly tender heart, longing for love and recognition.

So she had to make this heart even harder.

“Just crying and being sad about this will only repeat the old life.”

Ariana tried to think about something else to forget the physical pain.

She tried to guess what Rachel would do next, what kind of method Victoria would come up with.

She struggled to escape from the sorrow that no one recognized.

Then, something fell at Ariana’s feet.