Ariana arrived at Chase Castle the next day. Almost simultaneously, Langsti White, the second son of the White family, and his youngest brother, Pelos White, came to visit Chase Castle.

Theodore briefed them on Ariana’s situation in his office.

With a flushed face, Pelos listened to the story and exploded.

“What did I tell you, brother! Regardless of what she says, shouldn’t we first go to the Western Province to see how Ariana is doing?”

“It’s not that simple. If Russell moved to the Western Province, do you think the Emperor would approve?”

“Is Mother still on your side in this situation? What father neglects his child for 14 years and doesn’t even check on her! Whether the Emperor suspects or not, whether there’s a war with the Western Province, you should have checked on her!”

“Enough, enough. So you see, Russell also regrets it.”

Theodore tried to calm him, but Pelos’s momentum did not wane.

“What good is regretting now? The time for her to be showered with parental love is already past!”

Pelos’s every word stung Russell’s conscience. They were all valid points.

He was unworthy to be a father. That’s why, when Ariana called him His Majesty of the Eastern Province, he couldn’t dare ask her to call him father.

“We need to go see Ariana first.”

Pelos remembered the moment Ariana was born.

The day Ariana was born, the entire White family gathered to eagerly await the birth of the child.

Pelos already had a daughter, but when Russell held that tiny child with softly shimmering light-blue hair, he made a vow.

To love her as if she were his own daughter.

But Rachel had stolen her. Without a word, Rachel fled with Ariana to the Western Province and sent a single letter requesting a divorce.

Pelos had always been worried about whether Rachel, who was always looking for an opportunity to escape from the Eastern Province, would raise Ariana well.

Just as Pelos was about to head to Ariana’s room, Theodore stopped him.

“Ariana is sleeping. She’s been resting for a while. Don’t even think about waking her; she’s always tense when she’s awake.”

“For heaven’s sake! Why would a child be tense meeting her family? What kind of upbringing is this!”

“I didn’t go deaf, so lower your voice. Anyway, where did she get such a temper……”

“From her father, from her father!”

Finally, Pelos shut his mouth after being reprimanded by Theodore.

Langsti, who had been quietly sitting, finally spoke.

“Any news from the Western Province?”

Carrady answered.

“No, not yet. Whether she knows she ran away or not.”

“What about the situation in the Western Province?”

“I’ve sent someone, so we’ll hear soon.”

“Are we certain that Ariana came to the Eastern Province without any ulterior motives?”

At Langsti’s sharp question, everyone widened their eyes. Pelos was the first to recover and shouted.

“No, brother! What are you saying? Are you suggesting Ariana came here as a spy?”

“Do you think it’s possible for a 16-year-old girl to travel alone from the Western Province all the way here?”

“It’s possible! Ariana has the bloodline of the White family! If it was our Isabel, she’d survive even if you left her in the mountains; she’d hunt down a bear!”

“That’s Isabel. But Ariana has been here only a few days since her birth. After that, she’s always been in the Western Province. It’s easy to fabricate abuse. Besides, isn’t she unusually mature? If she was raised to do her part….”

“Enough!”

Russell raised his voice, cutting off Langsti’s words.

His blue eyes flared with anger.

“Are you doubting Ariana?”

“Brother, it’s a necessary suspicion.”

“What child would fabricate abuse!”
“Because she’s a child. She believes in what her parents tell her, she does as her parents say. Have you forgotten what Rachel did? If she tells Ariana bad things about the East and tells her to work for the West, what will you do? A child doesn’t know right from wrong, they’ll just do what their parents tell them.”

“Even so, she is my daughter.”

“Of course, I consider Ariana my niece as well. If she really was abused and ran away to come here, then really… Ah. But you, Brother, you’re the Eastern Emperor. You have to prioritize the East.”

“Then take the seat of the Eastern Emperor. Nothing is more precious to me than Ariana.”

Pelos, who had been glaring at Langsty, clenched his fists tightly.

“You’ve said it well, Brother!”

Langsty swallowed a sigh.

It wasn’t that Langsty disliked his niece. He was simply curious about her intentions.

Members of the White family tended to blindly trust their own. Even though they knew that the Western Empress had unfavorable sentiments towards the East, they trusted Rachel.

The result of that trust led to the Emperor’s suspicion.

Rachel played her part well as the Western princess struggling to adapt to the East, and secretly leaked information. They thought the reason she was distant from the White family was simply because she was still struggling to adapt.

“Ariana grew up under Rachel’s care; she might have picked up Rachel’s traits.”