“One month….”

Rachel stared at the calendar while listening to her maid’s report.

April 7th.

Exactly one month had passed since Ariana Bronthe went missing.

By now, the empire would be in the social season, hosting parties daily, but the Bronthe family had no choice but to return to their estate, unable to set foot on imperial land.

Helena incessantly complained about missing her debut, while Victoria maintained her dark expression, simply staring into space. Duke Jacob Bronthe lost his temper whenever he made eye contact with Rachel, and his days away from home increased.

Despite enlisting the help of the Grand Duke, Rachel had tried to find Ariana’s whereabouts but to no avail. They had found the bodies of mercenaries at the bottom of the cliff, but neither Ariana nor her maid were there.

The people sent by the Grand Duke reported that the wounds inflicted on the mercenaries were severe. It seemed like they were dealt by someone skilled in martial arts.

“That makes it even more strange….”

Even if a skilled knight or mercenary happened to pass by and saved Ariana, news should have arrived by now. Whether demanding a reward or quietly sending her back, something should have happened by this point.

But no one had brought any news of Ariana.

It was as if Ariana had vanished into the earth or soared into the sky.

“Even if Ariana revealed the hidden knife she’d been carrying, she’s still just a powerless child. She has no money, no escort; where could she have gone?”

She had thought yesterday that Ariana might have gone to the Eastern Territory. She had sent a message to Chase Castle right away, but she thought it unlikely.

“The distance from the Western Territory to the Eastern Territory isn’t something a young girl could cover alone. Besides, I’ve spoken ill of the Eastern Grand Duke to Ariana, so she wouldn’t entrust herself to my father.”

Her next thought was the Duchess Juliana of Robenta.

At the garden party, Duchess Robenta had formally invited Ariana.

“But if she had gone there, we would have heard something by now….”

Knowing that Ariana, once underestimated, was actually formidable, Rachel realized that if Ariana survived, she’d pose various difficulties.

If Ariana found a benefactor somewhere who could back her, she’d unsparingly wield her sharp knife against the Bronthe family.

“Maybe she’s already met a benefactor and asked to keep her whereabouts hidden. I need to send spies to places I’m suspicious of.”

+++

Ariana had recovered enough to get out of bed after more than a week of being ill. Only then did she truly take in the décor of her room.

“Wow….”

It was entirely pink.

The bed, the curtains, the furniture, and even the carpet on the floor were all either pink or white.

She had thought the room seemed too flamboyant when she was first led in, but she hadn’t realized it was entirely pink.

“Who could have chosen this?”

She had met the successive Eastern Grand Duke and Duchess and Lord Russel, Duke Langster White, and Count Phellos White in the White family. None of them seemed likely to have ordered this décor.

“Princess, the day is nice; shall I open the curtains?”

Catherine asked from the bedroom window. She was a handmaid selected by Catherine, and she was also the wife of Baron Luell.

“Yes, but I’m not a princess.”

“You will be soon. His Majesty will be delighted to announce your return, and the people will be overjoyed.”

Would they really?

Ariana had little hope for that.

When the curtains were drawn back, bright sunlight flooded in. The sky visible through the large window was so clear it hurt the eyes.

“The sky is really beautiful.”

“The wind is warm and fluffy too. Shall I open the window?”

“Please do.”
The wind blowing, as Catherine had said, was warm and comforting. The scent of wood and earth carried by the wind pleasantly tickled the nose.

Though nothing had been resolved yet, the need for caution ever present, the soft spring wind kept dulling the edge of her nerves.

“Today, the Duke and Duchess of White, the Earl and Countess of White, and their children will be visiting. His Highness, the heir, has been away at the eastern battlefront and will now receive news about you, Princess.”

The heir referred to the successor to the throne.

Russell had only one biological child, Ariana. But after losing Ariana to Rachel, he adopted Zeor, the second son of a distant relative, Duke Oberlier, due to issues regarding the heir.

Before she died, Ariana had seen Zeor a few times.

His fiercely raised eyebrows and slightly neurotic meticulousness, and the cold smile that spread across his lips whenever he saw Ariana.

Zeor, the heir, had been a brave and rational warrior on the battlefield. He died while saving the Emperor when the Third Prince initiated a war to overthrow him.

‘Yes, I brought down this family.’

To survive, to be recognized, to be loved, she betrayed the White family, who abandoned and neglected her. She lent wisdom to the Third Prince when he raised his sword against the Emperor, and followed his orders, creating fissures in the White family.