The rumor spread fast and far. Every day at Ariel's house, all kinds of party invitations arrived to see if she would attend in order to confirm it for themselves.
Ariel, who had been returning the incoming letters that arrived each day with a reply of refusal, paused and sighed when she encountered an envelope with a gold seal.
The golden seal belonged to the royal family. It was obvious who had sent her the invitation.
"I cannot refuse Her Highness' invitation......."
Ever since her debut to society, the crown princess constantly requested for Ariel's company by her side. People suspected that her actions were to indicate Ariel's title as the future duchess. Of course, Ariel realized that as well.
People said that the crown princess had a strange personality. In fact, Ariel couldn't bring herself to say she's eccentric, so she didn't.
The crown princess seldom summoned the same people to her side once she got bored of their company. In addition, people rarely approached her due to her unpredictable tempers.
No one dared voice their true opinions. Her intelligence and perceptiveness made the princess a formidable enemy to those who opposed her and that frightened those around her half to death. A very particular person indeed.
Ariel knew that their relationship was not supported by her status. The baron's daughter, worth next to nothing, should not have the privilege of standing next to the crown princess.
Yet she called Ariel every time she held an event. In Arsion's absence, she paid extra attention to Ariel. As if she refused to lose to Arsion, the Princess gave Ariel gifts more lavish than the ones Arsion had given to her.
Ariel once refused to accept the Princess' gifts out of embarrassment, but had no choice except to receive them with tears in her eyes because Her Highness threatened, somewhat seriously, "How dare you decline gifts from the Crown Princess and send them back?"
It was a widely-spread, false rumor and there's no way that the crown princess herself wouldn't have heard...
'She probably wants to confirm them herself.'
The surest way to confirm would surely be to call in Ariel rather than to believe in false rumors. Ariel sighed and grabbed the pen.
"Maybe this is the last time."
'If I break up with Arsion, I will no longer be invited by the crown princess. This will also be the last time I visit the royal family.'
Ariel sighed again after writing a 'thank you' on the reply letter that indicated her attendance. She had already been stressed, thinking about what kind of expression she should wear when meeting the crown princess, but what's worse was that the other young girls attending would no doubt whisper about her and Arsion.
'But what am I supposed to say to them?'
She didn't know much about Arsion either. Suddenly, resentment towards Arsion flared up. If he was planning to be a holy knight, he could have at least sent her a letter.
'That's right...... Come to think of it, he left in a hurry last time too.'
Ariel shed tears as she recalled Arsion's departure. There was a reason why Ariel thought he wanted to be a holy knight to break up with her.
Three years ago, Ariel was seriously ill. At first, she thought it was a cold, but the next day, she had a fever and struggled to even open her eyes and she coughed nonstop. The next day, Ariel's father found her unmoving on the bed, unconscious.
YOU ARE READING
What to Do at Night
RandomAriel Bellford was the second daughter of the baronet house of Bellford that didn't have a single thing special about them. Three years had passed since her fiance Arsion, the successor of the ducal house of Hastings, became a knight and left her si...
