Translator: Khan
Editor Group: Liber Reverie
Since there was no reason to remain, there was a positive expression on Carinâs face, too. Chloe, watching it, held out his hand to her, as if he were considering her to grab his hand and to get up.
As it had not been a long time after her divorce, she did not grab his hand easily with hesitation. Somehow, she was wary of Aria.
âHow can I object as he reaches out to my mother with a friendly face?â When Aria got up and pretended not to know and to trim her dress, and then Carin stood up, taking Chloeâs hand.
Aria was about to leave the execution square, but Mielle, who was taken by the knightsâ strong hands and dragged to the prisonerâs wagon, shouted in a hurry,
âUh, sister! Sister! You must take me, too!â
It was because Aria had not mentioned anything. Mielle needed Ariaâs help as she could go out of prison when she was accompanied by the petitioner who had submitted the petition.
At the urgent voice, Aria slowly turned her head. She looked surprised as if she hadnât thought about it.
âMielle.â
âSister!â said Mielle, as if excited to hear her name, and she seemed to think that she could get away from this terrible hell. But unlike Mielleâs expectations, Aria could not get her out.
âIâm sorry. Iâm not the one who filed the petition.â
â⦠yes?â
Mielle stiffened at that, and she looked asking what she meant.
What if it wasnât Aria who submitted the petition? Whether it was unexpected for Carin, Lohan, and Asher who was a little further away, all looked forward to Ariaâs next words.
âOf course, it was me who asked to write it, but⦠I didnât have time to write it myself, so she sent the petition under her name because I didnât write it. So youâll have to ask her, not me.â
âShe? Who the hell is that?â With the nervous look, Mielle asked, and Aria smiled softly and answered, âIâll tell her to pick you up as soon as I get back, and donât worry.â
But Mielleâs anxiety was aggravated when Aria said that she had to wait for a moment instead of giving the exact name. âWho the hell is she?â She was about to ask again, but Cain, who was next to her, asked something else earlier.
âI heard that my father was a widower. What the hell happened?â
He seemed to mind the strange explanation to the Count all along. They wouldnât use the word widower to a man with a wife. He asked Aria, but the answer was replaced by Carin.
âThatâs a foolish question, Cain. You know that your family lost the property as well as the title, because of you. If I hadnât divorced him, your whole family would have been the street tramps, instead of arranging a lawyer to you.â
ââ¦!â
âDidnât you see other sinners die without a lawyer? Reflect on your behavior before you worry about the Count.â
He didnât know that it was the result of divorce, and Cain, who had been shocked and speechless for a while, asked again,
â⦠then, what happened to our father now? Are you only divorced in form, and are you with him?â
Cain asked so as if he wanted that, but Carin responded with a little displeasure as if she had heard some nonsense.
âHow can a man and a woman who are not married live together?â
âThen, where is he? Where is he?â
âDonât worry because heâs in a safe place. Iâve taken care of you who ignored me so much, and do you think that I threw him away? It was Aria who had cared about him, but Carin replied, emphasizing the favor to the Count.
Cain shut his mouth, when he had nothing to say, and Aria relieved him of his concern before leaving.
âYou are now a servant of the Imperial Castle, so you can go out. Donât worry, you can check it yourself because he gets along well.â
He couldnât check it out now, but he nodded as if he thought that Aria, who had saved himself and Mielle, might not have left his father alone.
âMove.â
As Cain was talking to Aria, the knight couldnât intervene, but as he confirmed that the conversation was over, he pushed the back of Cain.
Cain had to rejoice that he had been saved, but there were too many things to think of. Then, the brother and sister, who survived the execution, barely moved to the cold carriage again.
* * *
âArenât you the petitioner?â
âYeah. Iâm not.â
Carin asked Aria in the carriage back to the mansion.
âThen, who the hell is she? No, why did you do that?â Carin had a puzzled face because she had thought Aria would carry Mielle by herself.
Aria smiled pleasantly and replied, âIâm just going to do the same thing. It was the worst and most resentful thing.â
âThe worst and the most resentful thingâ¦? Are you talking about the last thing? Do you meant that Mielle framed you?â
It seemed to mean the incident that Mielle had pushed the Count from the stairs. Anyone who would know the nature of Aria and the whole story of the incident would naturally think that she would take revenge.
Aria gave an ambiguous answer that was neither positive nor negative. âWell, maybe.â
âWhew, do you make me so frustrating?â
âYou didnât even tell me everything. Youâll soon find out, and donât worry.â
âYou didnât tell me what to do with Cainâ¦â
Carin glanced at Aria whether she felt sorry, as Aria was doing many things alone without telling her anything.
But to start the explanation, Aria had to start by saying that her head had been beheaded and she had turned back the time, and of course she couldnât explain it. Because of that, Aria just laughed and evaded the answer, Carinâs eyes became bitter.
âYou also have something to hide from me, and donât be too hard on me.â
âLike right now.â When she mentioned Chloe, heading to the mansion in Lohanâs carriage, Carin closed her mouth, realizing that she also had something to hide.
They were able to reach the mansion shortly, likewise, they had gone to the square. Naturally, the servants of the mansion, who thought that only Carin and Aria would return home, found out two more carriages decorated brilliantly, entering the mansion, and politely greeted them in astonishment.
âWhat a beautiful mansion this is! You have a very good eye.â Asher purely admired, and Lohan agreed. âWell, itâs enough to meet the Crown Prince and the king. The servants are good too.â
The servants opened their eyes wide, pretended to be calm, and thought to themselves. âI know the Crown Prince as I saw him a few times, but the king?â But because they couldnât ask, and there was no one to give an answer, they hid their frustrations and served them sincerely. It was clear that Annie, the informant, would ask Aria and bring the answer.
The attendants quickly served them the carefully prepared tea and fruits, and despite the fact that the visitors were the Crown Prince and the king, Carin was confident to guide them to the parlor.
â⦠Iâm so glad that you live well.â
So Carin, Aria, Asher, Lohan, and Chloe sat in the parlor, drinking tea, and Chloe first spoke to Carin. He was sincerely happy that she lived well.
Carin replied with a cold face. âEvery time you meet me, you say that.â
âI was really worried. There were so many unexpected things that I couldnât goâ¦â
âI didnât expect. There were not a few men who said the same thing as Mr. Chloe.â
In response to the guilty Chloe, Carin said as if she didnât expect it at all. But her shaking eyes proved that her answer was false.
Of course, there were many men who had spoken the same words as Chloe, even if they had used both hands and feet, but there had been no man who had promised the future by expressing with his whole body that she was so adorable. She couldnât guarantee it because it had been so long and old, but she might have expected it a bit. Except for him, others had only enjoyed the situation.
âLetâs stop the introduction, but get to the point quickly.â
Theyâd already talked through letters several times, and they acted as if they met again in a few years, and Lohan got angry.
âMr. Lohan, why donât you go to another room? You donât have to be here.â
When Aria said that it would be better for Lohan to leave now, he was frustrated and replied with a very sad face,
â⦠you donât know how much Iâve played a major role in this. Think about it, Lady Aria. Who brought Marquis Piast and his son, Chloe?â