Two days had passed since the ball.
Ariella was standing in the garden, staring blankly at a rosebud. Over the past few days, the bud had swollen and begun to show hints of red. It was the same color as the eyes she'd seen on the night of the ball. Ar clung to her cheek.
Ariella, you've been spacing out for a while! What's wrong?
“It's nothing.”
Liar! Your heart sped up again!
Ariella pulled Ar away. Could this spirit even sense her heartbeat?
Marga approached from behind.
“Miss, you have a visitor.”
“A visitor?”
“The young master of House Asteron.”
Ariella's expression hardened. House Asteron. Dian de Asteron. The male lead of the original novel.
When she entered the drawing room, a blond young man was standing there. He was leaning against the window with his arms crossed. His amethyst eyes turned toward Ariella. Cold, sharp, and hostile.
Ariella knew why he had come.
“Duke Asteron, welcome.”
She greeted him first. It was a perfect greeting, exactly in accordance with noble etiquette. Dian's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
“Lady Belfior.”
His voice was low. Polite, but devoid of warmth.
“Won't you sit?”
“I don't intend to stay long.”
Ariella sat on the sofa. Dian didn't sit. He stood there, looking down at her. It was deliberate pressure.
Ariella smiled.
“If you're going to speak while standing, should I stand too?”
Dian's eyes wavered. Just for a moment. Apparently, her response had been unexpected.
“I heard that you've changed.”
“Yes.”
“That you apologized at the tea party.”
“Yes.”
“And that you kept your dignity even while standing up to the insults from the young ladies.”
“That sounds like a bit of an exaggeration.”
Dian looked at Ariella. An emotion passed through his amethyst eyes. It wasn't anger or contempt. Something closer to confusion.
“I don't believe it.”
Ariella nodded.
“You don't have to.”
Dian faltered.
“I'm the one who has to prove whether I've changed. Duke Asteron.”
Ariella looked into Dian's eyes. She didn't look away. She met his gaze head-on.
Dian's mouth opened, then closed. He seemed to have lost his words. The Ariella of the past would have screamed in fury. How dare he doubt her? But Ariella was smiling. Calmly.
“I won't forget what you did to Ririella.”
Dian's voice grew lower. The name made Ariella's chest ache. Ririella. The person this man loved.
“You don't have to forget. I won't forget either.”
Dian's eyes widened.
“I won't forget what I did to Ririella, either. That's why I'll make it up to her. In a different way.”
Ariella smiled. Dian stared at her. A long silence passed between them.
Dian turned his head and looked out the window. Something flickered in his amethyst eyes, but she couldn't read it.
“I'll take some time and see.”
Dian turned away. His blond hair shimmered in the sunlight. He stopped at the door.
“Ririella looked happy. Recently.”
Ariella's heart pounded.
“I'll acknowledge that much.”
Dian left. The door closed.
Ariella leaned back against the sofa and exhaled. Her heart was beating fast. For a different reason.
Ririella looked happy.
This man truly loved Ririella. Ariella hadn't realized it when she'd read the original novel. There were things that couldn't be conveyed through words. When Ririella's name appeared in Dian's eyes, the coldness in them melted for the briefest moment.
Sol glowed on her shoulder.
Strong.
“Yeah. He's a strong person.”
Rin spoke from her feet.
His eyes were sad too. In a different way.
Ariella looked at Rin. Rin was always accurate.
Dian's sadness. His anguish over hating the older sister of the person he loved. Ariella had read about it in the original novel. But seeing it in person was different. It was heavier than words on a page.
It's okay. This person too, little by little.
But Ariella's story was already different from the original novel. It was already changing.