# 44
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Why is this woman so hasty?
Ariana let out a sarcastic laugh as she headed into the hotel hallway.
She was expecting some prominent families from the capital to come to attend the opening of the hotel.
'But coming before the invitations are sent out?'
Never heard of such shameless haste.
Or perhaps because, as Theodora, she is always considered welcome in areas belonging to the Clifford family.
In fact, the senior officials gathered in the gallery treated Theodora with the utmost honor. The welcome was completely different from the one Ariana received.
“Welcome, Mrs. Byrne!”
"Hello everyone, it's been a while. I hope you're doing well?"
"Yes, of course!"
The guests were treated great without a doubt.
Theodora looked around smugly.
As I expected, she is still a queen who is looked up to here.
Ariana watched the scene indifferently, then approached.
“Welcome, Mrs. Byrne.”
“Oh my God, it's been a while, ma'am?”
“It seems that the capital's schedules this year did not interest you. To come to the south so quickly.”
“Anyway, since the VIPs missed the social event season, can't I take a rest at the coast early?”
Theodora held Ariana's arm as if they were best friends.
Ariana silently decided to never wear that dress again.
"Okay, will you show me around? Ariana."
“I will arrange for a servant to explain in the best way.”
“Huh, didn’t you say that you would step down from your position one day?”
Just then, Theodora gave her a sharp look and scolded her.
They were smiling, but the whispered conversation sounded like a metallic sound.
“It would be good if you explained yourf now to prepare for that day.”
Ariana furrowed her eyebrows slightly.
Usually, people who deserve a round of “duchess” are at the imperial family level. A count's daughter was not supposed to command like this.
Does she maintain her pride now? Or do you give this woman what she wants and end the matter?
While she was considering the two options, Kenneth came down the hallway after hearing about the arrival of a “guest.” He frowned slightly at the sight of Theodora, but to others, he didn't seem visibly upset.
“Mrs. Byrne.”
“Oh my God, Kenneth! Oh, no, I mean...”
Guidora threw Ariana's arm without hesitation, moving on to call Kenneth by his name and then acting polite, boasting of their close relationship.
“Master Duke Clifford, it has been a while since we last met. Are you in good health?”
“It hasn't been long since I last saw you.”
Kenneth responded coldly to her enthusiastic greeting, then turned his eyes to Ariana who was a few steps away.
Ariana lowered her eyes softly as she met his intense blue gaze.
This was their first direct meeting with him since their arrival.
At the beginning of the train journey, they had been sharing a bed, but since the second half of the journey, they had been distant, and he had yet to visit her room.
Kenneth turned his eyes away from her, and even turned his entire body.
Since he had arrived at Ariana's bedroom in a daze due to the effects of the drug, he was still embarrassed to face her.
“You may be jet-lagged, but let's move somewhere else.”
“Okay, Sir Duke.”
Theodora smiled elegantly and took his gloved hand lightly.
People automatically bowed before the Count's daughter who was accompanying the Duke.
Ariana looked at the two of them walking away indifferently.
How strange, she is a “lady”, but she felt like a blemish in this place. Faint whispers even reached her, as if they wanted to remind her of that.
“Wow, as expected...”
“The one who is most suited to be at the Duke’s side...”
Those who were whispering quickly lowered their eyes to the ground when they saw Ariana. But she knew very well that she did not “hear” that by chance.
'They want me to feel ashamed.'
For others, it's fun to see a noble girl without support feel miserable. But Ariana didn't find the moment particularly offensive.
'Well, I wish them a happy life.'
The man who said her baby was a mistake, and the woman who insulted her.
It would be better for everyone if they bonded together.
* * *
In the office suite of the hotel, less luxurious than the residence suite but elegant enough to match the homes of the capital, Kenneth removed the hand that had been accompanying Theodora upon their arrival.
He scolded her in an expressionless voice.
“Since last time, you keep surprising me in an unpleasant way.”
He couldn't reprimand a noblewoman in front of the servants, and the Byrne family had been of great help to him. So, he treated her favorably in front of the higher-ups.
But preference persists only when the beneficiary knows his limits...
“Was your childhood etiquette teacher incompetent? I only hope little girls now don’t learn from him.”
“Kenneth...”
“Coming in without telling us the schedule in advance is unheard of.”
Theodora bit her lips like a scolding child.
She knew very well that her visit was somewhat against etiquette.
But if she had told her arrival time in advance, a formal welcome would have been expected. She is Theodora Byrne, after all.
It was fun to be received as a special guest even without prior notice. She secretly hoped that Kenneth would be surprised and welcome her.
'I thought my accompanying him was a good start.'
But when they were alone, Kenneth scolded her as if she were the little girl he had known since childhood.
“You spread rumors like those heard in the alleys, and your dealings with the cruise ship business have been disappointing.”
“What's the reason this time?”
“I, as the heiress of the Bayern family, have come to do my duty.”
Theodora raised her head steadily to avoid feeling defeated.
“Didn’t you hear from my father? Since the affairs of the capital make it difficult for him to move, he sent me on his behalf.”
"This is correct."
To follow up on parliamentary conditions in the capital, it wasn't a bad idea to have someone close to the family.
Since women in Cremisa could inherit titles, it was not strange for Theodora to come on her father's behalf.
But Kenneth looked at the girl who raised her head resolutely with cold eyes.
Since he had known her since childhood, he knew her constant weaknesses.
Although she had a good knowledge of the family business, she grew up pampered by her father's undisciplined love, making her thinking superficial.
He also knew her tendency to delegate difficult matters to others in order to avoid them at that moment.
“Well, I don’t stop you from having your say as your father’s ‘deputy.’ You are the sole heir to the Byrne family.”
“But if you cross the border, I can arrange a train back to the capital.”
Theodora almost bit her lips. It was an implicit threat that if she tried to act as the “future lady of the house” without his permission, she would be sent away.
'But it's okay yet.'
Kenneth never looked at her, but he drew a fair line with everyone.
Even at the beginning of his marriage, other than people's curiosity about whether he would fall in love with the beauty of this “parasitic” girl, his treatment of her was completely formal.
Currently, his treatment of her was extremely cold.
This, at least, was reassuring.
“Don't worry, Kenneth.”
Teodora smiled weakly and nodded.
“I came here on behalf of my father... I will not cause you any inconvenience. I will stay in the Byrne family’s suite and move from there.”
It might be a little annoying, but if you don't stay here, it will be easier to gain others' sympathy.
How excited would the servants be if Ariana Aberdeen didn't realize her position and fire the woman who was supposed to be the mistress of the house?
'Anyway, I needed to check how things were going with Andrew Claude in the private pavilion, so this suits me.'